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

Well we have 31 wins right now with 11 losses vs. teams that I consider worse than us. With Yao and Martin the whole year we likely would win most of those. So with that, not even considering the games we lost vs good teams, we would probably be fighting for the 1/2 seed at about 42-19. Thats arguably top 3 in the league which is contender status imo. Add in another major piece like Bosh or Amare and I think you are definately in the mix, if not the favorite.

 

lets see, the rockets have 31 wins and 30 losses, still have a winning record despite losing yao for the season and losing lowry for about 3 going to 4 weeks, and ariza for two weeks; they also lost their sixman landry via trade and KNEE-mac their former go to man to the knicks. With all the crazyiness and unfortunate turn of events we are still only 4 and a half games out of the playoffs and still have a slight chance to get in if we can put together a good winning streak and have pressure san antonia and porrtland to lose some games. I think we certainly will be a contender next year if Yao is healthy, K-mart is consist in his scoring and efficiency, and we remain healthy as a team, and if we can get a strong defensive backup center/pf to backup yao. We gave the Lakers fits in the playoffs last year with and without Yao, imagine a healthy 2009 rockets team up against the lakers in the 2nd round last yr, we would have won in 7

 

if [IF] and [BUTS] were Candy and Nuts... We all would have a Merry Christmas!!!!!

 

A few more I'd like to add to your list are Brad Miller, Shaq, Kurt Thomas, and Jermaine Oneal.


I think Brad Miller is extremely ideal for this team as a backup option because of his familiarity of adelman's system and his ability to pass and hit the perimeter jumper.


Shaq is the ultimate backup for Yao. He can spell Yao 10-15 minutes on most nights. With timely rebounds and high field goal percentage.

Kurt Thomas will come on the cheap I believe. Hes a solid vet, can get you about 5-8 rebound off the bench and can hit the elbow j.

Jermaine Oneal will be great but he'll come wanting 8-9mil. Hes solid enough to spell Yao significant minutes hes a scorer and a decent post player; will block a shot occasionally.

 

Oops! I see you already have J.Oneal

 

Yao + a premier SF/PF

We have plenty of fire power in the PG position. Brooks or Lowry will be fine The lakers have proved that all you need is someone Derek Fischers caliber.

That's why I am hoping to see a 3/4. Durant?! yea - i know. I'm dreaming, but you get the point.

 

All of those guys are great choices, but Shaq ... I do not think wants to come off the bench, especially behind Yao Ming. Also, he could more pricey than what we are willing to spin, he's not playing for the MLE. Same for possibly, Brad Miller, who isn't actually that bad to give a decent sum of money to, especially without a starting center.

Kurt Thomas might can be had, he's still an above average defender and does hustle well for rebounds. He'd be a good signing, if reasonable

 

I voted no, but with some reservations, depending on how far back down the bench Adelman pushes Battier and Hayes. We have a much stronger chance of winning -- even this season -- if Budinger, Hill and Jeffries are pushed ahead of them. I'm afraid Battier and Hayes really are "glue" players -- and they are holding us down.

 

I vote no, but it is possible.

If CBud develops a lot between now and next season, that could be an impact. We need a clutch guy on this team - someone to hit big shots down the stretch. Martin is not a playmaker and brooks struggles at the end of games for whatever reasons.

The other need is some serious rebounding help. Like an athletic rebounder. Scola is a good rebounder but need more people to box out opposing teams atheltic guys.

I really think our best chance is the 2011-2012 season when we have more cap room during the previous summer, Cbud has a chance to develop, and Morey has time to make some moves.

 

No, Martin is not that legit 2nd option that can create for himself... If we don't land Bosh, we're not going very far in the playoffs.

 

We are 1 yao,good coach, and free agent signing (wade) away.

 

Nice Poll very tight! Well my sig says everything about my opinion. no need to type more.

 

No because Yao isn't good enough to make us contenders. We would be a good team but not even close to being contenders.

Look at the contenders in the NBA. Lakers have Kobe ( the best player in the NBA) plus Gasol who brings just as much as Yao if not more because he's a better all around player. Cavs have Lebron James ( almost as good as Kobe but he is unstoppable) plus they have a good team along with Jamison now. Celtics have their big three as usually but add Rondo along with their deep team. Magic is contenders because they have Dwight Howard ( he surpassed Yao Ming and he is a more dominant player on the boards and shot blocking) plus they have a great team around Howard.

The Rockets? Well we have a good team but if Yao is our best player, we don't have a chance. Kevin Garnett in his prime is a hell lot better than Yao ever dream of but his team was never close to being contenders but another good team.

So, if the Rockets manage to get a another player who is better than Yao Ming, then we have a chance to contend. Because by having Yao as our 2nd or third option, the Rockets are rock solid. Having Yao as our number 1 option, that will never get us no where but probably 4th seed at the most. Yao is a good player but he isn't a superstar. His injuries makes him unreliable. He's getting old and who knows if he even going to be effective as he used to be.

