I'm still really shocked everyone is so befuddled by the Rockets losing. I know that hope springs eternal but this is a team that has some talent but ALL of it is young. I'll take them one at a time: Steve Francis - A star in the making but still can't get his assist-to-turnover ratio under control or his game on the fly. Makes too many questionable decisions at the wrong times. Cuttino Mobley - Another star in the making with a huge heart (not to mention another part of his anatomy), but takes too many ill-advised shots, plays a bit selfishly at times and is still out-of-control. Shandon Anderson - Would make the perfect defensive role player on a team of stars which is why he was so successful in Utah. Think a young Mario Elie without the attitude. The problem is that more has been expected of Anderson and he hasn't delievered. If he can't, fine, but he and the team need to learn that. Mo Taylor - Finally coming into his own with the Rockets but still struggles to rebound and plays too passively at times. Needs a solid weight and big man program in the offseason and needs to fully commit to his position to be successful. Like Mobley and Francis, lots of talent mixed with not enough experience. Kenny Thomas - Gifted footwork, good energy but his size will always relegate him to a second-tier power forward or a third-tier small forward. Can be a valuable asset off the bench if he chooses to accept that role and quit jacking up 3's all the time. Needs a couple more years to find his game. Moochie Norris - The perfect back up to Francis but he is NOT a starting point guard in the NBA. Ideal for the bench and occassionally playing alongside Francis, but his skills are limited. Needs to learn to shoot instead of ALWAYS looking to pass. Kelvin Cato - Oft-injured. We don't really know what he could or would offer until he is healthy. High ankle sprains are the worst nagging injury next to a groin injury. Cannot expect ANY offensive game from him but must expect defense and rebounding or he is not worth the money. Walt Williams - A streaky shooter that is probably done with this team. He would never be the long-term solution but he isn't even short-term the way he's been shooting. Houston is not his final destination. Hakeem Olajuwon - He is not the player he used to be. Even if he can be healthy, he cannot play 30+ minutes per game or average more than 12 or so points and 6+ rebounds. At times he is even a liability because he cannot or will not always run the length of the court. I can't count the number of times I've heard Worrell say, "Hakeem hasn't made it across half court yet." A brilliant player in his time, his days are seriously numbered. Carlos Rogers - How can you not like this guy but he IS and WILL ALWAYS BE a bottom of the bench guy. Even when he seems to be playing well, he is injured too often to get an opportunity. Ultimately, he will probably not be a Rocket for long. Jason Collier - Who knows? Basically, he can be a serviceable big man as an offensive weapon and big body off of the bench. Probably can mesh well with the young guys that run the floor because he draws big men away from the basket. We should never expect more than that from him. Dan Langhi - Young and athletic but obviously inexperienced. He looks lost on the floor though he is agressive. He will likely need several years to learn the NBA game and develop an NBA body. Matt Bullard - Everyone knows what to expect from Bull. He shoots the three accurately, runs plays well and is good in the locker room. He is a tall offensive role player and that's about it but it is important. The bottom line here is that we have a raw, untamed mixture of young talent. Most of these guys still need a couple of years in the NBA to really learn the game. Beyond that, they MUST have time to develop as a team as well. We may all be spoiled by the Rockets usual trips to the playoffs but these are the lean years. We have to learn patience with these players because they will test the limits of that patience for a while. Personally, I could easily see this team as a solid unit in two or three years with a couple of key additions, mainly an athletic small forward. They just need the time to get there. ------------------ The way to use life is to do nothing through acting, The way to use life is to do everything through being. - Lao-Tzu
I'm not befuddled, maybe confused. Personally, I can't find myself upset that we were beaten by a playoff team when we played without our 1st, 2nd and 3rd center. j ------------------
Jeff, I concur with almost all of your points. The biggest being that there is no veteran leadership on this team. Young talented players need someone to foster their learning in the NBA game, most good teams have a nice mixture of young and old. I don't just mean, young and old role players, I mean young and old starters, or stars. All Steve Francis needs is a Charles Barkley type to tell him how to win. I agree this team is a couple of years, or a veteran or two away from winning on a consistent basis. DaDakota ------------------ If Mankind evolved from Monkeys and Apes, then why are there still Monkeys and apes?
The Rockets should trade a second round pick for Mario Ellie. He would teach these guys a thing or two. His type of locker room presence is all they need. Look what he did for the Spurs. It is because of him, they won that title. Not necessarily the way he played, but the way he acted in the locker room. ------------------ "Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning how to put food on their family while being put to death."
Yeah ZRB, that great Elie attitude did wonders for us in '98 from about the All-Star break on. ------------------ "He was under more balls than a midget hooker."-Bobby Hill visit www.swirve.com, coming January 20th, the top 10 films of 2000! and, http://www.geocities.com/clutch34_2000 for great Rocket insight by some of your fellow BBS posters!
He is just the type of veteran the Rockets need. Maybe not Mario himself, but some one like him. ------------------ "Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning how to put food on their family while being put to death."
IMHO, the Rockets have two basic problems. 1) They defend the pick and roll as poorly as any team I can recall. It is worse than most college teams. For reasons I can't comprehend, Rudy prefers that the player being picked goes behind the screen. This may have worked when Dream was every opponents nightmare, but it just won't work today or with the current Rockets team. The newer rules and the officiating favor the offensive player making the aggressive turn to the hoop. (Anyone else see the Pistons shut down Van Exel FIVE straight times late in the 4thQ a few games after he torched the Rockets? The PISTONS sent the player guarding the pick to the opposite side before Nick could make his move). To the Rockets' credit, they are doing more double teaming, but they are in the infancy stages of learning. (I'm sorry, but LaPhonso Ellis and Sam Mitchell don't warrant double teams). 2) With the exception of the Mavs and Spurs (and they're close), ALL of the Western Conference playoff teams have a very high assist per minute ratio (# assists/game minutes). The Rockets aren't even close. The Rocks have a comparable shooting % (they're 7th - ahead of the Spurs, Kings, Nuggets, and Suns), but the field goals are NOT the result of an assist. Translated, that means they run too many ISO's and have too many "plays" which break down into one on one. Steve Francis has tremendous desire to succeed, the Rockets have a 1st class organization, and the team will get decent draft picks because they will hover around .500. Until the Rockets become a STRONG defensive unit and they learn to pass the ball more effectively on offensive (not just back to the weakside for an open 3), the Western Conference Finals are a pipe dream! ------------------ GATER [This message has been edited by GATER (edited January 02, 2001).]
