Barring the acquisition of somebody like Tim Duncan or Shaq. O'Neal, drafting somebody like Kenyon Martin is necessary to win another championship. The current cast will be enough to make the playoffs in time, but a superstar big man is needed for the rox to win a third ring. When was the last time a pure point guard was much better than everybody else on his team and that team went on to win the championship. Magic wasn't a true point guard but he had another superstar in Abdul-Jabar and a star in James Worthy. Isiah Thomas had Joe Dumars who won the finals mvp one year and dennis rodman, who could grab a few rebounds and play a little defense. If it takes trading W.Williams, B.Drew, Cato, and even a few #1 picks, it will be worth it! ------------------
okay! ------------------ And with the number one pick in the draft, the Rockets select ... Khalid Al Amin?
There is NEVER one single way to win a championship. I recall someone saying whoever got Christian Laettner in the draft was destined for a championship because he was a "winner". ------------------ "No one gets out ALIVE!" SaveOurRockets.com
I recall someone saying whoever got Shaq would win the title every year. ....and the man is 1-24 in elimination series 0-3 Indiana 0-4 Rockets 0-4 Chicago 1-4 Utah 0-4 Utah 0-4 SA
I didn't mean to be pessimistic, but I am a realist. Shaq might have won a championship by now if he had stayed in Orlando and if Penny not been injured. The Lakers could very well become a championship dynasty for years to come. There isn't another team with a 1-2-3 punch like the lakers. And Christian Laettner was overrated. Grant Hill is another matter altogether. All he needs is a better supporting cast. ------------------
no no no no no no You can't excuse away 1-24! And rewrite history. Even Shaq can't change the course of this Inertia. Let me be the first to say: SA will beat LA. The NBA's best zone defense will clog the overrated triple post like every college team does, and render it useless. And Rice will not get away from Elliot on a consistent basis.
The only way to the championship is band-wagon fans. Whenever a team has a lot of them, they go real far. But whenever a team has very little B.F.s, the team tends to not make it as far. So there it is, in a nutshell. Rockets need to attract more bandwagon fans. Its not about the players, but the will of the people. Help, Im trapped in a nutshell.
And with the number one pick in the draft, the Rockets select ... Khalid Al Amin? God I hope not!! There are enough pot heads in the NBA and on this BBS. We don't need one on the Rockets. ------------------ The lottery sucks!
Kenyon looks out of range now because we are winning the damn games now. I just hope we become like the hornets and get lucky. Imagine a team like this. CATO MARTIN LEWIS? ANDERSON FRANCIS Off the bench HAKEEM THOMAS WILLIAMS MOBLEY NORRIS ------------------ President of the Moochie Norris FAN CLUB
I agree that KMart and other KMart quality big men would push the rockets well towards another championship, there are other ways like Jeff said. I can see a Francis, Anderson, Odom, KT, Cato lineup being a fierce frontfive. Francis, Anderson, and odom pull down 17.7 rebounds a game by themselves. Odom and KT will be able to compensate for Francis's low assist numbers if he doesn't improve (not very likely). Odom is a strecth, but same league as getting Kmart. ------------------ Moochie hear no evil Moochie speak no evil Moochie see no evil
Believe it or not, I'm not sure if I *want* a star big man on this team, short of Tim Duncan. Why? I'm afraid that Rudy would salivate at the chance to return to the "dump it down" offense. Now, this is fine if we have Tim Duncan, or someone else of his talent. But could you imagine getting a Rasheed Wallace or Elton Brand type player and attempting to win that way? Bah! Francis would be a waste. So, I'd rather have someone like Dennis Rodman (without the attitude) who rebounds without needing the ball, or, a complete Franchise player. Anything in between, I'm afraid, would lead to offensive stagnation. I'm not so certain a quality big man is necessary to win. If KT can become a board worker, Cato develops limited scoring and times his shot-blocking better, I think we could win with the addition of an excellent small forward. If we got Odom, I'd be thrilled. I haven't seen him play enough, but would Demarr Johnson fit this role? ------------------ [This message has been edited by haven (edited April 14, 2000).]
The Bulls had Grant & Cartwright then Rodman & Longley. Of these Grant had the most offensive prowess and was a fine all around player, but no offense has ever been run through him. So I don't think we need a great offensive minded low post player. Then again, I wouldn't worry about Duncan, Webber or KG fitting in either. These guys have the floor sense and unselfishness to do just fine with our players. I would love to see the rock passed between Webber, Francis, Mobley and Anderson (or to Cato for a dunk), that would be some pretty basketball to watch. But we don't need one of the superstar low-post players, though Webber I think we have a decent chance to get if we put our mind to it. But I agree with the premise to be chapionship level we will need a stronger defensive and rebounding presence from the front line people. If Cato was just a notch more polished and intense--along the likes of Ratliff or Camby, I would say he is one answer. As he is, I think is only part of the answer. Maybe a guy like Kandi or KMart could develop into this player as well, also there are a number of decent 6' 9" or plus guys in college ranks and this years draft that might fit the bill too. [This message has been edited by sir scarvajal (edited April 14, 2000).]
When I said big man, I was thinking frontcourt positions, including SF. I know SF is not traditionally considered to be a big man. We have to understand each others terminology. I meant "middle man" also, 6'7'' roughly, would be needed to win a championship. I'm not saying we couldn't be a good team without another superstar, but it is unlikely to happen without much improved frontcourt play, or in our case- the 4 and 5 spots. ------------------
GET DANNY FORTSON!!! he's cheap, because we know that pitino wanted to dump him anyway. he's exactly what we need, a guy who can come in with intensity and rebound the ball and defend. this would surely put us into the playoffs, and a good SF in the draft might push the rocks into the upper echelon. this is extremely optimistic, and i know that chemistry has to work and all, but i think a guy like fortson would really improve the team. ------------------