Think about this, Yao Ming when healthy and in his prime is an all star caliber player. He is a good center but not a dominant player. He don't take over games the way superstars do. Teams that win championships or win big in the playoffs have a single player that can explode big numbers in the last few minutes of the game. That we don't have in Yao Ming. Why? Because he's usually tired by the last few minutes of the game. Still, he's not good enough to do so. Yao always had Tmac who does most of the damage for him in the last few minutes of the game. Tmac is the one that handles the ball, and makes the decisions for the Rockets, not Yao.

Unless Yao is great like Tim Duncan, I just don't see him turn this team into true contenders. His injuries are a major factor and he is not good enough to do so. So the Rockets would need a true superstar, a player that we all can trust to make the decision in the last few minutes of the game. I honestly do not trust the ball in Yao's hands in the last few minutes of a crucial playoff game.

 

Plus, why do the Rockets still want to rely on Yao to be healthy for us to contend? I much rather the Rockets move on with or without Yao so when he goes down again, it wouldn't hurt us as much. If the Rockets continue to rely on Yao, expect more disappointments coming our way.

I'm tired of his injuries holding us back. I'm tired of thinking what if this guy can just stay healthy for one season and not break a freaking bone. But season after season, it happens. Now its like a seasonal thing for Yao. It would be unusual if Yao stays healthy for the entire season. The Rockets should know by now not to rely on Yao anymore.

Most likely he be a Rockets player his entire career but that don't mean he have to be our main player and franchise player.

 

Brooks, Martin, Battier, Scola, and Yao are a contending starting 5.

Lowry, Buddinger, Ariza, Hayes/Andersen/Hill are a great supporting cast.

There is the free agency and the draft to look forward to as well.

 

First, I agree with most of what MambaJoe wrote. However, if Battier remains in the starting rotation we are cooked. His offense is poor at best and his defense isn't effective. The starting rotation next year, based on the players we have now, should be Brooks, Martin, Budinger, Scola and Yao with Lowry, Ariza, Hill and Jeffries as the main backups depending on matchups.

With Martin and Budinger on the wings, no team would dare risk packing the paint to deny Yao as they have in the past, especially with Scola mastering Adleman's offense. Also, Hill (based on the Detroit game only, which is dangerous) looks like a really good complement to Yao.

I'm giddy with hope that we finally get an opportunity to draft a 7-foot, athletic backup center for Yao. There are no better PGs in the draft than Brooks and Lowry (except Wall, and fat chance of that). I'm hoping Morey will package Battier, our #1 and $3M cash for a top six pick and filler to get a young center who can be a starter in case Yao goes down again -- and push for time if he doesn't.

 

We are basically a lottery team right now.

So, you're saying adding Yao to a lottery team makes them a contender?

Playoff team, sure. Contender, no.

 

What has Morey done in the past three years that would be considered a failure if Yao's not around? Would drafting CBud be a mistake? Would getting Kevin Martin be a mistake? Would getting Hill and Knicks picks be a mistake?

If you're going to assume that Morey's sacrificing our future by relying on an injured player, at least point out his moves which would be fatal for us should Yao go down again next season.

Otherwise, please note the difference between improving the roster with build around Yao. The former is simply an accumulation of assets in order to improve the team performance. It has nothing to do with relying on Yao's health. The latter implies that the Rockets are mortgaging wins or the future by counting on Yao to be healthy.

 

amen brother! tooo many if & buts, the answer is NO! the rockets can't afford to put next year's season all on Yao,there's no garauntee Yao will be his old self and healthy. the rockets need to put another quality big down low with him and cross their fingers.

 

I really think the better option is relying on Yao. Yes, there is risk, but he is essentially free (don't have to give up anything to get/keep him). If we go get a Bosh or Amare, then we have to gut our roster and end up creating a hole elsewhere. I'd rather keep what we have or use them to fill up existing holes.

Just looking at the front court, counting on Yao and not making any moves, we have Yao, Scola, Hill, Hayes, and FA (say Miller) or draft pick. If Yao goes down, we aren't contenders. I don't care what the backcourt looks like, we aren't getting past the Lakers.

So say we do get Bosh, but have to give up Scola and Hill to get him (plus a backcourt asset). If Yao goes down, we aren't contenders. Bosh, Hayes, and A FA/draft pick isn't going to get it done.

So I'd prefer to give it another shot with Yao. If he can't play 100% or gets injured again, then we don't resign him or give him a smaller contract. We can then use the assets we have to look for another star player. Sure, we miss out on the summer of big names, but there will likely be others that we can get then.

I'm not saying we don't make any moves this summer at all, I just don't want to do anything that's going to create holes. Look to move Andersen, Taylor, Jeffries and maybe even Battier, for a decent role player.