Does anybody in here actually think this team can go all the way? What's the point of making the playoffs if your chances are slim of winning the championship. We have one glaring weakness, the frontcourt. If we ever got a C or PF then this problem would be gone. Maybe Hakeem can fill this void but I wouldn't bank on it. To me Hakeem has already done enough damage and will have to totally rethink the way he conducts his business if this team can ever find some chemistry with the big man. Plus, he is chronically injured or has health problems so you can't count on him. We have no one else besides Hakeem that actually has the potential to fill this void effectively. So another option is playing Mo at C and we all know what a great rebounder Mo is. So I'm thinking we have to make a deal for a good rebounder that can be effective at center. I don't know who we could get at a reasonable price. And let's just forget the thought of Hakeem being traded because there are 16 million reasons why he is impossible to trade and waiving him does nothing to help us. So we have to trade someone else and when you think about it we have many players that other teams want, but only a few that we would trade. Here' who I think is tradeable: PG Francis SG Mobley SF Anderson/Langhi/Williams PF Taylor/Thomas C Collier/Los Here's who the Rocks are willing to trade if they absolutely had to to get someone really good: SF Anderson/Langhi/Williams PF Taylor/Thomas if we get something decent in return C Collier/Los/Hakeem(no way in hell) So our best chances of landing someone to help our frontcourt is by trading Shandon. We could afford to lose Taylor because he doesn't rebound to begin with. Trading Thomas would defeat the purpose of getting a rebounder so no unless he's in a package for an all-star type player. And then if you trade Anderson then you lose your best defender and you have no defense whatsoever. So I think Mo Taylor is about the most expendable player of any value. Thoughts about this anyone? ------------------
A good rebounder along with Hakeem is all the Rockets need to contend for a championship. I feel that rebounding is the Rocket's only defensive weakness. So many times, the Rockets have forced opponent misses in the last crucial sessions, but they have simply tapped it back in. The Rockets would be an elite defensive team if they could get boards consistently. They need a Jerome Williams. I would especially like "Brain" Grant. ------------------ "Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning how to put food on their family while being put to death." [This message has been edited by ZRB (edited January 22, 2001).] [This message has been edited by ZRB (edited January 22, 2001).]
Shandon is not going anywhere. Have some patience. This team is a top free agent (which we will have the money for this offseason) away from being a real threat to win it all. ------------------ When we tire of well-worn ways, we seek for new. This restless craving in the souls of men spurs them to climb, and to seek the mountain view. -- Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Bob*: are you implying that this team is a failure if they don't land the only top free agent this Summer...Webber. I think we landed a top free agent last year in Mobley. We are only 2 yrs of continued improvement, coinciding with the implosion of the Lakers, the retirement of Portland/Utah, key-yet-humble acquisitions for interior defense, and superior transition offense "away from being a real threat". We can beat the Kings, SA, Phoenix, Orlando, Miami, 76rs, Dallas with our faster learning curve. "Have some patience."
It wouldn't have to be a Webber type to get this team to the elite level. Landing a big man in the same category as Duncan, Webber, McDyess, Wallace and Kevin G is a long shot and the Rockets & their fans should have faith that alternate scenarios can be made to work. Interior defense as you alluded to would fuel a huge leap forward. A Theo Ratliff clone and either Cato or Carlos becoming steady players would take the Rockets from the middle of the pack to the upper level. Provided that something is done about stabilzing the situation at the 3. Mango ------------------ We neeed more threads about Dream! Test Your NBA Trade Ideas 1. Put new topics in the proper forum. Things happening in the rest of the NBA 2. Use clear wording for new threads. 3. No duplicate threads 4. Conduct yourself as an adult. The Serious Police are watching. Donate Blood or be assimilated!
I am not as concerned about the 3 nearly as much as our problems at center. Probably because I have less confidence in Cato than everyone else on this board (and I get even less confident evey day). I would like a center who rarely wants the ball at all. You have to make the other centers defend, but I would be satisfied with someone who stayed down low to rebound offensively and got most of his points on put-backs. ------------------ Kenny Thomas had a foul called on him in the Western Conference Finals.
