It is not just one game. It is the same problem for the whole season, i.e. our team simply does not run a team offense. All the players have to create their own shots every single possession. They are not moving without the ball. They are not scoring off of assists. Most of our offensive sets rely heavily on one-on-one skills with one player dribbling with no purpose and all other four standing around. Yao Ming is inconsistent in this type of offense because he is not quite strong enough on one-on-one. His problems on offense are the same problem the whole team has on offense. There is a reason why we're second to last in assists per game. The assists leaders are Utah, Minnesota, Sacramento, LA Lakers, Memphis, Indiana, New Jersey. All run unselfish, smooth motion type offensive system.
You have a lazy team. They don't want to move unless the balls in their hands. All the announcers and anyone watching the rox knows they lack movement. Yao ming walks upcourt after the first quarter.
Totally agree. Watching their ISO offense night after night is very frustrating. Especially since everyone (except the Rox of course) knows it doesnt work.
Another thing: Yao wouldn't be so d@mn tired if he wasn't trying to bully the opposing C for position all night. Running some picks and screens to get him open would be nice.
This has been going on recently rather than around the All Star break. From Game #20 to game # 45 we played pretty good team offense. The problem is, with this team, when they play D, their offense suffers too much, so they take the easy way out. That's why they run so many ISO's now.
The offense is just very inefficient. We need an offense that has all 5 players on the court working equally hard. Not just 1 or 2 doing everything and everyone else doing nothing. I don’t think it’s just coincidence that our role players, Cato Taylor, Posey, and Rice have been playing excellent lately. They look energized and have basically carried the team the past couple of games. Meanwhile, our star players, Yao, Francis, and Cat have looked exhausted and lethargic. It’s because all year long the big 3 have been doing twice the amount of work. Their fuel tanks are on empty while the role player’s fuel tanks are all full. Our star players have to expend so much energy on offense. They have to work so hard because it’s all on them to score. They don’t get any help at all from their teammates. You have Steve dribbling in circles trying to penetrate and break down the defense all by himself, Cat isolating, and Yao getting killed while trying to get good post up position. Then you have the rest of the players standing there and watching, expending no energy at all. People wonder how the Stockton and Malone have managed to play at a high level for so long despite their age. It’s because of their offense is so efficient. Their bodies have endured because they’ve never had to expend as much energy as Rocket players do. The way things are going for this team I doubt neither Cat, Francis, or Yao will even make it to their 10th season. Their bodies will all be broken down. Especially if Steve and Cat continue to play the minutes they play and Yao has to play basketball year round.
Welcome to the wonderful world of dysfunctional basketball; some of us have been writing about this for a long time. The media has finally gotten the picture. It has always been obvious. Little changes.
New Jack - Excellent read...especially the part about shortened careers. All I can add further is that with so little offensive movement by the Rockets, most of the opposing defenders expend little energy on defense. Thsi allows opponents to be more efficient and energetic in their own offensive sets. Perhaps that's the underlying reason why we get torched by so many relatively obscure players?
Here is a simple formula for players that do not have the ball on offense: 1)If no one is guarding you, cut to the basket for an easy layup/dunk 2)If someone is guarding you, run him through a million picks and screens. By the 4th qtr, he will be too tired and beat up to be effective.
As Kenny Smith said on TNT the other night, "The Rockets have dribble diarrhea." This was the quote of the season!
Why is it so hard for them to score? Stephon Marbury may be a better POINT guard than Steve Francis. He is strong and can get past his man. He is perfect at using the backboard and is strong enough to always make the basket plus the foul shot. And when he is double teamed, he easily passes to an open man. It's so simple! If not that, just pass it out to Shawn Marion or Joe Johnson or Anfernee Hardaway, who simply make the shot or slash and drive and lay it up. So simple! I don't know why it's so difficult for the Rockets. Maybe just bad habits over four years. But mainly, coach. Our defense needs to be rejuvenated too.
We don't have a point guard, and our shooting guard is a bad passer. That's the problem. Either Steve is going to learn how to set up an offense properly, and create shots for teammates, or he has to either move to shooting guard or get traded.
Our center is a rookie too. That is a problem for now. He looks like a rookie. Too many turnovers, and like the rest of the gang, TOO IN CONSISTENT! I hope it's because it is a young team....
Hhhhmmmm. Let's look at our plays, shall we? 1. Yao on isolation in the post. 2. Steve one on one. 3. Mobley one on one. 4. A clanking brick by Eddie when he gets the ball outside. 5. A fast break, although rare, for Posey-just Posey. 6. Alley oop to Cato, from Francis. 7. Taylor with his patented "Tap Dance"......while going one on one. 8. Rice for 3 on an "oh, crap!" pass from a guard....with 2 seconds left on the shot clock. 9. Posey for 3!.......or an airball. 10. Dribble the shot clock out and pass to the nearest player- no matter which team he plays for. Who says we don't have plays? I hope we get it together.
