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

I am debating is this a very stupid question from a Yao hater or legit. They reason I suggest this is because the answer is quite simple really. With Hayes Arriza and Battier. You have 3 guys you really don't have to guard. That allows you to focus on Brooks and Landry or Scola.

Next year you have Martin for a full season, Brooks and Yao. All of those guys can create their own offense and need to be doubled. Pick your poison and don't forget Arriza and Battier will be more open behind the arc than ever. Yes Yao makes that kind of Difference. Not to mention Scola will be floating around the top even more wide open.

We will get a big this offseason either thru the draft or trade to make a team that won 22 games in a row 2 seasons ago and took LA to 7 without no one like Martin and Yao missing the last 3 games.

Oh and did I mention We lost Tmac Artest and Yao and tried to substitue with Arriza. Even with that this team played their hearts out. That is the intangible that can't be measured. Landry won't be replaced but the truth is his offense would take away from Yao's offense in the 4th. They don't complement each other and Yao is the better choice all around.

 

If we had perfect health, and Jordan Hill developed into a solid rotation player, maybe.

But realistically, the Rockets need to add another big piece.

 

We don't even know if Yao will be back as good as before.

 

I think so. Think about what we did last year in the play-offs. We had no backup center for all but 2 of the play-off games. We had no Yao for the last 4 of the play-off games. Aaron was barely getting going as a starter. We effectively traded Artest for Ariza. Got less of a physical defender but a player who won't shoot you out of the game. Scola, Battier, Hayes, and Lowry are solid as always. That's just what was there last year.

Then you bring in Kevin Martin, Chase Budinger, and Jared Jeffries. You lose Von Wafer and Carl Landry. And Landry last year wasn't near what he had become this year. That's why he's such a fave for MIP.


I think Yao plus the improvement of one of Jordan Hill, Hilton Armstrong, or Draft Pick puts us able to compete with the Lakers. And really, it appears to me that you have the Lakers at the top of the pyramid with nobody their equal. Cavs, Magic, Celts, Nuggets would be right there below them. And that's where Yao coming back puts the Rockets.

 

You don't think the Nuggets, Trailblazers, or even the Spurs could beat the Lakers, if they had Yao Ming.

Yao isn't some fledgling center that can barely start, he's most likely and arguably the best in the league at his best (yes, even better than Dwight Howard in given occasions). You don't really think the Lakers could steamroll through these teams who are not necessarily pushovers now, wouldn't have a chance against LA with a healthy Yao.

1. Putting Yao/Tim Duncan together destroy Bynum/Gasol in every phase of the game. They'd do more than neutralize those two.


2. Adding Yao to the Thuggets, gives Denver much more depth, send Nene or Kenyon Martin to bench, which in turns gives them more big bodies off the bench. K-Mart and Nene are both very complimentary to Yao's skill, since both are very athletic big men and are fairly good shooters (rebounders) Yao/Birdman/K-Mart/Nene >>> Bynum/Gasol.

3. Impossible, you don't think the Mavs could put some serious threat in the league, if they fielded a team of

Yao - Dirk - Marion - Caron - Kidd
Haywood - Dampier - Terry - Berea

Yao would be the missing piece for all of those teams, especially in beating the Lakers.

Maybe, they're still weak at point guard, and Gasol is arguably the best pf in the game (Nowitzki, Duncan, Amar'e, and Bosh all might have something say about that).

A championship lock for the next 5 years, maybe... If they won 5 in row, they be one of the greatest teams ever, I do not see that in this squad.

 

No...

...but with the NY picks and Hill, and possibly Jeffries expiring, we have some pretty good trade assets to get another good player, which might get us a bit closer in the offseason...

 

Dumb question, any team that has Yao is an automatic contender if Yao is healthy. Any team.

 

yes they are.

Healthy Yao is the only real piece that's missing. The other pieces like an athletic 4 and backup 5 are interchangeable pieces that any team who is smart will be able to sufficiently fill

Now if you get a Bosh or a great point, then Houston goes from Contender to one of the Favorites.

Keep in mind that no team in the league matches up well with Yao. Bynum and Odom + Gasol could not stop him last year. The elite teams in the East cannot stop him. Shaq/Cleveland cannot stop him and Yao owns Dwight/Magic

Morey's built this team to match up with LA, but LA is not built to match up well with a Yao-led Houston team. If Morey can get Bosh, the nod definitely goes to Houston in a series with LA.

 

I agree, Yao is our X-Factor. Adding an equally as good or better than player than Yao with possibly another quality FA or draft pick, should put us over the top.

I agree, but you have to give some credit to old adminstration as well, CD/JVG Rockets. I believe last year's (and the 07-08) teams had some of the better pieces of the CD/JVG's and Morey/Adelman's Rockets. We've had the pieces to beat the Lakers in a series for about the last 3 seasons (even the year they lost to Boston in the Finals)...it's always our team not having enough healthy bodies to go deep into playoffs.

We came close last season, I'd still beat everything I have and have ever had that we would've won that series, if Yao and (or) Mutombo, both played every game of that series. Yao played great, even though he was hurt, and the Lakers had no answers. Mutombo would've certainly shut down the paint, even with Gasol and Bynum on the floor. Which would've allowed our other guys, like Hayes, Scola, and Landry not be so overexerted (even though those three were already proving to be handful for the Lakers' bigs).

 

Also, you have to add how that series might've changed, if T-Mac were healthy and had his head screwed on straight.

 

depends if yao is yao after he comes back. And if he can stay healthy.

 

kind of. I expect Morey isn't done making moves. And I think the return of Yao and the continuing development of young guys like Brooks, Lowry, Budinger, Hill and even Ariza could be enough to make us a contender. But I don't think Morey will stop there. He's going to try in to bring us another star. After all of that - we better be contenders.

 

I sincerely believe that with a 100% Yao, we are a contender.

 

If you go with what jmwilliamson said, as if the Rockets got another star, or picked up a really good rookie from the draft and acquired pretty decent FA (C).

We might get the point as team, where we do not really need Yao to be a go-to scorer, at least not within the primary 3.

1. Who might be acquired in the offseason.
2. Martin
3. Yao or Brooks

If we get a player good enough to make a 2-4th option on our team, that will probably make us an outstanding team.

 

No. Yao + a PF. Then we contend. As far as who that will be? Im guessing its whoever likes those NY draft choices.

 

I would say yes provided that Yao is the player he was (at least by the playoffs) before the latest injury. I would feel a hell of a lot better if the team had a 6'10"+ shotblocking, athletic post player but I don't think they have to have that player.

Brooks
Martin
Ariza
Scola
Yao

is a sick starting lineup with a bench of Lowry, Budinger, Battier and mix of Hayes and Jeffries for post defense is pretty nice.

 

hopefully AB takes another step in his development next year.
martin returns to the consistency he once had 2 years ago.
and yao returns to his elite level.

if all of those things happen, you never know.

but i think morey should be safe and try to get chris bosh this summer and make a big splash.

 

Exactly!

Hopefully we can Bosh in a sign and trade then maybe Manu with the MLE! I think that that would make the West a 2 team race!

 

I hate to say it but there is no such thing as a 100% Yao anymore! The good thing is a 80% Yao is better than most!