While waiting for TMac's return, I am hit with a stunning revelation, this team is a poorly contructed patchwork of old players who may have had their last best year, last year. When the best looking player on the TMac-less team is a rookie, well that is not a good sign. Head, Swift, and Ming are young. After them, who is? Not Mutombo, not Barry, not Howard, not Anderson, not Wesley. Think of all the old Knicks, JVG has brought in here. Have any really contributed anything but a game or two. JVG and CD deserve the right to put this mess together with a healthy TMac, but it is hard to believe that with him it is going to come together as a contender. The real issue is personnel, are the pieces here for a serious run, or was last year a one shot wonder? The Mavs and the Spurs appear to be a clever weave of old and new, the Rocket's don't.
Well, The Spurs and Mavs draft very well. That's a cheap and effective way to construct a team. Ginobili, Parker, Nowitzki, Daniels, Howard were all draft picks. We have a history of bad drafts. This year is the exception. I don't think we could have taken a better player with the 24th pick. I really like Luther. Very mature and a nice guy. The Rockets need to dedicate more resources to drafting better. They need to hire a couple of really good scouts to go overseas
Solid, I have been saying this for years now. They have been trying to build a contender by picking up players that other teams don't want. Worse, they have been trying to do this on the cheap and the end result this season is a last place team. You look at the Spurs, Suns, Dallas, etc and they have a core group of good players that they found in free agency or via the draft. You look at the Rockets and only Yao and Head were aquired via the draft. This situation will continue in Houston until Uncle Les wakes up and hires someone who can find and evaluate young talent. We may also need to get a coach in here who can help develop that talent rather than banish it to the bench in favor of playing old players who are clearly past their prime. Unfortunately, there's not much that can be done this season but hope for the best which can still be a first round playoff berth. I really don't expect much change when McGreatness comes back because other teams now have the book on how to shudown the Rockets by concentrating their defenses on surrounding Yao & denying TMac the ball. It has been conclusively shown that Wesley, Barry, Bowen, Howard & Swift aren't a threat to anyone but their own team when they are out on the court.
Add Phoenix to the list. Drafting Marion and Amare late in the lottery. Finding Joe Johnson, James Jones, and Boris Diaw, players that their previous teams gave up on. That's what the Rockets really need more of, diamonds in the rough. Luther Head is a pretty good start, but that's really all he is... a start. We need to find some more unproven talent that can come in a fit well in this system.
nowitzki was a trade DOWN!! for tractor taylor. and that makes it even better than drafting him outright.
I think it all boils down to talent evaluation. The Mavs have done an exellent job at that in recent years. Dirk, Daniels, Howard and Harris are all players that the Mavs evalluated correctly and form a very strong nucleus for that team for years to come. With Diop showing signs of life for that club, they are going to be good for a very, very long time if he pans out.
That is funny and sad. It is all about TALENT and how you put it together. Last year the Rocket's did not have quite enough of it. This year, it appears what they did have has declined, and what they brought in isn't living up to billing (except Head who has exceeded expectations). As several have said, if TMac takes this group deep into the playoffs, he is a lock for MVP, a true basketball messiah, for the ages.
This Rockets team may be the first... Something occured to me a few nights ago. This Rockets team may be the first team to go from WORST RECORD IN THE WEST, to actually making it to the middle of the playoff picture. I know that is optimistic but you have to look at the schedule we are playing and how this will even out after this month. We have had by far the hardest schedule in the NBA without our leader. If you look at the team, we have a few new faces in the mix that we are depending on to play big minutes. Swift, Derrick Anderson, and Luther Head come to mind. Someone also on this board mentioned that there appears to be a learning curve under JVG. Last season should be a testament to that belief. They started out playing horrible, with a lot of new players, and finally started to put it together. When the DID, they looked like one of the best teams in the NBA. I know I am an optimist but I want everyone to look at this situation in perspective. When you do not have your leader, and when I say leader I am not speaking of the pure scoring presence that T-Mac gives us but also the boost to morale and actual leadership on the court. I am not sure what team has had the worst start in NBA history and still make the playoffs, but I think that we could definitely have a shot at it. This team has a lot of talent. We just need our leader. This may be a blessing in disguise. We may have not known how good Luther Head acutally is, unless T-Mac got hurt. When these guys finally learn how to win without T-Mac to bail them out, we will be looking at a much better team than we ever expected.
Apologies Solid. We must have been thinking the same thing. If the admins feel a need to lock this thread or add it to yours that is cool.
The Grizzles had to win 45 games to be in the playoffs, winning 55 percent. We need more than skills to be in that position. good health and right mental attitude.
What happened last season with the Rockets getting off to a bad start and ending the season on a roll, may be the worse possible thing that could have happened to this team this season. What I think is happening is the players are using last season as a crutch. "Oh, it's ok if we get off to a bad start. we got off to a bad start last season and still made the playoffs." There's no sense of urgency. Right now, the Rockets have to treat each game as a must win game and that their playoff lives depend on it. Because if they keep holding on hope that what happended last season will happen again this season, sooner or later they'll be 10 or 15 games behind and dig themselves hole too big to climb out of. A team cannot continue to put themselves in a tough position and expect miracles to happen every year.
No sweat, your thread addresses the issue with a more positive perspective, mine expresses more skepticism. Probably a temperament issue and, you, being an optimist will live longer.
I agree - in the Thanksgiving mode- be thankful for Yao, John Barry, Dikembe Mutombo, Stromile Swift, and Luther Head-we have one of the best rookies. When the engine - machine starts running together-we will have been bettter off for this trial by fire for our new players. The ship is not under water yet.
Overall a very good and positive post H-town. theres only one point i really dont agree with. when you say theres a learning curve under Jeff Van Gundy, i agree.however, the rockets last year did not take off until van gundy adjusted to style of play the team wanted to play. He literally layed down to suit tmac's comfort zone and when that happened the team took off.
It is sad that some of our draft picks and player signings did not work out. Dallas hasa made some good decisions and bad. (see Shawn Bradley) San Antonio can afford to make mistakes while getting lucky and getting Duncan. (They also had Malik Rose-mistake). Remember - Pat Riley started the bidding war for Juwan at 100 mil-seems crazy now. We probably did play our best team ball last year as a fluke and have money tied up in with no benefit - return players like Wesley, Moochie, a stiff like Ryan Bowen, and a young -old injured Tracy McGrady -who no one would trade for now-damaged goods. Someone to evaluate talent - like Don Nelson finding Nowitski, Colangelo finding Marion and Amare, and Pat Riley drafting Dwayne Wade- I wish we had this ability. Even they make mistakes- though not as consistently as the Rockets. I see a long slow decline in the Rockest future.
