Ok this is getting ridiculous. Ariza gets hurt, so everyone decides, I guess it is time to start blaming Brooks for all the losses because our goat Ariza is now gone, instead of just looking at the big picture. Guys THIS TEAM IS NOT BUILT TO WIN JUST YET. This team is built for next year on the hope that Yao returns at 100%, and/or we add a premiere starting 4 (aka Bosh). We have 2 guys over 6'9" (Jeffries/Andersen) 1 of which could barely get minutes for the Knicks, and the other who couldn't beat out 6'6" Chuck Hayes for starting center. Just let the Rockets players gel a little this year, expect losses to pile up and deal with it. It isn't Brook's fault, or anyone else's fault for that matter, it is just a small team, that is full of role players, waiting for Yao to come back. I don't know if it was just me and some buddies or if it was CFans who said if you filled Yao with shooters, the Rockets would be scary good when Yao gets constantly doubled and tripled teamed, but now we have done just that. - Brooks - Great 3 point shooter, especially when wide open - Martin - Great 3 point shooter, also exceptionally good driver/foul creator, I'd also like to add he is gonna be what Tmac was and get the ball inside to Yao VERY LIKELY. - Ariza - Good 3 point shooter when defenders are not on him and he isn't the go to guy (look at him w/ the Lakers last 2 years). - Battier - Pretty good 3 point shooter from corners (I would like him to make it more often, but he isn't bad) - Scola - Not a 3 point shooter, but a very solid mid range jumper to go with his inside game The other guy I'm missing: - Lowry - He ISN'T GOING TO START because he isn't the right mold for a Yao 1st offense. I agree with everyone, Lowry is WAY BETTER at running a team than Brooks, BUT Yao doesn't need a team "run" for him. Yao requires only 3 things to have a team effective around him: 1) Someone who can bring the ball up. 2) Someone who is tall who can pass the ball into him (aka Martin) 3) People around him who can shoot the 3 Lowry CAN'T shoot the 3 as well as Brooks that is a fact. Lowry does really well in small lineups because he is good at finding cutting players and getting them the ball (which is why he always was in with the Rocket's 2nd unit last year), but the fact is that Yao is like every other big man in the league past and present (outside of the Hakeems) and cannot catch anything but a lob pass inside to him. You guys need to just deal with the losses and be happy we aren't the freaking Timberwolves or Nets or Warriors who are depending on getting a top 2 pick to even have a chance to be competitive in the next 5 years (maybe longer). We have a team READY for next year, with assets that can give us the ability to make us even better. Deal with the losses, and be happy this team actually looks like it is being built up correctly.
People are just pissed off. They'll get over it. We've set are selves up for disappointment this season. We've overachieved on heart and hustle but that only lasts so long. We have added and taken away too many pieces to play consistantly. People are playing out of position and things just aren't clicking. Developmental Season.
Some issues here: Martin isn't going to be a great passer to Yao in all likelihood based on his assist rates compared to usage from all his previous years. Something about Lowry part: I'm of the opinion it'll be of the Yao 2nd offense where the fast break/easy shots are looked for first and Yao is given the ball only if they fail in early offense to find a great shot. And lol at "someone who can bring the ball up" And.......yeah losses suck and "there's always next year" but why are you even comparing us to timberwolves or nets or warriors? We never sank that low and it would be better to set our goals to reach the point where we can say "at least we aren't the Nuggets or the Magic".
Code: People are playing out of position and things just aren't clicking. It's more than players out of position. The Rockets are not athletic enough to compete with games like last night. Yao erases a lot of defensive mistakes, and the team will jump at least 10 spots in every defensive category if/when he comes back. But Battier is old, Ariza, Martin, and Scola are finesse players, and Lowry and Brooks have weak points regardless of their positives in situational play. Damn, if the Cav's got exposed as a weak athletic team by Orlando last year... with the best player in the NBA, anyone think that Yao will solve all our issues? I like this roster, but looking fwd to Morey completing cuz it ain't done. Relax people, they are who we they thought they were.
I agree on chilling when it comes to the Brooks hate. The guy is putting up 20/5 on some pretty solid shooting numbers. I don't think we can hold it against him that he isn't Chris Paul or Deron Williams when he was picked at the end of the first round and will probably make 1/3 or less of the money those guys make over his career. The guy is quickly making himself into one of the biggest draft steals in recent history. He's is doing all he can on a team decimated with injuries. I think we should be extremely thankful we have him.
