In no particular order... 1. They have no resiliency. Get a decent lead on them and 9 times out of 10, that's all she wrote. They're about as confident as a pimply faced high schooler on his first date. The team logo might as well be a white flag. 2. No ability to close a game. They're like the villain that has the hero cornered and decides to give a monologue instead of finishing him off. Except that would imply that the villain was actually in control at one point, so I'm not sure how often this would actually apply. 3. Yao's split personalities. One night he can't be stopped. The next night he looks like he feels guilty for even taking a shot. One minute he'll tear through the rim and let out a primal scream. The next minute he'll float a point blank marshmallow layup toward the rim...and miss it. 4. Tracy McGrady's lack of heart. Smiles during competitive sports are reserved for 3 things: when your team is doing well, when you're letting the opponent know that you're about to unleash hell on them, or when you're getting humiliated. Actually I'm not sure that's quite right, but at least that's what I've learned from watching Tracy. 5. Penetration is key in today's NBA, and they have none. Luther Head doesn't even have a left hand dribble. Kirk Snyder doesn't either. Add Shane Battier to the list. Don't forget Bonzi Wells. You think other teams don't know this? At least Mike James does a decent impression of a capable dribbler every now and again. 6. Communication is also key, and they have none. When the going gets tough, players walk sullenly to the huddle as if it's not even worth the effort to talk to their teammates and fix their problems. It's a wonder some of these guys still have wives. 7. They have no identity. Defensive team...offensive team...I don't care, just pick one already. Actually, that's easier said than done. Offense required made shots and defense requires effort. Both have been hard to come by. 8. Lack of spot up shooters. Shane Battier. That's where the list starts and ends. Rafer Alston is terrible this year, and Tracy, Mike, and Luther are all more comfortable shooting off the dribble. It's not surprising that the 3's aren't falling in this offense, because they don't have the right players to hit the 3's that this offense creates. They need guys who can spot up, catch, and drill their 3's at an efficient rate...guys like Eddie House, Raja Bell, Jason Kapono, or Brent Barry. You might as well update the score board as soon as these guys catch the ball. 9. No passing ability. Tracy can pass, Rafer can pass, and Yao can pass here and there. One problem with that is two of those guys should be doing the scoring, not the passing. Aside from those three, nobody else has a creative bone in their body. I've heard stories that Hayes and Scola can pass as well, but a 1/4 into the season that's merely an urban legend. Remember that movie? It sucked, just like this team's passing. 10. They are who they are. Most of this team's players are hard to trade, either because they make a ton of money (Tracy and Yao) or plain and simple nobody wants them (just about everyone else). This is very possibly the same roster, in terms of players that actually see the court, that we'll see in April and May. What a drag.
1. rafer 2. luther 3. Yao plays like a girl (he will never be aggressive) 4. Tmac plays lazy(never drives) 5. Never getting out of the first round. 6. rafer (again) 7 starting lineup is horrible 8. bad shooting % 9. when battier tries to dunk 10. yao's fade away(who is that tall and fades away, dunk u tall b*stard!)
But I have to add Scola to #9. He always looks to pass and a decent low post guy. The onlyproblem is Hayes is eating his time.
Scola has shown flashes, but regardless of whether he can make an unexpectedly tricky pass in traffic every few games, he's not a creator. He's a finisher, a clean up guy, a scrapper. He's rarely going to "operate" from the post (low or high) where he's going to be setting others up. That's what guards are for...on good teams anyway.
What do I hate the most about the Roks? The ticket prices. You have to sell the birth rights to your next kid just to get a decent seat. And the Toyota Center was built with tax payer's money! That just adds insult to injury
1. K irk needs more playing time 2. e nergy lacking 3. n egativity 4. n ot enough points 5. y ao not getting enough shots 6. H ow about some defense 7. a ttitude 8. t mac's injuries 9. e ffort of the whole team 10. r afer's shooting
Why do you think Tmac plays differently with James/Francis than he does with Alston? Do you think its because Rafer sets up the offense the best so he refuses to play with any other PG?
Rafer doesn't need to shoot to be productive. Even though he jacks up random shots at times, he doesn't have the ego that Francis and James has. I think its all about chemistry and this team doesn't have it right now. What this team needs is a Jon Barry type player to pull this team back together. I hate fans thinking that Gay/Stro was a bad trade, when that team has lost 14 games and won 6. Bring that back up when they even come remotely near to making the playoffs.
1. The misconception that all Luther Head can do is shoot. 2. The fact that people don't understand there is more to the game than just offense. 3. The preconceived notion that Steve Francis was the answer to all the Rockets problems. 4. The repetition of the same thought in sixteen different threads stated fourteen different times in each one. 5. Mr. Preposterous Trade Proposer. 6. Trolls in chat 7. Responses to trolls in chat 8. The "_insert player's name here_ is soft" threads 9. The "_insert player's name here_ is useless" threads 10. The "Things I hate about the Rockets" threads I am just kidding, but seriously if you hate it so much don't watch them until they get better. Be a bandwagon fan, you won't be alone there are thousands of them. I was so disappointed in the game yesterday that I too contemplated just skipping the second half. But I had someone tell me just give them part of the third (thanks Pued) and I stuck it out and was rewarded in the fourth with players that tried, despite the fact that they were down 30 points and their "leaders" had given up. Take the good with the bad. That's my new philosophy. Beating Phoenix was a good moment, beating the Spurs was a good moment. Losing to the 76er's and Toronto were bad. Hopefully we will see more of the good and less of the bad.
