Yes we need defenders around Scola / Martin Dampier Scola Battier Martin Lowry Second Unit Yao / Miller Hayes Bud Lee Brooks
First of all, this argument is nothing new. Most teams attempt to build in this method, most analyst think like this, and many poster on this board have stated this fact and pointed this out numerous times. It is a very valid point. However, it also been discussed that getting a Superstar player to build your team in this manner is mostly determined by luck. Luck that you can draft the Superstar player (which in most cases meaning winning the lottery or getting a high pick), luck that you can trade for a superstar player in their prime, luck that player is a true leader in the playoffs, luck that they will be healthy, etc. You can do everything right and it could you could never get that player, or they may not live up to what you want from them. Daryl Morey inherited a team with 2 potential superstars. He didn't have to bring in T-mac or Yao because they were already here. They had a lot of questions, but there were there. After having those cornerstones, building the team around team is all about maximizing assets, finding diamonds in the rough, and using high level stats to find good players who others don't want and who can fit in the salary cap. Morey did his job. He filled in all those holes and got team to put around those superstars. However, those superstars had injuries derail their futures. One (Yao) still has a chance, no matter how remote, and we acquired or developed other players who potentially could be the rare players who develop into superstars (Scola, Martin, Brooks), again though remote. Trying to get that superstar now, by trade or draft. Is extremely difficult given how much luck is involved. Also due to Morey's success with so many trades and GM dealings, one has to assume most teams are wary of dealing with him. In no way can you hold this team not winning a championship against him. For everything that he can be accountable for, he has done better than average. For what we now need, would take many things breaking just right for the Rockets.
And what's the alternative? So far, you've laid out what you think we've done wrong. We've accumulated to many good players. And we've also been too earnest in going after superstars. So ... instead ... we should do what? What is your suggestion for what we should do differently to acquire a superstar? How do we obtain a superstar without a stockpile of assets? How do we convince them to come to Houston, without actually making a pitch to them (because that just makes us look silly I guess)? How do we get a superstar in the draft without (a) trading our assets for one, or (b) having a very high lottery pick? Do we just gut the team, like Miami, and hope we can sign someone to a max deal in the offseason? Is that a sensible approach, in your mind?
There is no need to trade brooks, nuggets dont even want brooks. They already have billups and lawson. rockets need to trade budinger, battier, maybe taylor, draft picks and cash.
The Rockets 2 years ago were built to play defense. Teams knew that when they played the Rockets, it was going to be a struggle because we tried to lock people down. That is obviously no longer the case. Although he was crazy, Artest help perpetuate the defensive identity that we had under Van Gundy. Yao was also a much better player then and more of a force. We had Dikembe who was a defensive stalwart. If you compare starting lineups, back then we had Brooks Battier Artest Scola Yao Now we have Brooks Battier Martin Scola Yao Brooks is better, Battier is worse, Scola is better, Yao is much worse. The starting 5 was built with defense in mind more. The 2nd starting, which we have today, is suffering from a lack of identity. If we are going to be a team that tries to outscore people, Battier simply cannot start and Hayes cannot play. The problem is, almost everyone else in the starting lineup is not built to defend anymore. You cannot depend on Yao like you could back then, and with having such poor perimeter defenders, we cannot lock people down like we could in the past. The Rockets need to decide what kind of team they want, because right now what they are trying isn't working.
But Brooks will want to be in on the action. Didn't you see him last night wave off Yao and ignore Scola who had the hot hand to jack up a contested 3?
Moorey is good in most of time. Problem is Adalm always like using AB,Miller,Hayes instead of Lowry,Hill.
