Inspired by the new basketball videogames and all the NBA prediction magazines that seem to spawn up around this time of year I wanted to know what you guys thought about in terms of what is the order of most important Rockets. This is my list 1.) T Mac: Considering that he is the best scorer, outside defender, and his versatility (Last year he played every position but center) its obvious T Mac is the Rockets number one guy 2.) Yao Ming: When this guy is on, the Rockets are next to impossible to beat. Everyone talks about what Yao NEEDS to do, truthfully, if Yao stays on the floor and just does what he normally does now the Rockets will win the title for years to come. 3.) Bob Sura: This is where the list gets kind of hard. But if you think of the heart of this team its Sura. I still remember the game Sura came back. The guy was not suppose to play for more then 10 minutes but the Rockets point guard play was sooo bad they had to play Sura close to 30 minutes and he impacted the game soooo much. When and if Sura is healthy he provides them a lil everything (Passing, shooting, rebounding, defense) that helps this team get over the hump into the elite 4.) David Wesley: This may come as a shocker but i think Wesley is vital to our teams success. The guy is a VERY good defender and severely underrated. I remember one game against seattle where Wesley held Allen in check the entire quarter helping the Rockets win the game. Against teams like Dallas that play sooo small Wesley just isn't a very good match up and thats why Houston picked up Anderson but overall Wesley takes the toughest match up night in and night out and does a terrific job with it. 5.) Juwan Howard: This may be another shocker but I think the lack of Howard (along with injuries to Wesley and Sura) kept houston from going to the Conference Finals. I think Houston would of beat Dallas with Howard and would of crushed Pho. in the semis (even without Howard I think Houston would of crushed Pho, Yao would of gone GONZO against there small line up) and would of had an epic battle with San Antonio (I think we would of lost against them though ) Howard is undersized at the four but he plays hard and while doesn't do anything spectacular he is average to good in almost every facet of basketball. He shot the ball well to space out the offense. He rebounds decently (nearly six compared to Stro's 4.6). He doesn't block a lot of shots but he tries hard on defense and most of all the guy is a class act. I remember comparing him last year to Taylor during the preseason and its incredible b/c there game is identical but the way they carry themselves on the court is different and that makes all the difference between them. 6.) Mutombo: This guy should be nicknamed insurance policy b/c every night that Yao didn't come out and play well, in came Mutombo and compensated for it. I love watching Mutombo play and I think he is a guy who comes into the game and is sooo important b/c of how he clogs the paint up and lets no one score easy baskets. His defense and rebounding last yr allowed Yao to have bad games not at the expense of a victory. 7.) Mike James: The question that should be asked here is why is James so low on the list, I mean this is the guy off the bench thats the fourth leading scorer on the team? Simply put James is best served as the catalyst on the team. James plays as if he is an all star but the fact is, he's not. The guy plays hard, he hustles on defense, he drives to the whole relentlessly, he makes clutch threes, he does it all BUT sometimes he does too much. He takes shots away from T mac, he disrupts the flow of offense, he can be a lil too aggressive defensively (not necessarily a bad thing). I like James, I do... but James is all about moderation... A lil of James is a very good thing, too much of him and he destroys the offensively flow of the team. 8.) Stromile Swift: Here is another guy that is ranked pretty low. I've never seen Swift play besides highlights on Sports Center but from his stats I get the impression that Swift is going to be a little bit better Cato. This isn't a bad thing. I think he will provide the extra help defensively Yao needs. I believe Swift will be used just like Cato was 2 years ago. He will be that spring to start the game but I think as the game and season progresses you will see Howard (if truly healthy) take over his minutes, in much the same way Taylor took over Cato's minutes 2 years ago. (Keep in mind both Swift and Howard are better then Cato and Taylor). 9.) Jon Barry: JON BARRY NUMBER 9???? WHAT THE HELL RIGHT???? This is the guy last year that at times took over games. Well I think Barry is just that he is a guy who occassionally will come in and believe it or not carry the load offensively. I remember the game against Boston last year when Barry came in and was the offense and T mac the decoy. This is what Barry will do, carry the offense on occassion and make open threes. He is a guy that is important to the team but if everyone is playing well he just doesn't have to be that good. 10.) Derek Anderson: Derek Anderson's role on this team could mean everything or could mean nothing at all. It looks like Sura may be out for a while and if thats the case Derek may need to be bumped up on this list. However, if this team stays healthy, Derek's role could actually be nothing and this team would be great. I see Derek being the player that fills the holes on our roster that injuries will undoubtfully and unfortunately bring. But he is the substitute, he isn't the real thing. (Not yet at least) 11.) Ryan Bowen: Poor Bowen, the guy gets no respect. I actually love Bowen and thought last year he should of played more. I think Bowen is Dennis Rodman without the crazy. The guy is pure hustle and while he is funny to watch (chicken legs), he produces in my opinion great results when on the floor. Sometimes hustle and heart are more important than talent and i for one am glad Bowen is on the team (I dont even mind the fact he got his contract soooo fast this summer) All and all I think we have a great, deep team and i'm ready to see how all the pieces will fit. Let me know what you guys think about my list and who u guys think should be where on it.
