Neglicting Height and Size Hurt the Rockets Many times during games 5 and 7 Gasol, Bynum, and even Odom were playing volleyball out there. Rockets play hard defense but get killed on second chances because they don't have enough height and size to compete on the boards. Look at all the block shots too. Houston isn't tall or long enough to do the same to the Lakers. This type of stuff has been a problem for a while now. It's absolutely inexcusable that for most of this season Yao was the only player above 6'10" on this team and no Scola isn't above 6'10". You can't blame anyone but the GM and front office. After health and deciding what to do with McGrady, getting a young, legit back-up C with size and athleticism is paramount for the Rockets.
Biggest thing IMO is a back up C... Also.. I'd love to have Von back, but I can't see the Rockets paying him more than about 3 million.
The Rockets need to focus on building a team without any assumptions on how many games Yao and McGrady will play. Just take them out of the equation. That means their needs to be a focus on getting significantly better offensively amongst the role players. And, after that, adding another 7-footer to matchup better with the Lakers and Blazers, should we meet them again the playoffs.
We just need size. T hat's all we're lacking. If we had size for this game 7, the outcome may have been different. I'm interested in seeing if T-Mac comes back motivated (I laugh at the people who say trade him... for what? No one is going to take T-Mac coming off an injury and he may not even be back before the trade deadline anyway). AB should continue to improve (he needs to be our 2nd or 3rd scorer) and our bench is still rock solid. If we can stay healthy for the playoffs, we'll reach the finals next year (even with the same squad we have now +backup center).
I suggest not re-signing Von Wafer if he wants more than 3 mil. If he finds a place where he gets paid a lot, I would suggest Wafer go for it. It's all Wafer's decision, I wouldn't try to match any team's offer. Wafer's choice is money or win. I do not suggest re-signing Ron Artest, because I know this guy wants about 10 million and I do not want the Rockets wasting that much money for a guy like Ron. Get a backup center and trade Tracy and we're set.
Why was my thread on neglecting height and size merged with this one? It was a discussion of two separate issues: One was how a lack of height and size has affected the Rockets and the other was about acquiring a back-up C. Only the last issue was related to this thread.
You talk about "most of the season", but the Rockets were still in position to get the second seed on the final day despite missing McGrady for half the year. They were one of the best defensive teams and rebounding teams in the league -- just a fact. The Rockets entered the playoffs with Yao Ming and Dikembe Mutombo on their active roster -- two of the best interior defenders in the league. Remove two 7-footers from any team, and they'd have struggled against the Lakers size.
I don't mind giving the Yao, Ron, Tracy experiment one more year since Yao and T-Mac will be free agents in 2010, I just don't want Ron to be here for the long term because he is still too volatile. We really just need a backup center. I'm happy with our point guards. They're both very young and only going to get better with more experience. I wish we could keep Von, but I don't see it happening especially after his run-in with Adelman. Scola and Landry were great but I think we need a little more athleticism in the front court, especially at the back up center position.
With the team we had been displaying throughout the playoffs (including Yao) we have shown we can still be a force. I would like to see them bring back Ron, I'm up in the air about Wafer though. I would love to have him back but its gonna come down to how much dollars he wants. They signed White for a longer deal for a reason so you cant really tell with Von's situation. But if we keep this team intact, I think we will be more than competitive enough to stay in the race until T-Mac comes back, if he ever does. Even if he doesn't look how far we have come without him. A back up center IS A MUST. In my opinion it doesnt matter if its a proven vet or a young buck, only if he's already established some time and production in the league (no project rookie). I would even love to see if we can add TWO role players that have size to them, as this series has shown you can never have enough big guys. Sometimes your best moves are the ones you don't make. I think another season together to grow chemistry and continuity will help this team a ton. I think we should let Barry go though, he has cemented the fact that his career as a productive player is OVER
