Stench follows trade winds After the dealing, Rockets are reeling from most lopsided loss By JONATHAN FEIGEN Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NBA: Milwaukee 115, Houston 87 FINAL -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- COMING UP Wednesday: at Cleveland, 6:00 p.m. TV/Radio: Listings; KILT (610 AM) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MILWAUKEE - Now that the Rockets have begun housecleaning, they made a case Tuesday for who should be next to go. All of them. But the problem, after they so meekly rolled over in losing 115-87 to the Bucks on Tuesday night, will be finding takers for anyone associated with the Rockets' most complete surrender of the season. A day after they were stunned by the trade of Jim Jackson, the Rockets made Jackson seem more valuable than when choosing up sides at the Jackson family picnic. But the pattern was so familiar, the collapse so thorough, no one blamed his absence or a post-trade hangover for Tuesday's performance. "That's five, six, seven times we had games like that this year," said guard Bob Sura, a rare exception to the Rockets' latest disinterested disaster. "I don't know what it is." Asked when the game got away from them, Sura said, "When the bus pulled up." By the third quarter, the Rockets had accepted falling behind by as much as 31 that a meager rally against the last bodies at end of the Bucks' short bench could not prevent the Rockets from their most lopsided loss of the season. "I don't know what it is," Tracy McGrady said. "I don't know what it's going to take. They just played harder than us. "They knocked down shots and we didn't. Sometimes it goes like that. But we've got to do better than that. We can't play like this. There's no excuse for not coming out and competing." Even playing with a thin and injured backcourt could not explain a loss this complete. Jon Barry, playing in his second game with the Rockets, missed all eight of his shots. David Wesley, acquired Monday, will not join the team until today's game in Cleveland. But despite playing with a sore right knee, Sura had 19 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. But the starting frontcourt combined for just nine rebounds. The Rockets committed 18 turnovers. It goes without saying by now that they did not get back defensively. Even the Rockets' usual strong defense was so poor that the Bucks made 65.4 percent of their first-quarter shots. While many were layups taken while the Rockets defended as if guiding traffic out of the parking lots after the game, when Desmond Mason began hitting step-back jumpers to score 14 of his 24 points in the first quarter, the Rockets gave up. If the Rockets had not been there before, they crossed the line from a disappointing team to a bad team, a bad team doing nothing well. The December run toward .500 was rendered a fraud of convenient scheduling, as the Rockets lost their fourth consecutive game on the road, where teams are often revealed for what they are. "We got hammered on the boards, hammered in transition and hammered off the dribble," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said. Asked what could be done to put a more inspired team on the floor, Van Gundy said, "Get motivated players." His players did not argue. "We just were not ready to play tonight," said Yao Ming, who had 10 points and three rebounds. McGrady made just seven of 19 shots for his 20 points, adding five assists before sitting out the fourth quarter. But he was never able to get on an offensive roll, as a shooter or playmaker. "Right now," he said, "I'm playing inconsistent and I have to turn it around somehow, someway." McGrady said he and Yao have to inspire the Rockets enough to prevent such failures. "It's not on the coach," McGrady said. "Anybody should want to be here, be successful, be on a winning team. "This is a great organization. There are two of the best guys in the league here. Myself and Yao, we've got to get this team motivated every night to compete at a high level. "We've got to find some way to motivate ourselves to make something happen. We're the best players. "We don't have to be loud. We don't have to speak up. "But we do have to play hard, be aggressive, dive for loose balls in every game and every practice. We have to lead." But for now, if Barry and Wesley thought they had been delivered from sinking ships in Atlanta and New Orleans, they might have found they have boarded the Titanic instead. jonathan.feigen@chron.com http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/2969218
Okay....a few points to make. Getting DW may or may not help us, but if it does help then it most likely won't be too much. I think what this team needs is a BIG change. No don't trade TMAC or Yao, just FIRE JVG! I often wonder, if JVG had 1 year remaining on his contract would he have been out of here already? I think so. It seems the contract is the only thing keeping him here right now and that just ****es me off. These little changes aren't going to make a big difference, and I think that's what we need. Who do we hire? I have no idea, but I'm sure we could find someone. I think I saw a post where someone suggested Eric Musselman? I really don't care who it is, pretty much anyone would be an upgrade. I hate what I saw in someones signature. It quotes Phil Jackson saying "Defense wins championships, offense puts people in the seats" or something like that. Well I think it's true and if we were winning and people weren't showing up then I'd be okay with keeping JVG, but NOTHING is going good for us right now so I think a BIG change is what we need. Now it's time for my pedicure in the sauna, I need to let some heat out. Pugs
Poor Jonathan Feigen - imagine getting paid to watch the garbage known as the Rockets and then WRITE about it! If anyone deserves to say "kill me now", it is that man.
Barry went 0-8, I forgot who mentioned it about the kryptonite that affects previsouly decent shooters whenever they get on the Rox.
Did anybody read this. It would be different if our stars were complaining about JVG, they are not, so guess what, he not going anywhere. Now if the star players turn, then it's a different story.
GRENDAL, I think our guys are taking the high road with Gumby. It is either that or they are just blowing smoke up our asses because they have already quit on the man.
I personally don't think so, I just think that both Yao and T-Mac are trying to carry this team of scrubs, aside from Sura and Deke, and get them to compete and be successful.
Didn't Worrel, during last night's broadcast, say that Wesley was not going to play tonight in Cleveland due to JJ not reporting? I'm confused.