i would say: 1 & 2. yao & tmac. 3. stro - without the first two he would be the future of the team. 4. sura - we play much better when he is on the floor. 5. barry - keeps everyone happy. 6. deke - dominates for 12 minutes a night. 7. Jho - locker room leader. ranked lower because i expect tmac to take over that role. 8. james - spark off the bench. we would be a slow team without him. 9. wesley - defender/shooter/good chemistry. 10. bowen - everyone plays harder when he is on the floor. 11. DA - unproven what his impact will be. makes top 12 because he will have some impact for sure. 12. head - with a lot of old guards its good to have a young one ready to step in.
1) Yao - everything starts with Yao as far as success, if he starts the game well Tracy plays well in the middle and then Yao finishes strong. 2) Tracy 3) Sura 4) Stromile 5) Mutumbo 6) Derek Anderson 7) Mike James 8) Jeff Van Gundy 9) Howard 10) Wesley 11) Barry - I like putting him high like the previous post for the happiness factor.
IMO all of the replies rank Stro at we all hope he will bring us and not proven value. He didn't dominate in Memphis and until he does here I don't think you can rate that high. I hope he will justify your enthusiasm, but I just can't give it to him until it is earned here with this team. DA falls into the same category. Hope and reality are quite different. I think and hope Yao dominates this year, but until he does I can't give it to him.
The most important Rocket is TMac without a doubt. He's what makes everything go. Without him on the floor for extended periods of time, the Rockets will suffer. He cannot get hurt. TMac's most important function is to make sure that Yao and Swift get off to good starts and are active around the basket with good shots. He has to get Yao the ball and he has to motivate Swift. Everything about this team starts and ends right there. It don't matter who is after that because without TMac and Yao, you can put them in a bucket and pick 'em. The results are going to be roughly the same, subpar. 1. TMac 2. Yao 3. Swift 4-12. Whoever is hot.
Look, if Stro is at least 4th on this list, we are in serious trouble. We have 2 stars and some solid role players, we just need 1 or 2 people to fit in between those definitions, role players, but more prominent roleplayers. I think that there is only 4 people that can do this and it is Stro Jhoward Mike James and DA. So my order would be Tmac Yao Stro Da Mike James Jhoward Sura Mutombo Barry
Everyone seems to rank Swift soooo high. Remember Swift thus far is potential not actual. He is a second pick in the first round but that may not mean a lot, I mean there is a guy named Kwame Brown who is a first pick in the first round and very much a dud. I personally dont like to rank guys very high till there potential becomes actual. Its also interesting b/c our team is so good that even if Swift is a dud it could go unnoticed b/c of our depth.
