I don't think we are going to suck. If I think back to last year, we did not lose to a lot of teams with far superior physical talent. We were just far too predictable. Does this sound about right? -We get the ball up the court and the offense started with about 8 to 10 seconds remaining on the shot clock. -There was a maximum limit of two passes before a shot (usually the second pass being right before the shot clock went off) -Yao would get about 6-8 touches in the first quater, 2 in the second and third, and maybe 4-5 in the fourth. -Mobley would iso and the only player he could pass to were Francis and Posey. -Moochie and Francis would dribble around alot. -75% of our shot attempts from our guards. -Fourth quater we would iso Mo Taylor for about 8-10 consecutive shots. -Oh yeah...we had that one in-bounds play for a last second shot (Yao setting that screen for Francis at the top of the three point-line). Maybe someone else could add to this list, but our offense was pathetic. I hate to say it, but some of this was due to coaching (ouch), some due to youth (can't use that excuse much longer),but I think mainly a lack of understanding the game. I think our greatest acquisition this off-season was JVG because he can teach them the game.
This will make my season alone. I have been waiting for the fall of the Jazz for quite some time now *laughs maniacally, strumming fingers together*
I agree... lets look at the playoff teams from last year. 1. Spurs 2. Kings 3. Dallas 4. Wolves 5. Lakers 6. Blazers 7. Jazz 8. Phoenix Speaking in terms of us breaking into the top 8, we have only one assurance: the Jazz will not be back. *fireworks popping in background, the crowd goes wild* In my mind, baring catastrophe, we are guaranteed an 8-seed this year. We can only hope that the Jailblazers go down in a ball of flames this year, but that hasnt happened yet and we must bet that the rise of Yao will push us past them. We were neck and neck with Phoenix last year. We can only hope that Yao improves faster than Amare, or Van Gundy's Mad coaching skills pushes us past them. The top 5 are pretty much a lock, but because of off-season aqcuisitions, they will shuffle some. But I think the best we can possibly hope for this season is a 6th seed. This is my projection for next year, ceding that Yao will improve greatly and average at least 18, 10 and 3. (and his teammates start hitting open shots!) 1. Spurs (maintained lead with decent off-season moves) 2. Lakers (great offseason, but Kobe question remains) 3. Kings (didnt get better, didnt get worse) 4. Wolves (improved greatly in the offseason, could challenge the top 3) 5. Mavs (didnt do anything this offseason) 6. Yao Mings 7. Phoenix 8. Blazers (we can only hope they suck this bad this year!)
I have 2 questions. Did u guys have the same optimism last year? If the answer is YES, after failing to make the playoffs last year, what make you guys feeling so confident that we will make it this year? Is JVG so much better than RudyT? Teams certainly make the playoffs: LAL SA SAC DAL Teams almost certainly make the playoffs: MIN PORTLAND Teams struggling make the playoffs: HOU PHX SEA GS LAC
What the heck are you babbling about? Why be so negative? Did someone hijack your moniker or make you believe in apocalypse? Too much Matrix isn't good for your mental health. We are not batteries. Repeat after me. We are not batteries.
What makes ME, personally, so sure we'll make the playoffs is the fact that JVG is better suited for this team, and Yao will start the season in WAY better shape than last season. He'll also have a year's experience under his belt and is apparently bigger than before. The last 2 playoff spots belong to Houston and Phoenix. I really can't see a team with such a great C finishing outside of the playoffs. Think of it this way. If we are even ONE game better than last year, then we're making the playoffs. Don't forget, we missed it by 1 last season.
What makes you think that Seattle will be within reach of the playoffs? Who do they have? Oh, yea. Ray Allen, thats it. Same goes for GS and LAC. I mean come on do you really see Golden State in the playoff hunt? PLease. The clippers lost two of their better players, and they werent all that good last year. What makes you think they will improve by losing good players?
And think about how good we were doing before the All-Star break! We were eight games over .500 at that point. If we can go into the break with a full head of steam this year, we could really make some noise.
