things I noticed in the first couple of Pre-Season games

JVG seems to be leaning on Howard getting his minutes as a backup center running the pick n roll and hitting that 17 footer according to the Chronicle...it's not a bad problem to have a veteran like him that can sit one night and maybe play 15 minutes the next.

Houston has the ability to play two vastly different styles now...small ball as evident by the first two preseason games...and their traditional style that the offense runs thru Yao with Tracy handling the ball in the half court sets. There are not many teams that can do that and if they can continue and progress in each area and keep the injury bug at bay, we'll have some exciting games in store for us this year.

 

Alston has definitely improved his shot and I would expect he will be more than competent,once we have everyone on the floor.It's only two games,but so far so good Rafer....we'll see.

Billy just needs time.Once he adjusts to the NBA and life over here,I see him as our starting 1...Who know's how long it will take,but he's as a solid rotation player 30% of the way into the season at the most.Boki can't hold Billy's jock as far as talent.I'm very high on him and see him as having SIMILIAR attributes to Stock.

One thing I really like is that Luther hasn't played much in the preseason.It speaks volumes.And the game he played in he seemed to be in total control.They have him at the 1 now,but he's really a hybrid 1/2.His shooting percentage from 3 point land is going to be high this year too.Also,Defensively,Luther is a hawk.Whether Head is a 1,a 2 whatever,I see him again like Bill,solid rotation player,with big upside.

Snyder is as advertised with the potential for a little more.He plays defense with an attitude,but is more than capable on the offensive end as long as he plays under control.The guy is a specimen....
Kirk has a lot of Vernon in him,but it's tempered...It's a good thing.

Novak's shooting is off the charts.Right away he gets 10 - 20 min/game.If there is improvement in other areas like I'd expect great,but he should play 10 + years in the league.

Hayes is maximizing his ability.....As long as JVG realizes his limitations,we're good.To wit, as many others have said,we need a defensive rebounder to log some minutes at the 4,a guy that's 6'9 or 6' 10 with simliar skillz.
Don't get me wrong I like Chuck,but we need help on the interior.

Motumbo continues to amaze me as if he's Methusula himself.Deke can still get it done for 10 - 15 min a night.

Battier is an absolute pro with a skillset that is in demand for contenders.Detractors of that deal should be happy while we're winning titles.

TMac looks to be in peak shape and probably will play the best basketball of his career.Tracy has plenty of help now and is the kind of guy taht will blend his skills to get that result we need....when healthy a top 4 player easily.

Yao like Tracy just needs to stay healthy and it's game over,checkmate.
He has become the best center in the game and before long Ming might very well be considered the top PLAYER.There is the issue of his previous injury,but I assume we will see the same monster that showe himself over the second half.HOW GOOD WILL HE REALLY BE?Dudes,I'm a Dream man all the way since back in the day,but I have to say Yao has the upside to be an all time top 5 center too.

With Bonzi,Yao,the growth of our young players,our TE for a deal at the deadline,and the development of chemistry...the Rockets should be rolling into the finals to play the Heat....just gotta stay healthy.

 

I left out something.Even though it's preseason and we are playing weak teams.... without a couple of our big guns,there's an elevated level of play out of the gate with whoever starts....a very high one.Like many I'd forgotten how good TMac really is when healthy and he hasn't been able to play in awhile.He's already bring it.I have this feeling we're seeing the beginning of a special season.

 

After watching Vspan for two games now, i found a strong relation between his play and Yao's when he first got here. He definitely looks lost out there, needs to get adjusted to the rules, the system JVG runs, the culture (all of which are things Yao struggled with when he first arrived). Give him time people, i think his ability to penetrate and his passing off the pick and roll alone will land him a spot in the rotation by the end of this season. He is a competitor and a fiery guy, he'll be alright. I personally havent seen a guy in the league who passes as well on the pick and roll this side of steve nash, just imagine as he gets better, and him and yao/T-mac work on those plays in practice, i guarantee he wont be a dissapointment to anyone then

 

AC Green?

I am a rafer hater, i don't think this guy has what it takes to lead our team to the promise land as a pg, when he shoots as much as he does. Now i can easily be turned if he proves me wrong...
a couple of preseason games won't do it either. IIRC, he played well in preseason last year too. I will have to wait until a month into the season before i change my mind on him.

