What's funny is that the majority of people on here are posting the pistons's as having no star's but the yr after they won their championship, they had like 4 all-stars Rip, Chancey, Rasheed, and Wallece..... :grin:
Hakeem, Yao Ming, Mose Malone, RalphSampson, Tracy McGrady. Elvin Hayes, Rick Berry etc etc I see what you mean!!
4 all stars but I still didn't consider any of them to be on the SUPER star level ala Kobe, Shaq, Wade, Duncan, etc. which you do normally need to build a championship team around Billups is a top-tier PG and a great closer but nowhere near the level of a Kobe or Wade you could take over a game and even an entire series
You don't need a superstar, but you do need a guy that can carry the load for critical stretches like the pistons did. In their prime or run, they were better than what the rockets have because they had guys that could go off for stretches and they play exceptional defense 1-5. The team that won the title was really deep with okur,elden,and corliss on the bench. I like brooks and landry to be the next up all star caliber types and scola is a very good and consistent performer. Ariza has shown he can knock down big shots when he's not the main dude and Yao is yao. If they can get a decent player for tracy, they should be better, but being better doesn't mean winning a ring. We don't know how Yao is going to come out on the other side of this injury. My feeling is they're kinda stuck in the middle of not being good enough to win a title and not bad enough to get a high pick. The other problem is the lakers,spurs,mavs,and suns are older teams that will still be good in 3 yrs and looking in the west coast mirtrors, ok city,sacramento, and portland arecoming up fast. All of those teams have that guy and i guess you could throw utah and n.o. in there also. It makes the game or chances a little harder, but its not impossible.
I don't think you do understand what I mean. Sometimes the big ego's and big salaries that come along with some superstars are a pain in the neck. I remember a lot of tension in the locker room when we had both Charles and Clyde. That whole thing with Pippen was just a disaster, and nobody shed any tears the day Rick Barry decided to retire. I'm just saying I don't think we need to rush out and try and force a trade for a "superstar" when it looks like we are doing a pretty good job developing our own talent. Who knows how much more these guys will improve? I'm pleased with the young nucleus of players we have assembled, and I'm perfectly happy waiting to see what they can do when Yao returns. If we don't win a championship this year it won't be the end of the world.
You keep overrating Brooks. As good as he has played this year, he's still a very poor man's Steve Francis with the mentality of sharing the ball. Brooks is too one dimensional and his lack of size will be fatel against certain teams. Double team will be needed when he's getting posted up to prevent an easy score.
Some of you drink too much Kool Aid. Only two ensemble teams in the history have ever one a NBA Title. The 78-79 Sonics & 03-04 Pistons. Both were design around being lock-down defensive teams that slowed the game down to a half-court grudge matches. There were both the best defensive teams in the league in their respective seasons (Yes, the Pistons were "2nd" behind the Spurs, but you were more scared of the Pistons defense than the Spurs. Plus, Pistons raised the level of their defense in the playoffs.) We do not have a team to play in that set up. We do better in an organized run n' gun. We don't execute well in slow pace, half-court set up. We do not have lock down defenders at any position other than SF/SG, and even Battier and Ariza do not always make up for on the offensive end or make mistakes on defense (more Ariza). As much as I like Hayes, he simply cannot defend some players. Brooks is average defender at best. Lowry does not get the minutes to show if he can be a true starting lock-down defender. Both Landry & Scola are vulnerable to either silly fouls or better, star PF's. 2 out of 54 teams with no stars. That are your odds, and both teams were constructed completely differently than our team. Having to compete against teams with 2-3 star players (Lakers, Denver, Dallas, Boston, Magic, Atlanta, Cleveland); players whose bad games are good games by many of our role players. Having no home court (both those teams had home court for at least a few rounds). There is absolutely no way.
The fact that the only non-superstar example most of us can come up with is the '04 Pistons says two things: 1) Yes, it can be done. 2) It's damn near impossible. The Pistons pulled it off because they had at least 3 all-star level starters and a solid bench, and that's probably the template for a non-superstar championship. The Rockets are about 2.5 all-star level starters from that. In my opinion, the biggest thing a superstar does in the playoffs is to take pressure off the other starters and role players, allowing them to step up -- think Mario Elie, Robert Horry, Sammy C., Kenny's barage o' threes, etc. None of those are possible if the entire opposition isn't so concerned with how Dream is tearing them apart inside.
Also, if there were ever a coach whose system makes it easier to win a title without a superstar, it's Rick Adelman.
Brooks lack of size is rarely exploited on defense by opposing PGs, because outside of Billups and Deron no other point guards in the league actually have a post game. I for one will be SEVERELY dissapointed if Landry and Brooks are packaged with Mac to get a all-star. Its hard to find all-star PG and PF talent.
tmac was never a superstar on the rockets. yao will never be a superstar until he actually stays healthy. i do agree he has the potential. yao is more international star/all star but i wouldn't put him among dream, kareem, wilt, etc.
if i remember right, 04' Pistons had 4 ALL STARS if we have 4 all stars then i say yeah we may not need a super star
Those guys made All Star teams because they were winners. None of them put up the kind of stats you expect from an All Star. Here is each guy's stats in the Championship season: Billups: 16.9ppg 5.7 apg .394FG% Rip: 17.6ppg 4 apg .455FG% Rasheed: 13.7ppg 7rpg .431FG% B. Wallace: 9.5ppg 12.4 rpg .421FG% Does anyone of those guys look like an All Star based on the stats?
Are you serious with this question? The answer is well documented and been repeated many times. - First finals appearance the Trailblazers ran into prime Jordan and a great Bulls team. - Second finals appearance the Kings were cheated out of their ring by a corrupt referee.
I think it's more important to ask, can a team win with ONLY a superstar? The answer is no...ala Cleveland Cavs. A great team consists of players who work together, when human beings work together great things can be achieved. So yes, I do think a team without a star can win the title. They just have to be a team, in everyone sense of the word.
Ben Wallace also almost averaged 3 blocks a game. In his prime he was a really good defender. Something we lack. But as poster mentioned Billups > AB regardless of stats Rip > Ariza Rasheed > Scola B. Wallace > Hayes Prince = Shane but Prince had length. Prince could also score better than Shane can. Overall starting talent Pistons > Rockets. Defense Pistons >>>>>>>> Rockets Offense Pistons = Rockets Lets put it this way if any team can play defense like how Detriot did that year, they have a chance to win. Quite frankly, I think they were sort of Lucky because you had the Kobe incident, Karl Malone had an injure and Gary Payton sucked. I think if the Spurs made it into the finals, they would of have beaten Detroit.
If the Rockets play with maximum efficiency and minimal errors, they have as good a chance at the ring as any other team. The problem is that a finely sharpened pencil can easily be broken, especially by an Ariza brickfeast.
