Lakers, San Antonio, Utah, Phoenix, Dallas are a lock. Houston, Seattle, Minnesota, Portland will fight for the three remaining spots. ------------------ Get Bo!
TITLE99 WROTE- When was the last time you saw Rudy diagram a good play in the last seconds of a game when they needed a basket to win. I can't ever remember seeing that. The only time the Rockets have ever scored in the last seconds of a game is on isolations. Rudy is not a good X's and O's coach!!! ------------------ I can not possibly disagree with you more!! When the Bull's championship teams needed a bucket at the end of a game, what part of the vaunted triangle offense did they run?? NONE OF IT! They went to Michael Jordan on the isolation every time!. If he was doubled, he kicked it out to a Paxson or Kerr for wins. When Boston of the 80's needed a basket, we got a Bird isolation leading to a fall away jumper. Kareem and Magic has their hook shots. When a team has an offensive player that demands a double team like Hakeem, Barkley, Francis, or Cat- you want to get them isolated. That is the BEST play, because nobody should be able to guard a dominant player one on one. ------------------ [This message has been edited by RocketExpert (edited July 29, 2000).]
MY PREDICTIONS- LAKERS TRAILBLAZERS SPURS SUNS JAZZ ROCKETS TIMBERWOLVES SACRAMENTO ------------------
those of you who defend rudy with "they need better talent" are simply CLUELESS as to who is responsible for the talent on the team. ------------------
Well, I agree with you up to 4th spot. This is my prediction... 1)Lakers 2)Blazers 3)Spurs 4)Suns 5)Timber Wolves 6)Sonics 7)Jazz 8)Rockets. This is the reason. 1)Lakers: Shaq and Kobe, that says it all. 2)Blazers: year older but still the deepsest team in the NBA. One more big move then this team will be the favorites. 3)Spurs: Twin tower, but that's about it. 4)Suns: Exciting to watch but doesn't have the front court to compete with the Blazers, Spurs and Lakers. 5)T-wolves: Brandon, Garnett duo is quite enviable. 6)Sonics: With the addition of one year older Lewis, I will be surprised if this team does not make the po. Anyway, Payton himself is good enough to make this team a PO contender. 7)Without any injuries, Jazz will still make the PO. Still, I can see Rockets, Mavs, Kings overtaking the Jazz. 8)It will be extremly close. I chose Rockets because I'm biased. Well, If there is a reason, I can see Francis being a better player than Finely and Kings are hopeless if you take way Webber from them. Can anyone tell me how to use smilies? ------------------ Hack a Shaq you'll be winning Hack-him you'll be dreaming.
remember how close dallas were to making it late last season? that's where houston's gonna be..... I just wanted to ask whether Rudy coaching the "Dream Team" gives him an credit whatsoever? ------------------
Say what? Latrell Sprewell and Joe Smith (who epitomized that phrase) are long gone, thank goodness. Larry Hughes took a lot of shots after he arrived because everyone else was injured and St. Jean was force-feeding him, but one of the things that people here noticed about him immediately was his willingness to give the ball up (in the last month of the season, he averaged 5.6 assists per game). And Antawn Jamison isn't selfish either. ------------------ [This message has been edited by Swopa (edited July 29, 2000).]
Rocketexpert- The Rockets have never had success with making a basket at the end of a game. You would think that Rudy could maybe run one pick to get a guy open, but they never do. As to the talk about Jordan, Bird, and Magic; how can you compare those guys to Mobley and Francis. Maybe Francis in about 10 years but not now. Isolations at the end of games are for guys who can take people of the dribble, on the perimeter, and who are good enough to find the open man when they get in trouble. Hakeem never was a player like that. Barkley was in his younger years but not while with the Rockets. Even Drexler wasn't as dominating off the dribble when he was here. There are no Jordans or Magics here with the Rockets. We just don't have the personel to run isolations as much as we do. Its good some of the time but not all of the time. I hate to use this as an example but look at the Jazz. Have you ever seen a more unathletic, slow team get so many open shots? No, because they execute an offense other than isolations. Jerry Sloan is probably the best coach in the league when it comes to getting his guys open shots. This is the area that Rudy T doesn't do too well in. ------------------
Rah Rah hoop bim bah. The Rockets will be in the top 5 in the playoffs. Teams that will be 'wanting' San Antonio: I don't see a backcourt yet. Sacramento: having zilcho guards for the first 5 games will set the team back Next mary jane infraction and the 35% shooting wonder boy may get kicked out of the nba. Utah: Hasn't Larry decided to rebuild yet? Seattle: nothing special. Minnesota: KG vs. Francis... hmmm, KG in virtually every way. However, the Rockets are better than the Wolves from 1-3 and 5-12 , I'm guessing that will count for more wins even if the Wolves beat the Rockets the next 20 games on KG's performance alone. My prediction: The Rockets win the Midwest (2nd seed) yet their standing is actually that of the third overall team (i.e. face the #7, but no home court advantage against Portland or LA after the first round). Rah Rah hoop bim bah. ------------------ Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning? - Dubyah in Florence, SC. 01/11/2000 [This message has been edited by Achebe (edited July 30, 2000).]
