How far away are Rockets from elite teams

Sf and YM will never play well together. yao depending on a non playmaker and SF a scorer being forced to play playmaker

 

but that's exactly the expectation they're built around, to be sure. they're absolutely hanging their hat on this guy...and i think there's some reason to do that, particularly in a Shaq-less league.

 

KG puts up monster numbers but even during his MVP campaign isn't the best player in the NBA. Duncan is. I'll take a guy who's not afraid to bang inside in the paint and take a 6 foot hook shot over a guy who more often then not is going to be taking 18 foot jumpers all night long. KG as good as he is, in my mind puts up numbers that don't directly effect the game the same way it does for Duncan. It's just so hard to dominate when you're almost strictly perimeter oriented and don't have the body to bang inside. Unless KG's jumper is on, he's not going to the FT line much because he doesn't initiate contact much, and he's not going to dominate a game despite what his numbers might say.

 

Sorry. Kobe is far better than Steve. Most clutch fans will piss
their pants if we can get Kobe for Steve.

 

How far away? It's 196.7 miles from Houston to San Anonio.

 

You know, this year could play out like our second championship year with Hakeem and the Admiral. Garnett and the Wolves have the best record and the supposed best player, but in the playoffs, it's Duncan who's showing just who's the MAN.

There are two scenarios for the Rockets.

1. Yao will develop into an elite player. In which case, our current cast, with some tweaks, might be enough provided they can play well together.

2. Yao will not develop into an elite player. In which case, we need a second superstar player. Someone like T-Mac, along with good complementary players.

Personally, I hope we land a player capable of superstar status. This will take off some of the burden off of Yao. Who's still not shown he can carry a team the way Duncan does.

 

One head coach away.

I believe Yao, Steve, and Cat could get to "elite status," just not under this head coach.

I also believe the trio will be broken up in favor of lesser talents, which will hurt the organization long term.

 

The only way those 3 can form an elite team is if Yao suddenly becomes dominant, in which case he can be even more dominant with different players.


I don't think many experts would agree with you that Steve and Cat can be part of a trio that can take a team to elite status, unless the 3rd player in the trio is too good for the team not to be elite. Ofcourse, I'm no expert, and I don't KNOW the experts, so it's just an assumption.

 

Oh man! I was really digging what you wrote until I got to the Tyson Chandler & Kwame Brown part then I started laughing so hard that I hurt myself.

If you SINCERELY believe that CD has the brains and the ability to pull all of this off in one off-season, then I'm afraid we'll have no choice but to change your name to IN Sane.

 

I agree that the roster is flawed but this statement is also flawed. We have this player right now in Kelvin and while it's great when he hits a jump shot every now and again, the Rockets need a player that is more of a threat to shoot than a "bonus" when said player makes one. When I look at the games it is clear to me that we need a power forward that is more of a complete player than a one deminsional player.

Of the players you mentioned only Swift and Wallace stand out to me as a more ideal fit for the Rockets, but I have problems with them as well, and I will explain later...

But first I'll discuss the others I eliminated. The problems that I have with Tyson Chandler begin with his ability to shoot. Chandler is not even close to being effective shooting outside of around the basket. Will he get there at some point in his career? With alot of hard work he may, but he does have time on his side as he is still very young with plenty of room to show improvement. Another problem I have with Tyson is that he sets lackluster picks. His technique is fundamental but not naturally fundamental which could be attributed to his youth but could be helped by solid coaching and more experience. But by lackluster I mean that his slinder frame prevents him from being truely effective in the pick and roll game. He has nice size but does not have the mass as of yet to be a force setting picks. Aside from the negative light Tyson is an outstanding rebounder, especially on the offensive end, and seems to have a nack for where and when the ball will come off the rim. He definately knows how to use his height and long arms to his advantage in the rebounding game. In the end, I think that Tyson would nice addition off the bench for size, energy and rebounding but as far as being in the starting rotation next to Yao, I do not think he has the "completeness" as of yet to be a fixture on a team such as the Rockets.

As for Brand, I don't think the Rockets need to be paying eighty plus million dollars for an undersized power forward. Albeit a quality player, but there is a number of players that can essentially bring the value that Elton does to the table for substantially less money. What I do like about Elton is that he is what I call a "trash collector", meaning he takes full advantage of second chance opportunities off of others miss shots. His long arms and wide body allow him to be a solid rebounder but his height is a bit of a disadvantage. I think that with his wide frame that he would be formidable setting picks in the high post, but again, I come back to the eighty million dollar contract and I say to myself, why do I need to pay Brand so much when I can get similar production from say Kurt Thomas for less money. Don't get me wrong, I think Brand is an outstanding player, but the contract is just too large to overlook for a player that I feel will not put this team, which has many needs, over the top.

