I dont understand this at all. If you win the western conference title, you will win the championship. Period. I still think Boston is a little overrated, and don't think they would have a chance vs San Antonio, Phoenix or Dallas (Mabye even last years Rockets...). Winning the WCF and then losing to a east team would be embarrasing. It would still be a great and successfull season, but that would just suck.
McGrady is selfish? he is widely recognized as one of the MOST UNSELFISH SUPERSTARS IN THE GAME. .you YOF's are truley blinded by you're hate for tracy.
You cant reason with YOF's. people like seth are like a diseas. as long as yao is here, plagues like this clown will allways bring this site down.
Rick Adelman AVERAGES almost 51 WINS a season based on his winning percentage. With two 60 win seasons and a 59 win season on his resume Lets not forget about the front office. If they see continued disappointing play from some of the players, they'll look to deal and will definitely listen to offers. I'd also advise people to take some time away from the boards time to time (though the admins wont like that). Go watch the game in an away setting like the bar or something...and get a fresh perspective on how the Rockets really look. And dont go posting anything until you've watched 5 games straight and formulated your own opinions, without influence of TOF/YOF crap clogging your mind up. You might actually see the EFFORT exerted by McGrady instead of focusing on his "lazy eye" to crack jokes on. Might actually SEE Adelman making adjustments and doing what he feels is best for the team. Or you can come in here and vent just you can have something to say about anything, so you can bring up something "significant"....
I gave a good deal of thought on how to respond to this post because I'm so in agreement with the points you raised here. The Rockets have been such a big disappointment to me for over 12 years now that I have divorced my emotion and passion from this team. I have watched them sell this team as a "contender" only to fall short time after time after time. Bottom line is that you are right - stuck in neutral is exactly where they are and where they've always been. They try to sell themselves as contenders but the reality is that they are just another team on the list of a long line of pretenders. And the reasons are simple: you simply cannot escape the mistakes, ineptitude and outright incompetence of this organization over the past 12 years under Carroll Dawson & Les Alexander. That is something that no team can outrun because it will ALWAYS catch up with you. (2001 draft anyone?) And in the Western Conference now, today, that is exactly what you see happening to this team right now. All those years in the NBA lotto, yet they couldn't find one guy to play PG but San Antonio, New Orleans, & Utah managed to do just that lotto or no lotto. Dallas trades up to get the no. 5 pick and drafts their PG of the future. Phoenix picks up their 2 time MVP PG as a free agent. The Rockets? Why they have Steve "The FRANCHISE!" Francis. He's so effective as a PG here that they end up in the NBA lotto over and over again. So they end up shipping his butt out of town for Tracy "It's On Me" McGrady and a group of guys named Herb (Where is Reece Gaines & Tyronne Lue when we need them now?). THEN, they go out and get a Rafer Alston and expect him to match up against the superior talent in the West and when he doesn't do so because he's incapable, he's universally scorned and blamed for everything for except global warming and nukes in Iran. Well, where is all the blame for the idiots responsible for the decision to get him in the first place? Oh yeah, I forget, it was all JVG's fault that the GM (whose job it was to do so) couldn't find a PG... Oh, and how come they didn't bother to get a bonifide PF until this year when SA who is so loaded coming off its 4th NBA title it simply dumped one in their laps? (And as an aside: Did anyone here actually BELIEVE that SA will trade you someone who can allow you to negate the advantage Duncan gives them at PF?). This position had been a major weakness ever since Cato left and here they are in the West where they have to face a Nowitzski & a Duncan in their own division so what does the Rockets organization do? Why it goes out and gets a Juwann Howard, Shane Battier and a Chuck Hayes to compete and when that fails, it blames the coach, fires the coach and queues up a new scapegoat, er, coach. The folks responsible for finding and securing a PF remain merrily invisible and blameless. This season you have a coach who after only 18 - that's ONE EIGHT games - is already under vicious attack for trying to meld a competitive team out of this cast of characters. Twould appear that the results thus far have proven disappointing to the legions of red koolaid drinkers out there who bleat out in anger that he is an incompetent boob who doesn't even know which players to put on the court (SF3, Mini me er, Brooks) - a dumbass who is not getting "enough" out of this "team". Said team that for years now has been assembled on the cheap with no consistent plan in place by an organization that is so historically clueless, it couldn't find it's ass in a dark closet with both hands and a flashlight for 12 YEARS. Yeah, that's a recipe for success if I ever saw one...Believe me, I certainly feel your F R U S T R A T I O N especially after reading 4 years of praises for this joke of an organization. The Rockets have been running a con job about being a contending team now for 12 years and folks have been merrily drinking the red koolaid and buying into the illusion because that was easier than facing reality. Well reality bites and the Rockets are the NBA equivalent of Groundhog Day - seasons may come and seasons may go but nothing ever changes in the magical world of Uncle Les.
