Maybe I should have pulled up a old thread or dropped it in the post game, but oh well. This isn't a knee jerk reaction to a couple of losses or a prelude to bashing every player on the team neither. I just wish that when people watch and talk about this team, get out of fandom and talk objectively. In other threads, IBM and myself along with a few others have had debates about Yao. I've had issues with DD and others about the makeup of this team and that's cool too. I have been called a resident hater or whatever else which I could care less about. As long as I can see the rox as a student of the game and not as just a fan, we can talk hoops all day. Just because I root for a team, doesn't mean I can't be critical about players and management. This is a flawed team even with Yao that played great and got on a roll. The roll lasted even after the best center in the nba went down. I've created threads about how small the team was and how the team still lacked a bonafide player opposite Yao and tracy that can create a shot for himself or for others. I have been told the '' system'' will take over and solve all our problems. It was shined up during the winning streak with some hot 3pt shooting and many posters were pulling up articles about how the national media was hating on the rox. I do agree that sometimes the viscious tone of the national media can make people feel disrespected, but sometimes the truth hurts. This whole idea of having 5 guys under 6'3, trading the only legit guy to give Tracy and shane a breather, and not having another guy besides deke on the roster above 6'8 to play inside is really kind coming back to bite the rox. I will say the Landry drafting was pure genius and u had to make the scola deal, but the whole concept of saving money when the team could have made deals to make the team stronger really didn't make sense. Whether u like or dislike the bonzi wells, 9ppg and 5rebs behind Tracy and Shane is kinda puzzling. If nothing else, he doesn't need anyone to get him a shot. Riding the rookies into the ground and not having a legit backup for Yao has to be questioned also. Landry had a knee injury in college and was playing great with his finishing at the rim. Scola is a try hard guy with some skill that eventhough its his 1st yr, he's 27. Yao has been playing a career high in minutes and prior to this most recent injury has missed at least 25 games per the last 2. Like I said, these are not issues that I'm bringing up because of a couple of losses,I've been talking about these all yr. I don't care if it Kandi,PJ Brown,McCoy whomever, just have a guy that has some size, finish at the rim,grabs some rebs, blks some shots and give yao breathers and keep his minutes to about 32 mins. In the end the rox will still make the playoffs and depending on the matchups, they could win a series. That's cool if u believe a team has to take it one rd at a time. I think that would be good if u 2 best players were 4 yrs younger. I think Yao and Tracy have 3 good yrs left. Many will sight there age and attest to that, but both guys have old bodies. Tracy has been in the league and playing major minutes for 8 yrs and Yao with his international ball since he has 16 also makes him old also. I just like to think that people on this board can be objective about the team,gm and ownership and be real about it. Les used to be about winning rings, now he just wants to hang on like Drayton McClane and field a competitive team. I do think that with the experience some of the young guys are getting is a positive, but I hope they can look objectively at the team and truly address the needs of this team during thi small window.
Your points are very valid but what can we do now?? We traded Bonzi when he could clearly contribute by having some of TMac PT when TMac is off (like in Lakers or in NOH game tonight) and he can play in the paint also. We miss out a few reasonably good BIG players when they are available and now .. I am not sure there any left??
It's easy to look back and say we should have kept Bonzi but the truth is that he wasn't doing that much for us. I agree with a lot of your points about the makeup of our roster. We're too small, and we don't have any good 1 on 1 offensive players besides T-Mac.
Ok, the main problem is that people look at this like are we a whole team, we will never ever ever ever be. There will be weaknesses, but as a team are we better than the rest of the league? In a lot of respects I think the answer could be a Yes.
I have heard that made the bonzi trade because they felt landry could take bonzi's minutes and they were afraid of brooks' play. With the injury to landry, the trade does not look too good, prior to that it wasn't a negative to make the trade. I think the team does have the makings to be a championship team under Adelman over the next 1 to 2 years (before Tracy gets old) provided Scola and Landry continue to improve. They do need to address a backup center and a point guard in the offseason though.The most frustratng thing to me is that for the last three years, the Rox have always had serious injury issues to either Yoa or McGrady and as each gets older this problem will get worse. Without both opf these playing, I do not think the Rox are a title contender, unless another superstar caliber player joins the team.