Emeka Okafor is a name whom I see thrown around quite frequently on this board and it's not hard to see why. His Bill Russell-like defensive awareness is hard to look passed. As much as I love the athleticism and defensive ability of Emeka, I don't feel that he is the solution to the Rockets problem at the four either. Emeka is an undersized back to the basket, post player which is why many talent evaluators envision him as a power forward at the NBA level. This is part of the problem that I have with Okafor to make a case as the desired power forward for the Rockets. Despite being undersized, I still think Emeka is center. His footwork in the low block is solid but whether that said footwork translates to the four at the next level where the competition is quicker and stronger is debatable. The aforementioned post play is another reason why I feel that Okafor is not suitable for the Rockets need. His back to the basket style and limited range is redundant and will not spread the floor for proper spacing. In my opinion teams will pack down on Yao in the post and give no respect to Emeka's outside shot or lack thereof; similar to that of having Cato on the floor with Yao (nice defensively, but one-deminsional on the flip side). Having Emeka in the high post setting screen and rolls will not be effective for the Rockets system because he has no range outside of ten feet; essentially he would just be out there setting screens and playing defense, which would be a waste of his growing talent on the offesive side in the post. A great athlete, a tremendous defender, and great off the court as well, but not the suitor for the Rockets woes at power forward.

Now back to the players you listed that I thought were a more ideal fit for the Rockets. I'll start with Swift who's athleticism I love, but is not the reason why I thought he is a better fit for the Rockets. I thought he was better because he seems to have more of an all around game that I think we need from the power forward position. Stromile is a good rebounder and shot blocker and has a nice, fluid 15 foot jumper. And as many have seen, he runs the floor exceptionally well. He is not mistaken for a great defender but he definitly has the athleticism to improve tremendously. One of the problems that I have with Stromile is that said athleticism. His game seems to rely on it too much. Another problem that I have is like Chandler, Swift does not seem to have the mass to be imposing in pick and roll situations, which coach Van Gundy's offense seems to be predicated upon.

As for Rasheed Wallace my concerns with his game are more mental than that of his physical ability. Wallace is the most ideal of the listed players, physically, to be paired with Yao. Rasheed is versatile enough to be a force defensively in the post and on the perimeter yet has the offensive ability to step out an knock down a shot from beyond the arc. This versatility combined with his size would make him a nice complement to Yao's post game. My problems with Rasheed lay between his ears. Can he control his attitude problems? Does he have the composure to be a champion? I don't know. I do know that no one has ever questioned his physical abilities.

The player that I feel would be a nice addition to the Rockets is Mehmet Okur. At 6'11, 250 pounds, Okur is a wide body with good footwork and offesive versatility. He has the ability to score in the paint but prefers to take his offensive game outside. His size gives him the ability to set good, solid screens and said footwork lets him roll to the basket effectively. He is not a terror on the glass but he is a good rebounder. Mehmet is not fast but he is not terribly slow either. His footwork allows him the ability to keep if front of his man but the presence of Yao in the paint would make this less obvious as opposing teams generally avoid the lane when he in.

All in all, the Rockets need help at almost every postion; power forward is just a peice of the pie. I think the Rockets need more versatile players at every position, excluding center, in which we need depth. In that reguard and in my opinion this current team in its current situation in nowhere near a championship level.

 

1) Chandler and Brown are not fully developed.

2) CD should be able to do it. If you dont' like him, that's your opinion, but just because I don't agree with you does not make me INsane.

 

I kind sorta disagree with everything you said.

The problem with the Rockets PF is not that he can't shoot, it's that everyone else is not a good enough scorer. MoT is great from midrange, but that hasn't helped our case, since Yao runs into foul trouble.

If you're looking for a player who is tall, can play with his back to the basket, rebound well, block lots of shots, score on putbacks, as well as have a 15-foot J, then you're looking at trading Steve Francis, and that's only IF such a player is avilable.

The Pacers play with Tinsley. The Spurs play with Bowen. The Bulls played with Rodman. While we don't have a Micheal Jordan or Tim Duncan yet, I am suggesting a better supporting cast that covers up for this problem.

In an ideal world, we would have everything you're saying - but with the resources at our disposal, it's unrealistic.

As for Okur, I see why we'd want him, but I think you're cutting him some slack. He is slow, and regardless of his intentions, he plays on the perimeter. He is not a good defender, which is why he was not getting bigger minutes before Rasheed and which is why they got Rasheed anyway.

