First,it's still too early to cross Rockets off the playoffs. But we will have a clearer picture after 10 games. Second,as a professional team, you never ever intentionally lose to opponent. And there is no Duncan or Lebron waiting for you in the 2006 draft. But you wont see many wins of this team without Yao/TMac.
Amen. Physical injury isn't the only thing that can kill a team. Tanking, or even just getting comfortable with losing, causes injuries to your character from which you may never recover. A high draft pick is the compensation you get for not being as good as the other teams. If we play our best with the healthy players we have and turn out not to be as good, then of course we take the high draft pick as our due. But not playing our hardest will cause more harm to the team than a high draft pick (certainly in next year's draft) can overcome.
Disagree. Believe in the Rox until it's mathamaticly impossible not to. 6-8th seed can make some serious noise in the playoffs. Examples: 6th seed '95 Rockets- World Champs. 8th seed '99 (Van Gundy) Knicks - NBA Finals. On the other hand, if we are eliminated from playoff contention, I see no reason to bust our humps to win any more games, and giving our role players and backups floor time is a great idea.
Yep, this draft doesn't look all that deep, the change in the minimum age last year whittled down the talent pool for this upcoming draft. This team is in serious need of an infusion of young talent and this years draft offers slim pickings.
Umm...Rudy Gay is a stud, not a Battier. Here's his profile from nbadraft.net : " #22 Rudy Gay Birthdate: 8/17/86 NBA Position: Small Forward College: Connecticut Class: Sophomore Ht: 6-8 Wt: 220 Hometown: Baltimore, MD High School: Spalding Team Site Profile 2005 Stats NBA Comparison: Scottie Pippen Strengths: Run and jump athlete who finishes well above the rim ... High flyer ... Very versatile... Does everything well ... Complete offensive arsenal... Can hit the mid range jumper... Excellent at slashing to the hoop... Accurate passer who is very unselfish... Does the majority of his damage in the post ... Very strong and stays active throughout the game ... Very tough to defend... Doesn’t get pushed around down low ... Runs the floor well ... Tough on the boards... Has a passion for the game ... Works harder than everyone else on the court ... A coach’s dream player ... Will most likely play on the wing at the next level ... Has great potential. Weaknesses: Ball handling could stand to improve ... Must gain maturity ... Develop physically ... His glaring weaknesses are his inexperience and his handle. His handle has improved dramatically but learning that phase late has slowed him moderately ... He will be star with some college seasoning ... He has only really been coached for a year and a half now so if UConn can get 2 years out of him he will be one of the baddest things to come out of college since Tim Duncan ... " Get over the name, kids. That is a legit tank target. Try to imagine that kind of upgrade in talent at the 2 spot, for our team. With Gay and Tmac on the wings, we could score in bunches. La Marcus Aldridge would be a huge coup, too. Imagine a young PJ Brown. That would be an amazing pick up for this team. If the pick is a little lower, there's Sheldon Williams, a quick, strong, rebounder with 4years at Duke. Imagine a 4 that could think AND be athletic. It would be a totally different team.
In fairness, it would probably be best to wait until the college season is winding down to make such judgements.. plus, after that, all the pre-draft camp hype that always comes up.. no matter what we may think of the upcoming draft class now, by the time it rolls around, there is no doubt there will be more than a few players out there that will have this board salivating.
"at best" means that's what i think his high point is, that doesn't mean it's where i think he'll be drafted.
Play as hard as you can with the guys that are healthy(relatively). Bring back your big guns as soon as they can without risking re-injury, and let the chips fall where they may. Never tank, losing can be habit forming.
IMO T-Mac and Yao's long term health is No.1 priority. Let them rest until they are completely healed. Make the others compete as hard as possible. I suspect T-Mac's back problems will be a recurring problem this season if he rushes back and plays as hard as he's been, and God forbids it becomes a pattern over the rest of his career. This might be a turning point of his career. I think he should take as much rest as his back needs and not rush back. Missing the playoffs this year does not worry me, seeing T-Mac in and out does.
Even our most loyal board members are starting to get injured. I agree that niether Yao or Tmac should be hurried back...but with 2/3rds of the season left I do not think this season is over!.... I think Rafer ,Stromile , Luther,and John Lucas should be left to play as much as possible to develope some chemistry on the floor... If and when Yao and Tmac get healthy insert them in to the rotation and then let the chips fall where they may... Who knows lightning may strike twice upon our Rockets. Quotes from 95 season: "It won't happen," Phoenix forward A.C.Green said after being asked if the Suns could blow a 3-1 lead. "That's the way I look at it. I'm sure there are people who will come up with some kind scenario where it could happen. But it's not going to happen". "I don't think anyone any team in the world can beat us three straight games when two of them are in Phoenix".....Charles Barkley
Come on, my version of tanking is not true tanking...it is simply playing the younger players and seeing what they got.....if you are more than likely going to lose anway, play the youngsters and let the chips fall where they may. DD
Reggie? Reggie? Reggie? Since this season is a bust and they are destined to get a lottery pick, I thought I would follow suit with the Texans and hope for the #1 prospect coming out of College (who ever it is!)
