There, I said it. Bring on the flames, I'm ready. My optimistic views have been missing from this board for quite some time now. I have no "sources" to confirm this nor have I studied stats until my eyes bled. I simply base this on my right as a die-hard fan to have blind faith in my team! Actually, it's not all blind faith. I threw some logic in there, too. The way i see it is that last year was a season of change. Things definetly did not go as planned last year. We had no intentions of green-lighting the youth movement. We were going to go with Pippen, Charles and Hakeem in the front court and Shandon, Cuttino and Steve in the back. Little did we know that Pippen would stab us in the back. Who would've thought that Barkley would suffer a season/career ending injury? Who would have expected Hakeem to come down with a weird asthma problem just when the rest of his body was coming around? We had a season that began with the offense that you all love to hate and ended up creating an offense that may very well become just as difficult to defend as the other one was during the Championship years. So in December we began the youth movement. It was a painful first half of the season. I don't think anyone really expected us to do so bad. It tool a while but the team started becoming a team. Steve grew up. Cuttino came into his own. Walt rediscovered his shooting touch. Shandon got comfortable with the team and found his niche. Kenny surprised a lot of people and proved that he, too, could make an impact in his rookie season. By the end of the year we were beating quality teams that were trying to get good positioning in the playoffs. We won 9 of our last 13 game I believe. They were all respecatable wins against teams that shouldn't have been losing to a sub-500 team. Also, we were the ONLY team in the entire league to post 2 wins against both the Lakers and the Blazers. So that bring me to this season. I see no reason why we can't start like we finished. Steve, Cuttino, Moochie and Walt have all been hanging with each other during the summer leagues. Cato supposedly has been working hard. Olajuwon is a mystery, as usual. But if he is over his asthma problem then there is no reason not to think that he can still be an effective contibutor. I think that he can easily put up 15/10 numbers. Without injuries, I'd like to think that Hakeem can be the 3rd best center in the West and 4th best in the league. That's just me, though. So now we have Taylor, who is a proven scorer. Many have doubts about his rebounding. I really don't care. I'm more concerned with scoring and defense. The Rockets have a history of not being a great rebounding team and still finding success. Besides, I tend to agree with those of you who feel that he just needed a new outlook on life. Being on the Clippers tends to darken your outlook on life and basketball. Now he is on a young, fast, family-like team with high hopes. Unlike the Clippers, we have an owner who do whatever it takes to be successful. What I'm saying is that Mo will be in a positive situation for the firat time in his career. Plus he's playing for the big money next year, which can only be good for us. I would also think that if we do much better this year then we have a great shot at landing a prized free agent. I have a hard time understanding some people that feel like we will have another losing season. That makes no sense to me. That's basically saying that the end of last season was a fluke. I don't see it. So here it is, August, and as usual I'm dying for some basketball action. I feel pretty good about the upcoming season. I'm quite confident that we will be in the playoffs this season. The first month will be the test. Just about every team we play in the first month was in the playoffs last year. In fact, we play the Lakers twice in November. If the Rockets can pick up where they left off then it's going to be an incredibly fun season. So that's why I'm predicting 50 wins. No sources, no "expert" analysis. I just have a "feeling" that we are all going to be surprised in a good way. Maybe I feel this way because my company is moving to Greenway Plaza in October. Now I can just walk downstairs to the games or to the Sports bar in the "mall" area. Whatever the reason is, I'm just excited and I can't wait for it all to start. ------------------ RocketFuel is dead!
If Hakeem can give us a "healthy" 20-25 minutes, I have no doubt that this team is capable of winning 50 games. ------------------ Fun Police Says: 1. Posting in stupid threads is not FUN! 2. Spelling, grammar, punctuation and sentence structure are not FUN! 3. Stupid BBS names are not FUN! 4. Conduct yourself in a FUN way! The Fun Police are Watching. Vote for the Rockets & Have FUN or be Assimilated.
