are we gonna run consistently? I remember at the beginning of last season, we only played half court basketball, but that was with an older team. Now that we picked up guys like DA and Swift who can undoubtedly run the floor, do yall think JVG will start running with this team?
The Lakers ran when Kareem couldn't keep up. He just parked under the other hoop and waited. We can run. You only need 2-3 good players to run, and we have them.
No doubt....none of the Celtics were very fast, ESPECIALLY Robert Parish. All Yao has to do is Rebound and outlet...rebound and outlet.... DD
I know, it was kinda of a joke. Im pretty sure Yao has been working on his stamina even if he is parked under the hoop. He should be able to keep up, and it could help if somehow our breaks get stopped you have a Yao trailing down the lane.
Yao actually is not bad at running the court....he just lacks the stamina to stay in the game for a long period IF he has to run constantly.
Not only will we have four starters who can get up and down the court, we also have a very deep bench. If Van Gundy decides he wants to commit to the running game, he certainly has the players to make it work.
We've had the athleticism in the past and haven't taken advantage of it. We'll probably run when the oppurtunity presents itself, but we'll probably only be an average fast breaking team... Which is fine. We're built for a halfcourt game anyway.
I just hope we meet the Mavs again in the playoffs and run them off the court this time with pure simplicity. They are the new team to hate that's for sure.
Many of you underestimated Yao's ability to run the floor. For a big man, he's really good in running the floor and finish in transition. I remembered so many plays Yao blocks a shot, and take off on the end, usually beats his man and get a easy running layup or dunk.
Contrary to popular opinion, Van Gundy's Rockets have always been committed to forcing tempo whenever possible. The fact that it doesn't resemble the Suns' "first one to 130 wins" obscures it for a lot of folks. (The image of VG waving his arms at Steve Francis to push tempo is permanently etched into the gray matter). It's more than a coincidence that last years initially floundering team turned it around after Sura came off of the IR and Wesley was added. Sura is a good transition guard and Wesley would go to the basket in transtion unlike Jim Jackson who liked to park at the 3pt line in transition. (JJ changed a little as a Sun but stopping at the line was his MO as a Rocket). The latest iteration of the Rockets isn't going to be confused with the Showtime Lakers. But they'll be a noticeably apart from the bottom of the league 8 fastbreak ppg of Francis-Mobley and the 10-12 fastbreak ppg of TMac-Sura-Wesley-Barry. I'm thinking Stro, DA and a little depth can get us into the middle of the NBA pack with 14-16 fb ppg. This is not alot, but it's a great augmentation for a team with a lengthy half-court set, TMac 1on1 and Yao in the low block. 2 to 4 more ppg doesn't sound like much but the Rockets were in a lot of close games last season where that could have been a margin for victory....
Yeah, we had athletic players before the Tmac era, but the guards were too stupid to execute a good fast break. Sura, Wesley, Barry, Tmac can all run a fast break. I'm not sure on DA, I know he at least knows where to run, but I don't know how good he is with the ball in his hands on a fast break. I assume he can handle the load just like the others though. We also have a pf in Stro who is built for transition, with his speed and ability to play above the rim. Yao is good at slipping into the post when the d isn't set and getting good looks. I don't know if the numbers will reflect it, but the rox will have a good transition game next year and will get their fair share of easy buckets.
Really? I remember Yao usually trailing the play and then getting the easy pass while he drives the lane J/k But seriously when they do run they only need 3 of your guys running anyway. Our system consists of pushing the ball quickly to see if there is an opening, but if not then to pull it back for a half court set. That's what our old team didn't recognize and used to just walk the ball up court.
We could run with Yao occasionally, yao can't do it like Amare that can run the whole game. I remember back in Yao's season 1, he grabs a defensive rebound, outlet to Francis for a jam. Possibilities are endless here.