I think the main reason this team is playing well and scoring more in the two games is because yao is not playing, i def think it will slow the game down a bit when he is back....however alot of our fast breaks should still be there based on our defense pressure.

i do think this team can make a deep run into the playoffs.

 

I think Alston will be fine if everyone stays healthy. If I'm not mistaken, Alston averaged 7 or 8 assists when both T-Mac and Yao were healthy. Hitting open shots will definitely help. As long as we can have a backup PG committee, we'll get by. Some days, V-Span may work, other days, Head may be the answer.

...and touche on the AC Green comment. Marvelous.

 

I am pleased with what I have seen so far, but will start with one negative observation - I think Battier is being oversold as a perimeter defender. I think both Tmac and Snyder (and probably Bonzi too when he plays) are equal if not better defenders on the quick wing players like Joe Johnson.

I prefer Head to JL3 for backing up Rafer.

Lastly,

I saw glimpses of a good passer - if what I saw proves out, Novak could have the eye and the touch to be good at feeding the post. I'll go out on a limb and predict a less athletic, but better shooting Robert Horry to feed Yao in the post. You read it here first.

 

T-mac can play D esp the passing lanes but I don't want him guarding the other team's best player...Kirk, Shane and Wells can and will do that. T-mac needs to rebound, play the passing lanes cause of his length and be a 24 ppg player. You cannot look at the 20 minutes per game that Shane has played and say he's not a good defender...watch him all season...the guy is textbook on both ends of the floor.

 

Post of the day， man!

 

VSpan will get it done. This guy will be improving as the season goes on. Once Yao and Bonzi are back I would like for VSpan to get the chance to play with these guys and see what he does. His passes are something else and his D is key to having him get some quality playing time.

 

i can't agree with you more.

 

It's only pre-season but it's difficult to contain a certain level of expectations with this revamped and talented Rockets roster.

I'm tempering this expectations by acknowledging that there will be learning and growing pains as players get accustomed to each other and develop chemistry.

I think to be a title contender, they need to win at least 50% of games against the best teams and 80% against the weaker teams. The motto should be, "No excuses."

 

i think this will be our starting lineup heading into the regular season.

Rafer - showed me he can shoot the 3 now, wideopen, or under some pressure.
will have a great time passing now with all these athletes and shooters.

Snyder- he showed he can be a beast defensively. has a decent shooting touch,
and is obviously athletic.

T-mac- he's back. nuff said

Battier- smart defensive player. gets to right spots at right times, and makes
smart passes. hes SMART!

Yao- egrolllssssss. yaos gonna dominate, and our shooters are going to hav
career seasons with all those open looks theyre gonna get.


This lineup provides enough athleticism on defense, and will be able to push the ball ocassionaly. Luther will split time at the 2 behind snyder, but possibly it could be other way around, with snyder coming off the bench. novak will be perfect as a trailer on fastbreaks, spotting up for wideopen threes.

 

Once vspan adjusts, we'll learn to love him

 

Good posts...
Spanoulis is good. He just got here! I agree with the person who said he could eventually be starting.
Snyder was pretty impressive in our 2nd game..not as much in the 1st. Glad we have him..and we still have BONZI too, though injured.

RocketMac, Azuibuike played in the first game, and he did not do well.

I like our team a lot, I have always liked Head, JL3's speed is good, and we should keep him. We should also keep Padgett. We really don't need Jacobsen, but we could use him on the injured list or something.

I like Hayes, but getting a guy like Baxter back wouldn't be bad..insurance

Tmac, Yao, and Battier are great

 

yes, there is way too much howard hate on this board. the guy is a solid, average nba player, to say he is a sub nbdl player is going to far. yes he has some mobility issues, but he's got a solid mid range jumper, decent skills, he's a smart player, in limited minutes, i love the guy. He kind of reminds me of horry without the three point range

 

After watching the first two games, there is no way we shouldn't be at the top of the league in defense.

With Shane, T-Mac, Snyder, and Bonzi on the wings (At the least, 3 of these guys will more than likely be on the floor at the same time - all the time)...it will be a nightmare for teams to do any type of lazy passes through the lanes. They are all tall, long, active, strong, and athletic. JVG has probably been giggling going through 12 boxes of chalk while he adds the 30+ new defensive schemes to his already 100+ he currently runs. I foresee a lot of switching on screens and pick & rolls...something we could have never attempted the last few seasons in the JVG era.