No hating here. But I'd still like Lowry to start with that lineup for differnt reasons: 1. Rockets can start fast break better with Lowry. Scola/Ariza/Martin are all good fast break runners, Lowry is better at that than AB by far. 2. Balance. Yao/Scola/Ariza/Martin/Lowry would make the team more balanced, 3 good scorers in Yao/Scola/Martin and 3 good defenive players in Yao/Ariza/Lowry. Offense is only one part of the game, defense is just as impotant as offense, more impotant in playoffs. AB/Martin backcourt is simply too big a liability by then. Plus Without AB, this lineup is still capable of putting up big numbers as long as everybody is healthy. 3. Other intangibles. Except scoring, Lowry just does more things than AB, like rebounding, getting lose balls, drawing charges etc. Those things translates to points too. With Yao/Ariza/Martin/Ab, Rockets might have too many TOs as a team. 4.Shots distribution. For this year AB has been No1 scoring option, which is fine since he has been the most efficient scorers on Rockets besides Landry who is not a starter. But next year once Yao comes back and Martin/Scola/Ariza in the lineup, AB's shots would go down. So far AB is still a guy that impacts the game by his scoring, but not much else. If he can't take that many shots, his impact on offense would be less than this year. Lowry doesn't need many shots to impact the game. 5.Bench. With Landry gone, there isn't enough scoring off the bench at this moment. AB can simply provide that like Manu and Terry. That would make the entire team more balanced as well. And AB is a better scorer when he doesn't have to worry about running the team. 6. When AB has a hot hand or there is a mismatch on some give nights, he can just take more minutes away from Lowry. He impacts the game bigger than Lowry when his shots are really falling. 7. Overall I believe (the gain on Office by AB - the loss on defense/other by AB)<(The gain on defense/other by Lowry - the loss on offense by Lowry.) 8. That maybe changed depending on how Yao plays once he comes back, how much AB/Lowry improves during the summer, what personnel change Mowry made in the summer etc.
Like I said... The rest of the season is going to be a Roller Coaster ride..... Some great Hi's and some horrific Low's.... So just sent back and enjoy it...
It is all about the draft pick and letting the young guys gel baby ! And for the love of PETE.....put that image in spoiler tags....friggen rookies...SHEESH ! DD
Hey DD are you gonna do a Draft-extravagnaza vid? Oh and yeah this brooks hate is temporary, look at the Ariza hate and the dying Battier help.
I agree. Just because they did so well when Tracy and Yao was out (you could even consider Ron Artest) that everyone now puts so much on them. Teams are starting to see them as no longer chumps and scouted them out. Whether we make it to the playoffs or not this season, I still think it was a successful season. We had a lot of enjoyable games to watch. We got to see a lot of good things out of our young players and we also got Kevin Martin (which after seeing how he plays and how well he shoots. I'm really happy with)
As far as Lowry, I love him. I just can't see him playing that up-tempo game EVERY NIGHT like some people say he could do for us. We could all agree that the team, especially Yao, will not have the legs to do that night in and night out.
In a season where we're not expect to make the playoff, people tend to turn up the volume on their PA system. "idiots with microphones" is what I say! :grin: or the relationship between us and the team is soooooo strong that when the team sucks we feel we suck, and since we don't really feel we suck we blame/hate someone else, blindly.
Guys THIS TEAM IS NOT BUILT TO WIN JUST YET. This team is built for next year on the hope that Yao returns at 100%, and/or we add a premiere starting 4 (aka Bosh). Keyword HOPE. The rockets hope yao stays healthy but let's be realistic it's not going to happen. Too Tall, too heavy and not very athletic to expect him to stay healthy. Yao is a very talented player but unfortunately he will get hurt due to the nature of his size.
I favor the starting lineup of Yao Scola Ariza Martin and Brooks but don't be suprise if you see Yao Scola Battier Ariza and Brooks or Lowry during crunch time because Adelman trust those who play defense and give them more minutes. Did you see him giving Jeffries a lot of minutes last night ?? because of his defense...everyone knows defense WINS GAME..not offense!
The trend of clutchfans hate on Rocket guards continue... Rafer, Tmac, Luther Head, ...even Stevie Franchise got his share of hate ...perhaps the only solution is to bring Bob Sura back to replace Brooks
