I'd like to give this thread zero star rating, which is not available. So I gave it a generous 1 star.
The moral of the story is the Rockets have to knock down shots. You can get no simplier than that. The way the guys have been bricking shots it's like last year all over again.
It's funny how the wins against Dallas and Miami don't count. Miami was a winning team 3-2 team when we beat the Miami Heat. Correct me if I am wrong, but I think they counted as winning team before Chuck Hayes. After Hayes took out the Diesel, they went on to lose 6 of their 9 games. Yeah, Dallas was in a slump. It's first 2 games was against quality opponents like the Spurs and the Rockets. After the rockets demoralized them, they went on to lose the Clippers and GSW. That's 0 wins against 4 quality opponents for the Mavs. It's called a slump by the Mavs fans. The Rockets winning 2 of their first "quality" wins against winners like Miami and Dallas. Is considered a fluke. We aren't a winning team. Dallas is a winning team for losing against 4 "0.500 and higher" teams. Ok, Dallas isn't a winning team if you count the wins they got. They lost to quality oppenents but got all these bad wins against crap teams. Their one possible "good" win was against a slumping Spurs team, who has won only 1 game out of their last four. They have 0 good wins too.
IMO the sillyest point is that Tmac should be option #1 over Yao. Yao is one of the most efficient players in the league. Tmac at his best hasn't been as efficient as Yao is playing. We don't want to stunt Yao's progression as the leader. I want Tmac to take fewer bad shots, try to get his jump shot back, and continue in his transition to a playmaker (which allows to get another shooter like Head more on the floor) and second scorer. I also want him to save his back/health for the playoffs, the hard drives to the hoop can come there. The Rockets have a bunch of new players. We have had 3 major rotation players missing some or all games, 2 of which (Bonzi, Snyder) would have lessoned overall demands on Tmac. Yao is taking on a new role as a #1 option. Tmac is taking on a new role as a #2 option and playmaker. We are doing fine at this point, total wins and record matter more than the set of teams you have beat or lost to. With the new seeding system if we end up as the 5th seed we have a good chance to have the 4th best record and home court versus the weakest division winner. That is fine playoff positioning. We just need to build towards May, and not burning out Tmac is part of that.
Interestingly enough. Spurs only beat the Mavs in their slump also. They then lost to Cleveland. They beat Phoenix. They beat a slumping Rockets team. They beat a Shaq-less Heat team with thanks to Chuck Hayes. They lost to the Mavericks(no longer in slump). They beat a slumping Phoenix team, who started the season 1-5 and bottom of the standings. They went on to lose to Dallas, GSW, and Utah. Their wins all came against slumping teams or teams with records under 0.500.
Once Spanoulis improves and Sura hopefully come sback, Rafer will be able to play 30 sensible minutes. He needs to stay fresh, and 38 minutes is just way too much. T-Mac needs to score more on the same number of shots. T-Mac doesn't need to shoot more, he needs to make more. He's taking less shots, but not making a bigger portion of them. It's quite simple in basketball. If you take less shots, you should make sure, especially if defensive focus shifts to another player. Yao and T-Mac should have a combined FG% of (ideally) 100% but realistically 98%. Right now, T-Mac makes 40.2% and Yao makes 54.4%. That's 94.6%. IMO, I don't think these guys are taking full advantage of having eath other around. Yao is hitting 54% so that's fine. T-Mac needs to be better. Now, it would be fine if T-mac was taking all the bad shots and the rest of the team was absolutely FLAMING opponents, but that's not the case. Not to mention there's absolutely no one on our team who is a good penetrator, and T-Mac is not doing that. Goes to the line 5.5 times in 38 minutes, and makes less than 70%? Come on. This new strategy was a good idea. But it doesn't work. This team would be more succesful with T-Mac passing less, Rafer passing more, T-Mac driving to the basket more, and letting Alston/Head/Battier focus on making the long-range shots.
04-05 McGrady got off slow as well. It was midway into December when he and the Rockets starting clicking but of course, did not really start ballin' until February and March. Coincidentally, mid December was when Bad Boy Bobby got back in the lineup. Hopefully that will be the case again soon. Agreed T-Mac needs to do his thing and ignite this offense. Personally think it's a combination of ... timing, chemistry, and perhaps a little mental with having to deal with last season's situations both physical and psychological. You got to believe that in the back of his mind he's thinking "will my back hold up if I really start pushing it?" No doubt. However, I think slowly but surely we will start seeing him push it a little harder. He will start coming around, he knows what's at stake and he knows until he wins a championship all his accomplishments meaning basically nothing. He wants to be a champion, now he just has to go out and prove it!
Why the hell noone has responded to this nonsense is beyond me. Why the hell you think a 27 ppg Tmac with 40% shooting percentage is better than 27 ppg Yao with 55% shooting percentage is beyond me. Why the hell after we are 10-5 and had the best openning month since Dream's time and someone still claimed 'there is no quality win' is beyond me! I can't give 0 star to this thread so I have to give it the credit which it obviously doesn't derserve: 1 star.