A-Train goes a little bit overboard, but he certainly isn't just making random comments. He was one of the few on this board to see the Rockets for what they were last year even when things were still going well...good individual talent, lacking team play, not to make the playoffs. And, A-Train's points int his thread - the improvement of teams above us, lack of improvement by the Rockets from a player perspective, are true. The X-factor is JVGundy. The Rockets problem last year wasn't the players, but how they played, as A-Train himself had pointed out in the past. That is a coaches job. I believe JVG will make them play much better, and that is a step in the right direction. Mid-year, surely, some scrub team will want to get rid of their best player to gain cap room (maybe Toronto would trade Vince Carter - who'd be a perfect SF here, Atlanta SAR, etc.), so there is no reason to make a trade that isn't needed right now. And the Clippers will not be much better.
A -Trail you could be RIGHT! Especially considering that we dont have a STARTING SMALL FORWARD as of yet! I still think that they might just creep in because JVG is going to change the way Francis and Mobley play, also Francis wont be running the Team JVG will!
Everyone here is underestimating the Sonics. They now have a solid pg with a superstar in Ray Allen at sg and a budding star at sf in Rashard Lewis. They just got Collison who will produce immediately at pf and they've got Jerome James and Peja Drobnjak playing center. They came close to finishing ahead of us before making these aquisitions last year and all we have done is add Eric Piatkowski.
Good to have you back, A-Train. I know you sometimes use reverse psychology to either "tell it like it is", so that if we do better, that warm fuzzy feeling can permeate the board... or you tell it like it is because, uh... hell, that's just how it is. Right now, I'm getting pretty damn pessimistic as well. As Snowman mentioned, we don't have a starting SF at the moment, and we don't have a PF who plays like a PF. Our great new center may, or may not, last the season due to his Chinese adventure. We don't know if Francis will play like a point guard consistantly (hell, sporadically) after spendin' mucho time thinking he was moving to the 2 spot and we were going to get a "real" point guard with size who could also play some D. So, yes... we have things to worry about. Will we do something about them still?? Maybe... maybe no.
Guaranteed?! Is that what Stern said? Don't over-estimate the heart of non-champions. Houston needs a dominant PF and they need one not named "Cherokee Parks." University (In the Rye) Blue
Houston doesn't NEED a dominant PF. Even a PJ Brown, a bulked up and tougher Griffin, or a Mo Taylor from 2 seasons ago is more than adequate. Toughness and a jumper thats money. Can't help but think how PERFECT a younger Oakley would be next to Yao, and how great he can be teaching Griffin how to master that shot and how to get strong as hell.
how come no one celebrated when i came on the board? no W2M apreciation thing for me either....on topic tho...the rockets have a slim chance of playoffs in my opinon, yes yao is amazing and a newly revamped francis is awsome aswell BUT we have nothing else, our second best player all around is MOt we have no good sf or a decent backup PG and we have yet to see this BIG SPLASH the big-wigs speak of, i hardly call piat a big splash, he couldnt break the roatation of a sub par squad in clipperville. a big splash would be like the wolves or the lakers, something to improve us, IMO we took major steps back besides the coaching change, i guess time will tell
The difference between us and Phoenix and GS and Seattle is that we'll CLEARLY be the superior defensive team. Our head coach is THE most defensive minded in the entire league, and guess what? He was a PG when he played. In the middle? Yao Ming and Eddie Griffin, and Cuttino Mobley on the perimeter. SF is admittedly a weak position for us, but Rice has experience, and I think JVG can hide him in certain schemes. I can't even comprehend that anyone outside the top 6 teams that are locked can even be close to our defense. We were already the better defensive tam out of all those guys last season, and the team bought into it. Now with a coach who is more X's and O's oriented, and more defensive minded, I think we will clearly outshine these teams on defense. Yao Ming and Eddie Griffin will average around 5 blocks between them, and we STILL have Cato coming off the bench. Getting George Lynch somehow would send this team into another dimension defensively.
You're definitely the "O.G." Glad to have you A-train. Atleast predict that we will be in last place so we can win the draft lottery again.
There wasen't too much we really could have added. What the Rockets are banking on is the continued development of players like Ming, Griffin, and Nachbar.
holy schit, just came back and saw a thread created by one of the "ancients" (sorry... just saw qotd on dvd... again). welcome back a-train.
Why are people jocking this "A-Train" fella's nuts? With all these people going goo goo ga ga over a single post from this dude, you'd think he was really somebody important. Some of you sound like smitten high school cheerleaders salivating over Justin Timberlake crying a river.
