should fix the title: How to beat injury next year? or How to conquer Championship delusions and to be realized next year????
The Rockets will not succeed ever if they do not address the back-up or back-ups for Yao. Draft some height this time and don't waste time with undersized players anymore!
Bring back Jeff Van Gundy as "defensive coordinator". Sign players with size and ability to grab rebounds in bunches. If Chris Bosh cant be had, make a run at David Lee or Brendan Haywood. If we can get one of these 3 players, I think we would be able to create match-up problems for a lot or teams. A starting 5 of Brooks, Martin, Ariza, Bosh or Lee and Yao would definitely make the Rockets relevant. If all 3 cant be had... go after Haywood and make him a backup to Yao.
I hope you really don't believe that DD. And if they get older you really think they'll go down without getting someone on the cheap or just because they want to be a Laker. These guys are like the Texas or Florida of the NBA, they just reload and go back to setting their sights on another championship. That is why we need to work ten times harder to be better than everyone else. Especially the Lakers.
1. Destroy Kobe Bryant? 2. Get Lex Luther to detonate a nuclear warhead in the San Andreas fault, triggering a massive earthquake that will cause California to slide into the sea? (Note: As long as Kobe is in the state at the time.) 3. Forbid our medical/training staff from doing anything more than prescribing a Tylenol for our players, because they seem to have the King Sadim (Midas backward) thing going for them....everything they touch turns to ****? In truth, the Lakers could very easily have lost this series. It was very close at the end and Rasheed was in some unbelievable pain, so as the game progressed his D on Gasol was sliding. And Boston by the end of the game could not have spelled "offense" if you had spotted them "o, f, f, e, s, e, okay, now, WHICH letter is missing?" But one way or the other the Lakers were in the Finals as we expected, and won, as we expected. If the Lakers don't try to save money by jacking with Phil Jackson's salary, if they are healthy (enough), unfortunately, they'll be there again. (I say unfortunately, but it was a fun series to watch. At least it went seven games.) If we're even going to be a blip on the Lakers' radar, Yao must come back and give at least 24 quality mpg by the end of the season, and Morey has to work his magic in the tweentime. Even then, whatever players call themselves Rockets next year won't have had the same time to gel. We won't threaten the Lakers' hegemony any time soon, but at worst we will make a significant jump forward. As always, depending on injuries.
DD, your kidding around when you say that, aren't you. In reality I don't expect Yao to ever be 100% healthy again and the rockets don't have closers like Kobe and Gasol. When I take off my rocket goggles, I have to admit that the Lakers are very impressive.
And on top of what i said earlier, they'll probably go out and get AI to back up fisher, or vice versa.....It's AI, but this last year definitely had to humble him some....yes he's old(er), but when you have a team like that they can control him and use whatever he's got left in the tank, which i think is still significant.
when i see Boston's defense and though LA won sincerely i don't see the Rockets winning against them they are so talented and loaded in every position we still need two major addings: Center and Wing
I actually like how our current roster matches up against the Lakers, however I still think we have two major area's of concern: Back up Center & SG... --RB
Lets see: artest > ariza gasol > scola bynum < yao kb > Kmart fisher < brooks lakers bench < rockets bench. I think the lakers have too much size, ad if they get yao in foul trouble we are crewed assuming he isn't hurt. Realistically unless we add a bosh or someone of his calibar we have no chance.
We need two things: 1.Another wing that has some quickness and looks to score. Kobe is at the point where he can't guard an elite wing player AND score efficiently. Unfortunately, the Lakers have Ron to stick on the opposing teams best wing scorer (Martin in our case) while Kobe ignores the other wing player (Battriza). Maybe Budinger will ascend into that type of player that runs Kobe ragged using screens and nailing jumpers. Of course, without one half of Battriza on the floor Kobe will run wild offensively. Hopefully, we make a deal for another athlete on the wing. 2. A mobile big guy to bother Gasol. He doesn't have to be a great scorer just someone who has the length/leaping ability to disrupt Pau around the rim and dunk on his face now and again to break Gasol's confidence.
True but I think the tools we need to beat the Lakers (size up front and some sort of efficient offensive production from SF) are the same things we need to beat everyone else.
The major strength of the Lakers in the addition to Kobe being Kobe is the front court tandem of Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. With a healthy Bynum and Pau Gasol playing like he played this year, the Lakers are at their best and almost unstopable. I do not see Bosh becoming a Laker next year at least but I could be wrong. IF... that was to happen I like the Rockets chances against them better because of matchups. Bosh is a finese PF/C similar to Pau and is nowhere near as affective on the boards and defense as Bynum is when healthy. He is a better, or more of a stat stuffer, than Bynum for sure, but he would turn the team with the best size inside to one that is subpar in the post. As for beating the Lakers as they are now, the best way to do that in the regular season is to punish them for being who they are... slow, big, half court team. Getting out in breaks and running the ball causes them to go with a smaller lineup and gives teams like the Rockets the advantage if they can defend from the perimeter. Jordan Hill is a great addition for playing against teams like this because he can really move down the court and could really kill teams that are bigger and slower than the Rockets. As for the playoffs, thats where we live and die by Yao ming and his foot. We have enough depth to be able to put a PF in the lineup with Yao who can spread the floor and really put up a nice half court set offensively. Great spacing( Scola, Ariza), every player can create their own shot while moving without the ball(Martin, Budinger), penetrator(Brooks, Lowry), three point threats(Battier, Budinger), and post player(Yao). We are a team that could really give the Lakers a fit in both the regular season and the playoffs on matchups alone. Plus I do not see the Lakers getting any better unless they upgrade their bench players to produce more consistenly.
We just added one the most efficient shooting Guards in the game. His defense is pretty bad and he frequently is injured but available wing players that put up numbers like he does do not exist. I agree with the Center need though, but they have to be a Good center though if they are going to beat out our smaller post players like Hayes. Hayes is more efficient than getting someone who has size but sucks... See Sheldon Williams, Mikki Moore, Hilton Armstrong, and the list goes on....
And remember to hold your breath if you stand within 10 feet of Gasol. He will flop if you breathe on him.