So far in this season, Tmac average 17.9 ppg in all games we won. So far in this season, Tmac average 22.3 ppg in all games we lost. So far in this season, we won all the games which Yao got over 22 ppg and 50% shoot percentage. Does this mean anything to anybody?
what on earth is rafer doing taking 17 shots? 9 three pointers? handing out only 3 assists and 2 TO? Whatever happened to the concept of reposting with yao? RAFER IS WAY TOO SHOT HAPPY!
I think Boby's point was that it does not make sense to ask TMAC to be option#1 in this team. He need not to defer more because right now actually he is not option#1, and that's enough, just keep it.
I did it right before you, and I agree entirely. Tmac needs to transition to be like Kobe was for Shaq, Clyde for Hakeem or Manu for Duncan (super 2nd fiddle to the big fella). Remember Duncan/Shaq have the vast majority of titles since Jordan retired. Tmac is never going to carry a team like Jordan did, or Wade did, I think even if his leadership and fierceness as a competitor were there (which is debatable), his body at this point certainly isn't.
Correction. I believe that they went 0-12 against the elite teams (Suns, Mavs, Pistons, Spurs, heck even the Cavs, Clippers, Nets too!) until they finally squeezed one winning game against Dallas in the penultimate month (?). Then what did they do? Win the NBA championship. I'm not saying that we should be following their lead and become a slow and plodding team during the regular season, but this shows that the regular season does not mean we will be swept by the Suns or Mavs in the playoffs. We have only finished the first month, and we still have 20 weeks to go. Be patient. Don't panic.
Idiocy. You want to win? 1) Limit TMac's shots. His shot selection as of late is horrendous. He doesn't need to take more shots, he needs to be more efficient. Either make the shot, take it to the basket, or feed the post. Stop bricking it. 2) Get a better offensive plan: can't have players idle when Yao's in da paint doing his 1:1. Get an offensive minded asst. coach. Move the ball, move players through screens. Get and open shot. 3) Cut down on the threes. The mid-range jumper is a lost art. Alston needs an electric collar. Everytime he opts to jack up an ill-advised shot, or doesn't doesn't repost, give him a little reminder. 4) Develop the bench. Our starters need rest and help. We've got potential, but no progress. It's a long season, make the most of it. 5) Use your third scoring option. Putting him in the doghouse before he's even played any real minutes is bad coaching. That relationship started on the wrong foot and will never get anywhere. People are all different, you can't deal with everyone the same way. The coach's job doesn't end off the court. 6) Make open shots. I've seen 15 yr old kids at the Rec make a higher % of open shots.
how can you say the win against Dallas was not a good win? they are the hottest team in the league right now and WE BEAT THEM.. the reason why those other teams we beat are under .500, is because, um, WE BEAT THEM...
If your to stupid to understand then Let me help you out. Why do you think EVERYONE says the same thing about Yao leading this team. He just doesnt take you over the hump. He doesnt make his team exceptionally better, he struggles against teams that play him physically. When Tmac is dominate, he dominates by creating, scoring, defending, and getting opportunities for his team mates. For as much as I love Yao. Yao isnt Hakeem, He isnt Shaq he doesnt create a problem for teams that a. Want to really D up on him, or b. Dont care how much he scores because he doesnt really make the players around him better. Yao gets better each year. But the pundits are right when they say Yao just doesnt control the flow of the game on a regular enough basis. Suck it up and realize that this Rox team has ZERO quality wins so far. If you want to throw them a bone and give them Dallas then so be it. But do you really believe the Rox RIGHT now would beat the Mavs in a 7 game series the way both teams are playing now? Fact is this team is a product of its easy schedule so far. Maybe they fix this...who knows, but your DEEEE LUSIONAL, if you think this team does anything while TMac is the "distributor" of this team.
Hello...did you look at the records of the teams we beat. The CLOSEST any team outside of Dallas, was to .500 was two games. Id say it was more a shedding of light as to what kind of teams they are.
No need for the name calling here. Let me straight this up for you: "He isnt Shaq he doesnt create a problem for teams that a. Want to really D up on him," If Yao was really D up, and the rest of the Rockets including Tmac didn't let them pay for this, shame on them! "or b. Dont care how much he scores because he doesnt really make the players around him better." can you kindly explain this to me? So far in this season, Tmac average 17.9 ppg in all games we won. So far in this season, Tmac average 22.3 ppg in all games we lost. So far in this season, we won all the games which Yao got over 22 ppg and 50% shoot percentage. You live in the PAST, man. We have a totally new Yao and a transforming Tmac this season. Ideally, we want to have a perfect inside-out combination of 26 ppg Yao and 28 ppg Tmac, but that's not happenning, is it?
