Do you think that from the Rockets last 2 convincing victories (vs TWolves and Kings), that Houston has 'found' their offensive game plan?...(ie. running the offense more through Yao like all the critics are saying the Rox should've done) <http://espn.go.com/editors/chat/img/espn.gif> Marc Stein: (12:15 PM ET ) They've been trying to retool the offense for a while now. Rudy T. has been putting in new plays that go through Yao since December. I don't think Francis and Mobley should get all the blame for the up-and-down ball movement in Houston. From what I've been told, until Yao found his second wind here in the past week, he's been too tired to be the offensive facilitator. Meaning that Rudy wanted the ball to go through him more but didn't want to burn the kid out.
Damn you beat me!!! But here's another one related to the rox Nathan Benron (Edmonton): Marc, what does the future hold for the lakers? I look at the standings and see they are only 5 games back of the 5th spot in the west. Is that a possibility for them? How high do you see them finishing? Also, what does Kobe need to do to get MVP consideration. Hes having an UNBELIEVABLE year. Why dont people mention his name with the webbers and the kidds? Marc Stein: (12:12 PM ET ) The Lakers' problem is that Minny has been getter better -- unlike last season, when the Wolves faded -- and the Rockets are finally rebounding as well. Lakers are going to have to make this a full-fledged run to get up to, say, sixth. I don't see any way they miss the playoffs and never did, but the Wolves and Rockets are making the job tougher. As for Kobe, he'll offset the 3-9 start if he keeps scoring 40. That's a tough pace to maintain, though.
I think Jazz or Suns are the most vulnerable. Jazz simply because of the aging stars they have on their team. Granted they don't run a very high octane offense, but still having a couple of old guys playing 82 games straight without being a little worn out? I think the Suns are in a similar boat the Rockets are. Both teams revolve around young star players who have immense talent but are inconsistent with it, especially on the road. I'm not too sure how difficult the remaining schedule will be for the Suns but if they have a lot of road games left against quality opponents, I think they'll be the ones to be eliminated. They're a great home team (sound familiar?), but a terrible road team. I actually believe they're a worse road team then us right now. I'm not sure if their record proves it though because I don't know what it is. It'll also matter whether Penny Hardaway is coming back for them, and how productive he'll be again. Meanwhile I think we'll develop into atleast a .500 road team by the end of the season, and keep our consistent home record.
Don't cheat yourselves guys. The most vulnerable is definitely the current 8th seed, our team. Inconsistent and sometimes dumb bball play are the biggest enemy of Rockets. Jazz and Suns don't have that problem.
I agree with cmellon. We never know what is going to happen when the Rockets play. Bad news for the game tomorrow with Cato being doubtful. Having an unfit Rice makes us vulnerable when the shots from Mobley,Francis and to a certain extent Posey aren't going down.
Nice how this just sorta gets glossed over by everyone. This guy obviously doesn't know that Rudy went home and read the Game Action forum prior to the Minnesota game, then decided to tell the guards to pass to Ming more.
