SI.com - Rockets could be the 5th seed after acquiring Jim Jackson

I don't know about the #5 seed, I think that Minnesota improved themselves to well and are experienced, but I see the Rockets as a #6 seed. Chemistry could derail Minnesota, but I still think we're a #6 seed, which is fine by me, especially if we face Sacramento in the first round.

 

I think the teams competeing at the #5 spot in the west will be us SAC and LAL.

SAC is not going to be as good as last year Miller is not Divac and Divac is showing his age and to say Peeler replaces JJ shows a significant decline in talent. JJ was one of their best players in the post season. Bibby is overrated.

LAL are my pick to fall apart. Kobe will be distracted and possibly in jail. Shaq will spend lot of time on the injured list. GP and Karla will not get along. I truely think that even the Zen master will not be able to avoid a serious personallity implosion.

Just my 2 cents.

 

No way...Kobe's lawyers will eat the prosecution alive. He's not going to jail. Shaq is supposedly in the best shape of his career and his foot is healed. Payton and Malone don't have to score 20 per game, so all their energy can be focused on floor leadership and rebounding, respectively. Plus, Shaq and Kobe haven't exactly been best friends, and all it got them was three rings, so Payton and Malone's relationship won't matter that much. Besides, if they want a ring as bad as they claim too, they're mature enough to put any personal differences aside. Jackson has perfectly managed three of the biggest egos in the past quarter century, so I don't think he'll have many problems, either.

The Rockets best hope for a 5-7 playoff seed is for the Lakers to just completely run away with the Division and beat up on all the mid-level Pacific Division opponents, mainly Phoenix, Portland, and Seattle. One game could mean the difference...

 

Blah, Blah, Blah

Somebody better get Yao some touches just to shut everyone up! I believed Yao got enough touches last year, he was just a rookie and they want him to have the ball at all times. The only problem with Yao's touches was where he recieved them. The media is acting like everytime Yao gets the ball, he should have shot it. Yao had lots of trouble adjusting to the physical style of the NBA, if Yao can't bang himself within 5 ft of the basket, its not much of a post. Bottom line: hopefully JVG will have us playing like a team, everyone has to do their part, and stop pointing fingers at people.

 

Jebus,

I gave the rolleyes to DR because he can't see Sac and Minny being better than they were last year. He dismissed it as an afterthought and thats why I gave a rolleyes because his opinion (as usual), goes strongly against what most NBA experts saying.

DR,

You and Les can have your opinions and delusions of grandeur. Last I checked, the two of you have no experience coaching, playing or managing an NBA team. Perhaps that is why you both over estimated what our talent was capable of last year.

 

You're smoking crack.

The Kings 4 is Chris Webber, and the Kings 5 is either Divac or Brad Miller. You prefer Eddie Griffin over Chris Webber?!

And while I love everything there is to love about Yao, you have to recognize Divac and Miller are both recent All-Stars. There's no way in hell I'd trade Yao for Divac AND Miller, but from the point of view of what they contribute to their team RIGHT NOW, it's not a huge step down.

And as far as the 3, the Kings have Peja. I guess your point is the Kings depth at the 3...?

And even as far as the 1 goes... Franchise is obviously a lot more fun, and I wouldn't argue that he's a heckuva player... but as a point guard, Bibby (backed up by Bobby Jackson) isn't exactly a huge step down either.

The Rockets may get there in a couple of years, but it's a certainty that the Kings are still in the elite class of the NBA.

 

Francis amazing and very quick & athletic but when did he get BIG. Did Francis grow over the summer cause last time I checked he was 6'3''.

 

More touches for Yao is not the problem, more QUALITY touches for Yao is the problem.

I was at the game in MSG when the Rockets blew the road game to an abysmal Knick team (after they had an 18 point lead in the 2nd Q). The Rockets fed Yao in the low post on 3 consecutive posssessions, with plenty of time on the 24, at the end of the game, and he had hte ball stripped, stepped out of bounds, etc. To put it bluntly, he didn't deliver.

I also remember a tired Yao clanging jumpers to dip his fg% below .500 down the stretch as well.

So it's not just about giving him the ball and letting him go to work; he's not that good yet.

