I have seen every game, and the one thing that dissappoints me the most is that this team does not get after it for 48 minutes on defense. The Rockets play like sissies, they are afraid to play in your face D. It is terrible when your best defender is a 37 year old Center. I would do the following to try to get back on the right track. SA to the bench replaced by Cat as a starter. SA has been struggling with his shot, and he could be the defensive spark off the bench. I think the Rockets need a tough bench player..ala Elie, and SA fits the bill. Mo Taylor to the doghouse. This guy is awful, he is a SF trapped in a PF body. He only shoots outside, and is a TERRIBLE..no check that...HORRIBLE...no...need a stronger word here....PATHETIC rebounder. Mo is a bad fit for this team, and the sooner Rudy gets him out of here the better. Move Francis to the 2 guard more often, make him shoot the darn ball. He is our best player....act like it. I would give anything for a Jamison type player....any one on our roster except Francis. I think if you could get Jamison and Francis together you would have something special. We desperately need Cato back, how long does it take to recover from a sprained ankle anyway, did he get a hangnail too? Time to shake it up....this team does not compete...and Rudy needs to take charge, and put anyone not willing to play HARD all the time, firmly on the bench. Oh, and get Langhi some minutes..for crying out loud. DaDakota ------------------ If Mankind evolved from Monkeys and Apes, then why are there still Monkeys and apes?
Dakota, while we're at it, can we trade Steve Francis for Andre Miller or Michael Dickerson? ------------------ Check out the Best Source for Draft Info Draftsource.net
DaDakota... have you looked in to medication? The mood swings you take from loss to win are so deep and severe you're making me nervous Though I agree with a lot of what you're saying, it's hard for me to look at this with any credibility because you blast the Rockets to the end of the earth after every loss. I do think Rudy has to share some of the blame for this game.... they seized the momentum in the fourth and a Sacramento timeout took them completely out of the game -- in fact it cost them the game. The Rockets came out of that huddle clueless. I don't think making sweeping changes to the lineup right now is going to solve much at all. I just think we have to realize this team is very young, and though it doesn't mean we accept every loss, we can't flip out when they lose on the road (especially when they play strong at times) to a very good team. Right now we have problems in the paint.... I'm looking forward to Kelvin Cato's return.... T-minus 7 days. With Cato playing in the post we should have an accurate gauge if Mo is going to help us or not beyond this season. ------------------ NOTHING BUT .NET CLUTCHCITY.NET
Clutch, I do tend to get upset at losses, but truthfully this has been building up for some time. I watch every game and make comments on patterns I see developing. Right now, the Rockets are just hard to watch. They do not hustle on D, they lack leadership, and play stupid basketball for long stretches at a time. I know they are young, and are going to be inconsistent, I just think they can be so much better RIGHT NOW !!! I am not angry they lost to Sacremento, I think Sac is one of, if not the, best teams in the NBA. They are unselfish and play great D, and have a superstar player, just like the 1st Rocket championship team. I do not expect them to win every game, but I Do EXPECT them to hustle. They need a bonifide leader, someone with the FIRE of a Mario Elie. They all play hard, but do not play hard on both ends of the floor. I WANT TO SEE THEM CARE,and I want toughness. They need an enforcer. They will not win consistantly until SOMEONE steps up to LEAD this team. DaDakota ------------------ If Mankind evolved from Monkeys and Apes, then why are there still Monkeys and apes?
What happened to Shandon in the 2nd half?The last few games he has been slashing to the basket more and he was doing this tonight in the 1st half but he just disappeared!I am starting to lose confidence in Shandon and maybe benching him could give him that spark he needs.I mean his shots just look awful!(airballs and bricks)Has he hit a three since the 1st week of the season? I on the other hand still like Mo but would rather have Jamison.He played hell of a lot better defense against CWebb than Kenny IMO. I agree Steve should shoot the ball way more and I like when he and Moochie are in the game together with Cat,but not at the end of the game.I think that is the lineup we use for come backs. On the sprained ankle thing it just depends on how bad the sprain was.I sprained mine before and I couldnt even walk for nearly a month and I heard Catos was serious. And I really agree with you about Langhi.I love Bullard but man can you just break your leg please ------------------ President of the why in the Hell isnt Langhi playing club!!!
