Houston Pistons, 5th Seed. are we an immature offensive-minded detroit? they have billups and hamilton in the backcourt... who can explode at any time. we have francis and mobley... who can explode at any time. they have wallace in the middle who is the league's best defensive force. we have yao in the middle who has the ability to be the league's best defensive force... and offensive center. looking at both of the rosters, they're similar except that the rockets are immature. if van gundy can speed of the process, i see no reason why the rockets can't land the 5th seed this upcoming season with the team we presently have. here's some defensive stats: -the rockets are tied at 7th for opponents ppg at 92.3. those who are ahead are san antonio, new jersey, new orleans, boston, detroit, and miami. only one of those teams didn't make the playoffs. -the rockets are tied at 5th for opponents fg% at .433. those who are ahead are sacramento, indiana, san antonio, and new jersey. all of those teams did make the playoffs. -the rockets are 3rd for reb% at .518. those who are ahead are utah and new orleans. both of those teams did make the playoffs. sure the rockets weren't runaways in either of the above categories, but when the difference between your ppg and your opponents ppg is only 1.5 points, then every tenth of a point is crucial. they say that defensive wins games. then why in the hell did we not make the playoffs? better yet... why will we make the playoffs this year? answer? van gundy. the rockets are adding a tough-minded defensive coach to an already excellent defensive team. there aren't that many free agents in the upper echelon category of the nba left, soooooo... for all you trade proposers out there that hack realgm all day coming up with ridiculous trades for players with a proven offensive punch, why not strenghten our strengths (defense) since our weaknesses (offense) aren't all that weak? edit:title of thread.
I see your point. I honestly believe that, with time and the right coach, we can be twice as good as Detroit is. Francis and Mobley, IMO are much better than Detroit's backcourt talentwise. They just lack the maturity that Billups/Hamilton have. Francis and Cuttino are much better scorers, and they are much quicker. It's just their decision making that sets them apart. Yao obviously has the talent to be better than Wallace (IMO he already is actually). He's better on offense than Wallace, and if he could just improve his speed, Yao could be a dominant defender. Yao's height would end up winning him this matchup. So yeah, the Rockets' foundation has the potential to be better than Detroit, as long as we play our cards right and stay focused on the playoffs, which shouldn't be a problem considering how anxious Steve, Cuttino and Yao are to make the playoffs.
We were a good defensive team, but our stats were better than we were. When your offense is often weak, the opponent plays down to your level. Our strength was inside, with Yao, Cato and Eddie giving us solid defense 76 of 96 frontcourt minutes. Like Carlisle, JVG will require more and better team defense. Carlisle proved that good team defense with one defensive stud in the paint is possible with any personnel. That team is not a gifted defensive team on a talent for talent basis. Its success lay in its hustle and commitment to play great team defense. I agree that Cat and Steve can be better than Detroit's duo, and they should be.
You're right, the Rpx are more immature than Detroit. But they're not an immature version of them; the Rox are a much better team than Detroit is. All they need to do is learn to play an assigned role and play within themselves. All the other stuff should come naturally.
Wow, that's the last comparison I'd think of right now. I think they're completely different, except for the fact that Hamilton and Mobley have similar offensive games. That's about it. Yao is nothing like Big Ben. Francis is way better than Billups, and younger I believe. Rice is nothing like Curry, Griffin is nothing like Okur, Larry Brown is nothing like Jeff Van Gundy. My view on the situation is that there is no team like the Rockets right now, and I have honestly struggled tyo find another team in the past decade with a similar make up. The closest I came across was Stoudamire/J.R. Rider/Sabonis in Portland.
I agree, the only thing that is holding the Rockets back right now are their imature tendencies. One prime example was that last second three vs. the Jazz. Rudy wanted a time out, but Steve wanted the last shot. With Van Gundy, there would have been a time out, and a play would have been used to get us a three rather than Steve's amazing shot right in Stocktons face. Awsome shot, but we should have called a time out.
