DD, You're right chemistry is a big problem with this team and Morey should take the blame for this mess... Morey rolled the dice by trying to build this team around Yao and he came up snake eyes and now the team is trying to find themselves and their roles. Last year the Rockets won and lost as a TEAM and everyone knew their role.. Now you have people not trusting one another, not trusting management, frustrated and it's showing on the court and with their play. So now management, coaching and the team are trying to find themselves and the answer... It all starts wit Morey, he has to figure out if he's building assets or chemistry.. So far the asset route is not working too well. Good Thread DD...
Do you even know what chemistry is? Guys don't suddenly stop knowing how to play with each other simply because they have an issue with each other. Look at Kobe and Shaq, prime examples of players who hated each other but knew how to play with each other. The Miami Heat didn't know how to play with each other, they weren't gelling. They never played with each other before. They have TWO new players on that starting lineup, that will take time for any team to gel. Just because our players are getting "antsy" doesn't all of a sudden mean our players don't know how to play with each other. It isn't the answer to how much we suck. Our players knowing how to play with each other is CRUCIAL. Our players not liking each other is whole different story. A lot of players in the past have issues with their coach but still remain a contending team. Knowing how to play with each other and liking each other are different things. Damage control. Maybe you should stop calling this team a 56 win team or a team that is just too talented. Look at reality, this team is just not that good. It never was. "Standing pat" was never a good idea in the first place.
Its a huge leap on your part. You have clearly said multiple times in this thread that the effort is not there. Now you claim that the reason for this is chemistry, IE players dont trust each other, or everyone is afraid to be traded, or losing mentality or what have you. That is wild speculation. The problem is simple: lack of effort
No we just settled for being mediocre. When I saw the people we brought in, it meant we are settling for mediocre players. -D-League players -Former 1st rounders that can't get playing time with other teams -Trying to lowball contracts @ the last minute -Over valuing our own players. This team sank with Yao's bum foot. What I hate the most is how we treat our players (even if they deserve it). -Low balling contracts -Starters losing positions because of injuries -Our Rocket's medical staff just suck. -The constant atmosphere of, am i going to be traded or not feeling.
You are right, a lack of chemistry is not the sole answer of why we suck but it a part of why we are not playing well. Not having a 7ft center and shot blocker hurts. This team has a lot more talent then it did a season ago and that team was able to win 42 games. This team doesn't have the "chemistry" to maximize each players potential. Its a mix of coaching, front office, and the players themselves. I miss the days when we would be in every game, now we get blown out once a week. Its frustrating. But its the GM's fault for putting a whole bunch of floppers on one team instead of just playing hard nosed basketball.
What do floppers have to do with anything? TONS of championship teams have notorious floppers. Why do people keep bringing up last year as an example? We had Carl Landry for most of the season, we had Ariza for the whole season, Chase Budinger still had a penis last season. Are we really more talented than last season? Or are we just falling back to Earth? The GM brought these assets together so that he could flip them in to superstars. He is trying his best, he can't mind control players so that Houston is a more popular destination. With all that being said, Chemistry is not the problem, and the whole idea that we're sucking because of Chemistry is an even bigger excuse to our lack of talent. The simple truth. We just aren't that good. We never were.
No, the problem is chemistry, skillsets don't fit, the chemistry is not there, and it shows and permeates in a lack of effort on the court. One thing leads to another. You do realize I said "If Yao was healthy" they would win that many games...well........ Agreed that standing pat was never a good idea...Morey should have gotten a center to play in place of Yao, they rolled the dice, and it came up craps. And we the fans have to pay for it with a crap product. DD
Ok, you are certainly entitled to your opinion. Personally, having been around sports all my life, I think chemistry is vital. DD
It seems we have great chemistry when we have the ball, until the last five minutes of the game. We seem to have terrible chemistry when the other team has the ball all the time. I don't think our bench players are unhappy. At least not enough to cause problems on the court or in the locker room. I don't think one 7 foot center is going to solve our problems on defense. It would help, but our problems on defense run much deeper than that. We would have to pick up a center the caliber of Hakeem or Wilt in order to become a much better defensive team. I don't think we have a very good chance of acquiring someone with that ability. I do feel our players are capable of playing much better defense, but not under Adelman.
You were pretty optimistic even with the whole 24 minute cap. And even if Yao was healthy, it's a pipe dream to think he could give us 14 more wins. If only you were on the same train during the off season, then we could've saved a lot of bandwidth
I was on the train of "Hope" as in, I hope Yao bucks the odds and gets healthy. Didn't happen, and now, this team is in the tank, their chemistry is all screwed up, the starters suck on defense, the bench is out of wack on both sides of the ball, and the team is not playing hard at all. The pieces on the floor do not fit...their chemistry is off.... So sad for us fans. Of course it is, when everything comes together and the pieces fit on the floor it is magic....but sometimes subtle little changes can screw it up, chemistry is a very fickle thing. Winning can mask bad chemistry though.....at least for a while. DD
www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports...kbkn+(HoustonChronicle.com+--+NBA+Basketball) check out that article if you havn't read it already! chemistry plays a huge part in this years lack of success, determination plays a huge part and we have no sense of urgency what so ever. It's almost as if each every player on the roster knows that at some point they might be traded away or lose their starting spot due to the under performance of the team this season. Our general manger Daryl Morey has been stock pilling asset after asset for the past 24 months and finally has a roster full of potential trade bait that could most thoroughly lure all the other 29 teams to a negotiation before this years deadline. It's a given that he will wait until the last hours of the deadline to deal, but we are in a slump right now, we can not finish games and the level of basketball is very low and extremely un attractive to watch especially as a frustrated fan. Why not aggressively push and pursue now? Morey is known for making last day trades that no-one sees coming which can always be good, like the Kevin Martin trade last year. But we need more than a 2nd or 3rd option at this deadline. Oh boy i hope Darly follows through with his promise this year, we have 31 days to wait and see!
Lack of effort partly due to self doubt to be able to get the job done. We are facing mismatches at every position. Chuck is the only one who is doing well despite everything.
Like I stated in my post above... Morey has created this crap and now he needs to figure out the path that the Rockets will travel....
Morey has been pretty quick at cleaning up his mistakes, let's hope he gets moving on this convaluted roster. DD
Are u effin kidding me? How was last team overrated if they didnt make the playoffs. And artest isnt putting up great stats because he plays with a guy named kobe bryant and stars like gasol and odom. And landry and wafer were big pieces to a playoff team that reached the second round. Mutumbo was still blocking shots before his injury and he was a better backup center than anyone we have. Yao was playing his best ball before going down vs the lakers.. All these players played together and had more success thn this team we currently have ever will
