I have to be honest, sometimes I see this team and I just don't see a team to build around with. This team needs a dominant player. As it is the best player and point producer is Steve Francis. Mobley is your second best player. Anderson is a good defender. Thomas is undersized. Cato is overhyped. I just don't see this team becoming championship material. As it is I think that the Rockets need a starting Center, a starting power forward, and a starting small forward. I'll give the Rockets the guard positions, that looks pretty decent. I say trade either Thomas or Rogers. I say trade Williams. I also say trade Cato. I'd trade Drew too. So build around Francis, Mobley, Anderson, Rogers (or Thomas). Cato just dosen't look like the anser at the center position.
We are definitely missing some key foundation players. Our whole team goes into nose dives, recovers, and then nose dives again. I guess it's to be expected...very frustrating, however. I would rate us on equal terms with the Mavs...should be some good Interstate rivalries for years to come...not much else unfortunately. Argh. We play our best when down by more than 10 points. Cato is not the solution....his offense is non-established and nowhere most nights. Dream...oh man...we won't go there. He's still ill. Francis is in a rookie slide or something? This season can't be over fast enough for me. Surf
The reason we play our best when we are down is that the other team feels no pressure and lets up. Our offense may be bad, but at least our defense is worse. DaDakota
Shouldn't it be: Is this foundation good enough to build a team? And when you look at it that way, if this foundation is nothing else, it is a TEAM. These guys play for the purpose of winning, not for the purpose of individual contracts. To me, that is the most important part of a foundation. With this Rocket's fundamental attitude to play as a team to win, you can build an excellent team. With this foundation, this team can learn to play defense, and that makes them a Western Conf playoff bound team next year. A playoff team....at that point, we are happy and can talk about the next step. So to answer your question, you won't be asking that question once we focus on defense and make the playoffs, you will be asking, "Is this team good enough to make the Finals?" one step at a time...makes you a more appreciative fan!!
I consider January 2000 to be not only the birth of the new millenium, but also of the new Houston Rockets. It was mid January when the incredible six game winning streak happened, beating some of the best teams in the league on national television by doing the things they had never done well all year, like play a good 4th quarter. Even though they've been up and down since, I still think of the Rockets of Nov-Dec as a different team. Still dealing with the injuries to Hakeem and Barkley, still trying to find a groove of any kind. Still learning some very harsh lessons about mistakes in the 4th quarter. Things are very different- the 'new' team has proven to themselves and everyone else that they can beat anyone, if they play well. They have started playing well enough that Barkley and Hakeem are afterthoughts, instead of the first excuse out of our mouths to explain why we aren't playoff bound. In Jan, Feb, and Mar we are a combined 14-18. This is what I consider our real record. This is including the four losses before the transforming six-game winning streak, which would put us at 14-14 if I left it out. This ball club, as it is right now, with no dominant PF or SF and Cato and Hakeem seeing 20 min each at the C, is a .500 team. You start next season with this same team, even with Williams and Bullard and Drew and Hakeem without clearly defined roles, and we would still play .500 ball, and improve on that as the season progressed. And a .500 record is good for the 8th seed, or at least to challenge for it. But of course, we won't have the same team next year, and each player's role will be much more defined once our season of experimenting is over. We have our lottery pick, plus two more first rounders coming, all of which could be very valuable this summer, and you can count them among our other very tradeable assets, to be combined in some manner with our $4.5 mil trade exception. The Rockets are a playoff team next season.
It's going to take time to rebuild this team. We have a few good players who will help build this team but it will take a few years to add players and experience to this team. The building process does not start with a bunch of superstars so we have to be patient. Also Francis is an excellent player to have to rebuild a team.
We have the foundation, but by the very definition of the word, thats all we have and we're a long way from complete. Francis, Mobley and Anderson are a good core of young guards, but in my opinion thats where it ends. Cato poses no offensive threat and to be quite frank, couldn't hit the broadside of a barn outside 1 foot. He just doesn't have ANY offensive moves - not even a pump fake! Coupled with his poor rebounding for a strong 7 footer, I see him needing to improve immensely to be worth $5-$6 mil. When we acquired him the scouting report read "A shot blocking centre". That about sums it up. Thomas - shows promise but is undersized. Rogers - a lot of people talk like he will be a part of the future but I don't see it. He shows hustle sometimes but he doesn't get enough rebounds for his height (6'11"), or score from anything but opportunistic plays. I think he will be the first to be traded pronto. Much to my own surprise I see Walt Williams as being most secure in his job. He is our only true three and his 3 point shooting makes him perfect for our offense.
Rogers has not impressed at all since coming back from his injury, which leads me to believe that he is not 100%. In the MIN games, he shot two air balls from 5 feet. It was really sad. It got worse when he launched a three. I don't know what he was thinking. Even healthy, Rogers may peak as a bench player in the NBA, which is not a bad thing. His D though is of matadorian quality and needs a whole lotta work in the offseason.
