well kobe is reputed to be someone who hates losing and all that u mentioned but lakers few years ago, were they any good? its not about 1 person having the fire, its about the team having it. i know wat ur getting at bout having someone to ignite the team but have we even have the full team on the floor since the season started? its one injury after another. at the moment, im glad its happening in Nov/Dec and not April/May. the laws of luck will play its role throughout the season. will lakers be as good if Gasol is injured? maybe, cos they're playing well as a team now, we, have to get our players back from injury and start playing team ball. we have the pieces, just need to kick up some chemistry and gain some confidence. wait till all is healthy, then u will see the how good this team is gonna be
Nice post! We need consistency on defense. How did we win 22 in a row last season? The team gelled and played outstanding defense, while making the most of what offensive talent they had on the court. It takes time to mold the new players into a team, as well as getting the players recovering from injuries healthy, on the same page as everyone else, and in a grove with Adelman's system. Patience, unfortunately, is always in short supply here. Yao? He has his flaws. No doubt about it. But call any GM in the league and offer Yao, flaws and all, in a deal remotely fair to both teams and they would be falling over each other trying to get him, because Yao is a unique, franchise talent (when healthy), who is a nightmare for opposing coaches. So sure, I agree that this is an overreaction (although I understand the frustration), one that will be forgotten when we reel off a string of wins, when the guys are close to being healthy and all on the same page. Adelman is a hell of a coach, and he will get this team playing to its potential. I just wish we could fill a couple of holes we still have on the Rocks. That'd help a hell of a lot.
I see what your saying about remaining positive. However, each game from now on, especially those in our division are extremely important. The Grizzlies only have one conference win and of course it had to be against the Rockets. Our division is very tight, even though it is only one game, it can make all the difference. We can go from being a number 3 seed to a number 6 or 7. Also, you have to keep in mind that sometimes negative criticism, which I think is well-warranted after a loss against the Grizzlies, can create a positive ripple effect. As DD stated, we most definitely need that player like Mutumbo or a Coach like Van Gundy to get on the players when there is a lack of effort.
unless bobby jackson was THE KILLER during the streak last year, i would wait til the roster isnt missing enourmous peices (mcgrady, artest) to make this assumption.
Yes, wait, meanwhile the team drops further back in the pack instead of distancing itself during the easy part of the schedule. DD
DD, you are so ridiculously negative. You belong in sports talk radio somewhere. They value that quite a bit. I lost alot of respect for you when i was listening to sr610 on my way to work and you called in and had the opportunity to speak with Daryl Morey. You dropped the obligatory, "i think youre doing a great job," then you went on to talk about how terrible rafer alston is. What a wasted opportunity to speak with a brilliant mind.
I've railed about this for several years. Anyone who doesn't see this problem is, I think, in denial. Unless your "Big 3" each have the fire that people are talking about here, there will be a tendency to defer too much to "one of the other two" during a game. Only one of our Big 3 has a real overt fire and that is Artest. There are two things that could help this: 1) A "Big 3" only meeting where they challenge each other to "get in my face if you think I need it"... or whatever equivalent matches their relationships. Ever notice how an opposing player talking or being overly physical can "inspire" a player to be more focused. The same mechanics work even if it's your own teammate calling you out. 2) The Rockets have health problems and that may never change. I was surprised to see that an MRI shows "slightly torn ligaments" in Artest's ankle. Will that "heal" during a full season of play and hopefully playoffs? So all of the other players need to develop an identity as a team without ANY of the stars on the court. Too often, they are probably thinking, "We're just holding things down until the "big guns" come back. Which means there is a need for "sub" leaders who will be like the Big 3 when the Big 3 aren't available. There are plenty of good candidates but they need to get together to address it. They need to believe that they can beat good teams without the Big 3. (If they lose so be it, but it's the belief and attitude that's needed. Was Bobby Sura a superstar??) Their play plan would definitely be different but a well executing team can be tough (see Utah Jazz). The biggest drawback for this is the Rockets lack consistently good shooters. They should all have as their goal to be 40+% mid-range jump shooters.
ya can't blame DD. clutch and a lot of other fans would do the same. i think DD respects alston, but he just thinks rafer has too big of a role on this team.
Jump shots will kill the rockets. Thats the killer. We HAVE to get easy shots if we can't we are just as vulnerable as most of the teams we play. The killer on this team should be drives to the basket and inside play. I still argue that 3 pointers are not a high percentage shot when you can shoot a couple of feet from the basket. RON TAKE TO THE HOLE and FINISH. That goes to evryone else on the team as well. As soon as you settle for jump shots you have played right into the other teams hands.
DD while i agree with you for the most part, and you know why, i would say that our most consistent and "not want to lose guys" are our PF Tandem. But you know, in superstar terms i thinkk there are very few players that fit that mold of try untill the end, and those are not rockets. Actually i think San Antonio and Boston are the only teams with two of those, along with Cleveland, Denver, Detroit and Los Angeles. I am referring to Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce (recently contagied by garnett), LeBron James, Chauncey Billups, Rasheed Wallace and Kobe Bryant. That´s why Denver is suddenly a great team, they traded away a great player, for a good one who can stand on Melo face and say "play hard or the ball is all mine" but with sense. (evendoe i have a lot of respect for AI because of what he has accomplished in the sixers) That said, i think this team has to work on a few other this that comes first, regular rotations, regular shot taker, stablished plays for clutch situations, and many many organizational things that seem random at this point of the season.