Clutch: Great post. I too worry for Da's safety. I think the fact that we just aren't that good at the moment was simply amplified by the fact that Sacramento is REALLY good. I know it is hard to fathom considering how the Rockets used to trounce them every time they played, but it is a fact and we just have to deal with it. Cato, IMO, is really the X factor. He runs the floor, plays with intensity and blocks shots. The Rockets desperately need his body down on the blocks for his defense if nothing else. I personally believe Taylor would have more success on the floor if Cato was out there with him to cut him some slack on the boards and allow him to roam offensively. Let's hope anyway. ------------------ Mmmmmmm. Sacrelicious.
You are absolutely right DaDakota. The Rockets could use Mario Ellie right now. ------------------ "Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning how to put food on their family while being put to death?"
Cato plays with intensity? since when? i dont think he does... or at least consistently. whining to the refs doesnt seem like intensity to me. he just looks mean alot. ------------------ --TEX
Jeff, Perhaps Cato would help with Mo, but it still does not address the true problem of this team. There is no LEADER ! Someone on the court needs to get in his teams face when they don't compete. Mario Elie...paging Mario Elie...we need someone like him. (In his prime of course) My Health is fine...this is a catharsis for me, better to get it out, then to hold it in. DaDakota ------------------ If Mankind evolved from Monkeys and Apes, then why are there still Monkeys and apes?
Jeff I totally agree with you about Cato and him helping out Mo.I also think he will help us get more fast breaks which would help Shandons game as well! ------------------ President of the why in the Hell isnt Langhi playing club!!!
Nothing happens quick enough for the person waiting for it. Fact. Fact is all that is wanted from this team takes TIME. Shaking up does little to help...consistentcy(damn my spelling) and regularity is needed to grow. Part(IMHO) of this season will acommandate that time needed. Yes sometimes frustrating...it's sure easy to see them in sparkling grace when they win though...it's up and down, it's experience gained, lessons learned, then learned again...it is reality at this level of competition. I agree (sadly) Mo is not exactly what we need...more than offensive punch in the form of a jumpshot, we need defense, rebounding, boxing out, inside presence.(Mo's fault or not, we need this somewhere on front line). Still, it's only been 20 games, contrary to beliefs, all pieces to a team are not compiled within a year, not even two years...once again it takes time(I support a move if one arises for a different type of PF though in a trade). Anyone who saw the games Cato played knows he was hussling...either I am amasingly stupid and blind, or I saw the man hussle alot...making plays that made a difference in the games. He'll be welcomed back with amrs wide, wide, WIDE open...he's a nice piece to this puzzle IMO.... hehe to sum it up....(pad these post, pad em)..Shakeup is not needed. TIME is needed(IMH yet proud O) ------------------
What I find interesting is how important to this team Cato is "in theory", while he's not in the line-up. But, when he gets on the court, it's the same old bone-headed play. I guess a severely sprained ankle could theoretically make someone a better basketball player. I'm not saying that we couldn't use another servicable center, but to think he's going to make a big difference is perplexing to me. ------------------ "I have a DREAM.........his name's Hakeem." DREAMer's Rocket Page [This message has been edited by DREAMer (edited December 09, 2000).]
Mo played terrible defense against Webber. We should release him and give Pig his spot. We should have double-teamed Webber IMMEDIATELY every time he got a low post entry pass. We weren't double teaming him immediately in the low post. We hung Mo (and KT to a lesser extent) out to dry. Late in the 3rd or so we did start doubleteaming Webber immediately. But the Kings were on fire and they swung for 3s. I really thought we should have been doubleteaming Webber IMMEDIATELY every time he got the ball near the low post. ------------------ I miss Charles.
