What's your expectation of Rockets in 04/05 and 05/06 season

I don't think this is a fair question to ask until the offseason is over. I expect some changes, so I really don't know what to expect. If the same team more or less were to return, I'd expect a few more wins, maybe 6th in the playoffs and a competitive, but ultimately unsuccessful first-round exit.

I'd like to see a couple of the starters change and would make 6th seed and a first-round upset the goal. But at this point, I don't know what to expect.

 

i expect we become the new minesotta timberwolves. First round exits for a while. Then managment relizes we need major changes and not just little ones.

 

Second round or bust.

 

Possibly without Steve next season the Rockets might takea step backwards, but in two seasons could make a BIG improvement.[Conference Finals]

 

"I expect them to see them in the conference finals, anything short of the goal would make me upset," he exclaimed in a canned-response way.

 

Depends...is JVG still the head coach?

 

Greatest team ever assembled, either Yao leads us to a championship or he is outta here

 

The fact that they have won it all before when very few outside of harris county believed they could do it in the first place is one of the reasons I'll continue to Love the Rockets win or lose.
We can't have those great days back but we can have new ones, right?
I have been a fan since '85 and was a season ticket holder for the '94-'95 season. I believe that this team does have what it takes to be Champions. I say sometime in the next five years.
Hopefully sooner.

 

Oh, we're never realistic in this BBS... c'mon... where have you been since September 2002?

 

There are 29 Teams that will be ready to take him, if we dont want him. Of course there is the possibility that he might not want us!!!

 

How?

Unless they significantly upgrade the roosters, I don't see us a better team than Spurs, Wolves, Kings, and Mavericks. Conference final is a stretch unless we get significant upgrade at 4 (Wallace) and sign Berry without losing SF3.

 

Actually the Rockets played pretty good during the playoffs.
If they hadn't defended Kobe so well at the end of game 1 Kobe probably would have either nailed the circus shot three or clanked it off the rim ending the game, percentages say he misses the circus 3 and we win.

We gave away game 4 with two very stupid turnovers- JJ passing it to Kobe and Steve dribbling all by himself out of bounds. Even the Rockets hadn't played that stupid and sloppy during the other 3 games.

It should have been a win in 6 games for the Rockets.
Would-a, Could-a , Should-a, if if if if if if.

OK that being said. That team that showed up in that series is a pretty competitive team right now.

I think it is impressive that they came to play at that level considering at the start of the season the team went through a major adjustment to a new coaching staff, system and style of play.

Everyone was asked to make significant fundemental changes to how we had been playing for 5 years. Most every player tried hard to adjust. Now next season will they be down the road on the adjustment curve. If the playoff series with the Lakers is an indication of future performance we will be miles ahead starting the next trainging camp. Players know what to expect, what their roles are and what they need to change or improve.

We have an identity- Hard nose defense, pick and roll with Yao.
Steve slashing, Cuttino slash and spot up for 3's. JJ spots up in the corner. Cato does the dirty work. Mo comes in and scores.
Spoon comes in for some more dirty work.

We need to tweek, improve all we can. But don't be surprised if we are more than a little better.

The most optimistic position is that Steve comes back (if he's not traded) and is more than ready to pick up with the intensity he showed the Lakers and his outside shot is hot. Cat comes in ready to be a shut down defensive stopper and he plays a little smarter. JJ and Cato remain consistant contributors.
Yao has a few more tricks in the low post and is a little stronger and has some stamina we haven't seen before. The team stops arguing every call to an official.

And Jeff Van Gundy decides to give the team just a little love for their efforts.

I would then in my most optimistic dreams give them 50-52 wins and believe that without major injuries, some love from the officials and a little good luck they could do some heavy damage in the post season next year.

 

rhester,

You listed a 1000 reasons that the Rockets can succeed. Unfortuntely, the Rockets don't have a team full of players whose games complement each other. The Spurs and Kings are two great examples of team basketball.

And ask yourself just how many star caliber players the Kings have. I can count bibby, Webber, Miller, Peja; and Divac + Christie > JJ + Cato + Mo. Just think of this fact: Kings can beat Mavericks and Minny with Peja in a horrible shooting slump. How many wide open 3s have he missed in the POs? I never see him shooting that many airballs in his career. Peja was arguably Kings' go-to player in the regular season.

The Rockets don't have that kind of luxury. If Yao plays subpar, we cannot beat elite teams. If Yao is in a slump, we are in a losing streak against inferior teams. The fact with the Rockets is that we only have two star caliber players and their games don't mesh with SF3 playing 1.

End of story.

 

fa7999- What I was saying is that optimistically speaking (not necessarily realistically) if Steve plays the way he did in the Laker series (much more of a PG) and he starts to shoot lights out next year. And Cat plays as well with fewer mistakes, and JJ and Cato have good role player seasons. And Yao improves his low post offense and plays more aggresively and doesn't fade in the 2nd half of the season. And everyone has more commitment to JVG's system. And JVG gives them proper props for improvements. And they have more poise and discipline. They will win more games next year and be a tougher playoff team.

In other words I am being way overly optimistic, but it's not unattainable.

Again there is a flash of great potential mixed with a history of dissappointment in the Rockets.

I could see them much better or about the same next year without making any major changes. Just by improving their bench or adding a little more chemistry to the starting role players.

Having said all that I also acknowledge that they do not mesh real well because Steve has shown in the past he is a poor passer and decision maker. Yao has faded in the 2nd half of both of his first 2 seasons. And the bench is weak.

I wouldn't say they won't be better just because they don't mesh.
They meshed pretty good in the Lakers series. They just made critical stupid errors that cost them games.

No need to be down on them all the time. There are reasons for optimism and positive support.

First of the year I would have been very happy at a 7th seed
Next year I will be very happy if they advance out of the first round.

What do you think?

 

so i guess minesota should trade kevin Granett last year, and the year before, and the year before, etc?