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The Rockets are built like an Eastern Conference team. Valid?

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by HowsMyDriving, Jun 19, 2008.

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  1. HowsMyDriving

    HowsMyDriving Member

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    I was checking out all the relevant teams in the west, and what they might look like next year. I noticed that most of the good West teams seem to be built around the PG/PF model, whereas most of the good East teams seem to be built around swingmen. I'm not sure why its important except that it made me think that maybe its not so much that the rockets don't have enough talent to win, its just talent at the wrong positions. Common knowledge I know, when I put it that way, but seriously, have you guys checked out the disparity when it comes to how the successful teams in the East and West are structured? If not, here you go. I've highlighted the one or two people that I think would be considered each playoff team's best player(s) in bold.

    EC
    1) Celtics - Rondo/Allen/Pierce/Garnett/Perkins
    2) Pistons - Billups/Hamilton/Prince/Wallace/McDyess
    3) Magic - Nelson/Evans/Turkoglu/Lewis/Howard
    4) Cavaliers - West/Pavlovic/James/Wallace/Ilgauskas
    5) Wizards - Arenas/Stevenson/Butler/Jamison/Haywood
    6) Raptors - Calderon/Parker/Moon/Bosh/Bargnani
    7) 76ers - Miller/Green/Iguodala/Evans/Dalembert
    8) Hawks - Bibby/Johnson/Smith/Williams/Horford

    WC
    1) Lakers - Fisher/Kobe/Radmanovic/Odom/Gasol
    2) Hornets - Paul/Peterson/Stojakovic/West/Chandler
    3) Spurs - Parker/Ginobili/Bowen/Duncan/Oberto
    4) Rockets - Alston/McGrady/Battier/Scola/Yao
    5) Jazz - Williams/Brewer/Kirilenko/Boozer/Okur
    6) Suns - Nash/Bell/Hill/Stoudemire/O'Neal
    7) Mavericks - Kidd/Stackhouse/Howard/Nowitzki/Dampier
    8) Nuggets - Carter/Iverson/Anthony/Martin/Camby

    So pretty much the Rockets, Lakers, and Nuggets are the only WC playoff teams that aren't built around the PG/PF model. Every other successful WC team is built that way, with a non-franchise 2/3 combination (Ginobili is arguable, as is Howard). Is it a model that leads to more success or is it a case of WC teams trying to emulate a proven formula? When did the WC become a PG/PF league? When did the EC become a swingman's league? Am I even right in making those assertions? Does the lack of quality PG play in the EC explain the huge gap in quality teams between the East and West?

    All of which leads me to the following questions: aren't the rockets built more like an EC team than a WC team? if so, could we suggest that its a possibility that teams structured like the rockets have proven to have a considerable disadvantage when playing PG/PF model teams by using the discrepancy between EC & WC as evidence?
     
    #1 HowsMyDriving, Jun 19, 2008
  2. rodrick_98

    rodrick_98 Member

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    we're built like a team of the 90s.

    built around the best center in the league, and several underperforming players.
     
    #2 rodrick_98, Jun 19, 2008
  3. JujuxG

    JujuxG Member

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    u are missing one more thing ROLE PLAYERS
     
    #3 JujuxG, Jun 19, 2008
  4. aussie rocket

    aussie rocket Member

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    the Rockets are built like Morey's brick sh!thouse.

    Go Daryl Morey.

    but seriously here's hoping with a few minor tweaks and a healthy Yao, maybe a nice draft pick, that we can make the WCF (beyond??) as soon as next season.
     
    #4 aussie rocket, Jun 19, 2008
  5. plutoblue11

    plutoblue11 Member

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    We're built, like 90s team, like someone said, which is around the big man. At the same time, we are starting to play offense, like an early 2000s team where the ball moves from side to side.
     
    #5 plutoblue11, Jun 19, 2008
  6. DaDakota

    DaDakota Balance wins
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    We are simply built around our strengths.....not a particular era, but our strengths...which are Yao and Tmac....

    DD
     
    #6 DaDakota, Jun 19, 2008
  7. poprocks

    poprocks Member

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    Nah, just built like a JVG team.
     
    #7 poprocks, Jun 19, 2008
  8. DrNuegebauer

    DrNuegebauer Member

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    NBA Champions:

    2008: Boston (GF/PF)
    2007: Spurs (PG/ FC)
    2006: Heat (SG/C)
    2005: Spurs (PG/ FC)
    2004: Pistons (PG/ FC)
    2003: Spurs (SG/FC)
    2002: Lakers (SG/C)
    2001: Lakers (SG/C)
    2000: Lakers (SG/C)
    1999: Spurs (FC/ C)
    1998: Bulls (SG/ SF)
    1997: Bulls (SG/ SF)
    1996: Bulls (SG/SF)
    1995: Rockets (SG/C)
    1994: Rockets (C)
    1993: Bulls (SG/SF)
    1992: Bulls (SG/SF)
    1991: Bulls (SG/SF)

    That's just a list of the teams that actually won the championships since the 'Jordan era'.

    Two things really jump off the page!

    1) It take a dominant big man to win a championship. I've listed 18 championships, and the only team aside from the Jordan Bulls to win a championship without a really dominant inside presence was the extremely balanced Pistons squad. And their 2 bigs (Wallace + Wallace) were defensively dominant. 3 big men account for 10 of the 18 championships (Duncan/ Shaq/ Hakeem)

    2) 13 of the 18 championships were won by a team with a 'top tier' swingman. Generally speaking, a big 2/3 is a really hard prospect to guard, and it seems that, in tandem with a good big guy, they bring home the bacon.

    So what do the Rockets need to do to win a championship?

    Get Ming + McGrady fit, healthy and on the court in the playoffs.

    Sure, let's make sure we tweak the supporting cast somewhat in the next few months, but by all accounts the SG/C combination is no failure when it comes to delivering championships!
     
    #8 DrNuegebauer, Jun 20, 2008
  9. Alvin Choo

    Alvin Choo Member

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    its not really a PG/PF combination, is more of a inside/outside combination. With the dearth of good centers, and the faster speed of games now, PFs are taking over as the main scorer on the inside. While great PGs do not grow in trees.

    Anyway the combo duo of Tmac/Yao is as good if not better than any 2 player combination.
     
    #9 Alvin Choo, Jun 20, 2008
  10. JuanValdez

    JuanValdez Member

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    I'd agree the EC is slightly biased from PG to SF. And, Houston is also built that way. But, I don't think you can go on to say that the EC is worse because they favor SFs over PGs or that it has any implications for the Rockets. You could do something like Nuegebauer has done and look at the records/playoff performance of teams going back several years and see what sort of correlation (you could do a regression even and see what your r-squared is) there is between structure and success. You could look at structures of 2 teams in head-to-head matchups.

    But, I don't know if it has an implication for the Rockets. I think being different from the rest of the conference could be beneficial. My instinct would be we want our best defensive players (not overall players) in positions where most of our rivals are strongest -- PG and PF. But even there, that's too simplistic with help defense, zones, etc.
     
    #10 JuanValdez, Jun 20, 2008
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