Player fatigue, player health, little nagging injuries, no practice time, mental fatigue, the nature of runs and streaks throughout a season... Yes all of that. However, as much as that uncertainty may come into play, I suspect the biggest reason is simply the scouting and coaching for the other teams. It's like when a rookie pitcher comes in a mows everyone down for a few games on his first pass through the league. And then suddenly in the second half of the season, he gets his bell rung constantly. Same here. We can only be 'the biggest surprise in the league' for so long, and then the other teams begin to change their initial thoughts about the Rockets from 'No Yao, no TMac, this team will be a pushover' to 'Stop AB, stop Scola, stop Landry, and pound them inside because they are small'. It will be interesting to see where this team is a month from now, and what it will look like. Gut says the best thing that could happen would be to just let it ride, and keep TMac's contract for ourselves, and let it expire. I know it's not as rosy as it sounds, but if we don't get top-shelf (Bosh, or someone equivalent) then we would probably be better off keeping our young guys instead of breaking these guys up and investing in b-level talent for the next several years.
Astute observation, Hayesfan. I also think some of has to do with Ariza's frustration because he's in over his head and he knows it. Whether you blame him (for his immature on-court behavior at times) or RA/DM (for giving him too much to handle too soon), it's certainly there. How to fix it? Bring in another starter-level player or two to take the pressure off. Hopefully, the T-Mac trade (assuming there is one) will bring in at least one such player. Yao's return next season brings in another.
haha...i don't know if u read my previous post: "I was thinking the same exact thing but didn't have the patience to make a thread. Good job! How do we fix this problem? I have an idea: replace Tmac with Ariza in the starting line up. Have ariza come off the bench. After the season is over trade him for maybe some one of the big free agents. Our most probable option is to buy tmac out and release him and get nothing out of the situation. i'd rather go with the first idea." After that I added the above comments. My overall point was that I can see that the team may not be performing to their highest potential because of the Tmac mess. One possible option for the Rockets may be to play Tmac this entire season. This will I think temporarily resolve the issues the team is currently facing. It will be an opportunity for Tmac to show case his skills right before an expiring contract (lets face it, we all know he cares about his cash, so I can guarantee he could help the Rockets win this season). The team can then decide whether he is worth keeping for the season (based on his performance) or decide to trade by the dead line or trade him possibly for one of the big free agents this summer. All i know is Tmac just sitting on his ass doesn't help the rockets in any level. The worst case scenario out of all this is that Tmac gets bought out and we release him into free agency. We get nothing out of that deal. and i'm assuming the the thanks giving comment was because this is old new right? I don't get it
I do wonder how much players pay attention to trade rumors. But more than that, I wonder if the coaches and players follow or are bothered by Morey's Twitter; it can't be comfortable when your boss is publicly declaring a need for the team to change, or pointing out mistakes. Yahoo saying it is one thing, Daryl Morey is another. But overall, I see the trade talk as being a minor factor in the team's recent problems. Instead I think the bigger reasons are: 1) Youth: Morey mentioned how the younger players on the team tend to be less consistent when faced with adversity (losing streak, shooting slump, and possibly trade talk). 2) The grueling early schedule: leading to mental and physical fatigue and lack of practice time, which is a big reason for attrition in play and reduced trust among teammates, according to Battier. 3) Defenses focusing Landry and Brooks: Landry, especially, is dealing with concentrated defensive pressure for the first time in his NBA career, and the team has yet to have significant practice time to address this change. 4) Slowed down pace of the second unit: Lowry and the bench guys thrive in the open court and fast breaks. But IMO defensive lapses have reduced fast-break opportunities, making it difficult for Lowry to push the pace and take advantage of his skills.
There is no way a some of the guys don't harbor some animosity for Adelman and the way he treated McGrady. He definitely had some freids on the team and they have looked tired since he left the team. 10 - 9 without him including needing OT against Milwaukee and Minnesota. Ridiculous. So where do you think he should be sent? http://houstonsportsscene.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=992&message=1
So McGrady could not help relieve the tired legs that aren't getting out on fast breaks by playing 20 - 24 minutes a game at any of 4 different positions?
