I've been preaching it! You can NOT have three giant offensive liabilities as 60 percent of your starters completely unable to make a shot, create a shot, post up, dribble drive, penetrate...and or HIT a shot. 23. That is the total combined points scored for Alston/Battier/Hayes, over the last two games. And you can find many more stretches very similar to that. Under JVG, the game was slowed down so much, that the fewer possesions meant their offensive liabilities didn't hurt the Rox as much. Now its just obvious how piss poor this starting 5 really is, outside of TMac and Yao. It is time already Ricky Rick. Steve starts at point, and time to let Scola figure it out with the bulk of the minutes at the PF spot. Ring up Rafer Alsuck to the pine, start letting James know his time is gonna start to slip, along with Bonzi too. This team is LOOOST. Here is what I wonder Ricky Rick. After this team was 6-3 you claimed "We were 6-1 not that long ago" Well since then your team is 3-8, losing to some horrible teams along the way, and should be 8-10 if one Rafer air ball doesn't land in Yaos lap to luckily beat the Bobcats. So your team has regressed, and what are you doing? Your D is terrible, your O is out of sync...what is changing?
Another DreamShake Francis thread. Francis doesn't have the legs right now to start and play heavy minutes. He's getting there though, from what I understand. If we believe Adelman in that he thought going into the season that Francis would be the starter, maybe he will be soon ... if Francis is committed to it. As for Rafer and James... both are struggling shooting the ball. For Rafer that's par for the course, but for James we have hope he's in a big slump. They have to get him going somehow. He's the best shooter of the three, easily.
Yes. We need Steve and his heart to lead this team to the soaring heights that he carried the team to before.
I have to agree and was thinking the same thing this game... We need to make a change or really work to get Battier involved in the offense more. I also don't understand why Alston gets so many open 3pt opportunities, but when Head is running the point, there don't seem to be any and James doesn't seem to get as many wide open looks either.
Rafer is a no brainer, Hayes pure black hole, but my all time favorite Battier, the glue of the team, yeah right, I can get more glue from the dung out of my behind than the glue Mr. Shane provides for this team. this guy is a pure joke. We gave up a far younger more gifted Gay for this lump of crap that specializes in taking charges. What a pure joke. The concept of "glue" on the team is usually given to players like Fisher that have the all important veteran championship experience, you know that TRUE intangible characteristic that all (champion inspired) team wants not the intangibles of a 3 playoff win loser that can't even start on a crap team. Intangibles go to guys like Horry or cassell that provide winning experiences that can be past down to the young ones that have never walked on that road before. Not some scrub veteran that has experienced nothing but losing and giving up. What the hell kind of glue is that? I will teach you how to lose is what this guy offers, There needs to be trades getting these losers out not just a change in starters. This team will go no where without true winning veterans that have travelled down that road of being the best of the best as our stars sorely lack not just experience but any gut instincts of being winners. if we do not have that transplant of experience and passion to be the best you will get this crap apathetic team like what we have now. SHane is a loser so like Juwan HowARD needs to go if per se we still call ourselves striving to be champions or has that ship passed already? if that ship has passed then Shane can stay.
Problem with James is he takes alot of contested shots. Being an undersized SG, that's probably why he's FG are so low. He needs to take open shots, preferably 3pointers.
I don't know how much say JVG had in assembling the roster for the Rockets and if thats Adelmans burden to bare or not, but lets assume JVGs input was marginal in at least giving his approval of who he'd like to bring in to the Rockets and nothing more. I think given the complete lack of talent across the board supplied with McGrady and Yao is proof that JVG (not saying better or worse than Adelman) is a better coach than he's given credit for. To cover up the deficiencies of the same 3 starters this year that were available last year says a lot. The fact that the Rockets did actually run a decent fast break when the personnel was available in 04'-05' means JVG wasn't as close minded as so many here would have you believe. The fact that he was able to polish a turd with much less talent last year than this year is proof of that. I'm not saying were he coaching this year instead of RA that the roster would be the same, or that if it was he'd manage it better, but I think if given championship talent, he'd probably have delivered a championship. Just like if RA is given championship talent, he'll probably deliver a championship. Give either coach 2 all stars and 3 starters with obvious holes in their game, then its unfair to expect either to deliver championships, much less go deep into the playoffs. The plus side is Adelman does actually have increased depth at our two weakest positions at PG and PF unlike last year. Hopefully he'll make the proper adjustments in due time. Ultimately accountability of success and failure for this team relies on its players, and much less on its coach. Count this as a pro JVG should have stayed, but pro Adelman now that he's here instead post. It wasn't JVG fault last year. It's not going to be Adelman's fault this year.
Well lets dance Clutch. I don't think I have made a Francis thread here. Its a "what are you doing differently now that we are in this funk" thread. I know you want to roll to the rescue of you main man James, but lets face it, since game 2 he has looked like turd, and the Wolves look like they were geniuses in benching him in favor of a Rookie. This is NOT a Francis thread, this is a three guys who are killing this team thread. Francis just happens to be one replaceable part. I mentioned Scola over Hayes also. At that Point...assuming Scola plays decently...then we can live with Battiers lack of offense. And the key words are "if you believe Adelman". I don't think for one second Adelman planned on using Steve as the first PG for this team.
I think it might be time to shake up the roster through a trade or some other means. This team has done what it can do. The starters outside of Yao and Tmac are terrible and the bench production has been sub par.
Way to go DreamShake ... you added "Oh, and play Scola too". I see now... definitely not a Francis thread. It doesn't bother me if people think I'm biased towards Mike James. I simply want Rafer playing less, and James represents that to me. I think I raved about Francis' play in Phoenix lately... he'll do just fine for me if he can do the job. But James can shoot better than Rafer and yes, better than Francis ... they need him to get going.
Ouch. Battier isn't that bad. He's actually pretty good. Just not worth a #8 pick possibly projected as a #1 pick in the draft, and at worst a serviceable big man with a reasonable contract that could give you 6 fouls a night.
James doesn't look the same as he did in 04-05. It doesn't seem to me that the shots just aren't going in, but he seems half a step slower. He is pressing more on his drives resulting in wild shots and is having a harder time freeing himself open for what would normally be easy jumpshots. Right now, the only ray of hope for me is that Francis's Phoenix game was not a fluke.
I question Battier being in the starting line up. Not only because he is only an average offensive player but his defensive game, which is supposed to be his strength is in need of a kick start. Just playing him because of his intangibles is poor reasoning as he should be nothing but a defensive role player at the most, coming off the bench. I think Chuch Hayes is much more important and Rafer should be exiled to Greece to play with the Greek McGrady. if I was GM- Battier, Alston Wells Head and Mutombo would nevber have made my team!! How is Novac doing?
I actually used more words on Scola than the 4 words, I dedicated to Francis. I can't help it you heard the evil words about MJ, but facts are facts MJ is getting less minutes and deservedly so. I simply wan't less Rafer too, thing is MJ isn't going to do near as much as Francis is capable of.
You just can't compete with anybody in the NBA when 60% of your starting lineup is offensively impotent. It's okay to have one and maybe two, but not three. Also, nothing wrong with the two superstar model, but Shaq and Kobe and Jordan and Pippen had much better players in the starting lineup.
LOL, it looks like you're picking a fight at a playground because I pointed out that you started another Francis thread. I said James has been terrible, but the Rockets need to get him going. You say I'm trying to "roll to the rescue of [my] main man James". Doesn't bother me ... you're just strange. Agree Francis can do more things than James, but that's not what I said. I said he's a better shooter than Francis, and he is.
