My projections before and after the pre-season. To be updated as games progress. Rockets Player Power Rankings 1. McGrady (2): playing off the ball seems to suit Tracy McGrady. T-Mac has shown that he is lighter, faster, and has more elevation behind his patented “line-drive jumper”, as he appears to be completely healthy this year. One area of concern is that he is still settling for the pull-up jumper. Look to see if he attacks the basket more in games that count. 2. Yao (1): In the playoffs, Yao Ming was exposed when Okur said he knew where Yao was going with the ball before he did. In limited time, Yao is showing that his game has many more facets, as he is hitting cutters from the high post while still remaining dominant on the low block. So far he is handling the up-tempo offense well, but we will see how he fares as time goes on and he logs heavier minutes 3. Battier (4): Shane is the guy who does all of the little things that don’t show up on the stat sheet. This week, he also did all of the things that do!. Still deadly from the corners, Shane seems to excel in Adelman’s new offense, while maintaining his lock-down defense. 4. Wells (6): Slimmed-down and focused, Bonzi is looking like he can step up and be that elusive third-option that the Rockets have been pining for. He has been doing it all- points, assists, boards- without dominating the ball. The question is whether or not Bonzi’s dominance stems from his familiarity with Adelman and his system, and whether or not he can maintain this level of play. 5. James (5): So far, Mike James is proving to be the best option at PG. He is the best shooter out of the PG trifecta, a great defender, and he has handles comparable to Francis and Alston. Unlike Alston, he keeps the defense honest, and unlike Francis, he doesn’t need to dominate the ball to be effective. Look for Rafer to start, but Mike James to finish big games. 6. Alston (11): It was a foregone conclusion that Rafer was a goner after his abysmal shooting season, and his summer run-ins with the law. However, Adelman gave him a shot, and he is proving to be affective. Right now, the starting job is his spot to lose. He needs to tone down the tear-drop runners and contested shots. Nevertheless, he is arguably the Rockets best defensive pg, a low turnover guy, and the quickest at setting up the offense so the Rockets can run a set play. 7. Scola (8): Scola is proving to be worth all of the hype. He is an energy guy who never quits. He is always scrapping for putback buckets, and is an amazing passer, which is a plus in this offense. His defense is passable, while his offense demands that you cannot sag off of him. He is emerging as the best option in the PF fight early. The thing is, most people take it easy in preseason, while Scola is going full-throttle because he is so happy just to in the NBA. Will Scola look less dominant once the season begins and opponents start matching his level of intensity? 8. Hayes (7): Chuck Hayes went from a two-dimensional player (defense and rebounding), to a three dimensional player (passing) under Adelman. While the guy is getting praised for his unearthed ability to dish the rock, he has two hungry new guys breathing down the starter’s neck. Scola (who is a better scorer and passer), and Landry (who is taller and has more range). 9. Head (10): Luther Head was being talked about as trade bait once the influx of new guards came. However, Adelman has been praising the kid as he has added the ability to cut without the ball to his one-dimensional repertoire of dead-eye shooting. Once he learns to go strong to the hole on a consistent basis, he will earn more playing time. 10. Francis (3): Projected as the last part of the Rocket’s “Big Three”, the franchise has looked unmotivated and just plain… old in limited minutes. A point guard who has always needed the ball in his hands to be dominant, Steve appears to be having trouble with the motion offense. If he is going to get minutes, he is going to have to fight Head for the remaining back-up shooting guard minutes, as he takes too long to set up the offense (unlike Alston, James, or even Brooks). Right now he appears to be just outside the set rotation. In time, he may be able to acclimate and work himself in. 11. Brooks (12): AB appears to have rookie jitters and is a bit inconsistent. However, he has shown flashes of his potential, and has two god-given gifts that can be an asset to the Rockets: speed and accuracy. Both of these abilities make him an ideal fit for the offense, however, his lack of size and the fact that he was playing college ball while most of the team was in Van Gundy boot camp; makes him less than ideal for the defense. Brooks is proving that with time, he can be a force in this league. 