Analyzing and assessing our championship aspirations

why?

homers just can't accept the reality that the Rox didn't even make the playoff.

true that, from the perspective of a contender such as Boston.


but, there is a huge gap between a championship team and a non-playoff team

 

You have to win 4 rounds of the playoffs not 1... Matching up well with one team (even if they are defending champs) in no way guarantees a Finals-bound team. Look at Golden State when they beat Dallas as an 8 seed. They got the best matchup possible and took advantage but it's not like every other WC team just gave up and gave them a free pass to the Finals.

 

...with Chuck Hayes starting in place of Yao Ming at Center. We took the Lakers to 7 games two years ago, and the team has gotten better since.

 

The Lakers have gotten better too.

 

You guys are crazy if you think Houston are a top 3 west team as is.

 

Thank god, I thought I was the only one that thought this.

 

You're not. Contenders? Please! Non-playoff team + (Yao - foot) does not equal contenders.

Naturally, I'll be living and dying with each game.

 

I don't see this. You appear to have OD'd yet again on the Rockets' red koolaid. The up and coming team in the division will not be the Rockets but the Thunder. Houston (assuming Yao makes it through the full season) will be a high 40s to low 50s win team. Not enough to be a top 3 team in the West.

 

I can't tell if the Rockets think they close to contending or not. With Yao and McGrady, we were definitely trying to contend. Now that that's blown up, we're still holding on to Yao, which signals an attempt to contend, but also stocking up on these young prospects and trying to trade up in the draft, which would signal rebuilding. Is Morey trying to do both contend and stuff the pipeline with future assets, or is merely biding his time waiting for a trade window for Yao? I'm worried we'll fall between two stools, neither rebuilding well nor contending well, because Morey won't commit strongly in either direction.

 

Let's be honest here. The lakers expected us to lay down once Yao got hurt. We surprised them in Games 4 and 6, but when the series was really on the line, they blew us out of the arena.

Did I mention the small detail that the guy who pretty much lead us in that series after Yao went down.....now plays for the lakers?

Come on, guys. Let's stop being such homers. It's a little embarrassing. This team, as is, doesn't make it out of the first round.

 

I really agree with this. That's why I'm OK with us not getting any of the big name free agents. We really don't know how well this group of players will play once Yao returns, but we have a great mix of talent. We have a lot of young guys on this team that may blossom into very good NBA players. What we saw last year from Brooks, Lowry, Budinger, Hill, even Taylor was all very encouraging. And now we have Patterson to throw into the mix. I'm not crazy about Ariza, but if we don't ask him to try and do more than he is capable of, then he will be fine. If the rockets can remember how to play defense, then I believe we could win a title with this team. It will be fun to see what happens this year.

 

You've just described almost every other team in the league.

 

Better than Dallas....maybe.

OKC........idk...

 

You and I are not seeing the same thing.

I think with a healthy Yao, they are a 55+ win team.......especially with another year of development for:

CBud, AB, Hill, Taylor and a full training came for Kevin Martin....

DD

 

Pessimists just can't accept the reality that with Yao Ming but a worse supporting cast we were 1 game away from the WCF. Also, for most of the Conference semifinals (AGAINST THE LAKERS) We had no deke or yao.

 

This team is a 50-52 win team with Yao. Add an improved Budinger and Martin and maybe we're a 53-54 win team. Not good enough.

 

Current crop with everyone healthy? 2nd Round.. We are probably top 5-8 in the west.

 

upgrading "weak" positions is overrated. You cant realistically have top notch talent at every position. Role players are vital in forming team chemistry and fluidity.

Derek fsher wasnt upgraded.
Kendrick Perkins wasnt upgraded.
Bowen wasnt upgraded.
Haslem wasnt upgraded.

And so on.

that was mostly refering to our SF position...as for brooks, he's constantly growing and learning....he hasnt taken a step back or stalled at all since he's been here. We need to look at how he and martin work with Yao..Either they'll feed off of each other perfectly or we'll find out we dont need as much offense in the backcourt and that's when we should consider making changes, not now.

 

You're leaving out key things. Like having Martin for a whole season isntead of just under half. Same with hill. Its not just getting yao back. Yao alone counts for 10 more wins. Martin/hill gives us at least 4 more. We're closer to a 56-57 win team, which is definitely a top contending team. Besides, championships are won in the playoffs, not the season. Just ask Cleveland. We dont need to secure the best record. LA "only" won 57 games, which is only 3 off from your prediction. That's not much of a gap, yet one is "not enough" and the other won a ring, so again, records don't mean much when you're that close at the top of the standings. It means homecourt, but it doesnt mean much as far as who's got enough or not. Boston only won 50...look where they ended up....

plus you have to consider the rising talent in the league...there was a team when 3 team could win 60, this past year cleveland barely cracked it and only two teams passed 59. there's only so many games, so with rising team talent the wins will be spread out more. Anything around 55 is pretty damn good in today's league.

 

55+ wins? On what planet are we talking about? You continue to make blanket assumptions that another year of development for CBud, AB, Hill, Taylor will turn them into players who can challenge the top teams in the league yet you fail to explain just how this will come about. Just because they are around another year does not in and of itself translate to the level of improvement of which you speak - especially given their limitations.

DD, this isn't like having a cold that will go away over time, this is about constructing a team that can perform on par with and compete head-to-head with the top teams in the league. That requires a level of talent that these guys simply don't possess. Even if Yao manages to stay upright for a full 82 games, he still has to (again) show that he can overcome the various defensive strategies out there designed to stop him. The Tmac trade was a tacit admission on the part of the Rockets that Yao wasn't enough yet now you continue to assert that 5 years (and several injury plagued seasons) later, Yao can indeed be the difference in transforming them into a championship contender. I admire your faith but that's all it really is: faith and the hope that these things will come about.