1. (tie) Yao. Yao gets top billing, though, 'cause of his longevity with the team. 1. (tie) TMac. Can will this team to victory when he has to. 3. Stro Swift. Keep Yao out of foul trouble with weak side help. Keep Yao from expending too much energy by playing big on both ends. I think you're gonna like it here, Stro. 4. Wesley. Outside threat and lock-down on defense. That's the plan, anyway. 5. Mike James. Instant offense off the bench. Probably starts in the beginning of the season, though. Still, gotta have your instant-offense guy for a change of pace. 6. Derek Anderson. Why do you guys rank him so low? He could very well replace Wesley in the starting line up before the All Star break. 7. Mt. Mutombo. Excellent mentor to Yao. Also gets Yao's competitive juices flowing. Who's gonna lead the team in blocks? Yao, you better step up! The ageless wonder still has enough game to hold his own every minute he's on the court. 8. Bob Sura. How many games is he gonna miss this season? When he's healthy, he deserves a HUGE jump in this list. But lets face it, he'll miss half the season. At least. 9. Howard. Blah. His days as a solid contributor have ended. I dare you to prove me wrong, Juwan. I double dare you. 10. Jon Barry. Great chemistry guy. Spreads the floor on offense. And ... uh ... did I say he was a great chemistry guy? 11. Luther Head. DNP. Coach's decision. 12. Ryan Bowen. Hey, TMac can't play 48 minutes every game, right? And we can't always go small ball when he sits. Do I HAVE to rank the rest of the bench filler?
Here are my rankings with value to the team out of 10 given, heh. 1. McGrady: MVP candidate. The go to guy. Top 10 NBA talent. (10/10) 2. Yao: Top tier center. Can be unstoppable at times. Needs to be more consistent. (9/10) 3. Sura: Good at both ends of the floor. Plays with a fire that is contagious. (7/10) 4. Swift: If plays well will move Rockets form first round of playoffs to Western Conference finalists. (6.5/10) 5. Wesley: Reliable outside shot and decent one-on-one defender. Good team player. (6/10) 6. James: Spark plug off the bench. Instant offense. Championship experience. Clutch. (5.5/10) 7. Howard: Reliable. Still can do the little things well. (5/10) 8. Mutombo: One of the best backup centers in the league. At times doesn't make you miss Yao when Yao gets in foul trouble. (4.5/10) 9. Anderson: Coming off career worst year. Hopefully will have a lot to prove. (4/10) 10. Barry: Another energy guy that can knock down the long ball. (3.8/10) 11. Baxter: I think we could see a lot more of this guy than expected. Dominate in summer league. (3.5/10) 12. Bowen: Hustle. Can be used to aggravate opposing PFs, SFs with his stifling defense. (3/10) 13. Head: Probably won't see much action this year but at least he is young. (2/10) 14. Moochie: A bottom tier backup PG at this point in career. Seems to have lost confidence. (1.5/10) 15. Ward: Appears to be done. Could surprise if actually healthy. (1/10) 16. Baker: (0.5/10)
I think Stro should be ranked at 3 because he may be the answer to how to keep our big weapon in the game.
T-Mac Yao Stro.Swift Sura Wesley D.Anderson J.Howard Skip Mutombo Barry ...awesome team! the top 3 is for sure but the 7 others are all good players but I can't really rank them.
1 TMac 2 Yao 3 Stro - He is the key to protecting Yao's week side and makeing defenders play You honest because they will not be able to guard Yao one on one. Plus he will bring added shot blocking and rebounding 3 Skip
1. YAO 1.5 TMAC 3. SWIFT 4. SURA/NEW PG 5. .............. TMAC is the best player in ROX. but YAO is most important one,
I think it all depends on what you mean by important. Some people seem to look at importance as meaning "how good is this guy?" I look at importance as "how critical is this guy to our success?" The two have subtle differences. I would say to get where we want to go, Stromile is the third most importatn guy in the lineup. Why you ask? Because Stromile will be critical to ensuring we go deep into the playoffs. T-Mac had to expend a lot of energy last year covering Dirk Nowitzski. It also meant that we often had undersized guards getting posted up by Stackhouse. If Stromile can step in and effectively guard Nowitzski we can place T-Mac on a perimeter player for the Mavs. a la Stackhouse, and we won't have to worry about T-Mac tiring or mismatches in the post. If we really wanna step it up and become an elite and dominant force in the NBA, Stromile is the most critical component after the play of our superstars.
1 Yao, When people see yao, they see a Champ, we have replaced every one but yao last couple of years. 2 T-mac, I love the style this guy plays. doesn't matter, we'll change them piece by piece to make this team better!