Much better HEB. ------------------ I am so exasperated that I could expectorate. [This message has been edited by CriscoKidd (edited July 30, 2000).]
My rankings: 1. Lakers: They're ALWAYS good in the regular season. Having two extra home games against the Clippers helps. 2. Blazers: They have to solve their power forward glut SOON, before Pippen and Smith are finishing up. 3. Suns: Sure, they don't have a center, but if they could get Tsakalidis, they'd be sweet. Anyway, they'll be a Western Conference power for years, even though Cliff will eventually retire. 4. Spurs: It will be a fun battle between the Spurs and the Wolves for this spot. They NEED to get Anderson though. 5. Timberwolves: KG's probably the second-most valuable player in the league, and Szczerbiak and Brandon is a fine supporting cast. There's potential in Joe Smith, Nesterovic and Avery as well. Still, their season depends on whether Billups can fill Sealy's shoes. 6. Jazz: As much as I hate it, the Jazz know how to win regular season games (cheating). Look out for the Mavs though! 7. Mavericks: There's just too much talent here. A DANGEROUS first-round opponent. 8. Kings: Webber's just too good. The best offensive forward in the game, in my mind. They could really use a good point guard, don't ya think? 9. Sonics: Lewis is staying, so they'll be okay. Will missing the playoffs be the last straw for GP? 10. Rockets: They'll play hard, but they just didn't have a very strong draft. Langhi looks good though. 11. Nuggets: McDyess has never been a star, and I'm not sure if he'll be one anytime soon. They're really hurt by not having a draft pick. 12. Grizzlies: YOU NEED A BENCH!!!!! Stromile's awesome though. In the East, they'd be formidable. This team is going to have some serious cap problems in a few years. What if they have a good pick again? They could have 4 players that deserve to earn 7-8 million. Throw in Reeves' UNdeserved contract and Dickerson's coming raise, they're going to have to spend a lot. And they have to spend some money on a bench eventually. They could very well change places with the Nuggets in my standings. 13. Warriors: The West is just too strong for these guys. Next year's draft is so sweet, that they could rock. Can you imagine Antawn, Larry and Gerald Wallace? 14. Clippers: And Orlando gets their pick.... ------------------ "Homosexuals are just trying to make their sodomy as morally acceptable as the sodomy I enjoy in my church-sanctioned marriage." Frank Brodhagen, The Onion
My preliminary preseason picks: 1). Lakers 2). Trailblazers 3). Spurs 4). Suns 5). Sonics 6). Jazz 7). Timberwolves 8). Mavericks __________________________ 9). Rockets 10). Kings 11). Grizzlies 12). Nuggets 13). Clippers 14). Warriors I think the Kings are due to implode. They have been one of the most fragile teams the past two years and with the Webber and Williams distractions, I see an implosion. Portland and LA are the class of the conference however I see the Suns, Spurs, and Sonics surprising people. The Spurs still have Duncan, the Suns have added and are looking to add more front court depth and the young Sonics squad has another year under their belt plus Payton by himself makes them a playoff team. I am probably underrating Utah but if I keep predicting age will catch up to them, I'll eventually be right. The Timberwolves are decent but are indeed a one horse team. Dallas could be very good but could also disappoint. Their run at the end of last season may well have been a fluke. Houston will be one year more experienced and if Francis explodes, it could land us in the playoffs. Vancouver, Denver, and Clippers will be all improved but all three are still a year or two (or three) from the playoffs. Golden State is just plain bad. ------------------
With Drexler, Barkley, and soon Hakeem retiring within a short span, there's not much you can do to get great talent right away...but hmm we did get Francis and Anderson some how...'Who ever is responsible for the talent' did a pretty damn good job in the short span with hardly any cap room... ------------------
I dont think we are going to make the Playoffs this year. Though I would love to see us there, and we should be close, I dont see us there until next year when Stockton retires. Karl Malone will have nobody to help him out and we will pass them up in the standings. The most we can do until then is pick up a valuable role player with our trade exemption this year and then pick up a nice free agent next year. But then again I may be wrong. Francis might be the best player in the NBA and Cato will be the best shotblocking center ever in the history of the NBA. "Who knows It could happen." ( McDonalds' old commercial slogan?)