If it is true that the team's decreased competitiveness is due to rumors about an impending trade, then this Morey's first major mistake as a Rox gm.
McGrady jerked around the team last year to not get traded. Believe me, no one on the team is missing him too much.
I really hate the thought of trades. I am "returningfan" for a reason. Got hooked on the Rockets the two years the won the championship. I loved the guys on the team. THEY got me interested in the game. Then IIRC half the team was traded so the Seattle could be better dealt with the next year/s. Didn't that backfire? I was so upset that "my" Rockets were no longer Rockets. I stopped watching BB. Trading off our wonderful much-loved players made me so sad - and for what? Seattle (SS's)is not even in Seattle anymore! Anyway, a couple of years ago I just happened onto a Rockets game and thought to watch a minute or two. Of course this years later an entirely different team - and/but I soon realized a team with players to love, admire, and love to watch play. So I got caught in again and now I am just sick wondering which players we will lose. I have my favorites ie Battier,Scola and Lowery - love most the others as well. Wasn't this anyway to be a transition year? Waiting for next year and Yao's return to make a serious run for the championship? Surely no one really thinks that this year trades/no trades that we will win the C? So why bust up the team this year? Make trades that cannot be unmade? I wish all current players would still be on the team this year and next (except for Cook and TMac) and if all we do this year with this team is make the finals I would be happy with that. Sometimes it is the journey that is better than the destination. I love to watch this team. I don' want thugs replacing any of our players. I don't wat to see the likes of Battier traded to one of the teams we hate so much - and we "hate" them because we don't like the players. In closing, do players have any choices? If they don't want to be traded/or play for the team they are sent to - are they just SOL?
I don't think the possiblity of being traded should be an excuse, it's part of the business every player knows that could be traded at any time. The obvious reason for their struggles is scouting, teams know no who to focus on stopping know which is Brooks and Landry, when you slow them down Rockets struggle big time. Second obvious reason is the lack of a shotblocker, if hayes or scola aren't in a position to take a charge, it's a easy layup for the opponent. Third is the fact that they have to play extremely harder than their opponent to have a chance to win, it's easier to do that in a 7 gm series but over the long haul of a season players it may take it's toll on players especially come playoff time. And the last issue I see is of course a goto down the stretch, brooks is the closest to that, problem is you have to rely only his jumpshot because refs swallow their whistle's and brooks isn't a great finisher with contact.
I think a team can only play beyond its talent for so long. Eventually, over such a long season you just can't play over your head every night. This team is small and marginally talented. They have to overachieve, and I think they are running out of gas. As some one said earlier, they are who we thought they were. I do appreciate their efforts in the "meaty" part of the season, but they seem to have let down in the "easier" part of the schedule. The TMac/trade talks don't help.
I think it's a little of both the players being distracted about trade rumors and other teams figuring out the Rockets, who are for all their heart and hustle, are a limited team. It's basically like what Adelman said in my sig, if the Rockets don't play hard every night, more then likely they will be beat. They have too many physical and talent limitations to just go through the motions of a game, or be distracted by outside stuff making their mind go elsewhere other than trying to win the game at hand. At certain point, which I personally give them until the end of January, the trade rumors shouldn't be an excuse any more for them. I know the deadline is Feb 18 but these guys are professionals and really need to push on despite the talks.
It's not surprising considering the team issues,but other teams have closed on Landry who has been fronted and double teamed. I don't think Brooks has been affected as much as Carl. Opposing teams know if they can slow them down,only Scola remains out there as a relatively consistent scorer and Lowry as a passer. Battier is still defending,though not as well as a few games ago,and Ariza still has a long way to go. C-Bud is doing well,and should eventually replace Ariza as a starter if the latter doesn't improve quickly.
