Four reasons why last year was BETTER than this year

You know what, if the Rox used this season to learn and actually play like a team next season, I'd gladly call this season part of the learning curve.

 

i will second that notion

 

Sorry, Freak, but for the second time in 3 years, the Rockets will finish with a winning record and MISS the playoffs.

Considering that 16 out of 29 teams make the playoffs or a little over 55%, that is disappointing.

At least with last season, we could say the injuries never gave them a chance.

Now we don't have that crutch to fall back on, and as a result, it has made it painfully obvious to many people here, that this *team* has no concept of what it means to play a team game.

And now I read that Rudy is rearing to go to coach next season. Greatttttttttt...

I'm glad that he will be able to recover from the cancer, but like Moe said in the Rudy T thread of Free Agent's, not having a blueprint is a recipe for disaster. It is little wonder that it can get ugly in watching the Rockets play.

 

Am I disappointed? Yes.

Did I see progress? Yes.

The way I see it is this:
The first 2 months of this season was Yao getting used to us. We were pretty much running the same offense as the previous year. Everyone was used to that system and we got off to a good start.

Then in January, it began to be the team getting used to Yao as Rudy started changing the system. Yao became the focal point.

Rudy has mentioned about how many endless hours it took the old teams to practice stuff like entry passes and getting Dream the ball at the exact right place at the exact right time.

That takes a lot of work. Apparently it is not something you just "get" and suddenly you can do it. It takes timing, rhythm, and intuition. In other words: It takes a lot of practice.

For the record, I do not want to see us lose any of our core players. I personally think all you Mobley haters are simply insane. But that's my opinion. I also think Griffin deserves more time than the majority of you are willing to give him. Just a few years ago it was common knowledge that it took several years for the teenagers to develop. Why so impatient? He showed progress. What else do you want?!

We don't need any more major changes. What we need is a group of players that get to play together for an extended period of time. Leave the starters alone. Let them avenge this years disappointments.

Have some patience. All that really matters is that we have greatly improved over last season. Next season we will be greatly improved over this one.

Back in the old days of this BBS there were only a few people who thought they knew it all. Now the board is overrun with people who think they more than the coaches about how to run a team and how to evaluate talent. If Less followed the advice of fans then we would never accomplish anything.

Like I used to always say here, I think I'll place my trust in the folks who have dedicated their careers to this team rather than the fans who think they know better.

Be patient. We'll be making noise in the playoffs soon enough. Even the so-called experts in the press seem to think that we will be the team to beat in the near future. Good times are ahead of us, folks. Don't blow it by overreacting and asking for the heads of players that do not deserve to be axed.

 

Reason #1:
I found out more people I won't hang out with because they don't support the ROX in highs and lows...

Last year, you gave EXCUSES, this year, you gave EXCUSES... next year, you guessed it, you will give EXCUSES...

STICK TO YOUR TEAM, freakers...

FRIGGIN' WHINERS... whiners whiners whiners...

 

Isn't that better than having a LOSING record and not making the playoffs?

The Rockets are one of the 16 best teams in the league for the 2nd time in 3 years. They just play in the wrong conference.

 

I guess it is a difference in philosophies. I would rather lose by 50 than by 1 because there is always a million things that run through your mind, e.g. if Francis doesn't throw the ball away in the 3rd quarter, if Yao makes that free throw at the end of the 2nd half, if Mobley hadn't blown that layup on that steal in the 4th quarter, etc.

Missing the playoffs by a game or two makes me wonder if we had only beaten Cleveland or the Knicks once (should have beaten them both times) or the Clippers,etc. Last season it didn't matter because we were so far out of it.

 

Er, I meant if Yao hadn't missed that free throw at the end of the first half.

Having no edit makes Manny go something something...

 

Anyone who actually watched Yao Ming play knew he was good. Look at what happened during the world championships. All the players on the U.S. mens basketball team were saying Yao was going to be a force in the league. Micheal Jordan and Bill Walton had seen this guy play 5 years ago and said he was going to be great. The only expectations that Yao exceeded were those who were Yao haters or those who never saw him play.

Yao didn't exceed expectations. Look at what happened during the world championships, Yao clearly held his own. Re read the quotes of the centers who matched up against Yao in the game. After playing against him they were more then impressed not only by his size but basketball skills. This is prior to being on the Rockets and playing against NBA "All-Star" caliber players. The buzz was how much better Yao would be in the World Championships if he actually was playing with NBA type players and not his fellow Chinese teammates.

So, what does this all mean? Yao had already shown that he was going to be a force in the league. What remained to be seen was how dominating he was going to be.


Well as you see, playing for the Houston Rockets hasn't made him any more dominating then he was in the "World Championships". His field goal percentage was higher in the "World Championship" compared to the NBA. The problem at the world championships was that the chinese guards couldn't get Yao the ball. The guards were not very good of course. So, the idea was that when Yao Ming plays with some real guards in the NBA that they could actually feed him the ball inside. Duh...what would you know same problem. So, yes...I do believe Rudy T's system has r****ded Yao Ming's progress cause on any other team they would have been able to feed Ming for easy dunks and layups.