very fair list. I disagree with some, but I know anything i'd say about this list has it's debates. ultimate conclusion: omer is not top five.
Seeing Asik soaking in his sweat after 20 min of playing really worried me. McHale's system will be extra physical for him, not only he has to protect the paint, involve himself in offense, and run during fastbreak. We all know most games are won/lost during the last 6 minutes of the game. We really should keep close eyes on McHale's subs during the game, just to make sure none are running out on fuels during crucial final minutes. The Master of managing players PT's is Popovich. If he is almost as good as Pop, then we will win games. Unfortunately, it will take many losses and mistakes to learn about individual player and his physical limit. I still have reservation about Asik as being top 5 defensively. Until he has played any substantial among of minutes against first tier starters, I, nor many others, will agree with such assessment. No problem. We all make grammatical mistakes...
The 2011 team was a better overall team but this year's team has more young talents and potential. This year, the Rockets have a bunch of young exciting players. If you didn't watch the last year's team, then you would see the big drop off from the Rockets PG play this year. Jeremy Lin is fun to watch but it was incredibly different watching Kyle Lowry and Goran Dragic combo go on the court and bring two different style of play that was effective. Kyle Lowry and Goran may not be all stars but they were both great PGs and it was a joy watching them two. Plus, having Scola who plays hard, work hard and bring the hustle play every night on the court was special. Even though the last year's team didn't make the playoffs, they had a great run before the end and it was indeed a special year. The Rockets had a lot of injuries last season but still put on an inspirational play when they beat most of the top tier teams but ran out of gas during the last stretch of the season.
We were definitely a superior team last year, and it won't even be a debate after this season is over. We had Marcus Camby and Samuel Dalembert as our center rotation, which to me, as of today, is far greater than Asik by himself. I like the potential of this years team way more obviously, and the chance of getting a good pick is better this year than it has been in a long time. But as far as being able to win games right now, 2011 wins by a long shot.
perfectly put. In a league with Dwight, Tyson Chandler, Noah, Marc Gasol, Bynum, Bogut, KG.. "top 5 on defense" is as much about staying on the court as it is about defensive talent.
