The Rockets As I See Them...

Now, I don't normally post threads much, but I am frustrated by the Rockets' play. First off, Kelvin Cato: he is a nice defender and a willing team player, however I have noticed he has a horrific shot selection. Shooting 15-18 footers just because he is wide open, and clanking them. As it is, the offense has enough trouble putting up points. I think Cato needs to go. Despite his interior defense, he is too much of an offensive liability in exchange for just 2 blocks and a steal a game. It's like playing 4-on-5 out there.

Second, Moochie Norris. Man, this guy is awful. He cannot shoot and I think he has gotten worse as a passer. He should not be getting 10-14 minutes a night, because he is both an offensive and defensive liability. Teams leave him open constantly. Not only that, but the offense seems to hit lulls and dead points every time he's in, and thats not exactly the calling card of a good point guard.

Third, how is it that our third string has more heart and fire than our starters and reserves??? Alton Ford is a beast inside and does not let anything go free underneath on the defensive end. He is aggressive and uses his body well, which is what all our bigs should do. Padgett is a nice, smart veteran player who can shoot and plays team basketball. I see him getting more minutes, but he needs to be the backup at the 4 spot, with Taylor as the starter. Padgett can extend defenses and rebounds nicely, and HE PLAYS SMART.

This is not merely one fan's rampage of fury after a terrible loss. I have been analyzing this team all year and came to these conclusions. We have too many glaring weaknesses as a team and we seem more and more like pretenders than contenders. On some positives, Steve did play very well today, passing to open players and was aggressive offensively; yet he still cannot guard the pick and roll to save his life. Piatkowski needs to get more than the 20 minutes a game he's getting, because he is the lone pure shooter on the team.

Overall, I would think it would be wise to package Francis/Cato/Moochie for a veteran point guard and some nice role players. Yes, I just praised Francis, but it is clear that he is not fit to play in Van Gundy's system, and is thus only holding us back as team. However, I do trust Van Gundy's coaching ability and I think he will do all he can to fix these weaknesses, which is not something I could say for Rudy, despite how much I admired him. It's just a shame to see a team with so much potential to underachieve so badly.

 

I never said Ford was great, but he certainly showed a lot more emotion and energy that the starters and reserves did.