Hakeem took 10 years to win his first ring, Jordan took 7. Yao is in his 9th year, and this is honestly, his last chance to prove himself.....if he is not healthy, I think the team moves on...... So, we might as well embrace what we have, hope for the best and say !! GO ROCKETS !! DD
Bosh surely would of been an upgrade for Houston. I don't care how anyone tries to spin it. Bosh would of been perfect along side Yao or without him which is why I believe Morey wanted him. Secondly, Morey wouldn't of try to acquire Bosh if he didn't believe this as well. Was he a true max guy? No but it doesn't take away that he would of made this team better.
Rockets History? Only once in the past 12 years have we made it to the 2nd round.. And if our current crop stays healthy I see us making that again.. Now to the 3rd round? That's a different question. DM knows we need home court advantage to go far deep in the playoffs.
That depends upon the makeup of the overall team and what it took to acquire him. But, it is a moot point, we are not getting him anyway.... And there are honestly no more GRADE A choice free agents out there. Might as well lace em up and hope that AB gets better, Chase gets better, Hill gets better and Yao stays healthy. GO ROCKETS !! True, but before that first championship year, the Rockets were not favorites to do it that year either. Look, I am not saying they will be champions, just that I think they are in the mix as is.... DD
there's only one lesson from recent NBA history. that's in $$tern'$ NBA big, collusion moves are what wins championships Gasol goes to Lakers = Championship KG & co go to Boston = Championship Wade + Bosh to Miami = ??? there's nothing anyone can learn from San Antonio other than be lucky and draft a HOFer while you have another HOFer on the roster.
last year lottery doesn't reflect what rox is. we lost our identity, defense, as well as yao. w/ yao back and playing defense, this team automatically is bound to playoff.
I doubt anyone here is worried about NOT making the playoffs with Yao back. What happens WHEN they get into the playoffs is the main issu.
I find it hard to believe that anybody who is even a casual observer of basketball would believe this is within the realm of possibility. He has as much chance of becoming a franchise player as you do of winning your lawsuit against the creators of Guitar Hero. And that is none. Taht's why he is a backup who plays 20 minutes a game - and yes I am aware he is a rookie and that rookies improve. It has nothing to do with rookies or jettisoning rookies- it has to do with the fact that the Rockets are a lottery team. That is a fact. That is not a wet dream like your annual Great White Hope song and dance, now manifested in Budinger. Hey speaking of rookies, didn't you spend about 6-10 months explaining to us last year why Jermaine Taylor sucks and wouldn't make it in the NBA? Obviously we all knew the real reason was because he threatened 2 DD favorites (Wafer & Budinger) which is far more important than the Rockets winning. But anyway can you give us your spin now so I can dig up a bunch of posts later that directly contradict it? Thanks in advance.
I can tell you that Toronto wasn't in a position to leverage as much as people think. Yeah we're not getting Bosh it's time to move on. Yes... there aren't any grade a choice free agents out there. That's why Morey will target a team that already has a player we can use. I still believe there's a 60% chance our team will look different come training camp.
Our best player has been here for 8 years and all we have to show for it is 1 trip to the 2nd round. He's also coming off of a career-threatening injury. What makes you think his best years aren't behind him? His scoring average has gone down for 4 years in a row now. And you're going in circles with McGrady. All in the same post. First you say the reason we were a lottery team last year is because we were missing our TWO best players. I assume you mean Yao and T-Mac. Then you say the reason we're going to win a championship this year is because T-Mac is gone.
Stedd, I think that depends upon a few things. 1. Yao's health 2. How well the current team gels 3. Homecourt advantage If they have Yao's health, and the team gels, the sky is the limit...they have some very talented players....who knows how far this team could go...... It should be a better ride this year than last year's TMac extravaganza. Hell, we should all be ECSTATIC that the Albatross is no longer around the team's neck, that alone is reason for optimism. Jettison the MAC ! DD
This ^^^^^^^ Our defense was horrible compared to years past... Hopefully with the big guy clogging the paint and just going straight up for a defensive block will improve our interior D drastically. I'm justing hoping the Refs don't call those ticky tack fouls on Yao.. They were getting better at allowing Yao to go straight up but he's been off a whole season. Will the Refs remember it's ok for Yao to be inside the Semi-circle and go straight up????
As others have mentioned, the difference between that Spurs team and this Rockets team was that their franchise player wasn't an injury waiting to happen.
Good lord, someone get me a doctor, this is a miracle. First, piss off !! And yes, I thought Taylor was not going to be an NBA player, but by the end of the year he had shown tremendous improvement. I was wrong about Taylor not being an NBA player, you wanna admit you were wrong about Brooks now? I still don't know how high Taylor's ceiling is or isn't because he was not good enough to beat NBA players off the bounce, we shall see if he can adapt to the team oriented game. DD
You also dismissed Budinger initially simply due to the fact that he was a second round pick. Anyways, we have a good pool of young players. I would still love to see DM move some of them for a solid player. A borderline all-star like Kevin Martin.
I didn't like the draft because we still had Tmac...I thought he would be traded on draft day.....so to be fair....I didn't know anything about the picks, the moaning was more about TMac and not about the draft. I don't know anything about Pat Pat either......but I do know about Bud and Taylor now, they have played in the NBA..... I BELIEVE !!!!! Don't rain on the BELIEF wagon !!!!! DD
I like his interviews, and the small amount of stuff I saw while he was at Kentucky. But if we keep Scola (Please) and Hill, I am not sure how much Pat Pat will play, he might be Rio Grande bound along with Jermaine Taylor to work on their games. DD
You understand that every team in the league has rookies, right? Every team in the league has rookies with potential. Every team in the league has a young core that COULD improve. Every team in the league has the benefit of training camp. Every team in the league will win if they play better defense. Every team in the league will win if they avoid injuries.
Yeppers, but not every team in the league has our improving players or the best center and hardest working player coming back into the lineup. You can not QUASH my opitimism....your stinking, wreaking pessimism, will not win the day !! A POX ON YOU NAYSAYERS !!! POX ON YOU ! GO ROCKETS ! DD
