Little things like running a defensive role player out there like Bowen who is smart enough to do things like that is HUGE. Again, we need a defensive PF. Or, at least, an athletic PF.
Yao was out for a grand total of 61 game seconds in the 4th quarter. He still needs breathers or he won't finish strong. It happens. He was in for the last 4 minutes. And the first half showed why giving up Yao for him and spare change is ridiculous. Odom is reknowned for his ability to completely disappear in some games only to reappear later.
This was a good win for us. The type that keeps us grounded and forces us to work harder despite winning.
JVG should have put TMac on Odom earlier. JVG was right in taking Yao out for a breather at about 4'30" mark. Unfortunately when he came back the lead from cut down to 4 from 8. Yao should have gone up for the dunk instead of passing it to Howard when we were down 3. That unselfish play backfired since LAL quickly recovered and JH missed that shot from point blank range. Finally a win is a win and we are now officially 28-21 for the season, remarkable 22-10 after starting the season 6-11.
The Rockets do not play well against teams that shoot the 3 ball well. What the Lakers did in the 2nd half was to revert to the style that Rudy T wanted which was the 3 point gunning team. Heck...Atkins and Jones were killing the Rockets from beyond the arc. I'm sure the Rockets would have lost this game without Wesley's perimeter presence defensively. Wesley is such a good quick guard defender. Atkins was on the verge of having a great game. If Wesley hadn't locked him up somewhat, the Rockets might have lost. Man...it feels good to root wholeheartedly against the Lakers without Rudy T on the sidelines.
The only way that trade would have happened is if Charvo was the GM. If CD ever did that trade they would run him out of Houston.
Not because Yao had a good game....we aren't going to get rid of him. We can't. From a team standpoint, but also for Les, a financial standpoint. I know it's fashionable, saying the whole Odom + Butler and whatever....I'm tired of hearing it. Great win for the Rockets, 'cause I know they won't dare disappear like that in the 4th quarter again (well, at least for the next couple games). McGrady was terrible for his standards today and we still pulled it out. In a way, a PERFECT win from a team morale and disciplinary perspective.
The Rockets don't have any way of getting a decent power forward via free agency. The Rockets need to go cheap at the power forward position. I'd use the 1st round draft pick on a high schooler who can jump and run. When Odom kept on abusing Howard, it was just too evident that the Rockets need to address this issue in the offseason.
Fine Da-Glyde, put me on ignore I don't care. But I meant what I said and I clarified my post later. This team hasn't turned the corner yet, they're getting killed up front and they looked completely lost at the end. But they pulled out the win which is why I'm not trashing the team. Notice I didn't trash the team and call them losers or anything like that, I meant what I said, this team looked ready to lose. They were down by 3, one minute to go, couldn't run the offense properly and were running around like chickens with their heads cut off. The Rocks lucked out because Sura happened to fall into a guy and get a foul call, that's how out-of-control the offense was. Period. No trashing the team, just facts. But feel free to put me on Ignore.
This must be some sort of record, Charvo posting after a Rox-Laker game and he hasn't mentioned a Yao/MoT for Mihm/Odom trade and he was rooting against the Lakers. What happened???
That's a good point Charvo. McGrady and Yao are young so we can afford to allow him a year or so to develop. In the meantime we need to trade for a bruiser, a Dale Davis-type. They seem like dying breed though. The Rockets had no business blowing that lead, and they had no business coming back and winning it as bad as they looked so we have to address one problem at a time.
If we had lost the team would have been demoralized. It was nearly the worst loss of the year. We need a lot of work to do. Our defense was very bad today.
TMac's back is not strong. If TMac had to defend against guys consistently posting him up, it would definitely put him in a bind possibly aggravating his back. Of course, TMac should be used in spot situations, but TMac cannot expend an enormous amount of energy defending the 4. Look at both the Hawks' games. Al Harrington posted up TMac all the time, and Al Harrington went off against TMac. TMac is best suited for defending guys who take the ball off the dribble. Power forwards who can both post up and dribble drive to basket are abundant in the West (TD, KG, Odom, Gasol, maybe Dirk, and Amare) The Rockets could really use a power forward who can defend these guys well. Maybe Badienne could come over. Maybe not. I'd go with a high school senior.
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