If only the Rockets can play like they did against the clippers every game.......The Rockets did exactly what they have the potential of doing night in and night out. granted it wuz against the Clips, but the Rockets hustled and played lock down D for 48 minutes. Steve was a competent pt gaurd (finally) in makin passes, keepin defenders honest, and getting everyone involved...hed us his athletic ability to drive and then kick out for the open shooter..... Cat slashing to the basket, drawing fouls and not jacking up wild 3's and playin lock down D..... JJ hittin his open shots playin good D. Everyone did what they were supposed to do tonight......would be nice to see this more often......if the Rockets play to their potential I have no doubt in my mind, we can run w/ the top dogs in the West.....its jus a matter of consistency and finding an identity....hopefully they can build off this great win. God this is what bothers me the most......the Rockets have potential.....jus wish they could realize it.....
steve always drives and kicks, it is just that our guys dont make their shots normally. although his stats looked great (good shooting great assists), I worry that steve will feel that he has to relegate himslef to playing that style for us to win. I just dont think that we should try and make steve be a tj ford who only looks for his teammates, he is just too gifted and offensive player.
"If only..." could be stated about every team in the NBA, so its really not anything that stands out to me, IMO
The difference between good enough and great is so small. So much if it comes down to nuances in the course of a season. The great players/teams work hard and never let there guard down so when the opponant blinks, you are ready to take advantage. The Rockets blink too much. They play hard but they just can't keep it together at a high level. They don't know how to win. As a silver lining, I hope they learned from this losing streak how quickly things go south when you let up for 1 second.
yeah i kinda like to state the obvious, buit it is an issue that needs to be addressed....plus i think i said it betta than Coop eva could. Too bad she can kick my ass on the court, even bein 35.....
He is too gifted of an offensive player, so let him excel somewhere else, I prefer having Cat as a two. He does indeed always drive and kick it over the shoulder, but his passing is too erratic and streaky. Sometimes it works out for him, and we all praise him. But, most of the time, it causes turnovers, by kicking it over wildly at the worst time (usually when he realizes he has no where to go). He's a gifted two gaurd, that means well as a pg but just doesn't have the talents of a pg. He's not as fast for a pg, he doesn't have as good of hands as a pg, and the eye to see the floor well and read his teammates (other than alley oop to cato) as a good pg does. Like ya said, we shouldn't try to make him something that restricts his natural talents, that of a scoring two gaurd, we certaintly are paying him too much to just be a streaky passing pg. And, don't see why we'd want to make him a two gaurd here, when we have a perfectly decent one in Cuttino, who is quicker than SF, a better slasher, better at the three, has adapted his game and talents better to fit alongside Yao's talents. Meaning when he tries to adapt to something and really wants to, it actually works out and he makes it happen, unlike Steve. Plus, is a better two gaurd defender. And I'm sure, if Steve weren't an option anymore, Cat has the talent and abilities to be a 20 plus points averaging two gaurd and get 30 points here and there, he's proved it before. I appreciate Steve's effort and well meant hussle and his overall SCORING talents and gifts. And before you say, well thats what we need more scorers or people that can score. You have to see that Steve's only true abilities lie only in the two gaurd position, he can't be a pg, and can't be a sf obviously. We have Cat and JJ here already, both who I'd rather have swapping turns at the two and three than Steve. Cause although Steve's more talented than JJ, JJ's a veteran and shows smarts, including SMART hussle on both ends of the court, meaning when he hussles it's usually a smart play that doesn't end up as a turnover or a drastic shot as the clock runs out that sometimes goes in (we call clutch and heart) and sometimes doesn't(we call stupid and dumb). I'm referring to the back and forth motions we go through with Steve Francis as a player. You have to admit, it's been 5yrs with Steve showing no improvement, yes he's now more unselfish, unfortunately his unselfishness leads to turnovers mostly and just doesn't know when to pass or not to pass. You have to realize and notice that maybe all those 5yrs of no improvement maybe means he just doesn't fit here, or fit as a pg. C'mon, Yao's shown what actual improvement is, in a period of 2yrs. Now THAT is promise of a player that not only still has much to learn but is capable of learning it quick and while he's still young. Worth beign patient on, compared to Steve.
Oakley said they played hard on his way out, but he hinted that they didn't play smart. Their focus might be lacking, but desire is another thing.
Is it a coincidence that our defense improved when Cato came back. Cato is doing a very good job. But, IMO Mo is the problem. He doesn't play defense, can't rebound, and slows down the offense. We need to get rid of Mo. He is a cancer!
