These people would also call buying better product with the same amount of money cowardice, wouldn't they? I guess they never shop or bargain for better prices, 'cause they would look coward doing so.
I guess they think a better record in the regular season is more important than that in the second round or the finals.
Whoops my bad, I had read an article a few days ago mentioning he was questionable against the Bulls and thought he may still have had a few games to heal up. In the case that they bring Aldridge back full-time then yeah Blazers will likely be favorites for the 5th spot, although def not a lock.
That's the thing. I hadn't given up on that changing like you had. Of course, any development of the team is out the window right now with Howard and Beverley out. If you want to play Portland, though, you must want the 3 seed.
The one thing that I haven't seen mentioned is how well the Spurs are playing and that the Spurs team that the Rockets have beaten several times this season is simply not the team they will face in the playoffs. I find it difficult to wish for a second round matchup with Pop .... No matter who the Rockets face in the second round should they advance , they are a likely underdog.
And what are the indicators or measurements that the team is actually getting better? And ultimately what do fans, players, coaches and maybe the owner want to see happen? After missing the playoffs for three years, the Rockets got back in even at last spot last year. Even though they exited in the first round. Then they are now almost locked for the #4 seed, and have a great chance to win not only the first round but also the second this year. Then they win the WC finals maybe next year or the year after that. Then they win the NBA championship. These are how I see them getting better.
I don't think this team has what it takes. I would label the Spurs, Heat, Thunder, Clippers as contenders with the Rockets, Pacers, Warriors behind.
Rockets are contenders with a healthy Dwight and Beverley, without them they aren't. Poll options are r****ded. You play to win, but of course I'd rather be the 4th seed over the 2nd or 3rd seed. We matchup and play the Spurs really well, and anytime you can help yourself to get deeper into the playoffs why not? I'd rather see just 1 of OKC or LAC as we don't play well against them.
Tonight was what I call getting better. Harden had 32 tonight, after averaging 15 against the Clippers so far this season. It wasn't a great game for Harden, but it was a far cry from what he had been doing.
Rockets are contenders with a healthy and inform Dwight. Beverley is a minor role player that is not a difference to whether we are contenders or not.
Without Beverley I say they will get to maybe second round. With him, I say they are Conference title contenders. We need to make a big move this off season or in draft to acquire one more star-caliber piece in order to be title contenders.
We only have 8 players who matter, and Bev is one of them. We have nobody we can count on to take his place.
Currently the Rockets are NOT contenders. There is a core that can possibly compete for a championship, but not until some major changes are made. First, McFail has to go. You have to bring in a competent coach that is unafraid of holding players accountable. Someone that will instill some discipline on both ends of the court and help them team mature instead of the singing and dancing and actin' a fool we often see. My suggestion is Lionel Hollins. Second, Lin has to go. A veteran pg with playoff experience should be brought in to backup Bev or trading for Rajon Rondo who become the starter and act as a coach on the floor. Thus, when the game becomes more of a half-court contest in the post-season, the Rockets will have one of the best floor generals in the NBA commanding the team. Next, Garcia, Casspi, and Hamilton all need to go as well. In their place, Houston should bring in a guy like CJ Miles or try and trade for Randy Foye as the primary wing coming off the bench. Fourth, Harden needs to consistently try on the defensive end. Fifth, all the regular rotation players need to further develop and become better by taking their game to another level. The only player that probably won't be able to do this is D12. He's been in the league for almost 10 years and he is who he is: A rich man's DeAndre Jordan. This brings us to our sixth and final change that needs to take place. Neither Harden nor Howard are superstars. They're all-star caliber players, but we're not talking about Hakeem Olajuwon or Shaq nor are we talking about LeBron, KD, or 2006 DWade who was a monster on BOTH ends of the court. We're talking about one player that is poor defensively while the other is poor offensively. They are two stars that have glaring flaws in their game. There is hope for Harden, but, as I said earlier, D12 has been in this league for almost 10 years and isn't going to change much as a player. If anything, he will regress. Therefore, Maury needs to make a decision: Either stick with Howard and Harden and hope the other guys develop enough to compensate for the weaknesses of the two stars or go after a 3rd star. The former is possible, but unlikely to yield a title. The latter doesn't guarantee a championship either. It probably needs to be some combination of the remaining rotation players further developing along with the introduction of a 3rd star that neutralizes the shortcomings of Howard and Harden. This doesn't necessarily have to be a big name like Melo. It can be a relatively smaller name like Rondo who won't cost as much. Then, once these issues are addressed, can the Rockets start thinking about a title. They need to be addressed quickly though. The window doesn't stay open for long. The Rockets have about 3 years to make this happen.