 

well for his position he's fairly tall and definitely one of the strongest with probably marbury. i think that's what he meant.

rather than pinning all this blame on the guards being selfish how about realizing that yao just wasn't ready to be the man last year. van gundy himself said after reviewing the tapes that yao got his touches but too often passed out or was too far away from the basket. just last week steve said he wished yao wouldn't have passed it out so much. this does not sound like a selfish player or some freezing out of ming. it sounds like a rookie and a team without a definite gameplan.

this year will be different not because steve and cat will wise-up but because yao will be improved, stronger, and jvg will have the troops a little more prepared.

 

Thats exactly what people were thinking before last season begain. We had no idea that Yao would evolve so fast so sudden. Nevermind playoffs, our season would have been considered a success if we played above .500.

Its DE JA VU again this season.

 

Precisely...although even though it comes from JVG and Steve himself, I'm sure the steve-basher/yao-worshippers will ignore it. Hell, they already have.

 

WTF? Check out the nba.com season preview:

http://www.nba.com/preview2003/hou.html

SCOUTING REPORT

"I don't see them as dramatically better, maybe incrementally better ... They replaced an outstanding coach in Rudy Tomjanovich with another outstanding coach in Jeff Van Gundy, so I don't know if it will make a huge difference ... What will be the biggest factor is the growth of Yao Ming ... If he becomes what he can be, he could become the second-best center in the game ... The other thing they'll need to address is style of play ... They'll probably run things through Yao more ... Rudy started that whole running the offense through the post with Hakeem Olajuwon, where he would touch the ball 50 times a game ... They need to get back to that, but it doesn't fit with what Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley like to do ... So, it'll be about the same; they'll be knocking on the door of the playoffs."
-- NBA general manager

FEELIN FRANCIS

How did Steve Francis adjust to the arrival of 2002 No.1 pick Yao Ming? He took more shots than in any of his previous three seasons, 20% of the Rockets total.
That probably won¡¦t work in new coach Jeff Van Gundy¡¦s system. One of the most well-rounded players in the league, Francis needs to continue to adjust to a team game and work within that framework as the Rockets look to get everyone involved.

 

Have you seen any game Yao played against Divac/Miller? Except for his first game against them respectively, Yao schooled them pretty good last year, Divac 3 times, Miller once. It's not even close last year. This year, it will be complete Yao's complete dominance.

 

for a pg he is slightly bigger than average.

 

These statements show that this guy doesn't know what he's talking about:

But I like how he thinks Wilks will beat out Moochie as the backup PG.

 

I agree that being 12 deep doesn't help is much in the playoffs but the Kings depth is why they've consistently been seeded so high. When players like Webber and Peja go out, they still have tons of talent. They have less talent this year. But the biggest thing about the Kings in my mind is that Vlade is getting pretty damn old, and for their style, Brad Miller is not an adequate replacement. (nevermind Yao Ming may be the only center in the league who can pass and see the floor well enough to replace Divac on the Kings) and their two best players, Webber and Peja are both fragile and injury prone. That doesn't bode well for them. I think the Kings missed their chance last year. They won't have another. They'll definitely still be a top 5 seed this year but they're obviously on the decline.

 

I think he meant both Divac and Miller.

 

Yep. He embellished. He really meant to say, "Francis/Mobley drive into the lane into a crowd of 3 defenders." It happened numerous times per game. Pulling up jumper on a 6'1" dude happened the rest of the time during one of Francis's ISO jigs. Which also happened time and time again. Now, if you blame Rudy for this. I'll buy that. But if that crap happens this year...well, you know who's to blame.

That was then, this is now. What did Rudy do for our defense, lately?

Well, 10th would be nice. And that means 10th in TEAM defense. Not just Yao's shot blocking.

True. It only happened half the time. Not every possession. Again, partially Rudy's fault. But we'll really know after the season ends.

 

He's talking about he last FOUR years, with Francis. Not during the Hakeem championship years.

 

This is very true. Part of the problem was Yao's lack of strength and when he got the ball. Not just necessarily just "giving the ball to Yao."

The phrase, "giving the ball to Yao" should NOT mean that he just takes all the shots. It should also mean that he's in a position to pass the ball off to a cutter.

Yao taking most of the shots would be doing the same thing that I hate about Francis/Mobley taking most of the shots. It's unbalanced. And it doesn't take advantage of that thing I like to call: TEAMWORK.