please read what NBA Insider Chad Ford talked about Rockets making playoff next year. Q: Please tell me that the Rockets will make the playoffs next year. With Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley, Yao Ming and Eddie Griffin that's a playoff team, right? -- R. Tomjanovich, Houston. FORD: That's a tough call. I like the Rockets, but they are in the same boat with the Sonics, Warriors, Grizzlies, Clippers and Nuggets. All of them figure to get better next season, but who are they going to knock out of the playoffs? Seriously. The eighth seed, the Suns, are on the rise. If Amare Stoudemire keeps up the learning curve, they'll be fighting for a fifth or sixth seed next season. The Jazz are on the decline a bit, but if they can land Andre Miller this summer, my guess is that they're still in the playoffs next season when the smoke clears. The Blazers are always a grand jury away from implosion, but they have too much talent. The Lakers are the Lakers. And the T-Wolves will always have a shot as long as Kevin Garnett still wears a uniform. In other words, barring a catastrophic injury to one of the current eight playoff teams in the West, it's hard to see it happening. The Rockets have other issues. They don't have a first-round pick this year. And owner Les Alexander isn't anxious for the team to use its mid-level exception because of luxury-tax issues. At some point, the Rockets are going to have to either cross their fingers that Griffin and Bostjan Nachbar start playing up to their potential, or they're going to have to look for a trade. I like the Rockets, but they still seem to be a piece away. what is the missing piece ?
They have pieces its just they need to learn how to use them and stop with the whole isolation s***!and Eddie to develope now!!! thats all they need!
didn't we lose out to the suns by only ONE game? how come they're pegged as potential 5th or 6th seeders next season but ford lumps us with the friggin grizzlies, clippers, and nuggets? hmm. last time i checked yao was already better than amare and is just as likely and probably more so to improve going into next season. no mention of that. i'm not trying to knock phoenix but there's not even a guarantee that they will finish ahead of the rockets if you just base it on this year.
Why? because of silly media tendency to blow everyting out of proportion. Last year at this time, the Suns were the laughingstock of the league because they had traded MVP candidate PG Jason Kidd away for selfish, injury prone, me-first point guard Stephon Marbury. Now the Suns finish one whole game ahead of Houston (after getting spanked head to head 3-1) and all of a sudden, Stephon Marbury is the ideal point guard and the Rockets are now chumps for having a selfish, me first point guard. Not to say the Rox don't need changes, but you see what I mean.
The suns were on track for atleast 50, but they lost penny for 15, 20 games, which they played horrible. The playoff race really shouldn't have been close.
by the same token, yao was supposed to be a "bust". sportswriters are always right. its their job right?
The Jazz and the Blazers will fall out of contention, but the Warriors and Sonics should leapfrog the Rockets next year. Both teams were playing better than us the second half of the year...
Good point. To all of those who believe that all the Rockets need is another year with the same cast of characters I pose this question: Given their personnel, coaching and style of play, exactly which teams in the West would you rank them ahead of in the playoff race? Let's say that Utah starts rebuilding and drops out but the Blazers, Mavs, Spurs, Wolves, Suns, Lakers and Kings are playoff teams. This leaves Houston, GS & Seattle for the last spot. Exactly what did the Rockets show us this year to convince anyone that they are the better team of this group of three? Of course nothing is set in concrete as free agency will alter the makeup of everyone but GS & Seattle have made definite moves to improve their teams while the Rockets, even with the addition of Yao, appear to have stagnated.
I think the Rockets are better than the Sonics. The Warriors are hard to assess because of their history. They look to be getting much better. Yes, it's gonna be a dogfight for the last spot, not because we aren't good enough to be a playoff team, but because the West is just too good. But whoever think changing coach will make a huge difference is dreaming.
Nachbar to START playing to his potential?!!!! When has he ever had a chance?!! this guy (writer) is a waste of a blowhole...not worth reading article...
Why? When they lose Stockton and quite possibly Malone and Sloan, why would they still be contenders? I predict they will be rebuilding next year. Portland may well be too.
I remember alot of people saying the same thing about the blazers,wolves and jazz this season. Does anyone on this board honestly think that if the jazz land Brand and Miller that they won't be better than the rockets? Unless KG gets hurt, if he plays at a mvp, are they not better than the rockets. The blazers, even if they lose pippen are still more talented than the rockets. I haven't even begun to talk about the warriors keeping their team together for a 2nd yr or maybe even landing Payton. The truth is, the only way the Rockets will catch one of the other teams in the west is if they bring in another coach or Ming comes back and avg like 19pts 11rebs and 3 blks. If that hapeens ,they do have a good chance,but i wouldn't want to hang my playoffs hopes on a guy who stayed the same or a guy who played only 77 mins.
I've read many of Chad Ford's articles. He isn't an extremist who is crying out for attention. I tend to agree with him with this particular article. We just missed the playoffs this year but that doesn't guarantee we are going to get much better. To exemplify my point, look at the Clippers, one could argue that they indeed have more talent then the Rockets but again they missed the playoffs even though most experts believed they should have made the playoffs. You have your regular playoff teams: Elite teams 1. LA-Lakers 2. Sac 3. San Antonio Contenders 4. Dallas 5. Portland 6. Minn * 7. Utah That only leaves 1 spot open which happened to be taken by Phoenix this year. Next year, the Utah Jazz are not a certainty to make the playoffs because of Stockton’s retirement, hence the asterisks. That leaves 2 spots open. Who are the teams fighting for the last 2 spots: * 1. Utah 2. Phoenix 3. Houston 4. Clippers 5. Sonics 6. Warriors The only thing I disagree with is the idea that Phoenix will contend for the 5th or 6th spot next year. I think Phoenix will still be in the same boat with the rest of these non-Perennial playoff teams. If anything Phoenix won't be back next year. If I had to pick the last two positions. I think Houston will end up as the 7th seed and Phoenix as 8th seed.
The man's only saying what many of us have said repeatedly since the end of the season. If this team returns next year without making significant changes in either personnel or coaching, the playoffs are a longshot. What have the Rockets shown us this past season that should make us think otherwise?
Could someone tell me what is Nachbar's potential? He never shows that? Noe has he any chance to demonstrate that?
The Team needs Assistant Coaches that can coach! They need a Point Guard that knows how to set up his players and also plays defence, for a change. Ther need a team that plays a team game and not selfish ball. They need an experienced BIG Mans Coach to help Yao Ming learn how to play the NBA BIG mans game. They need to get rid of the dead wood- Moochie and Rice to name two of them. They need a Power Forward that has GUTS,one that can rebound, block and score when needed. Most of all thay need a Game Plan and a defined 'DIRECTION'- Are they playing small Ball or a Big Mans Game. (I thaught that NBA Basketball was a Big Mans Game). They should cut their cloth accordingly, ie get players that play the way of the Coaches defined game plan. Once the Direction is set no player should be exempt from a Trade not even Steve Francis or Yao Ming!
