In this ever increasing time to put a true winner/championship quality team on the floor, the rockets are following the astros pace of just putting a competitve team on the floor. Most of the powers in the west have made moves to put a chamionship quality team on the floor. Dallas trades NVE and scrubs for Jamison, fortson, and other cap filler. We've seen what Minny,Sac,Sa and La have done even though they were already championship quality, but what do we do? Sign a long range , 1 dimensional player like Pike, whom i do like, and Adrian Griffin whom I like also, but don't we already have Glen Rice and Hawkins who are pretty much the same players? Our frontline in still in the same position it was last but has gotten alittle weaker with Posey leaving. This team is really banking on Ming to become dominant and Francis to become Isiah Thomas to even be a factor in the West. Sure the Rockets will make the playoffs, but what after that? Is that the ultimate goal of the Rockets just to make the playoffs? From the looks of it, I guess so.
So what do you think of Eddie Griffin and Glen Rice for Shareef Abdur Rahim? Do you think that will make us a better team? And what have you been doing? Our team is pretty much just to entertain people. We are not going to contend so no one really hates us...which is good. We are just going to make the playoffs and lose. But I'm still very excited this season! New coach! New uniforms! New logo! New arena!
I just hope we dont end up like the timberwolves before they added some pieces. good enough to make the playoffs but but not good enough to compete in the playoffs
Honestly, what do you want here? These teams that made moves are older and already had solid pieces in place. WE ARE YOUNG and gonna be real good. I think everyone in the NBA knows that. Why can't we know this as fans? I believe this franchise has made a committment to our young stars. I don't think this team is looking for a Jamison, they are looking for a role player that fits with our big three. The only thing that is going to land us some big name that fits well is trading one of our guys. Cuttino is probably the only expendable one of the three. We will win a lot of games this year and we will make the playoffs. For a team like we have, that is progress. Now is not the time to go for broke with some big name trade.
2 dominant players is all we need. Just look at what the lakers did when they won 3 championships with two dominant players. I know that Steve and Yao aren't at that level yet, but they are really, really good. We have so much talent on this team in my mind, we can suprise a lot of people this year and make it into the second round, realistically -- in my mind we can go all the way. Second round when the focus of your offense is on a second year player is pretty damn good. All this complaining about the Rockets not doing enough to keep up with the other teams IS GETTING REALLY OLD! In case you haven't noticed leebigez since you've been gone a while, but a thread like this is started like every other day now. I repeat, we don't need to trade for another all-star, THE PIECES ARE IN PLACE! The dynasty has been set in motion, patience!
Jesus RELAX and wait until at least spring training? People are claiming that management doesn't want to win championships, just want to be competitive, comparing us to the T-Wolves, maybe management is letting the team play next year, get to the playoffs, and then see what needs to be added. Trades for the sake of trading is ridiculous. <b>Sign a long range , 1 dimensional player like Pike, whom i do like, and Adrian Griffin whom I like also, but don't we already have Glen Rice and Hawkins who are pretty much the same players?</b> Teams win games with "1 dimensional" role players. Championship teams need quality role players not big name players for the sake of signing big name players. And Griffin IS NOT another Rice or Hawkins. Rice is a shooter and scorer, Hawkins a defender. Griffin is actually a good slasher who is capable of doing what Hawkins and Rice can't do, guard 4 different positions (Griffin has guarded PFs, SFs, SGs and centers). Meanwhile Pike is not nearly as injury prone as Rice and is a better shooter and scorer at this point then Rice, and is capable of playing two positions, something Rice's age and injuries won't allow him to do anymore. Again role players are necessary, some of the most important players on the Lakers were Rick Fox, Derek Fisher and Robery Horry and Tyronne Lue among others during their title runs. <b>Our frontline in still in the same position it was last but has gotten alittle weaker with Posey leaving. </b> I think that Griffin and Pike more then make up for Posey. <b>Sure the Rockets will make the playoffs, but what after that? Is that the ultimate goal of the Rockets just to make the playoffs? From the looks of it, I guess so.</b> You can say the same thing about the Suns who everyone, Rockets fans among then, are proclaiming as the next big thing. The Rockets finished one game behind them and beat then 3 out of 4 times last year. Sometimes a new coaching style, maturation and building team chemistry is more important then going out and making trades because everyone else is making trades. Phoenix didn't make any trades coming into last year, they kept the same team together and made the playoffs. Same with Dallas, and look where Dallas is. Dallas made trades AFTER making the playoffs and assessing where they were and what they needed. Sacramento the same way. The Kings were annually ousted out of the first round until they matured as a team. They made the playoffs, saw what they needed, and built from there. Patience is more important then doing something for the sake of doing it.
That game pissed me off so much! We had it won and then Starbury goes right around our defense and scores with like 8 tenths of a second left. The worst part about it is that we lost out on the playoffs because of that one game!
And notice that was the only Rockets/Suns game to make national TV? The three games that we beat them in, nobody saw. That's probably why everyone automatically thinks they're better than the Rockets!