Hillboy- Another in a long list of fans finding a new reason to blame for the Rockets recent losses. Reasons thus far. Rockets Management - Weak and inept with poor draft selctions and pics JVG - Legacy of weak JVG system and players Adleman - Weak coach T-Mac - It's on me selfish player who doesn't care about winning. Yao- Soft player who doesn't have the heart to win. Alston - Terrible shooter who wouldn't be on any NBA starter squad Bonzi - Bad attitude and now cannot shoot Battier - Overrated defensive player Francis - Washed up Hayes - Can't score James - Selfish Ballhog who can't shoot Head - No handles Snyder - Raw Scola - Weak Defense Landry/Brooks/Deke - Rookies and Old Then of course we could go on - Toyota Center sucks, Fans aren't loud enough, people leaving early, blah blah blah whine whine whine Truth is, this is a team still trying to gel and find it's identity with a new system. It's a playoff calibur squad and we will be in the playoffs at the end of the year. Probably as a 6-8 th seed though. That's ok as long as we advance in the playoffs.
I agree with you i would like to add that some here need to see that our coach is clearly still experimenting with almost everything, from plays run for stars as for role players, to playing time for the stars, passing around rotations and pt for role players too. This is for me quite clear as i think many here will agree that there is not clear who is our: Designated play in crunch time 6th Man Rotation Defensive Scheme Offensive Scheme Second option at 3 point shooter Second option at the post Many things are unclear yet, as a matter of fact the only clear things are Yao and T-Mac but also with them there still no clear evidence on HOW are we making them play, some games we see T-Mac jack shots at will then he shoots half those shots, Yao plays at the high post some games, then he is moved to the low post right the next game. So i will try to think that this is a way of learning for the coach and avoid thinking that he has no clue about the team. (for now)
You can take my name off that list. I had modest expectations for this seasons: 50-something wins, playoffs, out in 2nd round. Those haven't changed at all. If you'd seen my other posts, I've been critical of all the drama going on after only 18 games - especially all of the gushing over SF3 as if he'll be the basketball savior who'll deliver us to the promised - the very same promised land he failed to come close to sniffing in his last go round here (hard to win a championship when you're in the NBA lotto year after year). The other thing I've been critical about is all of the second guessing and criticism of a new coach whose hiring was initially met with a huge celebration here. A coach whom so many here trumpeted as being VASTLY superior to his predecessor (who was branded an abject failure). Now after only E I G H T E E N games, he suddenly doesn't know WTF he's doing and I'm seeing people with less than 25 posts calling for his removal. It's all due primarily to the fact that far too many people around here overestimated the talent on the team while underestimating how much effort would be required for them to make the transition to Adelman's system. These folks are angry because things aren't going quite the way they've planned and their "expectations" aren't being met to "their" satisfaction. Well boo-hoo: Let us all sit upon the ground and tell sad stories of the death of kings... As I've posted before: Just because you drink the red koolaid and buy into the Rockets' PR about "It's Time" and truly believed that Morey's off season moves vaulted this team to contending status doesn't make it a REALITY just yet. Oh and BTW, I happen to like the Toyota Center...
