I'm wondering when was the last time this has happened. To my memory, i'm thinking it been a long,long time since a team has had 2 all stars and not make the playoffs. In all honesty, Ming has been the 2nd best center in the league period this yr and Francis has been one of the better pg's in the west this yr. I could maybe track it down, but i feel like if you have 2 all stars, no matter what else you have, you should at least make the playoffs.
All Stars in "name" only. Neither of them played like TRUE "allstars" at their position later in the year when it counted. Sure they had some solid games but there is no "consistancy" there. That is what seperates the good players from the All Star Great players....."consistancy." They just could not put up solid offensive numbers EVERY night. All Stars very rarely have poor nights. This happened all too often for our duo. This is one reason why I feel the Rockets should pursue a trade to bring in one more all star quality player to compete in the tough Western Conference. It gives as another player to "lean" on if one or even both of our current players are having bad nights and it allows us to compete with the likes of the Kings (Bibby, Peja, Webber); Mavs (Dirk, Nash, Finley); Lakers (Shaq, Kobe); Spurs (Duncan, Parker, FA this summer) of the league. Let's also not forget the upstart Suns (Marbury, Marion, Stoudamire). I am not saying load up your team with a TON of talented guys like Portland. But throw your hat on 3 great players and then a cast of role players. That's what we need to do. Now, how the hell can we get Elton Brand!?!?
That's an ALL-STAR that is NOT going to the playoffs, has no playoff experience. Do you really want that? You seem to agree with the first post on this thread. Then, we'd have 3 all-stars with no playoffs. SHUT UP. Whiners... whiners, whiners...
If we could get Brand, I would do it, but somehow, we would have to move Taylor also. I don't want a guy making 8 mil a season playing 15 mins per. Its kind of weird, but looking at our bench, their salaries almost doubled our starting lineups salaries. I wish we could get brand, but i think it would be next to impossible to get him. If the bulls were smart, which they are not, they would offer Chandler and someone back for Brand. That would be a instant playoff team in the east.
Well...Cato is making 7 mil a season laying 15 mns per. So... We can't get Brand. But we do need to get some good shooters or role players and a better offensive system. AND MENTALLY...hopefully the players know that they aren't great and that they have to try to win every game. MAN. Hopefully...Rudy can develop his team.
They were only all-stars because they were voted in. There is no way that they would have both made it otherwise. Teams without good records are less likely to get their players picked for the team by coaches.
Francis probably would have made it as a back-up had he not been picked. He had the most impressive statistics for PGs at the time and I think the Rockets were in playoff position. Yao would not have been an all-star selection because they would have loaded on PFs, but he still was the 2nd best center in the west.
-Paperboy is done for the night... http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/sports/bk/bkn/rox/1867695 April 14, 2003, 10:49PM Rockets summary All-Star shutout The Rockets will become the first team since the 1978 Celtics and sixth team ever to have two All-Star starters, Steve Francis and Yao Ming, and fail to make the playoffs. The 1966 San Francisco Warriors are the only NBA team to have three starters in the All-Star game -- Guy Rodgers, Wilt Chamberlain and Rick Barry -- without advancing. Other All-Star starters who failed to make the playoffs include: Cincinnati's Oscar Robertson and Jerry Lucas in 1968 and in 1969; Atlanta's Lou Hudson and Pete Maravich in 1974; and Dave Cowens and John Havlicek in 1978. Mean's next move When the Rockets returned to practice on Monday, they had been eliminated from the playoffs, but said they would not change their approach with two games left in the season. Rather than experiment with players that have rarely played, acting Rockets coach Larry "Mean" Smith said he would simply try to put the Rockets in position to win their remaining games. "We have two games left," Smith said. "Our approach is we want to win. We want to go out on a winning note. We had a good practice and the guys responded well. "Unfortunately, it didn't work out the way we planned. We have no control of that now. We do have control of these next two games. We want to stay focused and try to get the next two games." Yao's next stop When the Rockets' season ends on Wednesday, it will end almost a year of nonstop competition or training for rookie Yao Ming. Before joining the Rockets on Oct. 20, Yao toured with the Chinese national team before the World and Asian championships. "I don't know exactly when I will be headed back to China yet, but I have to get back for the national team practices (which begin next month)," Yao said. Odds and ends The Grizzlies' Pau Gasol has four double doubles in his last five games. He had four in a row before getting 24 points and nine rebounds against the Pistons Sunday. ... Grizzlies backup point guard Earl Watson is coming off 0-for-7 shooting against Detroit. -- JONATHAN FEIGEN Tonight: Memphis Grizzlies at Rockets ·When/where: 7:30 p.m.; Compaq Center. ·TV/radio: Ch. 51; KILT (610 AM) and in Spanish on KYST (920 AM). ·Records: Rockets 41-39; Grizzlies 28-52.
Yes,I think Yao will be a consistancy player next season,but I don't know Steve because he has 4 years experience in the league.
close... he is playing 17 minutes per game and has a career ave of 19 minutes per.. he played 26 minutes per ... i wonder how much that breaks donw to $$$s per minute... hmm i wonder.