Shot blockers change and add quite abit on defense...yes he makes some dumb plays...but whats gained in shotblockng and honesty on opponents layups is welcomed by any team, ours mainy... And as I said he was hussling on defense this year...he's a good addition Cato for President! Screw Gore and Bush! ------------------
Thank you DREAMer. I have been reading people's posts about how we will start to do much better when Cato comes back. It seems that people are forgetting that when he was healthy for the beginning of the season, he didn't seem to play all that much better than last season, despite all the preseason hype about his "new bod". I think we need to accept the fact that, if we beat a team like Sac, it is the exception rather than the rule. They are simply better than us right now. ------------------ She hates testicles, thus limiting the men she can admire to Democratic candidates for president. -- John Greenway, "The American Tradition", on feminist Elizabeth Gould Davis
There are alot of things wrong with the Rockets rite now: - Francis needs to step up and act like a leader. Stop playing second fiddle to Mobley. - Mobleys ball hog ass needs to look for the wide open players that are standing on the perimiter. - Maurice needs to atleast try to get some reb. I mean just freakin try. He just stands there and lets the little people do it. - Shandon needs to slash towards the basket and have some post up plays called for him. He was a above average post up player in Utah and I havent seen him post up here once. - Hakeem needs to just get a few more plays called for him. When the Rockets are in one of their usual droughts, a Hakeem post up move on the left hand side is what they need. They usually give him the ball on the right hand side and he cant do jack from there. - Cato needs to come back and he better play with some tenacity. - Rudys substitution patterns can be downright pathetic. I mean dont use up Dream in the third. Put him in during the end of the fourth to guard Webber. I think he would do much better then Kenny. - Rockets need to get much better at defense. Do they know they are allowed to fight through the top of the pick . They go under the pick every single time and get burned. Also quick double team and perimeter guys rotating on defense would also help. The double team never comes, and if it comes it comes from the guy on the strong side. How about mixing it up a little bit and rotating on defense. - Our front court needs to start playing up to its potential. A team with Hakeem, Cato, Maurice, Kenny, Collier, and Carlos should not be getting burned by the McDyesses and Webber every single time out. Just imagine what the hell Duncan would do to us . I think when Cato comes back he should still come of the bench. But if Maurice still keeps on strugling move his ass to the bench. Start Hakeem at the 4 and Cato at the 5. Hakeem is agile enough to chase the Webbers and Duncans around for a while. Just save him some playing time in crunch time. Also I wish some of us would stop with the Jamison trade thingy. Why in the world would GS trade him to us. We need to face some facts. We aint got nothing to offer for a superstar. We are not trading Francis and Mobley. Shandon is not going to be traded. Cato and Maurice wouldnt attract jack ****. And Hakeem should not be traded. I am also not getting all pissed off because the Rockets are 10-9. To tell the truth I am pretty satisfied with our record. Of course if we were playing up to our potential we should be a little better. We all just need to calm down and wait for Eddie Curry next year ------------------ SUCK POLICE!!!!!! To point out individuals or teams that have managed to reach the pinnacle of SUCKINESS!!!!! ----- Who Else? The Washington SUCKskins!!!!!!!!! $100 Million down the drain!!!!!!!
Clutch, i have noticed with this many posters. After a win- Yes, mo kicks ass steve, shandon, and cuttion are taking us straight to the finals After a loss- Gaw, were horible, steve cant pass OR shoot. mo is just flat out horrible. cuttino just jacks up shots. shandon doesnt do anything but play defense. bullard doesnt do anything. Talk about mood swings!
About Cato: Once he comes back, not only will he provide that shot-blocking presence in the middle, but he will also help our pressing and trapping. Remember that? In the preseason I saw the Rockets trap a lot, and talk about how defense was the main theme during training camp. And Cato was one of the people trapping because he is so athletic and fast. With him out, not only have we been lackin a 2nd shot blockin presence, but we have yet to use our traps. . Just imagine what the hell Duncan would do to us-Rocket03 hehe, but isnt Webber better than Duncan now? If not, I'd definately say they're on the same level. ------------------ da ability to focus attention on important things is a defining characteristic of intelligence - alaskanSnowman
Maybe, but it has more to do with the consistency of play(ers). The ability to deliver consistently and when it counts is what separates (for example) Isiah Thomas from Steve Francis. Francis is new to the league and like most young players, wants to establish himself as one of the better players (at this level). Exciting play(ers) attract attention, but at the expense of team play. Personally, I think if Francis can win the dunk contest, he'll be less inclined to "prove himself" and make better decisions on the court. There's a lot being said about individual, supporting player performances. I agree that Houston needs Cato's defensive presence, but I've always felt they are missing another weak-side defender (ie Horry). It's easier to over-look Taylor's low rebounding statistic if there is another player, maybe a SF...maybe Croshere, on the court who could complement Taylor's offense by playing better defense. ------------------ "Breaking up is hard to do...[with] everyone trying to make it a parting befitting all the professionalism that came before. Trying to find that Olajuwon graceful fade one more time." Scott Howard-Cooper (Sacramento Bee, ESPN.com)
University Blue, Great comments, especially about a weak side defender. Someone to cover up when Hakeem has to stop the ball on the penetration. Mo or KT should do that, but neither one of them do....you know who does, and is sitting on the bench most nights? Carlos Rogers. DaDakota ------------------ If Mankind evolved from Monkeys and Apes, then why are there still Monkeys and apes?