I´m afraid that Hakeem´s health will let him down once again an then we´d be without a backup center, and only with Cato, who also happens to be somewhat injury pone. I would feel a lot safer if we added Brad Miller to the team, in a trade that sends any combination of Los, Kt and Drew. That being said, i predict us to be at the very LEAST .500, and hopefully playoff bound. ------------------ "The world is full of kings and queens who blind your eyes and steal your dreams. It´s Heaven and Hell!"
I forgot how many Wins I Guarantee BUt i know with the new aquisition I won't be streaking anytime soon. Rocket River ------------------
Wow Cat Mo and Franchise , Im excited now ------------------ President of the Rockets/Raiders Fan Club
I'll go .500 or maybe slightly better. The West is a very tough conference. If we were in the east 50 wins wouldn't be a problem. ------------------ Save Our Rockets and Comets SaveOurRockets.com
DREAMer, Those are good concerns on the most part. It seems as if you sort of expect that to happen. Some of it might but I'm willing to bet that not all of will. Take for instance, Cato. He might not be as weak minded as he seems to you. I seem to remember Bill and Calvin saying something about him during preseason. I want to say it was something like how he was always considered a great "student" of the game, that he had a good understanding of the flow of things. He just never showed the physical motivation to make the most of himself. I had hoped that starting fresh with the Rockets would have helped him motivate himself but last year was weird so maybe now that the team is not in chaos he will shine. We know he's capable. We've seen flashes. If he has indeed been working hard this summer then maybe he has dedicated himself to give his all to the team. It could happen. On KT, I feel that he just got to concerned about fouls to play good D. It seems like he'd get fouls just for stepping out on the court. He's no longer a rookie so maybe he will find his defensive niche. It could happen. Pig's a rebounder, not a stopper. He doesn't play enough minutes for his D to really matter anyway. His rebounding cancels his D. I just feel that as a team, we will be better. They have a bond. They got a taste of success last year against some really good teams fighting for positioning. They are on a mission. i really think we are going to see a much more cohesive unit than lst year. Players like Mobley and Francis are pretty much guaranteed to keep getting better every year. Shandon will have a better complete season this year. Walt has been working during the summer. Moochie has been too. I think this shows that they are focused on making some noise in this league. So in short, I tend to believe that there will be more improvements than disapointments this season. ------------------ RocketFuel is dead!
Greenway Plaza, next to the play ground. man...I'm jealous. Where is this sports bar? Maybe I'll meet you there after a game sometime.
Actually, Cato was better at everything except points, which you would expect because he never had plays drawn up for him. The two played almost identical minutes. Cato was even better from the charity stripe: Hakeem FG% 45.8 FT% 61.6 Blk 1.6 Pts 10.3 Reb 6.2 Cato FG% 53.7 FT% 64.9 Blk 1.9 Pts 8.7 Reb 6.0 ------------------ "I'm twenty-four years old in ten days, and I am NOT ****ing Kip Winger, okay? You want to talk about rock & roll, I'll sit there all day, as long as someone's buying the drinks. But don't expect me to be like everybody else. If you want an amusing anecdote, talk to Mark Slaughter. I'm sure he'll say something like, 'Yeah, we had a couple of lite beers and ran down the hall in our underwear. Whoooooo.'" - Chris Robinson, Black Crowes, Rolling Stone, January 24, 1991 Metal Sludge
If Taylor works out and Dream is healthy, I can see 50 wins. At worst, we will be 1 to 3 games under .500. That is the very worst I see this year. ------------------ I Want To Thank God For Making Me A Rocketfan
If *everything goes right*, I'd say 54 wins... but that's only if Taylor learns how to board and play D, Cato turns out to be a great defensive center and learns to board, Francis cuts down on turnovers, Shandon plays offensive like he did in April, Mobley gives the team his all from the bench, and Hakeem is healthy. Realistically, I'd say 46-48 wins. ------------------ Shandon Anderson rocks. The lottery sucks. Playoffs 2001.
this team will score points, no doubt. I think the biggest 2 questions for this team are: 1. which walt will show up. If it's the one that finished the season we will be down right scary on offense. 2. Is Hakeem's health. Both for the team an for the fans and for Hakeem himself I hope he can stay healthy and go out like the winner he has been his entire career. If he can just show flashes of his old game at crunch time watch out! If those 2 things can happen we could win 50+ but I think 46-48 is more realistic. ------------------
I think this team is too young to win 50games but I hope Im wrong. 2001-2002 we will win the Midwest for sure.
