Hollinger on the Rockets' prospects for this season

Rosen generally only gets negative with the Rockets when Van Gundy was coaching. It was personal for him.

 

tough to argue with the points, but sounds awfully pessimistic.
i think we've develop some of the young players, and with scola and battier, i think we'll have a competitive team with or without yao and mac. although we won't be a title contender with our current situation, i can definitely see us making the playoffs. i think Taylor will surprise everone once he gets used to the speed and the players he'll be playing against, budinger, i don't have so much expectations, and also Lull with be playing overseas in a good league in spain. he'll develop more and he's 6'3. he's not a badiane. he's got experience and has shown that he can play.

overall, i'm excited about the future, and looking forward to seeing what this team can do next year with the roster we have. let's see what money ball is really about.

 

I know. And the motion keeps us competing LOL. Ive just officially lost my brain as a Rockets fan. Finally broke under the torture.

 

Yea I think we would be around a 30-35 win team. Even if yao played this season, we would probably improve like 3-5 extra games. We just need a player that can lead a group of good role players. Tmac probably can if fully determined and healthy but a healthy yao cant.

 

I agree with Hollinger we are best case right now looking at the 6th seed. We are not better than LA, SA, DEN, PORT, DAL and I would look for Utah to bounce back and have a better season, NO to take a step back with OKC and LAC making huge jumps to contend for the 8th spot.
If only we were in the East . . . .

 

I totally believe John Hollinger is all-out reverse-jinx mode when it comes to the Rockets. He intentionally writes bad traditional sportswriter crap about us just because he can; he doesn't want to reveal his secret mancrush on the way we run our basketball operations so he gives us the cold shoulder aka the Bilas Treatment. He's like Steven Spielberg after Saving Private Ryan lost to Shakespeare in Love, or Weezer after Pinkerton failed to gain widespread support. In essence, he's gone dark.

 

I think a bunch of you are way to pessimistic . Nothing new really. I think we do still have a star, even if Tracy or Yao don't make it back. Scola may not be an all-star or a splashy star type player, but the Rockets wouldn't have won a a lot of games they did without him. He is really really good. Led us to win two games after Yao got hurt against the Lakers. He is a very big part of the heart of the team. Of course Battier is and has been. Battier is a hard worker and has to be about the best defender out there, and pretty good 3 point shooter. Our point guards had a great playoff for the most part and usually outplayed their competition. I expect them to get even better.

I really wasn't that impressed a lot with Artest (although I wanted him on the team before we got him.) He seemed to have gotten a little too thick and seemed slow. Plus he disappeared in some of the playoff games. I thin k getting Trevor Ariza instead is a great move and I expect a lot from him, especially as he gets more touches. He really reminds me of a young Robert Horry. He shoots the three or he can drive in and thrown down a monster dunk. Plus he's a great defender.

Also, Tracy just might be active and hopefully able to go at some point mid-season or so. Who knows?? Hope he makes it back and is healthy. Same with Yao, it sounds like he could maybe be back towards the end of the season possibly. That would be great. I think even without them though, the Rockets are still a good team and will compete every night and I see them winning in the mid 40's to perhaps even getting into the 50's. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see the Rockets leading the league in the early going. Maybe I'm too optimistic on that, but we still have a heck of a lot of talent and a great coach. Not through making deals yet either.

I think Landry had some tough stretches with injuries and getting shot (LOL) last year. Hopefully he shows some of the hops next year that he did in his first year, plus gets more minutes. I think he impresses me as much as just about any of the power forwards out there.

Now throw in Dorsey. He looks great in the summer league. He might be ready to really help on Defense.

We already have Hayes as well.

Now they have added Dave Andersen at center. We had no center at all when we played some of those playoff games. This guy has been on what about 5 euro championship teams and is one of the most respected centers over there. I wonder about his defense, but I really think this guy can play and Adelman will find a system that works between him; Scola, Hayes, Landry, and Dorsey.

Really liking Budinger also. Not sure about Taylor or White but think they can fill a role and take over for Von. Von was a little bit trigger happy and hurt as much as helped on numerous occasions. So I think one of them should be as good or better.