Dogbelly-That player sounds like Carlos Rogers. He seems to be the only Rocket that is willing to cut thru the lane to get a pass or a put back. Granted he is not the best defender but, we haven't had a center to defend with much this year. Heypartner - I agree we need to be patient but, we do need to upgrade the frontcourt. When was the last time we beat SA??? I would also like to see a little offense with some motion in it. I keep hopeing and I am trying to be patient. ------------------
Nothing personal, my friend, but there aren't many Cs like that around anymore. Everyone wants the ball nowadays. The Rockets are 1 player and 2 years away from being a playoff team, and 2 to 3 players away from being a contender. Don't let the record or future schedule fool you, the Rockets are still a ways from being a solid playoff team, and not just a "one & done" team. The half-court offense is developing nicely, as is the running game, but this team needs to establish a defensive identity. True, it would help to have a shot-blocker in the lane, but the Rockets still have a long way to go in terms of help D and establishing/maintaining good defensive intensity. While Shandon has looked good at the 3, there are still better options via trade or, better yet, the draft (Griffin, Wallace, Morris, Yarborough). As far as I'm concerned, the only position that the Rockets are set at long-term is PG, with the biggest need being at the SF and C positions. The problems at C are well chronicled, and in 3 years the SF position will be the premiere position in the NBA, dominated by talents such as Miles, Reef, KG, Odom, Griffin, etc. Luckily, this up-coming draft is loaded with talented SFs and swingmen, so hopefully the Rockets will cash in on 1 and fortify the position. ------------------ "ON-BEE-TAH-BULL!!", Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon, alumnus, University of Houston
Man, I would like to see some motion, too. OT, you should see about 2 possession per 1st quarter with real motion. Other than that, we have no player motion. We are learning stellar Utah-type ball movement, but we have no Phoenix type player motion. Note though that the Triangle is not a motion offense either. It will take an improved Francis and a team that's played together for a couple of years before motion will be better than pnr-based, ball movement offenses, imo. It simply is easier for the team as a whole to run a pnr-based offense than motion right now. We actually may never go to a motion offense. Like I say, Utah and the Lakers do not run motion. You don't need it to win, but it sure is funner to watch than a repeated handful of plays within a system. I anticipate the transition game to be our next major upgrade in the offense.
I keep hearing that we need to shore up our 3 spot. Well I think Shandon has done an exellent job at that. Since he has been at the three he has avg'd around 15 pts 5 boards and 3-4 assists. I'll take that from the 3 spot. Our real weak spot has come from our interior, the 4 and 5 spots. Even with Mo T's improvement he is weak on the boards gets and is not a true dominating interior pressence on either end of the court. If Cato, could come back and assert himself as someone that could get 10 to 12 boards and 2-4 blocks a night and get some monster dunks from the weak side that would make a ton of difference. More important than trading I think we really need to find out in the second half of the season what we have in Cato. We at least know where we stand at the other positions, but no one knows what Cato and Collier can do yet. One last thing. Going to the playoffs is never a waste. Playoff experiance is absolutely essential if you plan on ever seriously contending for the championship. ------------------
The reason for getting to the playoffs is to get some experience playing in big game situations. And what is it with people still saying that Mo can't rebound, the guy has grabbed 8 or 9 rebounds a game for over the last 2 months! ------------------ Rocket fans UNITE to bring Pig Miller back home! WE NEED PIG! OINK! OINK! OINK!
Mo has improved his all around game including defense and rebounding. But Mo is still not a dominant rebounder...period. There are still games where he comes up with only 5 or 6 boards. In the month of Jan Mo has led the team in rebounding only 3 times. Once with 6 boards, once with 14 and once with 8. In Utah Mo had 6, 7 in Sac, 5 in NYC, 3 in Toronto, 9 in Detroit and 4 in Cleveland. That leaves Mo with a whopping 6.8 boards a game for the Month of Jan. While improvement is noted and appreciated Mo is still a week rebounder by anyones definition of a power forward. ------------------ [This message has been edited by crash5179 (edited January 23, 2001).]