12. Harris (17): In very limited time, Harris is proving that he really can do it all. He is an undersized rebounding machine (much like Chuck Hayes), but he can also keep defenses honest. Look for Adelman to play close attention to him during these last couple of games, as Harris tries to stake his claim at a roster spot. 13. Dikembe Mutumbo (9): He has only played one game so far, and in that time has done what you’d expect- a block, some boards, and some FT’s. Last year’s (lack of) offense was tailor-made for Deke’s skill set. This year, one has to wonder how much the big guy can contribute with the new up-tempo offense. Look for him to come in for special match-ups as a defensive specialist, but he will probably not be in the regular rotation as Mutumbo could very well be the slowest, least agile player in the league. 14. Landry (16): Landry in limited minutes is proving that he could be the sleeper power-forward that rises to the top. He doesn’t do anything spectacular, but he makes few mistakes. He is a great defender who can hit the open mid-range jumper consistently. He could be a solid second option on this team if given a chance. 15. Snyder (13): Snyder is a born slasher, is athletic, can hit the three ball, and honestly, his skills are a perfect match for this offense. Suprisingly, he is on the cusp of being cut, for the simple fact that he is trying to hard. He is well aware of the guard/swingman log jam, and when he is in the game, he tried to make too much happen to try and keep his spot. He does not want to fade into obscurity and as such, he is disrupting the offensive flow. He needs to calm down and let the game come to him. 16. Novak (14): Novak is obviously a one dimensional player. His lack of a driving ability, and defense make him a hard sell as a roster spot. While he is a great shooter who could get better with time, right now he looks awkward out there, and has not shown much. 17. Butler (15): Butler has looked lazy and uninspired out there. However, he has less people to fight and could still make the roster as insurance since Houston has no real center behind Ming and Mt. Mutumbo. 18. Lucas III (18): John Lucas III could be a solid third option on an NBA team, but he is #5 on the Rockets PG depth chart, and as such, look for him to be shopped around. The more likely scenario is he is dropped and possibly picked up to sit the bench on another team’s roster. 19. Reed (19): He has looked ok out there, but he was a throw-in player from the beginning and Houston has never had plans of keeping him.
Interesting analysis. Why is Yao second though? Other than last night, he's had the best preseason out of any Rocket and looks like he will really dominate this year. Also, Bonzi should be higher than Battier and Scola should be way higher than 7.....he's fast becoming one of our top 4 most important Rockets and has been sensational in the preseason.
yeah, so i don't think yao's game is built on deception. very rarely does it matter if a player knows what yao is going to do, because it's almost impossible to keep him from doing it anyway. atleast with single coverage. plus, yao was still noticeably slowed by his broken leg recovery and he still dropped over 25 points on okur. i don't have a problem with you ranking him behind mcgrady, just don't agree with that particular reason.
Now, that I've read the entire analysis all the way through...I would have to disagree with several points. I don't think Alston is the best defensive guard on the team..... If Scola's defense is passable, then Alston's would be subpar because Scola's a better defender than Alston. In fact, Mike James is a better defender than Alston. I don't think Mutombo is the least agile player in the league or even not agile....ok, he's older now...but he can still move. he seems to have a knack for blocking shots. Snyder's skills is not perfect for this offense....he seems more like a square peg trying to fit a round hole. He doens't read defenses well at all and makes bad decisions.... I did find the analysis on Landry interesting.....he's surprised me in that he seemed to hold his own pretty well defensively, except for a few blown assignments where he left his man wide open while going to help a teammate. If he in fact is really good defensively, then that would be a steal for us.....because he obviously can hit that midrange shot and has some nice skills around the basket. Also, the more I think about Brooks, the more I"m convinced that we need to get him in the game somehow.... he just blew by his defender like his defender was walking in mud....and he beat Novak and Bullard in a 3 point contest and was the 2007 three point shootout champion. He looks very calm out there and was pretty steady at the point. His short size is a concern on defense....but his speed should also help him keep in front of his guy.....so I wouldn't worry about his d unless he has a post up point guard that he's guarding...in that case Adelman would have to switch to James or Francis who are physically stronger.
