This was exactly my main concern before the season even started (and I stated as much): ALL our acquisitions, including the current players on the roster, are not the 'take charge of the team' type of players, none possess a fiery personality that would make up for Sura's absence. Few things will need to be addressed as the season progresses: 1) Get an enforcer-type of personality on this team, or force T-Mac to become that, which I think he was becoming before he went down with the injuries. 2) We MUST trade/upgrade the SG position with a sharp shooter. No one gets more open shot opportunities than our SG position, and with Wesley bricking it at every chance he gets, it will be the difference between wins and losses this season, I guarantee you that much (and no, Head is not adequate for that role). I don't know what it would take, but a pure shooter/a guy who would seriously make teams pay for their doubling on T-Mac and Yao is a MUST for this squad. I am not sure if some team would be willing to take DW off our hands, but even more impotantly there has first to be a guy out there who would play this role and do it well.
Yeah i agree. he took plenty of shots in the first half and the magic did a better job of fronting and doubling him in the 2nd half. I would like to see him take about 20 shots when T-mac is not playing but teams are more likely just to keep on double teaming and fronting him especially when the rest of the team cant make a shot.
Real problem is not with Yao or Wesley or Swift.... but with JVG's offense plans. Seems PnR between Tmac and Yao is pretty much the only tool on JVG's offense board. I know that is effcient and maybe the best option available to the Rockets, but when one of them does not play(either Yao or TMac), it almost means there is no other backup offense systems that is workable to JVG and the players just play ISO basketballs.
I do not blame coaching on the New Oleans loss- that was on the players. The Orlando loss is partially on Van Gundy. I think we will win the Miami game on the road. Our offense runs through T-Mac and I think he is our de facto offensive coach on the floor. The chemistry he provides Van Gundy's coaching is really needed now. if we can learn to win without T Mac we will be that much better when he returns.
When you mix in a team that is: 1. Missing its best offensive player. 2. Missing the guy who handles the ball 70 percent of the time. 3. Missing perimeter shots. You are going to suck. Yao has no space to operate because the defenders just sag in on him. If no one can hit a shot from the outside, he will continue to not have space to operate. McGrady opens up so many things for the team. He generates better spacing, more open shots, less congestion in the lane...you name it. It alters the entire defensive scheme of an opponent when he isn't in there. When Phoenix lost Stoudamire, we all assumed they would not be good and they are an average to below average team without him. The Heat are struggling without Shaq. That is understandable. When you lose your best player, you are going to struggle, particularly when that player is responsible - directly and indirectly - for 80 or 90 percent of your offense.
Apart from the last few minutes of the game vs NO and the game vs ORL, Yao has played well. I hope he gets back up from this shooting and mental slump. If he can't shoot, go to the basket strong and get some fouls. Get some friggin boards too!! Having said that through 3 games he's at: PPG 19.7 | RPG 9.3 | BPG 4 | AST 2
We should have done this during the offseason. A starting SG should have been our #1 priority instead of Stro. We won't get anything for Wesley now because no team has completely given up on the season yet. We might get a little value near the trade deadline. For this season, we are basically stuck with 3 backups (DA, JB & Luther) and worse (Wesley) at SG. We'll have to make it work.
Why doesn't Yao go up strong? He tries to go up for a rebound or a dunk, and gets outmaneuvered in the paint. I cringe when he goes up underneath the basket.... but always the end result is him getting stuffed or ending up on the floor. I'm just pissed that he lacks the upper body strength that a center/power forward should have. Yao needs to watch some Hakeem tapes and learn how to play in the post.
Yao is not Hakeem and never will be. That's like telling Barry to watch some old MJ tapes and be like him. Or Moochie to watch some Stockton tapes and be like him. Ok maybe not that bad, but different people have different games that they are capable of. I love Yao and wouldn't trade him but his frame, speed and motion is more like Sabonis or Jabbar's and I think that's who he should model his game after theirs. Those guys didn't have too bad of a career. We had a tough time on offense in the beginning last year, this will take a little time. Hopefully the next 3 weeks we won't be in a giant hole that will cause us to scratch our way just to make the playoffs. And, IMO, Wesley need to take a seat until he can "get well", but I fear he may be a lost cause. I know it's only been a couple of games, but his game is so far gone now, I'm not sure we will ever see him get it back. It's like watching Vin Baker out there. You hope that he will comeback to the place he used to be or somewhere close, but it just doesn't happen.
