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[ESPN]NBA 2010: Which Bottom-10 team wins it all? Rockets mentioned

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by l3igballer23, Sep 18, 2006.

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  1. l3igballer23

    l3igballer23 Member

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    http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=nba2010_champs

    Here's today's roundup:


    Q: Which one of the Bottom 10 teams (Blazers, Knicks, Hawks, Wolves, Bobcats, Warriors, Raptors, Rockets, Celtics, Sonics) can win a championship in the next couple of years?

    John Denton, Florida Today: It was rare that Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming were healthy and on the court together last season, but when they were, they proved why the Rockets aren't that far away from being a contender.

    When the two were dominating together on the inside and outside, the Rockets were a stellar 21-10. And just before McGrady's back failed him yet again, the Rockets seemed poised to make a serious run at getting back into contention. They were 12-4 before McGrady called it a season because of the pain his back.

    But with one or the other out, the Rockets looked like one of the dregs of the league. At one point in the season, Houston was 0-16 in the games that McGrady either missed or left because of injury. And things weren't much better when Yao was out with an infected toe and later a broken foot.

    McGrady's back injury is nothing new, and has to be of great concern to the Rockets. It dogged him throughout his time in Orlando, and played a big role in the star guard never made it out of the first round of the playoffs. But after an offseason spent strengthening his core muscles with trainer Wayne Hall, McGrady is claiming to be as healthy as he's been in years.

    Yao proved in the World Championship that his foot is fine, and he's ready to build off his strong play late last season. He was arguably the game's best big man late last season, scoring at least 30 points eight times down the stretch.

    The addition of Shane Battier should give head coach Jeff Van Gundy a gritty defender, and McGrady and Yao another 3-point shooter when defenses collapse.

    Make no mistake about it, Van Gundy is under fire to win big or his job could soon be gone. Trading away Rudy Gay's enormous potential for Battier was proof that the Rockets are under the gun this season to make a significant jump.

    can't wait till the season starts!
     
    #1 l3igballer23, Sep 18, 2006
  2. cenbo416

    cenbo416 Contributing Member

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    Nice finding, although nothing new here.
     
    #2 cenbo416, Sep 18, 2006
  3. smoothie

    smoothie Jabari Jungle

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    same old stuff.

    we are bad without our stars, great with them.

    trading gay for battier means we are in "win now" mode.
    -----------------


    only time will tell...
     
    #3 smoothie, Sep 18, 2006
  4. Docsdock

    Docsdock Member

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    Tell me something new. What about Atlanta? With all the young talent they have stockpiled they should, down the road, be a tough team to beat.
     
    #4 Docsdock, Sep 18, 2006
  5. OGKashMoney

    OGKashMoney Member

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    Thanks.... Desperate for anything that has to do with the Rockets! God I need the season to start already!
     
    #5 OGKashMoney, Sep 18, 2006
  6. thewaterox

    thewaterox Member

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    As a Houston sports fan I feel the same way. I've decided to go out and buy another Rockets cap because after last Sunday I feel it's bad luck to wear my Texans cap. :(
     
    #6 thewaterox, Sep 18, 2006
  7. BigM

    BigM Member

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    nothing new here but nice to see some postive stuff.

    as far as mcgrady, i'll probably never not worry about the condition of his back, but looking at games played since 2000, he's hardly as injury prone as the media makes him out to be. compared to a couple other guys who seem to get the superman label, he's right there:

    mcgrady: 420 games played for an average of 70 a season.

    iverson: total: 408 games played for an average of 68 games a season.

    bryant: total: 441 games played for an average of 73.5 games a season.

    i understand the whole deal with backs and how sensitive it can be but tracy has been pain-free, or atlest played through it very well for his career. last year was his biggest injury year but if you remember there was much more going on with him personally that kept him out. also, per van gundy he would have finished out the season if they were still in contention. so he probably plays even more games last year if it had ONLY been the back injury.

    tracy says the pain is gone and his back is fine. i'll take his word for it because he's actually been fairly durable in his career.
     
    #7 BigM, Sep 18, 2006
  8. two-sandwiches

    two-sandwiches Member

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    Nothing new about evryone saying "Nothing new"!

    This a rockets web site right?

    Maybe we should take all these regurgitations and make a mix tape?
     
    #8 two-sandwiches, Sep 18, 2006
  9. Omer

    Omer Member

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    Those 21-10 and 12-4 numbers from last year bring some positive light. If McGrady is healthy all season, I truly believe we can go all the way and you should too.
     
    #9 Omer, Sep 18, 2006
  10. redefined

    redefined Member

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    I have no idea why we are mentioned amongst those teams to begin with. Its so ridiculous. I know we had a bad year but still, how did we get this low?

    I agree that the 21-10 stat is no fluke, but we were still inconsistent in those games. We need both Yao and T-Mac to remain healthy. One can't win without the other.
     
    #10 redefined, Sep 18, 2006
  11. johnkamla

    johnkamla Member

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    Did anyone read the rest of the article? 2 guys picked the T-Wolves, 1 guy picked the Knicks and 1 guy picked the Raptors. What a joke? Actually, the guy who picked the Raptors was kind of joking. The guy who picked the Knicks justified it by saying that they'd get Lebron James or Dwayne Wade or both. Ridiculously outlandish predictions. The guys who picked Minny were serious. I don't see it. I don't think they sniff the playoffs again in the KG era. They have been on a consistent decline for the last few years but even if they do regain their footing due to adding James/Foye, no way do they have the talent to be true contenders. From that list, only the Rox are close.
     
    #11 johnkamla, Sep 18, 2006
  12. Champ06

    Champ06 Member

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    Chris Sheridan summed it up quite well. IMO, Rockets should not be in the discussion.

    Chris Sheridan, ESPN Insider: First of all, this is somewhat of a loaded question. Any answer invites ridicule. You want a CHAMPIONSHIP out of one of these dregs, not just a conference finals appearance? The Rockets are easily the closest, so I'll exclude them and take a chance on one of the others … the Bobcats.
     
    #12 Champ06, Sep 18, 2006
  13. l3igballer23

    l3igballer23 Member

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    This is our chance to prove everyone wrong...preseason game aren' too far away
     
    #13 l3igballer23, Sep 18, 2006
  14. YaozaMac

    YaozaMac Member

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    Amen brother, Amen.

    I pray that he and Yao and the whole team stay healthy.............. :eek:
     
    #14 YaozaMac, Sep 18, 2006
  15. RocketForever

    RocketForever Member

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    I think we are on the list because these are the ten teams with the worst results last season.

    They should have make it more clear than these are NOT the ten worse teams going into the next season.
     
    #15 RocketForever, Sep 18, 2006
    Last edited: Sep 18, 2006
  16. DaDakota

    DaDakota Balance wins
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    This is what I have been saying all along, and there is no doubt that Tmac would have been back last year if the team was in the hunt.

    They shut him down for THIS year.

    DD
     
    #16 DaDakota, Sep 18, 2006
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