It's really obvious to us the players who were very alarming at this point: Alston and Mutombo = starting PG and backup C Alston = where's the 3point shooting and defense? Mutombo = he's not the same like last year..can't catch passes and can't block consistently anymore.. Morey should address these problem going to the trade deadline..
I would say Rafer Alston is the primary weakness of this team. Also, Shane Battier really hasn't impressed me much in the time he's been with the Rockets. I would much rather have Rudy Gay, but that's another story. Shane is a good team defender, but his one on one defense and so-called intangibles are overrated. He can't really do anything offensively other than the corner three. I expect Luis Scola to be starting over Chuck Hayes before the season is done. I hope Rafer is either permanently benched or off the team soon. Steve Francis should take his starting spot. Adelman's use of the players we have is a concern as well. When things aren't going well on a given night, you need to mix up your rotation and modify the system.
I think Adelman is trying to get his rotational player to get used to these situations and have them play themselves out of the slump. Despite his "stubbornness" to give SF3 some minutes, you have to admit, he's shown more flexibility so far into the season than JVG of last year. My primary concern is our players' inability to mesh together faster. Hopefully we'll get some more fluidity in our offense and better effort in defense coming into the playoffs. I think if we focus on keeping our TO's low (18 tonight) and keep our rebounds high, we'll be fine.
I can't agree with the knock on Battier. We can't extend the defense without his 3pt threat. The Spurs have more rings than we do and they had Bowen on the floor. Offensively Battier > Bowen.
players of concern Bonzi - must hit layups son..... shoot a decent % from the field and get your rebounds and you will have done well in my eyes Alston - You have to make some shots, buddy. Doing better lately, i have noticed but this offense is designed to get you open 3 pt looks, and when combined with the fact that nobody in the league respects your shot, you will definitely see way too many good looks this year because they didnt seem to care about covering you out there. congratulations, you've been shooting well in recent games. even though you suck at shooting, if you can shoot 35% i guess i'd be happy. You may dribble like the ball is on a string and have a knack for finding the open man, but this all is NOTHING unless you hit some of those shots. on behalf of the bbs, please hit some shots Scola - You are bipolar my friend. If we could count on 18 pts avg then you would be starting. We all know you have bomb ass mid range touch, so make teams who sag on you pay! You've done well recently on the offensive boards and you continue to improve in the defense/foul department, but I worry about your inconsistency. Deke - I can't imagine how you're body is holding up at your age, but you looked damn incapable of catching a 5 foot chest pass all game. Your hands have not been the softest, even in your prime, but please learn to handle basic chest high passes. In your limited minutes, scoring would provide a huge boost for the squad as you are not really expected to. It would be so easy to at least deaden the passes with your hands and get a hold of the ball near the basket, and slam it home against their 2nd string center and it would get momentum for the Rockets like nothing else. We expect you to rebound and provide reliablie, if not unbearably slow interior defense, so when you can supplement this with scoring, it really gives the rocket ego a boost. granted you are 71, so anything you give us is a bonus. its not that im concerened about you, its just that last year you were the man and now you're hinting that you're body has regressed a step (like it should have 8 years ago). Please show us this is incorrect. Shane - YOU of all people have to hit that baseline and corner 3pt shot. You are going to get that look 100 times this year, it will be less painful for us all if you just man up and make those shots.
To be fair, Shane has been hitting his corner 3s at a pretty good rate. What's inexplicable is how Adelman has gone away from posting Shane. His hookshot is an underrated weapon which he hits with regularity. So I don't know why Adelman went with it early on in the preseason and some early games in the season, but has since taken that away. That's the problem that JVG had as well. Both of them should've posted Shane in spots to change up the offensive look.
Unless Deke gets consistent minutes he's not going to have numbers as good as last season. That's a good thing that he hasn't cause if he does it means Yao is injured.
Bonzi - Stop shooting 20 footers. Rafer - If it isn't a straightaway 3, don't shoot. Shane - Please make wide open shots Yao - Finish strong at the basket Head - Don't dribble James - Slow down a little
The fundamental reason the Rockets aren't going anywhere is because "it takes three" SA - Duncan, Parker, Ginobili Dallas - Nowitzki, Harris, Howard Phoenix - Amare, Marion, Nash Boston - Garnett, Pierce, Allen Rockets - Yao, TMac and nobody else is even close for the reasons mentioned before.
Miami- Wade/Shaq Lakers-Shaq/Kobe Pistons-No star Rockets-Olajuwon Rockets-Olajuwon/Drexler Bulls-Pippen/Jordan Three of the teams you mentioned haven't won titles since the 80's.
This is a really strange time to start this post since Rafer had an excellent game. My biggest concern is the play of Mike James. He looks terrible out there and does not do anything productive if his shot is not falling. I think we should think about taking him out of the rotation completely. I would like to see Snyder and Francis play more. Why do you think Rafer played 40 mins. last night.
SCOLA GIVEN 32 MINUTES A GAME PLUS IS A 15-20 PTS/7-10 REBOUND GUY A GAME. CAN ANYONE INCLUDING RICK THE STICK ADELMAN JUSTIFY HIM NOT GETTING THAT MANY EVERY GAME? STEVE GIVEN 32 MINUTES A GAME IS A 12-15 PTS/5-6 REBOUNDS/6-7 ASSISTS GUY PER GAME. HOW CAN RICK THE BRICK ADELMAN JUSTIFY RAFERWAFER'S 40 MINUTES PER GAME? (I dont care how good he was last night!) BONZI GIVEN 32 MINUTES A GAME IS A 10-12 PTS/7-9 REBOUNDS GUY PER GAME. WHAT THE HECK IS ADELMAN WAITING ON? (I know Bonzi is not playing consistently so far, but his confidence is lacking and he is still a better talent at the 3 than is Shane Battier to me.) We need to get our starting group together before worrying about what we will be losing off the bench by putting these guys in the starting lineup!
and dream, shaq and jordan are all better than any of the players on the 3 star teams listed. yao isn't nearly as good as dream or shaq in their primes and t-mac certainly isn't jordan, kobe, or even drexler for that matter. so we need a 3rd star.
this is the same tripe that was being posted the last couple years when JVG was still the coach. I look at it differently, this team is thinking to much on the court and not "just playing basketball" as they say. This team needs a clearly defined leader who is not afraid to pimp slap the other players when they screw up. This whole "everyone's my friend" concept really has got to go; do you want to win or not?
My main concern is the starting lineup, 2 superstars and three bench players. If RA or the fans think this lineup is the reason for 52 wins last year, they are dead wrong. TMac and Yao (and some clutch games by Howard during injuries) are the reasons for the record. They carried the load, and it finally crushed them in the playoffs. A 2 on 5 game is going nowhere. RA must determine who are the "real" starters on this team and reconfigure the bench. This was soooo obvious in last year's playoffs, and here we are again, with Rafer getting 40 minutes. That's crazy.
