I think we can squeeze in to the playoffs this year, which will be a step in the right direction. Plus once we get rid of some of these ridiculous contracts in a year or two, we'll be able to really build something around Francis, Yao, and Cat. I also have confidence JVG will give us some more discipline offensively and defensively. Like the old Bob Marley, "Everything's gonna be alright, I said, everything's going to be alright"
Everyone DREAMS about having Brand few months ago. Maggette and Odom are very good players. Jaric, Wilcox and Richardson are very solid young players. Dunleavy was the choice of a lot of posters here. Clippers are still way under the cap and it SEEMS that they're willing to spend now. I am not saying clippers will be better than us next year but I would certainly feel comfortable if I were their fan. If they can bring in some veteran PG and C, I honestly think that they can challenge the playoff spot, same as rockets. Actually are SF, Yao, Cat and JVG that much better than Brand, Odom, Maggette and Dunleavy NEXT YEAR?
I'm just glad someone else posted the lottery thread besides me this year. Actually, I think the Rockets have a good chance of getting the #8 seed, unless Yao gets hurt.
Lets all face it - the Rox wont win the championship this year! Thats all I care about - I say screw the playoffs - if they dont win it all who cares! The Lakers are going to take it all again - deal with it!
Hate to tell ya this Train... in the past your negativity may have set you apart from the pack, but with the high level of negativity in here already, you're just another voice in the crowd. Get a new shtick... Yep, some people around here that dont know better should read his stuff and you will see why he is "Running With Scissors" I personally think he should get the coveted "Member on Crack" title.
I'm as big a fan as you will find and I want the Rockets to win every game but the reality is that no one wins them all. The Rockets have talent regardless of the negative views of the doom and gloomers. The Rockets will be better than last year (which was not that bad a year). They should make the playoffs just by winning the games that they should have won last year. We lost many a game by losing focus and concentration late in games, especially to the bad teams. Rudy, god love him, just did not get the team on the same page when we really needed the focus. JVG, should be the type of coach to get everybody pulling in the same direction, keep the team focused in crunch-time, and preach defensive-minded team ball.
This post mirrors exactly what I've been writing about for the past two weeks. I feel that too many folks here have bought into that patent Rockets excuse "We are a young team". Call me daft but when I look at the Rocket players I'm looking at the number of years they have been in the league and not their ages. I consider that to be a better gauge of where they should be. Now let's look at your list of core players in terms of their NBA experience as of last season: SF - 4 years CM - 5 years EG - 2 years YM - 1 year KC - 6 years MoT - 6 years Of the rest: MN - 6 years GR - 14 years EP - 9 years BN - 1 year Of the core players only Yao and EG can be considered young as they have the least amount of NBA experience. Next year will be 2 for YM while EG will be in his 3rd year. BN will be in his 2nd year for what it's worth. That's it for your "young" players. This "youth excuse" has been used as a crutch by EVERYONE to explain away the poor level of play and the stupid lack of basketball smarts on this team for years now and the time has come for them to either get better or better yet, come up with a new excuse for their boneheaded performances on the court. Now assuming that JVG didn't croak from watching film of all 82 Rocket games from last season, it's a given to expect some concrete improvement on the court considering his reputation as a top-tier NBA coach. As for mediocrity, in the NBA, the WORST thing to be is mediocre because a team can fall into a rut or zone of mediocrity for years and years (sound familiar?). Those two championships were wonderful but that was over 8 YEARS ago. You can't expect Houston fans to financially support the Rockets this season based on what happened 8 years ago - especially at the prices Uncle Les will be asking. The world simply does not work that way - at least mine doesn't. Folks WON'T turn out for a faded echo of past championships. They WILL support a team that's making positive strides toward being a contender both on and off the court. One final note. A lot of people are banking on the Rockets showing improvement in the West based on the projected decline in the teams ahead of them. I, personally, don't subscribe into that line of thought. No one can ever accurately predict what the fortunes of the other teams in the West will or won't be in the years ahead. There is no free pass. It's up to the Rockets to look to themselves to make the commitment to do what's necessary in order to become contenders and maybe even champions once more. After all, that's what San Antonio did and look at how things worked out for them.
I am not a moron. I speak the truth! The Rox may make the playoffs but there is no way they will be in the finals next year! Deal with it fanboy!
