[CBS SPORTSLINE] Sura, T-Mac spark Rockets victory over Jazz

One thing I noticed in the 4th quarter was when one of the guards found TMAC wide open for a three and he nailed it. The camera cut to the usual close up while TMac backpedaled to defense, and it appeared TMac was lip-synching "Tracy MacGraaady!!" along with TGray over the PA.

Nice to see him having fun.

 

HAHA, glad I wasnt the only one to see that!!

 

I don't understand what everyone's problem is with Sura.

 

What do you mean. I don't think there's anybody on the board that's really been down on Sura. I wish he would shoot better, but overall he's played extremely well. The guard rotation seems to be really rounding out into shape. And the PFs are playing better too.

I still want to move Mo for a defensive minded, rebounding PF though.

 

People claiming that he' snot a good fit or a long term solution, along with those that claim we're weak at PG.

 

Oh do you mean the outside media. I guess you're right because a lot of media sources continue to make it seem like the Rox are still looking for PGs.

Personally I like our guard rotation. That also seems to be the growing concensus on the board. And if the PFs can continue hitting shots, then maybe they will turn popular opinion around on that front too.

 

A 'Stros like turnaround would be awesome. Granted, the Rox don't have the core they started the season with.

 

Maybe that is the reason for the turn around.

 

for some reason i taught they meant 3 pt shots. and i was shocked when i saw two by Yao Ming than i read again

i wish he could hit some 3's for us

 

Nice article
Tmac!!!

Anyways, I like Sura. If he can shoot and make shots consistently..which he has been doing..then he's good for us. He can do a lot of other stuff and he is tough/hardy/emotional.

I like our guard rotation right now. Sura, Barry, and Wesley. They are playing well together. Eventually, we'll have to replace it with younger players.

 

Maybe some think that there could be a long term problem at the point. As all these guys are old, with questionable health or years left, we will still need a point guard in a yeasr or two. None of these 3 (Sura, Wesley, or Barry)are really point guards anyway. Some peaople might be concerned about the haphazardd way we are aquiring players...

Ward is done..

We will need a point guard at some point...

 

I think playing well and getting a winning attitude right now is more important than worrying about what is going to happen in future seasons. We need to get this team to where it expects to win everytime it steps onto the court. Then we can pick up players in the future as we need them. Our guard rotation looks good right now. We can always add more pieces but the chemistry we have found lately is extremely hard to come buy.

 

I reiterate that the half-court offense focused around Yao is slowly but surely being phased out of Houston. How much can Yao contribute in a fast-paced offense that is just starting to burgeon? I've seen in the past when Yao would run down the court to get easy baskets. Those are rare though.

I think the Rockets are at a crossroads. Anyone who sees the Lakers of the past few years and the Spurs can see that they have modeled their offense around the low post big man. Kobe wanted Shaq out because he wanted to be the man, and he explicited wanted to have an uptempo offense which would allow him to get quick shots off. Then there is the Spurs' offense with Duncan. Duncan's presence takes away from Ginobli's uptempo skills, but that's how the Spurs win.

When the Rockets run the offense through Yao down in the low post this year, TMac's skills are suppressed and the offense pretty much looks like garbage. One can argue that is how the Lakers and Spurs won their championships. I agree that is probably the best way to win a championship. However, that low post big man needs to be the most stable player on the team in terms of scoring and defense. I no longer have any confidence that the offense will score points when the offense is going through Yao. Either the offense turns it over when a defender goes around Yao to steal the ball, Yao turns the ball over himself when guards swipe at the ball when he puts it on the ground, or he misses the hook shot or fadeaway.

I noticed Mehmet Okur of all people knows how to cut off Yao on the baseline. That slow baseline spin move is so predictable that even Okur can defend it easily.

What Yao needs to do is to expand his range to be able to hit a set shot jumper when TMac dishes to him. Increase his strength which allows him to convert those easy baskets when TMac or a point guard dishes to him. I don't think that's max contract value, but I think that's the best role Yao now until he figures out how to make it easier for his teammates to pass to him and be automatic on the hook shot.

 

It's max contract when you're 7-6 and the second best player on the team. Not to mention all the outside intangibles that Yao brings.

stuart

 

How many teams would offer Yao a max contract if the Rockets didn't?

 

aall the ones who could afford it... and a few who would sign and trade

 

good analysis charvo...i think yao is fitting better into the up-tempo offense tho because his stamina is getting better and better

 

I think he is indeed getting better at running the court, but what role is he playing in the offense now? Is he playing a role in an uptempo offense that is greater than what Dikembe is doing? What made Yao better than Dikembe before this season began was his skills in making shots in the half-court without needing the assistance of a point guard. This is what made Hakeem great. Kenny or whoever would just dump it down to Hakeem. Hakeem would do some moves, and the ball would go in the basket. The basket was all because of Hakeem. It wasn't because of guard penetration or anything. For Yao, I've seen major skill erosion to the point where that once dependable hook shot is very similar in shot percentage to Cato's hook shot last year. That once dependable fadeaway is not dependable anymore.

 

So you're saying that Yao isn't much better than Dikembe right now?