We all know that as much as we can say super star talent wins games.We have seen in the past that sometimes the underdog or the team that gets hot or peaks at the right time of the season can win it all.With this being said let me put forth this hypothetical but possible scenario. Houston peaks at the right time this year and wins a championship with the roster they have atm.By the end of the year they have shown the world that it can be done without a superstar.Now fast forward and Yao comes back next year.Lets say Yao fits in with limited minutes as the big man the rockets need for defense and a go to guy in those situations that we have been missing at times this year.Maybe 20 or 25 minutes a game is all he gets but with that he can be extremely effective and hopefully keep him healthy for a long time to come. Over the course of the next five years we roll out a dynasty so to speak of a team that wins it all without a Kobe or a Lebron or a DWade.Maybe not after the first year but maybe after a few years this might change the thinking of some organizations in how to build their teams.I understand that its fun to watch Lebron or Kobe go off and to root for the superstar to win the game.I don't want to take anything away from the superstar. I am just so proud of this rockets team that i was imagining the possibilities if they did win it all.What do you think would be possible if the rockets new trend towards team ball took off in the NBA?
I congratulate you on your wise decision... to keep drinking New Year's Eve champagne all night and all morning.
it is possible if we play great defense and have everybody executing in a high level. with that said, i do not see this roster win a champ we need strength in the low post and a strong wing to score like the pistons in 2004
I can't imagine a scenario where win a championship anymore without a top level shooting guard or small forward. I think a serviceable big can win, but you have to have that top quality sg or sf.
If you're playing hypotheticals, and the assumption is that the Rockets win it all, then surely a key component in that win MUST be that Brooks averages 24ppg the rest of the way and Ariza shoots 45%. Having input that variable, if Ariza shoots 45% then he's almost a 'top level' GF. And Brooks at 24ppg would be a 'top level' PG. Landry + Scola would probably both increase their current production too. A further variable to input would be the 'go to guy' down the stretch - clearly someone would have to take that role for us to win. So therefore we wouldn't be "lacking one" So many variables in the assumption of 'if we win it all' - far too many to then speculate as to how Yao would 'fit back in'...
wow i stopped at us winning a ring this year. If we were up there in the standings i'd entertain the idea, but although our record is really good considering our lack of super star power, it's not that good when compared to other teams. We're overachieveing and others teams around our record are underachieving, and they're likely to step up as the season goes on. I dont think we have that ability to play beyond our current play on a consistent basis.
<marquee>We all know that as much as we can say super star talent wins games.We have seen in the past that sometimes the underdog or the team that gets hot or peaks at the right time of the season can win it all.With this being said let me put forth this hypothetical but possible scenario. Houston peaks at the right time this year and wins a championship with the roster they have atm.By the end of the year they have shown the world that it can be done without a superstar.Now fast forward and Yao comes back next year.Lets say Yao fits in with limited minutes as the big man the rockets need for defense and a go to guy in those situations that we have been missing at times this year.Maybe 20 or 25 minutes a game is all he gets but with that he can be extremely effective and hopefully keep him healthy for a long time to come. Over the course of the next five years we roll out a dynasty so to speak of a team that wins it all without a Kobe or a Lebron or a DWade.Maybe not after the first year but maybe after a few years this might change the thinking of some organizations in how to build their teams.I understand that its fun to watch Lebron or Kobe go off and to root for the superstar to win the game.I don't want to take anything away from the superstar. I am just so proud of this rockets team that i was imagining the possibilities if they did win it all.What do you think would be possible if the rockets new trend towards team ball took off in the NBA?</marquee>
Ahhhh.... ....hope does indeed spring eternal. Even here. Before I'd start with any evaluation of this hypothetical, pocketrocket81, I'd like to first see what the roster looks like after the trade deadline. It's a joyous day in Mudville (or at least, it will be) once Tracy McGrady is exiled to the deepest, darkest corner of Africa. Depending on Daryl Morey's motivations and goals, if he wants anything of value for McGrady beyond a player rental, he would have to surrender at least one of those players your hypothetical depends on. Dicey gamble to make, in my opinion. Again, your hypothetical has legs because of the guys playing right now. If, as I believe, the players earn the right (at some point) to determine their fates, then the team's performance up to this point in the season validates confidence and an investment in them, beyond asset management. You don't get as much for whatever McGrady is worth by not trading his contract. But at what point is what McGrady's contract NOT worth giving up what you already have? In this hypothetical instance, a potential championship team? The league has actually been making some strides toward what you're suggesting, pocketrocket81. More than a few teams have much more fluid offenses now than 10 seasons ago. The marketing part of the NBA is star-driven, but so is the winning. Most fans just tend to think that you only win with a certain type of "star" or "stars" (see Detroit Pistons of 2004). The league doesn't have to do a lot to change what works, pocketrocket81. The players in the league change that. It's never been good basketball to give the ball to one guy and expect him to win for your team. It does sell tickets and secure large television contracts and move merchandise. Trust me, if the Rockets make any decent showing if they make the postseason (still a bit premature at this moment), they'll have proven that they have all the "stars" they need. The Rocket do need that type of player, a game-changer or difference-maker. They have one when Yao Ming returns. They may also have two more developing in Aaron Brooks and Carl Landry. That would be plenty of "stars", just for starters, pocketrocket81. I'd hate to lose either of those two just to bury McGrady in Purgatory for being a rotten human being, and an even worse teammate. I'll get back to you, if you like, if we can get through the next couple of months without losing any of these guys who deserve to be seen as "stars".... There won't be any change in the status quo. There'll just be a continuation of it. And that is why I watch. To see players and teams rise to the challenge. Play the hand they're dealt, and make their own way.
