The tough schedule to start this season explains some, but it doesn't explain losing to the Hawks ... and to a lesser degree Toronto (though they have knocked off the Pistons). Those were games the Rockets should have won. It's funny to watch mfclark (you still post here after such a humiliating summer?) say it's because of the Orlando Magic that Rockets fans are frustrated. Surely you're joking. Jeff Van Gundy, the offense, the supporting cast... NONE of that means the Rockets made the wrong trade. Establishing a core of McGrady and Yao, at roughly 25 years old each, was the right move and will have a big positive impact on the Rockets the next several years (assuming Yao re-signs). Point guard is a problem, and it's mainly because we have three backups at the position. A three-year deal for Charlie Ward was and is still lunacy, but hopefully he can be a strong backup. Lue is also a backup. Hopefully Sura can provide more than those two once healthy. On a sidenote, remember when some were balking at <a href="http://bbs2.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=82411">Lue for Payton</a>? Man that looks bad now. Lue can't hit threes so far (though it's early) and Payton is putting up solid shooting numbers to go with 13 points and 7 assists. I doubt the Celtics would have gone for it anyhow. As for Yao, he is a passive player. It would be nice if he threw down elbows and monster jams as cleanly as he knocks down 18-foot jumpers, but he doesn't all the time just yet ... and may not ever. While the coaching staff is working on this, the Rockets need to find the right compliment to him at the four spot. Juwan Howard is a great player to have ... Mo Taylor is a great player to have. Having both doesn't help. A defensive-minded, tough four who isn't a complete liability on the offensive end would be ideal, such as Chris Wilcox, Tyson Chandler, Stromile Swift or Nene Hilario, but all are dreams at this point. We don't have anywhere close to the tradeable assets for those types of players and probably won't have much until the offseason. If the Rockets move Howard or Taylor before the deadline this year for something that can help us, I'd be surprised. CD needs to basically get lucky ... find a team in January or February that is looking to start over and dump contracts - and it would be easier to deal with an East team. New Jersey, New Orleans, Atlanta and Chicago could be good candidates. Unfortunately CD doesn't have much to work with in the way of expiring contracts -- not this year. In the end, while they certainly have some problems right now, I think the Rockets will be fine. Securing Yao to a long-term deal this offseason, alongside McGrady, is the most important thing. Other pieces will come and fit in around such a strong duo, so we shouldn't grab "whatever" name if he has some long-term deal. We should not panic because of a couple of bad games and a slow offense. If Van Gundy doesn't turn things around, he'll get canned in time.
Barry got 4 years, $24 million. Sura got, supposedly, 4 years at about $12 million. Ward was supposed to be his backup and got the veteran minimum. The Rockets offered Barry the money, but he wanted to play in San Antonio. It was his choice. Barry is 33. Sura is 31.
Damon Jones, Mike James, or Mo Williams all were affordable and available and better choices than Charlie Ward. While I generally agree with your let's be patient take (MadMax made the point best with his illustration of the 94 championship squad), I am unhappy with Van Grumbly's handling of Boki in particular. The only way to find out if Boki is going to be a contributor is to give him consistent minutes over at least a 20 game stretch, which is exactly what JVG is NOT doing. And Bowen is not demonstrably better than Boki, and definitely has less upside.
Ok. So I guess we can say they're all old and on contracts longer than they should be. Barry > Ward+Sura? Doesn't really matter though, he didn't want to play here anyway.
Speaking of PGs, Did you see Steve Francis's stats last night? We need a vocal leader and better ball handlers on this team. I call for a boycott for any more ex-Knicks.
Thank you Jeff for starting this thread. I am getting really sick and tired of saying the samething over and over again in different threads. We are a brand new team. Besides having more individual talents, we are not better than the Bobcats or Nets. Here is what we can expect: There will be more 20+ turn over games. There will be more broken plays. There will be more defensive break downs. There will be more turn overs on passes. There will be more quarters where we just can't get Yao the ball. Expect to see lots more of the above in at least 20 more games. Just enjoy the learning curve guys. Right now our 2 headed baby monster is just learning to tie shoe laces. Even veteran members such as DaDakota(whose posts I usually agree with) are calling for heads. Don't you guys see what we have learned? Don't you see what we are capable of once we become a team?