McGrady- looks fit and lean. he's elevation on he's shot is back. he looks real quick. smooth as allways. looks like he'll regain he's place as a top 5 player status. if things go well top 3 is not a stretch Yao-2nd best interior player in the league behind duncan. best interior scorer bar noone. Wells-When he is in this kind of mood, a nightmare matchup. look for him to have some huge games.. Battier-Very underrated offensive player. looks to have added a few post moves to he's repatoire in the offseason. e's tray shot is improved to Mike james. Can score in a bunches no time. against the sonics he showed he can be a sweet passer if needed be. Francis. hasnt adjusted as well as we hoped, but it's still to early for a verdict. i think he'll be a very good player by the playoffs. Scola-does everything well. he can rebound, score and is a very good passer. has a sweet jumper to boot. starting to adjust to the nba tempo. Alston-Was allways gonna thrive in a open court offense. he has all the tools needed to be a solid rotation player for us. Head- He is proving to be a very valueable commodity. he's off the ball game has improved alot. we'll get alot of open buckets by cutting to the rim. Hayes- Rebounds plays defense and does everything that is asked of him. Moutombo- blocks shots, rebounds and still looks intimitading. The rest Brooks Snyder Harris Butler Novak lucas
The one thing that bothers me is how everyone says Luther has a "newfound" cutting game. He doesn't. It's always been there. It's just that under Van Gundy's system, none of the players cut much except to get out of Yao/Tmac's way to let them go 1-on-1. The few times that they do cut backdoor or do that post-handoff, Luther has clearly shown that he's a good cutter off the ball. In fact, go back to his Illinois days and you'll see how good he was off the ball. So no, Luther's off the ball game is not newfound by any means. He just hadn't had the chance to show it under Van Gundy.
we will win more games with t-mac and without yao than with yao and without t-mac. it has always been that way, and it was evident last season when t-mac led us to 22-12 record without yao. t-mac is more important than yao. good rankings btw.
Excellent analysis. I disagree with Snyder being ranked below Landry -- I think he has played better than Landry so far in the preseason. His jumper looks to have improved as well. Oh, and yes, Rafer Alston is the best defensive point guard on this team, and quite possibly one of the top 10-15 defensive PGs in the league.
Are you kiddin' me? Maybe he has improved in his shootin' but it still sucks. His task is to be agressive, attack the basket. Damn, he want to play like T-Mac. He misses even wide open 3 but he keeps shootin'. Landry's pretty good. He made a couple of outside jumpers against seattle. I like him more that Snyder after these 4 preseason games
why does this thread have 2 stars. i thought there would be some p** flinging, buts its all quiet in here
That's not my reasoning for Yao being so low, it is my reasoning for him being so high. I am basically saying that he is proving this year that he has more to his game, and can be even more dominant. In this system, I think Yao is going to be very dangerous and with the options (something Van Gundy never really gave him) he has, I don't think Memhet could check him the same way.
Hmmm.... I see one flaw IMO. Mike James above Rafer, and for James you say he is the best option at PG. Then you declare the starting PG spot is Rafers to lose.
IMO Rafer has shown to be the best PG on the roster. A PG's purpose is to distribute the ball, and to run the offense. If you're looking for a PG to run a offense that consist of the likes of a Tmac and Yao, then you wouldn't look for a scoring>passing PG but a passing>scoring. But I agree about playerwise, MJ>Rafer. I guess Rafer would be more of a scorer if he could actually put it in the basket. lol
1 and 2 are a wash. Tmac is 1a and Yao is 1b, either one is a great first option in this offense. I think the Rockets are going to make a lot of these 7-12 players some money by showcasing thier offensive skills for other teams. Look for especially Luther Head and Bonzi Wells to benefit from this offense, and sign bigger contracts when the time comes. Its a system that flatters the players in it.
