From the bottom 8 teams... http://espn.go.com/page2/s/simmons/031029.html Not that I put much stock in this since he put Minnesota at number 7. On the other hand, this is further evidence that everyone's expectations for the Rockets are considerably higher this season. A couple of particularly radical talk show hosts put us as high as 5th in the West. Too bad the championship teams couldn't get this kind of play...
I think a lot of this ranking the Rockets highly business has to do with the fact that everyone is really sick of "The Big Four." I think sportswriters are flat-out PRAYING for a big shakeup this season... what more can they write about Duncan or Shaq at this point? The Rockets have a couple of all-stars and a weirdly charismatic coach that haven't been totally overexposed yet, at least.
he has a new one up today that has the rocks at #5 (suns at #6). here's the link to the whole article, and ive quoted the portion about the rockets below. http://espn.go.com/page2/s/simmons/031030.html 5. Houston Some things happen that make you question everything that happened before it. Like the Eddie Murphy Era ... if he gets hit by a bus right after "Beverly Hills Cop II," he goes down as one of the great comedic minds of all-time. What a seven-year run: four Hall of Fame years on SNL, two Pantheon movies in "48 Hours" and "Trading Places," two wildly entertaining "Cop" movies, and even a watchable misfire with "Golden Child." If he disappears right there, he passes Pryor and Cosby and goes down as the greatest black comic of all-time. Well, he didn't get hit by a bus. There was the "Harlem Nights" debacle, and the singing, and those late nights with Arsenio and Magic. Suddenly, Eddie wasn't so funny anymore. There were brief signs of life in "Boomerang," and then he started making kids' movies and it was all over. He's still a Hall of Famer, but it's not the same. I don't know about you, but I try to pretend the last 12 years never happened with him. What does this have to do with the Rockets? Well, Rudy T was one of my favorite coaches this side of Kenny Reeves. And not just because he won two titles -- I liked the way he changed things on the fly, depending on his personnel. When he was rebuilding in the post-Hakeem Era, he revolved a freewheeling, playground style around Mobley and Francis -- pure genius. They were always a fun watch. And then Yao came to town. So what does Rudy do? Instead of revolving the offense around Yao, he keeps playing that same freewheeling style. Yao never gets the ball. The best passing center since Walton ... and he's an afterthought in the half-court offense. Go figure. Meanwhile, Mobley and Francis are still doing their run-and-gun thing, and poor Yao's pining for the old days on the Chinese National Team. The whole situation was so mindbogglingly stupid and improbable, Houston's front office pushed Rudy T out the door last summer. And rightfully so. Did the whole thing change Rudy T's place in history? Yeah, I think so. Can somebody be a Hall of Famer when they can't figure out how to use the next Bill Walton? If Jeff Van Gundy was smart enough to flee New York two years ago, he'll know how to use Yao -- run every halfcourt play through him, spread the floor, keep sending cutters through the lane. If they double-team him, Yao will pick the defense apart. And once the guards learn to take off on rebounds, it will be the '77 Blazers all over again. Rudy T should have known better. One more thing, and I can't emphasize this strongly enough: This is THE sleeper in the West. Maybe Jimmy Jackson won't fit in; maybe Stevie Francis won't like playing second fiddle; maybe Eric Piatkowski will battle bouts of loneliness on the road; maybe Yao played too many games this summer; maybe Eddie Griffin will be a David Lee Roth-level distraction; and maybe Moochie chopping his afro was a bad omen. But no other Western upstart has a higher ceiling. If the Rockets are running on all cylinders, would you want to play them in a five-game series? Me neither.