In case you haven't been around Leebigez, most Rocket fans are happy we lost Posey and more or less happy with the offseason so far. All I have to say is wait until we put another 500 team out there--let's see how upbeat most of these fans remain (OK not really all I have to say . Adrian Griffin and Piatowski are not the kind of role players you build championship teams with: 1) by the time Yao matures these guys will be finsihed playing (unlike Posey), and 2) they are far too single dimensional. There is a reason these guys were b- to and c- list FAs, there is a reason the Mavs who want to compete now didn't even think Griffin was worth the 10th, 11th roster spot for the minimum, and the LAC did not try to sign Pike. They are not bad players, good for 8th, 9th, 10th roster spots on a lot of teams, but the competeing teams obviously didn't think they are the high enough quality role players to heavily pursue. Honestly it has been a very discouraging offseason to this point for me--I was hoping we would give Yao/SF/Cat some help by improving the quality of role players in our starting forwards--but we went backwards so far (lost the closest thing to a quality role player we had, and replaced him with cheaper, older, less dynamic, role players). Those that think the board is negative now (probably 4:1 comments are hyped up positively about the Rockets)--just wait until this team has some real tough stretches and struggles to be a little over 500, I won't be one of the guys b****ing for Francis' head, Cat's head or JVG's head, because as a realist I expect it. Now I might b**** for Les/Carroll's head for not bringing in a true starting quality NBA forward of any kind to help Yao and the aforementioned guys be the best they can be--but this is what I have been saying all along.
Yep. As of this year, both clubs have "retired" a legend of both the city and the organization in favor of a quirky Yankee who has no significant track record of success. My guess is they will get similar results (worse record, no playoffs) in year one.
Although it looks like we have the pieces in place and that we just need to build on Team work, we actually have many wrinkles to iron out.Most of us are hoping that JVG is the Coach that we all believe him to be and that he will coach all the wrinkles that we were complaining about, at the end of last season, making a smoothly opperating Team. The Guards will make more assists and play less minutes. The Forwards will perform like competent Basketball Players and that our Center will deveop to be *a decent player. As a Team we expect less dribbling, more defence and mutual respect. If JVG gets his boys to come together and work as a Team then watch out! Don't be surprised if we become a well oiled machine and cause some waves at both ends of the Court. [*we have very high standards for Rockets Centers.]
I think before you start making statements like these you need to wait until at least on of our starters hits 30, not including GR if he starts of course. Jordan didn't win his first title until 28. We have a young and extremely talented team. EG, once the nations highest rated highschool baller, has just turned 21. Yao is now 23. Our backcourt is entering the prime of their career. I expect a minimum of the second round next year. If I am wrong, I will be starting threads like this next year. If I am right, we only need one of two more pieces, small pieces, to make it. No need to Stros compare just yet. But I agree, they should have gotten better pitching in the late nineties.
Maybe I'm in the minority, but couldn't we have used Jamison more than Dallas? Maybe I'm really wrong thinking that a expring contract along with a bad contract can get the rockets something we really need. Maybe its me to think that Hedo is better than anything we have at the 3, but it was no way the rockets could have gotten in that trade proposal. Its the same naive thinking to think that Biggio is a upgrade at CF,Asmus is a upgrade over Pudge and Robertson is a upgrade over Hampton.
I would have loved Jamison as the 3 next to EG at the 4. Jamsion would have majorly covered our lack of athleticsm, quickness, rebounding and finishing weaknesses in our forwards, Jamison/EG could change floor spots offensively/defensively as necc. I certainly would have like to try offer Rice, Boki, future #1, future #2 for him--don't know if GS would have bitten but I hope/wish we tried.
That whole "we're still young" excuse got old a long time ago. A team that needed major work got an oil change, and it will show next season...
don't you hate it when... you're all pumped because October 7th..the Rockets play their first NBA preseason game... then you remember, there's a september. "Damn smarch weather" -hj simpson
D-Scar/leebig/Yetti and A-train - I'm with you. I think management has sucked in a big way this off-season, starting with the way they dicked up the whole Larry Brown thing!! I still think JVG was 3rd or 4th in the coaching talent available after the season. We could have had Dunleavy or Carlisle (who will make the Pacers the team to beat in the East!) but Les settled for another NYC boy who looks as whiny and petulant as he is!!! And then the front office ends the off-season with these lame-ass attempts to pass of Pike and Griffin as ANYTHING worth praising as far as additions to this team. Our bench SUCKS in a big way. Thank God for Cato, 'cause other than that, we got nothin... And I totally agree that the whole "we're young" excuse is beyond worn out. Hey folks, Cat, and S.F. are not YOUNG anymore. And TRUE "big time" players demonstrate GREATNESS from their rookie season forward. Eddie Griffin has underacheived in both seasons as a pro and will NEVER live up to the 3 "1st round draft choices trade" that brought him here. He was tradeable last year, and probably this off-season, but if he doesn't take MAJOR STEP FORWARD THIS YEAR, then he has to be considered officially a bust! Fans (like the guys I mentioned above), and I, have EVERY right to expect more than mediocrity. And given the potential that Yao and Steve present, they and we deserve far better than the crappy supporting cast we've assembled to date. As far as I'm concerned, our off-season strategy has been like a a team with a 5-card draw poker hand and the Rox had a pair of aces (Yao and S.F.) along with a pair of deuces (Griffin/Taylor) and then chose to draw only one card to see if we can "luck" into a full house rather than tossing all three in hopes of pulling another ACE!! (3 of a kind always beats two pairs!!!) And yes, I realize that this is a gambling metaphor, and some of you are less interested in "gambling" on another "big-time" free agent than I am.... But, for those of you who are SO opposed to adding another offensive threat, why don't you just ask Dallas if there's such a thing as too much offense!! This team, (the Rox) has all the hallmarks of a team that looks good on paper and just cannot put it together on the court... Oh, and for those of you who think that our lone loss to the Suns is what put us out of the post-season, I say not. It was our losses to Cleveland, Miami, NYC, or any of the other crappy teams that S.F. and company so arrogantly took for granted. My mantra going into this season is this: When this team shows me/us they want to win (on and off the court) as much as we the fans want them to win... then I'll praise their efforts... Anything short of that is meaningless b*llsh*t!!!