To the original poster: 1. The problem with the Rockets last year is not Rudy. The Rockets last year were a team that was assembled in 1 year. Steve Francis, Walt Willimas, Kelvin Cato, Moochi Norris, Shandon Anderson and Carlos Rogers were all first year Rockets. Cuttino Mobley, Kenny Thomas and Bryce Drew were second year players. The first year player played with the second year players for the first time. This is a very young team. Matt Bullard was the only long time Rocket and Pig Miller. Hakeem and Barkley were mostly on the injured list. Given all these facts, I think the Rockets were a good team that was not consistent. They beat some good teams like the Lakers, Portland and Miami and lost to the likes of Vancouver and Dallas. To be successful in the NBA you have to have the same group of players together for 2,3 or more year. Next season should be an improvement just because of the experience of playing with each other. Adding 2 good rookies should help. Rockets could make the playoffs since they have a talanted young team that can only get better with time. 2. Your prediction of the Rockets 41-41 season and the 11th spot is highly unlikely as the 41-41 should be around 8th or 9th spots if you look at the past. 3. As much as I hate the Jazz they are not going to be in the 13th spot with Malone, Stockton and now the rookie Stevenson there. 4. As far as the Mavs in the 4th spot, I think you are stretching it. The Mavs had a good draft but usually rookies do not win you many games. They should be happy if they make the playoffs. 5. The Clippers should improve not by much but they should not be at the bottom either (the addition of Miles, Richardson and Dooling) should improve their record. 6. The Kings might drop out of the playoffs next season because of the problems to Jason Williams. ------------------ [This message has been edited by COMPAQ CENTER (edited July 29, 2000).]
Sigh . . . I guess this is life as a Warriors fan. Your team is decimated by injuries, you still finish ahead of the Clippers and virtually tied with the Grizzlies, and folks pick both teams to finish ahead of you next year. Does it matter to anyone that the Clippers are losing their two top scorers, and replacing them with a quartet of extremely raw rookies? They'll be in last place again, guaranteed. And Vancouver won't be far ahead of them, since they still have the same problem at center (nothing against Stromile Swift, but is he really going to mean 10-15 more wins than Othella Harrington in his first year?). Just so you can appraise the Warriors in a more informed way -- heaven knows we get so much hype -- understand that of the three most important players on the team (Dampier, Jamison, and Hughes), for 3/4 of the year only 1 of the 3 was on the floor: Games in which Jamison, Hughes, and Dampier played together: 0 Games in which Jamison and Hughes played together: 0 Games in which Jamison and Dampier played together: 7 Games in which Hughes and Dampier played together: 12 Out of 82 games, last year Jamison played only 43, Dampier only 21, and Hughes only 33 as a Warrior. But Dampier's and Jamison's injuries weren't as bad as that sounds -- Dampier's knee had recovered enough that he'd been playing for several weeks before hurting his wrist at the end of February. Jamison could have played before the end of the year as well, but rushing him back for the closing weeks of a lost season didn't make much sense. Even if they're just reasonably healthy all year, the Warriors should be the most improved team in the league just by putting most of their projected lineup on the floor. So don't write them off so easily. ------------------
------------------ "Homosexuals are just trying to make their sodomy as morally acceptable as the sodomy I enjoy in my church-sanctioned marriage." Frank Brodhagen, The Onion [This message has been edited by Gen (edited July 30, 2000).] [This message has been edited by Gen (edited July 30, 2000).]
Crisco the Kidd, Good point. I modified it. Oops, time to go to bed. ------------------ Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning? - Dubyah in Florence, SC. 01/11/2000
This basically takes away your whole argument. You said if we look at this unbiasly, we should agree with you, and then you only rank teams based on your personal likes and dislikes. Think about that. At this point, my predictions: 1. Lakers 2. Spurs 3. Blazers 4. Jazz 5. Suns 6. Twolves 7. Rockets 8. Kings ------------------ Looking for next year's Dan Langhi? Draftsource.net
The Cat........i agree i was bias against the Jazz........and truthfully i don't think they will be that far down(as i predicted).......and your predictions is kind of how i see it to........though i think Dallas(which i ranked 4th),Houston,Kings,Golden State, and Seattle are all going to be question marks.......the Western Conference is just so strong that whichever team has improved the most will make it to the playoffs ........except for Vancouver and the Clippers........i'm sorry, but these two teams have no chance of making it..........The Cat, i just wanted you to look at what i said about the Rockets unbiasly, since we are all Rockets fans. SWOPA.......you changed my mind on Golden State.......those guys will be good if the three players you mentioned stay healthy......but, Jamison plays very inconsistant. And, Larry Hughes has a few things in his game which he has to work out before those three guys become a force in the West. ------------------ $$ out $$
