Let's face it: this team isn't that good even with a healthy Yao.

Gotta play Starcraft again to make 200 flamethrowers soldiers for this thread :grin:

 

I disagree totally. Further, if we can pull off a top pick (moving up) and a hot FA this off-season, I think we can compete for the championship next season.

 

I share the OP's doubts, but mostly because I remain unsold on Kevin Martin based on what I've seen of him. I really hope Adelman knows how to put him in a system that will get more out of him than what we've seen. Because so far he does not look at all like the kind of difference-maker we'll need to elevate a Yao-Brooks-Scola combo to a bigtime playoff threat.

 

Care to explain this? He's been an efficient 20+ ppg scorer, is clearly elite at drawing fouls, and isn't quite as a junk defender as I thought he was. I'd say that's everything he's been advertised to be, and he can easily get better over time.

 

I am sold on Kevin Martin offensively. I am not sold on him on the defensive end unless we get a substantial upgrade to the big man spot. Martin is a gambler defensively. In fact, Brooks, Martin, and Ariza all three are gamblers defensively. They try to disrupt passing lanes and get the steal rather than play solid, hard nose to nose D on their man.

IF..........Adelman is going to let these guys cheat defensively on the perimeter to keep the break greased on the other end, THEN Morey has to upgrade the big men so that we always have solid paint defense on the floor. We've got to have size to have a deterrant in the paint. That is a totally different defensive concept than post up defense (which is Hayes' specialty). We are going to need tall, long, smart, athletic big men in the paint that can move, recover, move some more, and contest shots in the paint. So, if Yao is out there, by necessity, since three perimeter guys are always cheating, he ideally needs a tall, athletic defensive minded big man playing alongside him. And if Scola is in there, same thing. We need 2, count 'em TWO more bigs to go along with what we have already got. Not to mention Yao's fragility. Now Jordan Hill could be one of those type bigs. I just don't know. I do know it is going to take some time for him to develop. I don't know if that is ideal for this team. IF............we could make a trade for a guy like Bosh, we are still going to need another athletic 7 footer to be available for guys in foul trouble, etc.

Adelman's biggest job over this summer is going to have to be figuring out our defensive identity. And Morey's biggest job over this summer is going to be making moves that make this team more balanced defensively to go along with our offense.

 

Genius. I think you should take the lead in proposing this trade.

 

Oh god, I'm trembling. Better watch out for them bobcats

 

My worries are Martin and Brooks being thrown of their game when they are defended physically. They might be a very good scoring backcourt but they are also quite soft. Thankfully, Scola, Yao and even Ariza give us a lot of toughness.

 

I are dumber for reeding thes thred.

DD

 

not be so pessimetic. at least some of responses are worth to read. :grin:

 

I don't think he meant we are trading just AB for Chris Paul. Its just part of the suggestion. Their contracts don't match up anyways.

But I can see us proposing a trade of Brooks, Hill or Scola, and a lottery pick of some sort with battier or fillers to make the trade work out. That's not a bad catch for New Orleans and I would love to have CP3 on this team.

 

The only thing the OP is suggesting that seems to diverge from the path the Rockets are most likely to take is trading Brooks for Chris Paul, which is nothing but a fantasy.

 

Don't completely disagree but do think a Yao lead team can win 50 games. Kind of a moot point since it will be either Yao, 1st rd pick, MLE and LLE or Yao, All-Star, MLE and LLE. Pretty much all we can do is assume and play GM so lets wait to see what the FINAL sqaud will look like after FAgency/Trades are complete before passing judgement since we do not even know who will be on the team.

 

Sooo a team on pace for 41 wins this year without Yao...

...won't be able to pick up a couple more games WITH him and someone like a Camby?

Championship contender? No...

...but a 'good' team or playoff team. Absolutely.

 

I'll agree. With the insane amount of injuries we had throughout this year, it was definitely a fluke we won as much as we did.

Or care to explain how it was a fluke, or are you just trolling?

 

Hun? Wear deed he go? He's not o-ver hear, musk b o-ver dare? Duh? Doo?

 

I don 't think it was a fluke.

The good teams are really good and the bad teams are really bad in the NBA.

The Rockets are in the middle, exactly where they should be.

 

So we're going to be a worse team next year when Yao returns because we won't be able to match up with the Bobcats in our two regular season games?

 

Seconded. It's not just that I completely disagree with the OP, it's that it just doesn't make any sense.