YES SPACE CITY! My sentiments exactly. I would have posted the same thoughts only I didn't want to hear all the negativity **** that is sure to follow... But I seriously believe that the end of last season was no fluke and in fact we will be better this year than that! Sure we don't have the inside game like San Antonio. LA and even Portland. But We will win 50 games and we will do it because we will out run and outshoot are opponnets. There are 3 things that can demoralize an opponent and make him quit and that is a series of Monster slams (Shaq), blocking everything your opponent throws up and continuosly hitting threes in your opponents face. And of the three I think the continuos threes in your face will do it best! And the Rockets will run and shoot threes like a Mo'Fo this year. I am excited and I am an optimist but I see no reason for the Rockets not to win 50 games this year! We have a better roster than last year we are more seasoned and we understand Rudy's system better now. Okay so that being said. I don't see us passing the elite teams (SA, LA, Portland) but if we can pickup someone next summer than you better not underestimate the heart of a champion. Oh and hats off to you Space City for posting this thread! ------------------
I just wonder where our defense is going to come from. CENTERS: Hakeem - If healthy 50 wins is very attainable. The problem is that he showed no signs last season that this breathing condition could be held in check. The scary thing is that Hakeem at his absolute worst still produced more than Cato. Cato - Cato is as smart as a pile of bricks. I (like everyone) was very excited with his pre-season performances, but when crunch time came he couldn't do it consistently in game situations. For me the most sobering thing about Cato is that I don't believe he has the mental ability to be a star. And, I don't care if you can improve your offense, defense, passing, rebounding, or whatever, improving your mental capabilities is next to impossible. Collier - He's listed as a PF, but with Hakeem's health coupled with Mo and Kenny (if he's not gone) getting all the PF minutes, expect him to back up Cato. Being a rookie it's hard to pinpoint whether he'll be an average, a good, or a bad defender. But, if we look at his foot speed, quickness, and how he played in college.... well, we shouldn't expect much. FORWARDS: Mo Taylor - Not know for his defense. Maybe average or slightly below average, but without another defensive stud in the frontcourt his weakness will be even more obvious. K. Thomas - One of the worst defenders on our team last year. I never once saw him raise his hands on defense, NOT ONCE! He'd get posted up 5 ft from the hoop and not even try to contest the shot. So, lack of effort would seem to be his biggest weakness. Pig Miller - He's no "stopper", but for his ability and price he's a decent defender. He'll clog up the lane and not go for many fakes. The problem is he won't be getting very many minutes. W. Williams - Seems to be stuck in the "Hack a Shaq" mode the entire game and against the entire opposing team. His defense improve slightly later in the season, but when he was slumping he was slumping on both ends of the court. I just can't bear to go through that again. Bullard - He's here for one reason only, and it ain't defense. Langhi - I haven't seen much of Langhi, but if the Kucok, Van Horn, etc comparisons are true, well they aren't very good defenders. He has shown intensity and a competitive nature, but defense isn't just something you pick up overnight. May be average, or below, we'll just have to wait and see. GUARDS: Steve Francis - Here's one guy who could become great, but his biggest weakness is still defense (with TOs coming in a close 2nd). If he can somehow improve defensively, then that's good, but if he plays like he did last year, then PGs will continue to throw up 30 points on him on any given night. Mobley - With a nickname like "Cat" you'd think he could get some steals and stay in front of his man. Well, you'd be wrong. Mobley and Francis aren't "terrible" defenders, they just don't defend with the same intensity as they do everything else on the court. Anderson - OKAY, now we're talking. The one guy on our whole team who knows what it takes to play defense. But, he's still alone and one man (unless you're Hakeem in his prime) cannot make a difference on defense. Moochie - For as much as I love this guy, he's still short. Again, he's not an "Abdul-Rauf" type defender, but it is his weakest area. ------------------ I have a dream.........his name's Hakeem. DREAMer's Rocket Page