Hillboy, now let me join you in the search for the positive. You stated earlier you thought the fans were unfair in blaming the coaches. I agree somewhat, however, how do you explain the current starting lineup? JVG clearly thought he lacked talent, he said so on numerous occasions (after the loss of the seventh game in Dallas for example). Morey and the Rockets go out and bring in more options. Result: Adelman starts the same underachieving group of players. I'm lost, I can't understand what he is doing. Alston, Hayes, and, likely Battier, do not start on any team in the West. Alston continues to get major minutes. The problems that JVG pointed out last year, are perdictably the same problems this year. I don't get it. (Morey-"we were exposed at point guard.")
Yes a rookie here, if you feel that being a Rockets for over 15 yrs. is a rookie. Sorry, to the contributing members who feel like we forgot them and their blogs. I really like this site and wish I would have found it sooner, but If you feel like because you have over 10 thousand posts , it makes you somehow more knowledgeable then feel proud of yourself, (give me a address and I'll send you some cookies). Now I'll get off my soap box. The fact of the matter is that I'm not worried one bit. This team hasn't come close to meeting it's potential. There's more positives than negatives IMO. The team is 9-9 which is worst than I expected, even given the tough schedule we had. But I also know that team has far from hitting their stride and it won't take much to run off a 5 ,8 or 10 game winning streak. It's a long season and we still have over 3/4 of a season left. It's not how you play at the beginning of the season, it's how you play at the end. As like last year, when JVG was trying to get every win he could during the regular season, he didn't have his team primed and ready come playoffs. JVG failed to utilize his whole team and he ran the legs off the ones that did see the court. Now Adelman, has a new team, a deep team and needs to turn defensive minded players into offensive minded players. There is a learning curve and it will take some time for Rick and the players time to figure out what roles work with who and what. Plus, my gut tells me there will be a trade, but who and for what? So Scola hasn't hit his stride, and Bonzi or James. Steve is still getting into shape and working for his role, Chuck plays with heart but can't make a lay up. Shane will warm up and hopefully Rafer either comes off the bench or finds another team. I just don't see this team getting worst, only better, barring injuries. Not worried one bit! Go Rockets!! It's Time!! But, I'll let the drama queens argue over that (you know who you are) and I'll just continue being a rookie.
The Rockets organization generates it's own drama, they really don't need our help in doing that. They just need our help in guiding their decisions. We do our best.
While I agree that Francis and maybe Scola could be starting, I think you underestimate Battier just because he is in a slump. It is disingenuous to say he would not start for any other teams in the West, when in truth I can only think of 4 teams he would not start for: Phoenix Dallas Utah Denver
I understand that you are saying that Battier starts in place of Finley because there is no way you could try to slide the theory that Battier is better Defender and 3pt shooter than Bowen. Anyway i think Battier won´t start also in Menphis as their SG and SF are doing well and neither in Golden State where those positions are well covered by shooters who fits better in Nelson´s system.
Personally, if Battier is here for his Defense and 3pt shooting, i prefer Bowen any day, also Bowen is very very cluth with his 3´s. I agree has a more complete offensive game, but in the specific role Bowen plays ins SA and Battier in Houston i think Bowen owns Battier. Almost every top scorer prays Bowen for his (dirty?) defense. I really won´t care how a dirty player he is if he is on our team.
Of all the dumb arguments cited against JVG (and there are legion) this might be one of the dumbest. I hate to break it to you but the Rockets were not that good last year and were without one of their two best players for 50 games. You are damned right they had to play hard and scrap for every win they got, which coincidentally netted them the 4th seed by all of 1 game. If you think the Rockets could have slacked, gotten 40-45 wins, then casually turned it on in a first round matchup vs. Phx or San Antonio, I don't know what to say. This logic gets even sillier when applied to this year, as if mastermind Rick Adelman is merely biding his time and playing possum, content to take the 7th seed and surprise the Spurs (who have had little trouble squeezing off 58-60 win seasons and winning titles) come playoff time. Judging from the drop-off in defense this year, I'd say the Rockets are halfway home in this regard.
