This may sound like a bit of a stupid question, but do you really think we are that far off being a decent team? We're not exactly getting blown out in games, as we all know our main problem is having a defensive presence in the paint to change shots and you know, take a rebound now and then! Second chance points and easy layups are killing us, I personally think that a decent big makes us instantly a 50 win team.. Am i losing the plot?
We are as mediocre as mediocre can be, it's really sad because for the past decade we always had something to look forward to except for this season... Everything just went downhill after Yao left.
To answer your question. YES, yes we are THAT bad The reason why we hang around in games is because even the worst team has NBA players on it and they are professionals, not scrubs playing in LA Fitness (like me lol). But bad teams find a way to make a mistake that hurts them at a crucial point and we do that almost every night. 50 wins this season? More like 50 losses.
The starting five have been effective and you may be right about how a legit big could make the difference , but I think when your two biggest needs are a superstar wing and a 7-foot defensive force, you're pretty far off.
Who ever said we aren't a decent team? The Rockets are actually a pretty good team, just not great. Rockets are composed of a lot of really solid role players, but we have no closer currently and haven't had a rim protector since Mutombo. This is also the reason why we can keep close with any team out there, but typically lose in crunch time. If we had Chandler or Dalembert at C this year for instance, we would easily be playoff contenders. If we had a consistent closer, we could go deep in the lottery. Unfortunately good centers are hard to find (part of the reason FO was so reluctant to move on from Yao) and closers are even harder to find. That is why we are stuck in mediocrity.
I'm kinda surprised threads like this keep popping up. Yes, we're that bad. We overachieved last season...and still fell short of 50 wins. Reality set in.
Our roster essentially consists of: One top flight 3rd (or flawed but decent 2nd) option starter One strong supporting starter And 12 very good bench players. We're two real, bonafide All-Stars and a fifth legit starter away from contending. In other words, we really do belong in the league's second half. It's a harsh truth....but it's the truth. We need a blockbuster Melo-type deal just to become playoff fodder. That's sad.
Pretty much, I think a Tyson Chandler type makes us a legit playoff team but still not really close to a title contender.
Considering we've been looking for that 7-foot defensive force for the last two seasons and the best we can do is a 6'6" classic over achiever .... yeah. At this point I'd settle for just the big .... and see wher it leads us.
Lemme ask you though... A team like the Thunder, who has 2 bonafide all-stars, can't contend right now and likely won't unless they make some big time changes. Is it just different going from team to team?
we are over achieving as a team. if we don't out hustle the opponent, its pretty much certain we don't have a chance. it is quite impressive that we are competitive for 85% of a game for most of the games. When we run out of gas, our deficiencies begin to show. Like Clutch said, if you need an all star and a 7 foot defensive presence, then you are in some serious trouble.
The issue with the team is simple to me. These guys on the current roster were brought in to help Yao for the most part. When he went down, it took away what they wanted to do. I'm a guy that thinks "this is a bump in the road". The Rockets will need a trade or 2 to make the postseason this year, and I'm fairly certain they'll be in the playoffs next year.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/v4jGSvxCRp4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> I still love the Rockets more than any team in all of sports, but this is not fun. We need to make some bigtime moves. NOW.
last year, we overachieved due to our adequate defense and RA's read-react pushing offense. what do you expect from this team with no significant changes plus our defense can be found in the toilet only?
Not Cleveland Cavs or Washington Wiz bad. Just too many logjams at positions, the Brad Miller signing was horrendous, too many prospects that might be a few years away from blossoming. Morey is overrated IMO, team looks like a Lego set put together by a 6 year old.
I think you were right the first time... We are a team that was supposed to be built around a superstar center without a superstar center. It's like the whole franchise is still shell-shocked about losing Yao. It may take a few years before we figure out where we go from here. Until then, expect what we're getting this year.
I don't think he's been the GM long enough to be "overrated". Overrated GMs to me mean 2 steps from fired, and he's not close to that (yet). The Miller signing was fine til Miller was needed more than one thought. Besides, dude doesn't make ****. 4.4 mil? Blah he can be dealt in the off-season if the Rockets felt like it.
