We all agree that the Rockets are underperforming this year, even with Stevie back, but I just thought it would interesting to discover what most people feel is the cause for this negative performance. The options, as I see them, (whether I agree or not) are: Health, Personel, Offensive System, Morale, and Effort.I tried to give an accurate representation of the argument a proponent of each view would answer this question with, but I'm sure we'll hear more. I was going to offer combinations of options, but there aren't enough slots in the poll page to accomodate it, so pick the argument you feel is the chief reason why we are still playing poor basketball... Health: What difference does it make if we don't pass, when half the guys aren't on the floor for long enough stretches to learn who's their teammate and who's the opponent. Systems need practice to learn and games to perfect, and personel's hardly here...Morale is hard to keep up with a migrane, believe me. And effort? Show me a team with 7 or 8 healthy bodies at any one time that's feelinf funkdeli-icous. Personel: We just ain't got the dogs for the hunt. We've got 2 or 3 guys who wouldn't start on most teams, let alone contenders...Better get a stud in this draft, or it's gonna be another long one next season...Injuries have taken who, Rice? Taylor? Not exactly the missing pieces for a championship run..Steve? Ok, Steve's been out, but every team loses top players for stretches, we're not exactly saetting the world on fire with him, either.Morale, Effort...you can't get blood from a stone...Defenders who can't defend will look like they're not trying, but it's just not an ability they posses... Offensive System: Injuries be damned, it's our isolation dribble exhibitions that are keeping us back, and Mo-T would have just been another observer or culprit. Why don't we run a play, for chrissakes? Personel's irrelevent when it's always 1 on 5 at the oponents basket, what personel is going to make our 1 better than their 5? Morale? Yeah, we're down...teams that play individually stay individually....and Effort? It's gotta wear on you to bust your ass and still watch another guy try to take his man off the dribble..after a while, what's the point? Morale: Sure, injuries, offensive system, and the rest of it are all factors, but the biggest thing is that these guys don't believe in each other or their coach. Of course no coach as learned as Rudy would routinely call for isolation play after isolation play...would ask Moochie to turn every half-court possession into a last asecond desperation shot, would let his guys play weak defensively night after night...but the boys obvioulsy aren't buying it... Effort: Health. Lots of teams get injuries, losers lie down and cry about it, winners get up and give it all they've got. Many people say the best way to judge a team is to see how they play when their star is out...do they band together and gut it out, or do they lose 15 in a row? We know which one this is...We suck defensively, and what's defense about? Right, effort...Even Rudy said our defensive effort is wanting...
The injuries suck, but with KT abusing other 4s, Griff showing he could do a little more if given a chance, Cat an offensive threat and a PG who is supposed to be elite, we should be doing a lot better. When this team moves the ball and takes good shots it can contend on a nightly basis. Instead they run nothing, but iso's and pray that the shot goes down or a foul is called. The only time we play good is when we're down by 20. That's what's so frustrating. We all see how well they can play when they consistently come from behind only to play stupid when it's a close game.
Defense? Coaching? All of the above? None of the above? Forced to choose from your list, you have to recognize the injuries # 1 factor. Healthy team wins more, period. STILL -that hypothetical "healthy" team underachieves and disappoints twice as much if we have these same bad sets, no d, goofy substitutions, recurring boneheaded play and odd mis-meshed personnel. A healthy Steve would have been big. A healthy Cat with him would have been big. A healthy MoT is nice; Glen Rice, same thing - but those guys don't fix the Rocket's problems, make them a contender.
I think that the Rockets problem is they don't have respect for the small things. We get behind early and never catch up. The one point of a missed free throw, the poor shot selection that leads to a fast break against us, taking the clock beating poor percentage shot, (heck - the small pass not made that leads to the shot clock problem) the fancy forced shot instead of the sure basket, running out of position on a fast break, each cost us one or two points. Each of those small things adds up and next thing you know we are in a 8-10 point hole. When we make a run, instead of being up and putting pressure on the opponent, we usually just get near even. Maybe a one or two point lead, maybe a good run leaves us four points short. The opponent makes one or two baskets and sudenly they are one stop and bucket away from a double digit lead. That motivates them, and once again the pressure is on us. The championship Bulls are a great example of a team that took care of business. They finished quarters strong, and put the hammer on when they came back out. Then they rested their starters and had fresh players for the next game. They did not win because Mike made last second shots. They won because they put themselves in a position where a great player could rise to the occasion. We put ourselves in a hole where one great shot is useless. It seems like we always need a 12 point play. And worse yet - try to get one. Llittle things add up fast. PS: Injuries have not helped.
How can injuries even be an option. Its not like the injured players are out there getting beat day in and out cause they cant move at fast. The players actually ON the court win and lose games. I do understand, however, a lack of personnel from those injuries or a complete lack of chemistry, both good choices. I think the morale and effort are generally there - but wont be if this keeps up next year - but the offensive and defensive systems, in combination with a lack of depth and chemistry means we will be lucky to finish the season with 30 losses. It will be interesting to see who wins the beginning of the season predict the record thing.
We suck. Flat out suck. Sorry all you Coach Rudy fans, but something needs to happen with the coaching staff. I like the fact that he's giving players like Torrres, Morris, and Griffin a chance to play, but we need some plays in the play book. Or somebody to teach the players how to play. Coaching against the Rockets must be the easiest job, next to coaching against the Bulls. -Iso for Mobley -Iso for Francis -Iso for Thomas -Let Moochie dribble around for at least 15 seconds Those are all our plays.....LITERALLY!
Combination of Rudy T's pre-K offensive system and the players' I'm-a-millionaire-so-I-don't-care lack of defensive intensity. Man, I went to the Orlando game last week, and even my girlfriend, who knows nada about basketball, asked me "hey, why don't the Rockets players guys move around like the other team does when it's their turn to hold that ball thingy? Why are they just standing around? How come they never throw the ball to the other players?" What a joke...
The guys out do not have the qualities the team is missing, D, rebounding,MoT is not a great inside threat, fast break,ball movement, player movement!Sorry guys your HOMER mentality is affecting your objectivity on this vote.