This team's offense went down the tubes when Landry went out with the exception of Rafer hitting a very un-Rafer like 8 threes. We really need Landry back.
Look, in all honesty once Yao went out, so did the team's legitimate championship hopes. Sure we all hoped that they would somehow pull off a miracle on Ice type of deal, but that is more than likely not going to happen. So, I would be satisfied with the guys learning how to win, getting Adelman's system down and maybe winning a playoff series and coming back strong as a legitimate contender next year. And if you want to know about what I think is missing....just read my sig.....that will tell the whole story... I have been saying all along you have to have TWO penetrating players on the floor to make it work..... It may be time to get AB and dust him off for some minutes. DD
I guess its all relative now. I haven't given up on this yr and its impossible to predict the future, but when u make certain moves and u look at your best players and the conference u play in and be realistic. Its about the ring and in the west it will not be any easier. The rox will ride the combo of yao and t-mac out which is smart. I think if they're good enough to win 22 straight, they could win a title. I'm just a bit worried when the whole focus from the top down isn't about the ring. I know the players and coaches are thinking that way,but what about morey and les?
we may not have one penetrating player... something is wrong with tmac, im not so sure his knee ever really healed. I think he just came back. He never ever sprints, and he can't get around anyone off the dribble. They've been hiding it with the PnR but even thats not working anymore. Maybe he needs to take some time off in Waco.
Morey and Les should be thinking about what is best for the franchise, now AND in the future. Bonzi was going to leave anyway, he was highly inefficient here in Houston and rarely played defense at all. Landry is better than him at least for this team, and you could not forsee a Landry injury, and getting rid of Mike James contract is going to be HUGE for going forward. I would make that move again today, even knowing Landry is out.... DD
I agree with u, but brooks size kinda scares me. Maybe since there isn't many post up pg's and he is superquick, it might have to happen. Its obvious that the offense is so stagnat that something will jump off. I still scratch my head when I see basically 2 true pgs in rafer and brooks and 3 sg's dressed up in pg bodies in francis,head and jackson. No backup to swallow mins for yao and 3 undersized 4's. Landry and Scola kinda compliment each other and hayes should play only because of injury.
we need to get long athletes in the offseason or next year with our expiring contracts. i don't know if we're better with bonzi this season or not, but i think that was a great move for next year to get rid of james, and wells is so unreliable it's hard to really miss him.
we traded bonzi before yao went out. no way morey could have predicted that. it was a good trade at the time.
we got rid of wells with the intention of getting landry more playing time, and landry's production defintely made everyone forget about bonzi. i've been saying since the season started we needed a Jerry Stackhouse, Michael Finley, or James Posey type player. someone who can shoot the 3 and take the ball to the rack.
also I agree trading Bonzi has come back to bite us. we have NO backup 2 guard since Adelman is iffy on Head, so playing T-Mac 50 minutes a night appears to be the only option.
Wells trade is an excellent move, because not only you set yourself up for next year, but also got ride of James which was a disaster signing. Plus, no one think this team can go deep into playoff without Yao, so holding Wells here really makes no sense. Most of your take on the team is valid, but you can say that about almost every team in the league. In this day and age with 30 teams in the league, the talent is just no there anymore, every team has weak link(s). It's really a matter of taking advantage of your strength, hiding your weakness. The coaches are hired & paid big $$ to figure this out.
i know this is sad, but i think losing gerald green was a bad idea, i feel like he had a lot of energy, and thats the energy tmac doesnt have sometimes. I liked bonzi because of his energy, thats what we lack on our team. cant wait till landry is back
no it wasn't a bad idea. gerald green didn't work for boston, gerald green didn't work for the twolves either. think about it. the TWOLVES... probably the worst or 2nd worst team in the entire league and he couldn't produce anything for them my friend, the league has had many people who can dunk who go on to be horrible basketball players and disappear. the gerald green trade was CLEARLY to get rid of Kirk Snyder's salary. I agree about Bonzi, but an experience PG is also a need. you can't trade garbage for gold (except if you are the Lakers), so we have to give him up to get Bobby Jackson.
yao really should not play more then 30flat a game even in playoffs we need a tall PF who can swap to C to backup yao but still play PF most of the game to keep his stats/confidence high amare is the exact type of PF we are missing that just dunks no matter wut
