Our best player

You said Yao was the more important player to the offense. That isn't necessarily the guy who scores the most points. It isn't even necessarily the guy who's the most efficient. Do you agree with that?

These are the factors I would look at:
1. Who's responsible for the most points (with different levels of responsibility for a given score based on their role in the particular play)?
2. Who's the most efficient offensively?
3. If you replace any of them with merely an average offensive player for that position, how does that impact the overall offensive efficiency of the team?

I think Yao has the edge on (2), and I think Tracy has the edge in (1) and (3).

 

we have 3 players that can put their stamp on a game.

tmac hurt is still the best player and he will prove that down the stretch like he always does.

yao won't have many games like that although, if tmac goes down he will have to be more consistent. he seems clumsier than normal so far this season. this game showed the biggest flaw in his game: court awareness

Ron is showing me some great things. Of course he plays phenomenal defense thats a given. i didn't realize how nice his 3 pt. shot is. his physical nature helps him get to the rim and he is an above average finisher.

on another note. why was scola guarding kg when chuck hayes was in the game. i think that was the main reason they got that early lead. its impossible to guard kg i know this...but scola was leaving him WIDE open..he was nowhere to be found..chuck actually did a pretty good job making kg work for his points. sometimes i disagree with RA's defensive strategies, but then again the season is young..

 

Jock rider

As soon as Tmac pulls another disappearing act in a few games...and Yao has a big night...you'll be stroking him and yelling for a tmac trade

 

I definitely believe T-Mac is the best player on the team when healthy. That being said we aren't winning a ring unless we establish Yao as the focal point and have everyone play off him. Yao is lethal inside, and will prove his dominance once we get everyone healthy and on the same page offensively. When he receives the ball with great position it's almost always a bucket.

I've noticed, far too often, that when things bog down we have a penchant of going one on one and guys are out there trying to do it all by themselves. Great teams continue to move the ball and themselves around. The result being an easy score or at the very least a great look.

At the same time Ron is by far our best two-way player and probably the best two way player in the entire league for that matter. It's going to take some time, but when the dust has settled we are going to witness a leathal product capable locking down great offensive teams and able of scoring big against the best defensive teams.

None of our big three are without their strong points or their flaws, but if Adelman can mold them just right, we will be champions. The talent is here. There really is no need to say so and so can't do this or didn't do that. We are four games into the season people. Do not get caught looking behind when endless possibility awaits just up the road.

 

The problem with your (1) is that it's impossible to quantize. If Yao's consistently drawing a double team without the ball and that opens up his teammates for easy baskets how exactly do you measure that?

(3) is also impossible to quantize, without the use of robots or something. Way too many variables in terms of the replacement player, his individual strengths/weaknesses, his chemistry with the rest of the team, getting a scientific/rigorous definition of "average", etc.

Yao's the centerpiece for the offense because he is largely the inside part of the inside-out offense. That may be changing now because of Artest and McGrady in the low post, but for right now he's still the biggest post presence the Rockets have. He commands a double team more consistently than any other player in the league, opening up teammates for easy baskets. He presents the biggest mismatch problem of any single player in the league, bar none.

 

This shouldn't even be up for question. Since they have been together, the team has won 40% without tracy and 70% without yao. So what was the question again?

 

Mcgrady is hands down the best player on this team, it almost makes me laugh that these biased yao fans acknowledge yao as the better player. Yao is good for a big man, but he will never be great, he will never bring toughness, and the guy chokes under pressure. Tmac might be injury prone just like Yao, but at 100%, and in midseason form this guy is probably the 3rd best swingman in the league, you guys forget that when he is on the floor, not only will he get his 20+ points, but he will get yao touches, get battier/rafer open 3's and when his shot is off, he can still manage to get to the line as many times as he wants, He is truly a superstar and this team will go as far as mcgrady can take them

Yao Ming = Dirk Nowitski (puts up great numbers in reg season, but come playoff time he chokes, turns the ball over, and gets mentally frustrated)

 

I didn't say there's an easy way to rigorously quantify those factors. There's no easy way to quantify any of the stuff you're talking about either. But those 3 things capture what I'm interested in when I'm talking about who's the more important player to the team's offense. My sense, from watching the games, is that McGrady is responsible for more points when he's on the floor than Yao. Yao creates some openings with his presence, but it's still up to his teammates to pass the ball around and take advantage of those openings. McGrady also creates openings, but he does so more directly with his penetration and passing ability.

I gave Yao the edge in (2). That also isn't as easy to quantify as it might seem at first blush. Yao is more turnover-prone with the ball. When we run plays with him as the primary scoring option, our turnovers as a team tends to go up as well. Still, overall, I'd say he's more efficient.

With (3), there are indicators (e..g recently published adjusted +/- figures) to help answer that question. Nothing definitive, though. I'm going partially based on what the evidence has shown, and partially on what I'm seeing on the court. When Tracy is healthy, I think what he brings is much more difficult to replace. Against good defenses and particularly late in games, when Tracy isn't on the floor we can struggle to get a good shot if they prevent an entry to Yao. Conversely, without Yao but with Tracy, it's harder for defenses to take away our number 1 option.

 

Lets assume we give every GM league a choice between:

Yao, Artest, TMac.....

Question answered,

 

T-Mac is the best player on this team. If any team can front Yao like the Celtics did, he would be shut down and mentally frustrated every night. But it really doesnt matter, its a team game and you will always need to win with a team

 

T-Mac is the only guy that has proven the ability to elevate his game consistently, when he's healthy, he can do that.

Yao, man, a couple years ago, the first half of the season before the injuries, he showed that, he was absolutely dominating. He hasn't really shown that level since, he still plays well and excellently, but I want to see that form again.

T-Mac is the best player on the team.

 

Landry.

 

if it's 2 years ago, i'd say mcgrady is our best player. that changed when he fell down in the midst of that game in d.c. since then yao has been our best player, no question about it.

 

It's tmac. most objective people would say that as well. he does more then anyoneelse on the floor.