I have been around this board a long time now, and do not post very much unless I really have something to say that I feel needs to be considered. Not sure if you guys remember this, but when Phil Jackson first came in as the Lakers coach and had to install the triangle, it looked horrible. There was also loads of talent on the team, just like us. They had the same problems. It just took time for that system to hit home with the players. When the offense finally was clearly understood by the players it flowed like a well oiled engine and was completely unstoppable. I think that we are seeing the same types of pains with this team. The talent level is there, and it is just going to take time. Also consider that the schedule thus far has been fairly brutal. Trust me on this that it will be a work in progress but when this team starts to get it offensively, it will be a sight to see.
they won in their first year together w/ phil jackson. they did struggle at the beginning b/c shaq was moved to the high post at times to run the triangle. so we'll see.
though i believe they struggled w/ the offense a lil bit, but they were WINNING. they were like 30-6 or something like that to start and had a huge 16-17 game winning streak after the first month. they were 11-4 in the first month.
.. that's quite a stab to Rafer. Anyway 30-6 is unbelievable and I would be very happy to get 30-6 never mind about winning. We are 6-6 now and unless we go well 24-0 .. that's not happening.
I miss Horry's help defense. YM is not on the same level as SO. Opponents do not fear YM as they do / did SO (or Barkley, Laimbeer, Mahorn, Mutombo, Parrish, Rodman for that matter). This Houston team is missing a mental edge on the court. Off the court, we have great community guys.
I hate to say it but at the time, both Kobe and Shaq had more of a "killer instinct" mentality than T-Mac and Yao. Kobe/Shaq brought it every night, and if they needed some big shots from others, Fisher and Horry were always there.
shaq was NEVER a big 4th quarter guy b/c of his pathetic fts. kobe was their guy. and that bolded comments are the difference b/t them and us. kobe and shaq knew their role players can hit big shots if they pass. our stars know our role players can't do that. which role player has stepped up consistently during this tmac-yao era that we can say, he's clutch? it's tougher for tmac/yao to do what they do consistently in the 4th b/c opponents fear no one else on our team.
Also, Kobe/Shaq won their first title in their 4th year together. Strangely enough, this is the 4th Year of the Yao/T-Mac experiment.
The Lakers, in their first season with Phil Jackson, won 67 games. But they started off the year 8-4, and only 3 of the first 12 opponents finished with more than 50 wins that season. They were missing Kobe Bryant for all those games, however.
never. head could hit open jumpers with anybody in the league, but he cannot defend, dribble, penetrate, pass, drive, defend.... horry was a decent one on one defender and GREAT at moving without the ball on the offensive end. head will never be able to fill those shoes, the comparison is unfair. i guess if he simply hits open shots, then he will have done his job. he wont give us what horry gave them.
The closest thing T-Mac has to a sure thing role player has been Battier. When the game winds down who doesnt ring that 3 pointer in the corner up before it hits the net?? Battier is 2 for 3 on those shots this year. He hit several big ones last year. But Kobe-Shaq had 2 of those guys. And Fox was about as up and down as Rafer.
but battier is not reliable still. he missed a crucial 3 that was wide open after the one rafer made. our role players have not consistently made big shots (head was last yr but he completely disappeared in the playoffs). kobe and shaq had confidence in their role players. even adelman does not have confidence in our role players after seeing how leads are blown when tmac sits down.
People this is all wrong, it basically comes down to this! Tmac is not Kobe, and Yao is not Shaq. Because of this, we need that reliable third scorer. A guy who can legitamitely get 15-16 ppg. Personally, I think this team needs to go after a legit athletic power forward. Yao's lack of rebounding and his defensive liabilities are hurting this team tremendously , especially at the end of games. So if we want to be like the Lakers, we need quite a bit of tweaking
This is why I REALLY wanted us to go after Maggette last year when he and Dunleavy were having problems. Also why I really wish the Gay/Battier trade hadn't happened.
Newsflash, Horry missed some open 3's late in games during his Rockets career. Some of the most clutch players missed more than they made. Folks like Reggie Miller, Michael Jordan, and Larry Bird all made some big time shots, but they also missed some shots that could have given their team the win.