I love all these people who say now Yao and T-Mac don’t have the pieces to work with. What pieces did Steve and Yao have to work with? This team outside of Yao and McGrady is about as talented as last year’s team outside of Yao and Francis but we need to completely overhaul the team to be a contender. I have no problem with the trade in the sense that we got a better player. I do have a problem with the trade in a sense that you were only a reliable powerfoward and a good back up point guard away from being a contender last season. Seems like we have the same problems.
Im sure you are aiming that at the folks that were all over Francis' ass...which I wasnt...but... regardless of the fact that we still need some help....you dont pass up the chance to get a better player that is younger... The trade may have set us back a year since we still need some good players.....but the upside of this team just became higher than it was last year at this time. Im not totally sure we could have gotten the help that SF and Yao needed over this offseason anyway...we still have the same problem we had last year...outside of SF and CM, we had no tradeable assets...and now those two are gone. Honestly....puting aside your abiding love of SF as a player.....do you trade a player that is limited in what he can do for a more wll rounded younger player? When you realistically look at SF vs TM...they both have things they excel at...but which one gives you the better building piece to a big man-led championship team?
I agree with : However this part I disagree: I believe we were a good point guard and a reliable powerforward away from being a contender. Steve's game just does not mesh with Yao's. Both players were held back trying to make something work, but the identity of their perspectiive games spelled impossibility. Steve is doing great being Steve in Orlando, and Yao, you must see the difference even in this early stage. For many streches in games, our offense flows better than at ANY time last year. The amount of wide open looks we get on this team is shocking. I will be able to average 5 points a game on this team.
I like this team better than the last several years, BUT there are still missing pieces. We need a starting PG and a very aggressive, rebounding machine PF. How much of a difference can Sura make? Maybe the existing players will actually fit the bill given time. I agree with Jeff's comments overall. His recent threads on the team have been better than anything you hear or read elsewhere. The board is really fantastic, I enjoy it immensely.
With the mass hysteria going on here because of some dryspells lately, I'm glad that I'm not the only one that sees this. It has been 9 games in, with a brand new team, but at times, we have gotten Yao the ball better than anytime in the last 2 years. At other times, we still had trouble. I believe it was only after the Celtics game last year when we could get the ball to Yao when fronted, consistently. And that was after a year and half of playing with eachother. Yao has probably had more open dunks in these 9 games than he has had all his life, due to Tmac. People often ignore the good and only focus on the ugly.
What is it with those NY guys anyway? Here in Dallas, the Cowboys under Parcells have also hit the proverbial iceberg and are taking on water fast as well yet Parcells aka "The Living Legend" has started rubbing people the wrong way with his "way of coaching" as has JVG with folks in Houston. Jeff is absolutely correct in that this will get better given enough time. Their fluidity of play will definitely get better as the season progresses. It's anybody's guess whether or not the degree of said improvement will be enough to make them a contending team. They will be a VERY good defensive team. However, as we saw last year and so far this year, I expect them to be a mediocre to average offensive team even with T-Mac aka "The Human Scoring Machine". This is a team that continues to struggle mightily to reach the 80 point level on a nightly basis and that's what I feel will be their ultimate undoing. Playing in the West, I just don't believe that this approach will prove successful over the long haul. So far, things are about what I've expected: they are both better and worse than last year. Assuming (and that a HUGE assumption considering the guy in charge of evaluating talent) they make the right decisions about personnel, they appear to be at least 2 years away from being able to go toe-to-toe with the big dogs in the Western Conference.
Barry went to SA for the same reason as Ward did last year: they both felt that SA provided them with the best chance to win a ring, plus in Barry's case, the money wasn't bad either.
I think I can manage 30% on wide open shots. With a little practice, next thing you know, I'm the next steve Kerr. CD, if you are reading this, I'm willing to play for the minimum. I'll even bring Deke's lotion on the bus. Jokes aside, if you can hit the open shot and play defense, Rockets can make you a star.
Go Rockets!! Is that better? Swoly-D, are you stalking me? But I do have to ask you about your sig. Are you saying those things aren't true? Or do you just like it that much?
Haha, not sure whether you can do that when the scrubs who get paid by millions cannot shoot 30% from behind the arc when no one is within 10 feet of them. Actually, it might not be a bad idea to suit up Cynthia to take over the Steve Kerr role.