The top 6 were posted today... 5. Houston If Jeff Van Gundy utilizes Yao Ming correctly in the offense, the Rockets are a dangerous team. Some things happen that make you question everything that happened before it. Like the Eddie Murphy Era ... if he gets hit by a bus right after "Beverly Hills Cop II," he goes down as one of the great comedic minds of all-time. What a seven-year run: four Hall of Fame years on SNL, two Pantheon movies in "48 Hours" and "Trading Places," two wildly entertaining "Cop" movies, and even a watchable misfire with "Golden Child." If he disappears right there, he passes Pryor and Cosby and goes down as the greatest black comic of all-time. Well, he didn't get hit by a bus. There was the "Harlem Nights" debacle, and the singing, and those late nights with Arsenio and Magic. Suddenly, Eddie wasn't so funny anymore. There were brief signs of life in "Boomerang," and then he started making kids' movies and it was all over. He's still a Hall of Famer, but it's not the same. I don't know about you, but I try to pretend the last 12 years never happened with him. What does this have to do with the Rockets? Well, Rudy T was one of my favorite coaches this side of Kenny Reeves. And not just because he won two titles -- I liked the way he changed things on the fly, depending on his personnel. When he was rebuilding in the post-Hakeem Era, he revolved a freewheeling, playground style around Mobley and Francis -- pure genius. They were always a fun watch. And then Yao came to town. So what does Rudy do? Instead of revolving the offense around Yao, he keeps playing that same freewheeling style. Yao never gets the ball. The best passing center since Walton ... and he's an afterthought in the half-court offense. Go figure. Meanwhile, Mobley and Francis are still doing their run-and-gun thing, and poor Yao's pining for the old days on the Chinese National Team. The whole situation was so mindbogglingly stupid and improbable, Houston's front office pushed Rudy T out the door last summer. And rightfully so. Did the whole thing change Rudy T's place in history? Yeah, I think so. Can somebody be a Hall of Famer when they can't figure out how to use the next Bill Walton? If Jeff Van Gundy was smart enough to flee New York two years ago, he'll know how to use Yao -- run every halfcourt play through him, spread the floor, keep sending cutters through the lane. If they double-team him, Yao will pick the defense apart. And once the guards learn to take off on rebounds, it will be the '77 Blazers all over again. Rudy T should have known better. One more thing, and I can't emphasize this strongly enough: This is THE sleeper in the West. Maybe Jimmy Jackson won't fit in; maybe Stevie Francis won't like playing second fiddle; maybe Eric Piatkowski will battle bouts of loneliness on the road; maybe Yao played too many games this summer; maybe Eddie Griffin will be a David Lee Roth-level distraction; and maybe Moochie chopping his afro was a bad omen. But no other Western upstart has a higher ceiling. If the Rockets are running on all cylinders, would you want to play them in a five-game series? Me neither. http://espn.go.com/page2/s/simmons/031030.html
well simmons has become a huge yao fan so no surprise he puts us high. anyways we do have a very realistic shot at that 5 seed though i think he's underestimating minnesota. there is no team that would enjoy matching up with us, that's for sure.
I disagree with his observation that Francis and Mobley "were fun to watch" before Ming. IMO, that period of Rocket's history will go down as the "stupidball era"- a clinic on poor decision-making, over-dribbling, lazy passes, "going for the highlight reel" turnovers, and "I'll stay at this end of the court while you go down and score" defense. You call that fun!?
shhh.. don't listen to just about every sportswriter in the nation who is picking the Rockets to make the playoffs.. because the odds are stacked against the Rockets to make the playoffs...its better that way.
Bad article. Yao never gets the ball. The best passing center since Walton ... and he's an afterthought in the half-court offense. Go figure. "They did throw the ball to him," Van Gundy said. "I know it's been written a lot, that doesn't make it true."
This team is better than last year. The players that come off the bench this year will be solid veterans who have proven they belong in the NBA not CBA pickups and poor draft choices that we hope will work out. Les, CD, JVG whoever has done a good job getting some guy who can shoot to play ball with Steve and Yao. This will be the difference between what we saw last year and this, the open man is gonna make his shots. Steve will have more assists and Yao and Steve will have fewer double teams. Our defense will be improved which will improve our consistancy. I'm not saying this guy has a clue but 5th seed is attainable with a little luck and a focused team that believes in the system and each other. GO ROCKETS!!!
no, Yao did not get the ball. not nearly enough. if you think otherwise, i seriously question your observational skills. rudy is gone, and that is good. oh yeah, 5th is a little high IMO. definately possible, but 6th or 7th seems about right.
I see the Rockets getting off to a great start and these all-star salad-tossing teams starting out the season rocky. It's going to take several months for Dallas to work out the proper rotation. Their starting five from last year would have destroyed the lame group that showed up against the Lakers to open the season. The Suns barely edged the Suns (who usually give them fits) and turned around to lose against the Nuggets? They need Tony Parker back. And they need more time to integrate all the pieces. Same, but to a lesser extent, Minnesota and Los Angeles. And sure the Rockets have to work out the kinks, too, but they've got a clear system in place with players who've played with each other. Just the right mix of stars and complementary players. I think the Rockets lead the Midwest Division after the first month of the season, but finish 5th in the Western Conference.
I can understand that some people disagree, but it seems exceedingly strange to be condescending to a view shared by Jeff van Gundy. You think JVG taking over for Rudy is good but you think Van Gundy is too blind to see that Yao didn't ever get the ball? That doesn't make sense.
Yao got the ball, the offense just stood and watched though after he got it. Simmons is both brilliant and an idiot at the same time. I really don't know how he does.
Its not so much that Yao didn't get the ball... its that the offense was soooo inconsistent b/c they would do something different everytime they came down the court. Begginning of the game - pass it to Yao Middle of game - iso's for Steve and Cuttino End of game - pass it to Yao and watch. It was almost as if they had TWO different teams out there, even though the same players were on the court. JVG will CENTRALIZE the playbook around Yao... something Rudy never did (but he probably would have this year... I mean, the guy had to prove he could play first, right?)