To reach elite status, i.e. Championship contender, you need 2 stars, and 4 or 5 players who complement them well. We have the stars, and we have at least 2 good coplimentary players.

Remember, we hold a trade exception, which is to our disadvantage. If that trade exception was a good perimeter player worth roughly 6M, then it's safe to assume a few more wins. So just by virtue of the exception we can improve, as well as overturning some role players.

 

I never said it was a sure thing, but Yao is their only chance to become elite in the next few years. All the roster tweaking in the world won't change that, unless the Rockets can trade for Kobe or Duncan. As if...

 

A good power foward away.

 

OK, I've regained my composure. I really admired the thoughtfulness that went into your post. I just disagree with you that this team should take on 2 more "projects" - especially those two busts. I have watched these guys play ever since they "cashed in" to the NBA. They do not exhibit any of the personal fortitude and desire necessary for to make it in this league. They got "paid" and that's all they wanted from the league.

There are also several arguments against making moves such as this. For one, the Rockets do not have a good track record of developing young players. The last really good young player they drafted and developed was Kenny Thomas whom CD pissed away for nothing. That's why there's this big hole in the team - there are no 3rd or 4th year players from the draft making solid contributions.

As for Dawson, it is long past time for this guy to hit the road. We're not talking about a Jerry West or a Rod Thorn here - we're talking about a guy who's marginal AT BEST. He cannot evaluate young players, has no clue what to do with 1st round draft picks, has no F'ing idea how to scout for international players (which is why teams like SA get Ginobli & Parker while we wind up with Boki), gives bad contracts to bad players (A. Griffin, Piatkowski), big contracts to flawed players (Cato, Mo T, SF3), makes trades for crap players (Ameechi) and on and on and on. I am a firm believer in track records and CD's track record offers more than enough proof that he is not the one to get this team to the next level.

Dawson's incompetence is a prime reason why this team is in the fix it's in now yet folks here continue to blindly cling to the mistaken belief that this boob can miraculously pull off a "magic" deal or trade that will vault the Rockets ahead. Given his track record, those folks are in for a long wait. So good luck with your proposed deals to remake the Rockets. It's too bad that there's no one over there with smarts to pull this off.

 

I agree that Yao needs to become "elite" in the next few years for the Rockets to make the move from the bottom rung of playoff teams to serious title contenders season in and season out. But I think we frequently set the bar too high for Yao, myself included.

If we're just looking at great Rockets centers in the past in their second year, Yao doesn't play at the same level.
He was 17/9 and 2 (blocks). In comparison, Malone was 19.4/15/1.3, Sampson was 22/10.4/2, and Olajuwon was 23.5/11.5/3.4. Yao was clearly better dishing out assists compared to Malone, but not to Ralph and Akeem... "raw Akeem" dishing 2 a game compared to 1.5 for Yao.

The thing is, Yao doesn't have much competition at the 5 in today's NBA. Remember that when you compare stats with the past. A great 5 had a lot more competition at his position, talent overall wasn't as diluted. So, to become elite at the 5 now presents a much lower bar to hurdle. We need to keep that in perspective. That's one of my reasons for optimism and why I worry more about his late season production than anything else. If he overcomes the wall of the last 2 seasons, then we're in high cotton indeed. (that means terrific, for those who don't get the reference)

I've been thinking that we're a true PG with the whole set of skills, that can hit the outside jumper, and a bruising PF that can D-up, block shots, pass the rock, adjust to Yao's presence (damn, that's a challenge!), and shoot the mid-range jumper with reasonable consistancy. He doesn't have to be Elton Brand, who I think is ideal, but at least in the ballpark. But I've heard some good arguments about our real need being a star 3 (with length) with the 1 and 4 being good role players. I may start leaning that way. Hell, we have a long time to hash it out and see what CD and JVG, with Les opening his pocketbook, end up doing.

This could be the defining offseason for the next several years. Who we pick up, who we trade, don't sign, sign and draft could set the stage for a long run. And if JVG can uncork an offense that's consistant. There's that word again, consistancy. I don't know yet if he can do it. Let's hope so. There will be changes and we'll find out... in about a hundred years when next season rolls around.

 

Well, to compare Yao's stats to Hakeem's and Malone's, you
need to consider field goal attempt. Steve is still the 1st option
on this team. Cat and JJ also took a lot of shots. So Yao is
arguable the 2nd or 3rd option. You would expect Yao's number
increase a bit with 4 more shots.