Should be an exciting season, as I think we still have an above average team.

 

Just watch, Scola. He's gonna have one hell of a year. I predict 18-22 points per game 8 rebounds.

 

I don't get this.

How is this team appeciably different from the one that took the Lakers to 7 games?

No Von? Ok, heck, DJ Strawberry was a coin-flip for Von at the beginning of the year last year as to which one would be signed to ride the pine all year. Only TMac staying hurt, Artest and Barry being gimped up, allowed Von to get some floor time in the first place. And yeah he can shoot. But so can a lot of guys.

No Artest? Ok, but remember, he also was lame for half the year, and since we are talking about win totals for the entire season, I doubt that having a healthy and young Ariza all year, versus a wounded and old Artest is that much of a downgrade.

True, no Yao. But his defense should be able to be picked up by Hayes, Dorsey and Andersen, even Scola at times. And his 20 ppg will be offset by Andersen and Brooks' continued rise to stardom.

Am I saying this team is a championship contender this year? Probably not. But the sky is definitely not falling just yet.

 

They won twice at home, and were blown out twice on the road. We also lose depth without last year's stars, meaning any further injuries we suffer will take an even greater toll on us. Assuming perfect health, I think this team can win 40 game or so. If McGrady joins midseason, maybe we push that to 45 wins. But somewhere in the 30-40 range seems more realistic.

 

If Dorsey and Hayes play more, the Rockets lose the offense for that time period. The other players will be less effective offensively, because of Dorsey and Chuck'ss defender doubling off them.

If Andersen plays more, the Rockets lose offense, defense, rebounding and blocking. Don't even suggest he can partially make up for Yao.

 

I'm a Rockets loyalist in good time and bad, so I really do hate to be pessimistic. However, moneyball is the ruination of the Rockets. Had we been under moneyball management in earlier years, I very seriously doubt whether we would have traded for T-Mc or drafted Yao. And, no, I am not attributing any foresight to moneyball regarding the injuries they suffered. Had that been the case they would have passed on Ariza's malformed feet. I doubt whether he can play the full year without injury and certainly not two.

That's not what a majority of the board wants to hear, but any realistic person knows it's the truth. I just hope we finally get smart about rebuilding and quit trying to do it on the cheap.

 

I can't think of any reason to doubt it. One thing the Rockets have not done since Morey has been GM is undervalue the worth of McGrady and Yao.

 

For real, moneyball looked at player production when healthy, but didn't take into account if the player can even play a full season. The old days were better, when we spent money on healthy guys like Clyde Drexler and Hakeem.

 

Yeah, Hollinger picks us to win the WC or go to the WCF's and we usually flameout before we get there.

TAKE THAT SUCKA!

 

Which failed miserably given their inability to produce when not playing, despite tying up huge $$$ - in fact getting enough cheap effective players to replace them ended up being the sole thing that kept the Rockets even in contention.

Are you trying to explain why you are wrong?

Knicks-style? They're far and away the highest. The Rockets are also on the high end of the spectrum, placing 9th in the league.

Strike two....

 

Isn't a bit early to make predictions for the upcoming season? There is plenty of time left and plenty of moves to be made. I sincerely doubt Morey is done and plans to put this team on the court on opening night.

 

He said yesterday that there just isn't a lot out there right now. He could be hiding something major, but my guess is the team we have on the floor on opening day looks a lot like the current one

 

Good L Put down the cyanide pills!

You must be suffering from amnesia, forgetting the parade of stiffs and no-talents who passed through here after the Clyde/Charles Hakeem days were over and the arrival of Morey on the scene.

Yes we picked up Yao (no brainer) and TMac (also a no-brainer).. stumbling on Mobley in the 2nd round was nice, and trading for SF3 was ok, but Iso-dribble-dribble-shot-clock-desperation-heave offense was probably never going to be a winning formula..

Maybe we need to pay some huge long term contracts to guys like Mo Taylor, Matt Maloney, and Cato again... cuz, you know, evaluating players on their actual talent is, you know, the ruination of the franchise..

 

I'd take moneyball over what we had under Rudy T/CD in the post Hakeem era.