Is the current rockets team really a 'YAO' away from a true contender?

I disagree. This team without Yao is better than the Lakers without Kobe as well as the Cavs without LeBron.

 

the lakers without kobe arguably play better than the lakers WITH kobe.

they used more team effort, lamar odom and gasol were both more aggressive, and you don't have the chance of a guy shooting you out of the game. heck they could probably win the west even without Kobe.

 

I can't wait to see what it's like to have Yao back with the improved Brooks and Martin and Ariza (all 3 can attack the basket).

I think Adelman will start Battier though instead of Ariza just because he is more solid defensively and we DO NOT need to have all 3 guards that can attack the basket (TWO is good enough). Martin and Brook can attack and penetrate and that give Battier plenty of open look. Last year we ONLY have one player that can penetrate (BROOKS) because Battier and Artest is too slow. So i am assuming this lineup of Brooks and Martin is more lethal.

 

The Rockets will never know the answer to this question. Expect the Rockets to have a busy offseason. Morey probably values his players more than most, but he has a lot to work with this year besides current Rockets. Morey has a pick around 13 unless the Rockets get lucky in lottery or make the playoffs this season. He has the right to swap next year with Knicks and two picks in 2012. Sergio Llull is also in Madrid.

I don't know if the Rockets will go after a vet like Bosh or Iguodala or if they will try to move up this year in draft, but I expect one or the other. Demarcus Cousins (if he doesn't blow up) and Evan Turner would both fit nicely with Rockets. Even if the Rockets stand pat, they could get someone like Udoh, Henry on Kansas, James of Texas, or Whiteside.

 

If Morey have to give up Scola for Bosh or somebody else...i see no way in hell he will do that...it's not worth it to break up the chemistry and the tenacity that Scola bring, you will never be able to replace that with Bosh.

So my guess for this summer is he's going to draft a big man to back up Scola or Yao...and hopefully get Bosh via FA without giving up Scola. Giving up Ariza or Battier ...i will do it but not Scola.

 

Many posters are missing the point. The point of this thread is that are we a Yao away from being a contender? Not are we a contender now, lol.

I think the answer with Yao is a yes. Ideally I'd like to see this team keep gelling and look at our body of work after the Martin trade to fully determine if Yao being healthy makes us a championship contender or not. I tend to lean on the side of yes though with Yao back (and "healthy").

 

On paper it looks like a Yes.. My gut tells me we're a legit 3-6 seed, but can't allow myself to say we'd be true title contenders with Yao.

For the first time in a long time I'm not worried about our offense, but the other end of the floor. Not asking for JVG lockdown defense, but at least make teams work harder in the paint and on the boards. Will the return of Yao make our defense play-off caliber?

 

Hell yea we are if he dont slow us down :grin:

 

Last year, the Rockets got by Portland and carried the Lakers to 7 games. When word got out that Yao was done for the season, the "experts" predicted the Rockets to have a big losing season. So far this team is still over .500 even though they may not make the playoffs. When Yao comes back, Brooks and Scola will be better, Landry was lost for Martin and who knows what Morey may do in the offseason. As it stands with Yao we will be a strong team, we will not be elite like Cleveland and the Lakers unless our defense improves significantly and we close out fourth quarters.
Right now without Landry, the team is still trying to find a closer. Martin was the closer for Sacremento, Brooks controlls the ball, Scola shoots a high percentage. If Adelman and Morey solve the fourth quarter, defense and rebounding issue we will be an elite team.

 

From watching yesterday's game, we are definitely a "Yao" away from a championship.

 

I'd love to see this on the court: AB/KL, KM, CB, LS, YM. Cast Yao in the Divac, high-post role in Adelman's "Princeton" offense, if we ever have to run a half-court offense(!). Let Yao ignite the fast break and trail in transition. Keep Battriza in the rotation for D, mostly, and run Jordan Hill out there often. That's a very competitive 9-man rotation right there. I'd keep Chuck if we can. Then it'll be interesting to see what the Rox do with Andersen, JT, JJ, HA (ouch, unfortunate initials)-- if we draft a big (Greg Monroe), maybe we could swap some of those guys for a sharp-shooting sub? JJ Redick?

 

quote of the year

 

I actually like next years team, very well.

Yao
Scola
Ariza
Martin
Brooks

Hayes (possibly, we need him against pfs)
Lowry
Battier
Budinger
Jefferies
Hill


Hard to say, if this team could push past the Lakers. We'd certain have the big bodies to fight Gasol and Bynum. Yao can take Bynum, and sometimes Gasol by himself. You throw in a scrappy Scola, and defensive oriented Jefferies and Hayes. That might be enough to push us past them. Phil Jackson never likes to double Yao, while their bigs can sometimes be taken out of the game with physical defense and intensity from the other team. If we can beat them on the front line, we can beat the Lakers, if Ariza and Battier can do a fair job against Kobe. I'm not worried about their bench too much, we have several people to guard Odom, while Brooks/Lowry will make mince meat out of their point guards. Bosh could us more overwhelming power against the Lakers, but in a sense we would probably lose Scola who does do alot of dirty work, as we really do not need scoring at this point.


Though, I can say that we really do not need Bosh, which might change the whole dynamic of the team. We'd have a bonafide all-star, but the price is too much and would he even want to come here. Why would he choose Houston over some of these other teams. Besides, I think we can find another adequate big in the draft. Some of these guys in the draft are going to be some absolute monsters in the NBA.

 

I've seen Bosh play and I still think of him as the second coming of RuPaul that will never be like a wiry KG in his prime. I think Scola is better and would only trade Scola up for Boozer or A. Stoudamire. Which those 2 are better than Scola.

 

Even if that was the case LBJ and Kobe are a hell lot better then yao or any other player in the game.

 

I think that a team of

Yao/Hayes/DA
Scola/Hill/DA
Ariza/Battier
Martin/Budinger
Brooks/Lowry

is very very strong if Yao could return to the player he had been. However, the more likely scenario results in him being effective but not the same and then that team does take a definite step down. I do think we could afford to just take a player with our draft pick and then see what trades open up in late summer and into next season. The idea of adding a SF has become more popular and I agree. I would like to lose one of Ariza/Battier and push the other one to the bench. We need a SF that has distribution skills to fully utilize Brooks and Martin.

 

You know what, I think that they will be. If we can stay healthy for a couple of years and build some momentum, then yes, they will be. Not to mention a possible trade or solid MLE free-agent or those two Knicks picks(or our own ) working out or one or both being packaged in a trade(e.g. Marcin Gortat or something like that, maybe?)....man, when this trade happened, I hated it, but now I am excited.

 

I'm thinking we draft a defensive/shotblocking/rebounding-oriented big (even if we have to trade up for a guy like Cole Aldrich) and call it a day. We've seen this year that the team can score a ridiculous number of points even without Yao; I don't know how much more you can add offensively without some serious diminishing returns.

But we've also seen that the defense is very, very soft inside, and that even with some of the best perimeter and man-to-man defenders in the league, we can't stop people from cutting to the basket and scoring easy on us.

Fortunately, there are some very big shotblocking threats on the draft board, guys with the size to be legitimate backups to Yao.

Andersen and Hill both play much better as backup power forwards.

I think Chuck is the odd man out in the off-season, and we pick up a true center, and call it a contender.

Brooks/Lowry
Martin/Budinger
Battier/Ariza
Scola/Hill/Andersen
Yao/Aldrich.

 

scola and bosh play the same position, not enough minutes to share among the two, scola is a starter not a bench player