Elton Brand... If Kidd wants to leave, what better place than Houston...and NJ would be happy to get something in return. Although who knows if they have any interest in Francis.
So Kobe was a great leader before Phil Jackson, is that what you are really suggesting? The same Kobe and Shaq who used to b**** and moan about each other's shots were great leaders. Are you really telling me that?
No, I'm telling you Kobe and Shaq put their differences aside, and that was the main factor in the Lakers winning the championships. Phil Jackson was not the reason they won. Now, we can argue whether Phil was the main reason Shaq and Kobe played well together. But do you think a new coach will make Stevie play smart? The 2 situations are not really comparable. If the problem was Steve and Yao not getting along, then that would be a bit different.
Did you watch any Lakers games before Phil Jackson got there. You mean to tell me Kobe jacking up shots at the end of the Utah series at the end of each game was smart basketball. That's the main thing Phil Jackson gets his players to do, play smart. BTW, playing smart on offense usually translates to playing together. Doesn't all this so called low BBIQ, everyone says about Francis comes from not passing all the time. Playing Smart=Playing Together. It did for Michael, it did for Kobe and Shaq, and it did for Hakeem, all whose play improved after coaching changes.
Interesting post fellas. But I think the fundamental problem is alot simpler than that. We are in a "Melting Pot" phase. No one expected this team to formulate this way (Yao). WIth that in mind, it is clear as to why we have problems. My gripe as a fan is that management should have realized this sooner but realistically thinking from managements point of view, they are probably on track. Coaching- We now need a coach that can build a team around the post game. Perhaps Rudy is the one. Perhaps not. Its clear though that Larry isn't ready yet. Players- We now need players that can play around a post game. Many of our players were chosen for one ability or another. It is understandable why they have difficulties playing with a big man. I expect changes to occur in the off season. Veterans- We now need to add some veterans to help balance this team. Prior to Yao, we had to take some gambles with "diamond in the rough types". But now with Yao and Steve, we should start getting some veteran savvy role players with less upside but immediate producers. I expect to see changes in this area as well. So in conclusion, I think we all need to take a step back and look at this team from an macro standpoint. We as fans are too tuned to the daily events and often lose focus of the big picture. But if you think of it in a 5 year plan, we are on stride. This is just a little bump in the road that we will overcome..
Well, how smart is Kobe playing these days? He still ballhogs often and shoots way too much. He does that Cuttino Mobley thing where he holds the ball and stares at his opponent before finally doing something. Kobe has not completely changed. Look, I agree with you Phil Jackson did improve the smart play of the team, and he made Shaq the focal point, but I'm not sure it's applicable to the Rockets situation. Steve has struggled playing a team game with Yao and he has struggled to get teammates involved. I just don't see what a new coach could do to change this situation. You say he could make them play smarter, but can you be more specific as to what that means, exactly? Does it mean a motion offense? Will Steve be able to run it? By the way, Francis has shown a willingness to pass, he just don't make the right passes and decisions at the right time. The main example being that he doesn't get Yao easy shots. It should be easy to get a guy that big some easy baskets.
He would have to sign with New Jersey for us to get him as part of a sign and trade deal. We can't afford him in free agency. But there's no way the Nets want another Starbury with a better attitude.
The Rockets ran a motion offense two years ago when they won 45 games with lesser talent. You are right, Steve has struggled playing with Yao, but the guys have only been together one year and they didn't even have a preseason together. A lot of people blame Steve for this teams lack of consistentcy, but this team was pretty damn consistent two years ago, with Steve leading them. One thing that can be said about that team is that they won just about every game they were supposed to. That's a sign of consistency. So maybe the problem is people need to give everyone, Steve, Rudy, Yao, one more year to jell before we start talking about who needs to go.
That's his deathwise, if he does. He'll never win with that team, imo, destined to improve based on 25th picks in the draft forever. Can you say, Utah Jazz of the '90s? His play at NJ got him renewed life in the NBA after the banishment for wife-beating. I believe he'll be looking to cash in on that and be matched with a legit star...Duncan, Yao, James or Darko with Hilario/Tsiki. If he does stay, you can trade Francis for a real power forward, or just sit and pray that Yao Ming wrestles the ball out of Steve's hands and starts playing like Walton, because I'm not holding my breath waiting on a Francis turnaround, and am not so irrationally exuberant about blaming everything on Mobley to think Jon Barry or Tinsley will take us from lottery to contender. Mobley + Griffin might land us a potentially (not fully proven, yet) legit PF, too, I guess. That's a stretch, though, imo. Like NJ will have a choice in the matter. They'll take the highly marketable Francis if Kidd won't sign...and any other trade options out there would probably be nixed by Kidd...because he could always just sign with San Antonio. imo...just my opinion...Kidd will be in SA or Denver (if they get James or Darko) next year...and the only other team with a legit chance to please both Kidd and NJ in a SnT is Houston.
