Rockets not as good as Lakers at this point of the season

Getting a solid tall backup for yao would fix a lot of our problems

 

this is where, signing Deke is so vital, we need his defense to contain Gasol/Bynum, defense wins Championships.

 

Good post and agree with you.

First of all, we need a backup PF-C, preferably who can defend Pau and cut his insultant confidence against us.

Then, we need Tracy, the Tracys level of past playoffs could be enough, thats a pretty high level. But if Kobe dominates Tracy, we have nothing to do, he must be in a good physical/mental condition. He must be a superstar, not a good player who helps his teams but the leader.

If all that happens we can go to the finals, but are not easy requirements.

 

Bynum blows. I'm totally embarrassed for arguing he was near Yao's level earlier on in the year.

 

Artest is way better than Odom, I don't know why you think Odom gives an offensive boost to the Lakers off the bench when he clearly is one of their main obstacles. The game today against Boston was decent but it took Gasol to wake up for them to handle out the Celtics.

Artest > Odom
T-Mac (Post season) = Kobe
Yao > Gasol + Bynum

We just need Deke to come in and assist Yao if he gets into foul trouble or other cases.

 

Watching the Boston-LA game, I saw that even though those two teams were grinding it out. The speed of the players individually is really good. Lakers also have the length advantage over our players.

I think Coach Rick should really put conditioning and running as a priority with the remainder of the first half of the season which needs to start with TMac. Its not the explosiveness that he needs to regain its his ability to just keep on running and maintaining a very high pace during a game. Shane, Ron and Yao should be next in the list because they are vital pieces in both defense and offense.

I'm sad to see our bench players have more speed and quickness than our rotation players but do not have the skills to stay on the court. I hope the coaching staff looks into this.

I also think that aside from acquiring Mutombo, we should get an available big via trade or free agency, that will have the length and decent foot speed to run after perimeter players during defensive sequences. Pau Gasol's block on Allen in the game really shows the versatility of the Lakers lineup.

I still believe in this team, TMac, Yao and Ron. But everybody needs to step it up with the remainder of the season, starting with the coaching staff, players, Daryl Morey, and Owner Les Alexander.

 

IF we sign Mutombo that would take us over the top. I think Barry would show up big for us in the playoffs and do everything we expected Luther Head to do. Brooks is vital. Rockets vs Lakers would be a great series come playoff time.

 

Over the top? No, I don't think so. However, re-signing Dikembe will help our interior defense and rebounding TREMENDOUSLY, especially against the elite teams which have a bevy of length and bigs (ie the Lakers, the Celtics, and the Cavs).

In regards to Barry, he has recently shown that he has regained his shooting touch, making him very important in the long run. But one thing that Head can do better than Barry is he is quicker, more athletic, and a better defender. Barry is just so damn old and slow that teams look to exploit him defensively when he is on the floor. Can you imagine Barry trying to keep up with Ariza, Tony Allen, or Delonte West/Boobie Gibson? It would be straight up murder.

And we cannot expect the Lakers, Celtics, and Cavs to stay the same come playoff time. As we gel, the other teams will gel. Watching today's Boston-LA game, LA still has not figured out a way to effectively utilize Bynum on the offensive end. He was literally wide open every time he rolled, it was a shame Kobe never looked his way. The Lakers are the DEEPEST and most TALENTED team in the NBA. They have the most upside of all the elite teams.

 

McCain has a better chance of becoming president then that happening...

 

I think that even if the Rockets do sign Deke, their front line is still overmatched by the Lakers' front line IMO.

 

At this point, the Lakers are healthier and have played together longer. But there is still a lot of games left in the season.

If/when the Rockets are healthy and have had time to develop the needed chemistry, they have enough to beat the Lakers, IMO.

The question is will we get to that point in time.

 

McGrady will NEVER score like his Orlando days again. His Orlando days performance were amazing for a young player, and is hard to replicate even for a player like Lebron.

That being said, he is indeed a better passer, and should remain this way and not jack up tons of shots.

 

We can beat them, but it won't be easy. Our 2nd unit completely blows LA out of the water. As long as Battier and Artest can force Kobe to put up bad shots, Houston can win in 6.

 

Deke CAN'T defend Pau Gasol...that's a joke. At best he can defend Bynum for a few minutes. We need a younger more athletic solution as Yao's backup.

 

Agreed. Mutumbo is only of value again traditional plodding centers like Shaq, Eddy Curry and...Yao.

 

Bynum is overrated. IMO, of the two players missing from last year, Ariza has more of an impact than Bynum does. If Gasol is on his game then Bynum is mostly an insurance policy.

 

You mentioned defense and a strong point. I hope that defense shows up cause it hasnt lately.

 

who would or should guard Kobe?

T
Shane
Artest

???