Pgabriel, it's possible that Steve changes and becomes a very good PG, but I just doubt it. I would rather the Rockets get something good for him now rather than later, when it may be too late.
You know, taking a statement about stars making the biggest difference to franchise turnarounds, and then applying that to some type of absolute truth test that tries to say I meant coaches don't make *any* difference is a cheap trick of debate logic. I never said a coach can't improve a team...but we need a lot more improving than Jordan and two legit title contenders did. You are not comparing apples to oranges. I'm talking about turning around a franchise, and you are talking about getting a legit contender over the top. I'm talking Jordan was going to will his team to victory (and MJ, Pippen, Kukoc, Rodman was just a sick amount of talent for the final 3 rings), and you're talking The Triangle did it. The other teams you mentioned, except Chicago, marginally improved from their previous years. Lakers and Houston were contenders before the coaching change, and their fans had reason to expect ultimate victory in the very near future. What I was saying was, at best, trading role players and making coaching changes can put you "over the top." But you have to be at the top already to realize that. Despite the Myth building of Phil Jackson being the reason Jordan/Pippen/Grant won a title, history shows franchise players that make their teams better turn teams around way more coaches. <ul><li>Houston won their division in 1993, and was dispatched in a thrilling 7th game overtime in the semifinals, the closest of marginality to serious contender status.<li>The Lakers won 56 games in 1997, and 61 games in 1998. The Lakers and Shaq were widely regarding as an underachieving (yet, legitimate) contender for the title.</ul> Now, compare those teams you mentioned to the Rockets today. We are not even a playoff team. How many failed, scapegoat-style coach firings do you want me to rattle off that back this point, that superstar players make the huge differences to teams, not coaches and role players.
Didn't look much like a motion offense to me. The main difference IMHO, was Hakeem coming back from his "career-ending" blood clots (or whatever it was exactly), and playing very well after the All-Star break. He could still score against single coverage, and forcing the double team opened up space on the perimeter. We did run the break a little better, with Shandn Andersn, but he didn't score too much in the half-court sets.
Unfortunately, this reminds me too much of all the years BEFORE Dream led us to a championship. He didn't win it all until 9 years after he joined the team. In his first year, we lost in the first round of the playoffs, (even though we had a healthy Sampson, Lucas, McRae, and Reed) and in his second year we went to the Finals and lost to Boston. But then we floundered, until Dream developed the heart of a champion, although I think Sampson's injury had a lot to do with that. With a healthy Sampson, we probably would have kept going to the Finals. I don't see hearts of champions on this team, which worries me. We may have to do some trading around until we come up with the right combination of players who can do it. But, this is part of the rebuilding process. We had to collect the talent, and now we have a lot of it. Look at the players we cut or trade. They go other places and do well. We just need to let some of this talent develop, so we get the right players in return. I believe once we make a few trades, and develop the right chemistry as a team, we WILL head back to the championships. What is frustrating, is that there are times the Rockets play so well, they can beat anyone. This means we have the talent, but not the character, not the right chemistry, and certainly not the heart of a champion.
Intelligence, Intelligence, Intelligence! The difference beween overachieving teams and our current underachieving team
Come on HP, Houston finished in the lottery before that 92-93 season, Rudy's first full season as head coach. From 86/87 to 90/91, they had win totals of 42, 46, 45, 41, abd 52, with those 52 wins coming during an injury plagued season in which Hakeem only played 56 games. That was also around the time fans were asking Hakeem to be traded because they thought he couldn't lead the Rockets anywhere....wait, that sounds really familiar... Face it HP, Francis is here to stay for AT LEAST 2-3 more years, because there is no way the Rockets can get rid of that big of a contract. Deal with it...
I'm right on with hp's take. If something is to be done, it should be something drastic. Personally, I don't think Francis has what it takes to lead this team to greatness, and I don't know if he is willing to defer to Yao, or anyone for that matter, for as long as he is in Houston. I could be wrong, but if you believe that, it'd make perfect sense to start shopping him around while his value is sky high. But I'm also not opposed to a coaching change. Maybe someone else can get the players to listen, convince them to play the way they should. It's happened before. I just want some sort of change, and not a little tweak either. I'm not confident that time will solve what ails the rocks. They have more talent than the team they had that just missed the playoffs 2 years ago, were blessed with very little injuries this year, and have seemingly not progressed since the season started(outside of yao of course). Bleh.