I am beginning to lose faith with Wesley. Every player has off nights shooting. Last night, all our shooters are off. But Wesley's shot has been horrible ever since training camp. I think it's time to play Luther aHead of him.
As "Jackie Childs" would say, "inconceivable, incomprehensible, inexcusable!" The WORST offensive display I have seen in a NBA game in sometime. Both teams did their best to lose and the Rockets won. What is scary to me is the offseason was an attempt to give a "talent tweak" to an already playoff quality team. The team on the floor is nowhere near playoff quality and looks far less talented than last year. No reason for concern? Don't worry, it is early. Give them time to jell. I think not. The team as presently configured is lottery bound with or without TMac. Problems: Ming is a highly celebrated role player. He is uncomfortable being anything else. That could be said of NONE of the "great" NBA centers, ever! The brick hands, the slow feet, the falling down, missing point blank shots, being gassed after the first five minutes of the game: so much for stepping it up. The guards look lost. They seem to have no confidence with the outside shot, they either don't know the plays or can't execute them. Thus, the offense is stagnant. Austin started dribbling aimlessly around the perimeter. The forwards look lost on offense and defense. Swift is running around in circles (a few flashes of "wow"). Howard is the "outside" shooter, and that is scary. The bench looks bambozzled. Barry attempted a behind the back for a turnover at a critical point in the game. And he is the team's "smartest" player!? Last year the Rockets were a scrappy, overachieving, never say die kind of team that was fun to watch. Thus far, they are really really bad, so bad that terms like "jelling" are irrelevant.
Bottom line: JVG has the ability to make any NBA games really ugly. Last year was an exception because of T-Mac's extraordinary ability. Without T-Mac, this team had no choice but going back to JVG's so called inside-out offense. Thus the offense became really stagnant and robotic. Let's face it , Yao couldn't carry a team just yet, he isn't even at Ewing's level. When facing strong players, he couldn't get his post position or hold the position longer. A lot of time is wasted on passing the ball to Yao. It often results in a rush shot or a turnover. This kind of offense won't work well in today's NBA. But it seems to be the only offense schema JVG is good at.
I was frustrated that Yao waits for the double team. I understand the thinking, he doesn't want to get stripped, and he wants the open shot, but Hakeem didn't wait. If you are the best scorer on the team you go straight to he hoop if the double is late.
I agree with giving LH more playing time. Why not up his playing time now while Tracy is out and the Rockets are going to struggle regardless of whether LH or DW are playing? I would also start Swift and bring in Howard. In the long run of this season, having Tmac out may be of benefit as it forces the rest of the Rockets to work harder at their games instead of just watching Tmac and Yao win games.
we need both TMAC and YAO. w/o, TMAC will suffer a similar situ. TMAC is the leader and best player, YAO is next to him both. YAO need play smarter and get his shoot better, we need that badly! but our guards just too bad, let their PG crash us in the clutch.
JVG is just not a good coach offensively at all. Without Tmac, one of the best scorers in the NBA, it just becomes even more so apparent. If Tmac wasn't so all-around in his ability to score, meaning that he can score in any way and from anywhere, then it would be apparent all the time. He's a pure defensive coach. How the hell can you have Yao swarmed, yet not have a wide open look for someone else? The spacing is horrible. If the spacing was right and you could find the open jumper or a cutter to the basket, then Yao would have easier time scoring as well. Everyone would have an easier time. Too bad we're stuck with him for many more years. I'm not a bandwagon person either. I'm not panicking and I think that it is still waaaay to early to get super pissed at the Rockets' play but JVG isn't the right coach for the components that we have. He is a good, not great coach, but not right for this team. Even without Tmac, we should be killing these teams but our offense is absent, even against two of the worst teams in the league. And I still can't comprehend how the hell a 7'6" guy only has freaking 4 rebounds in 35 minutes. All he really has to do is stand there and atleast 7 should come his way after bouncing off the rim. That is unacceptable even for only one game for a center, let alone the biggest center in the league. Good luck to us on thursday
good point, hard to understand when 2-3 players swamp to YAO, HOU stil can not make the shot. the SPACING is a big big problem. LAso, YAO 4 rbs is horrible, no excuse!
disclaimer: only skimmed first page. We are 3 games into the season. Now, there are obvious things to address, but I think as far as the offense needing to run more smoothly will come in time. Last year was the same case. New personnel, new starting lineup, and a missing T-Mac are some reasons for the slow and sloppy start. I will reserve judgement in about a 3-6 weeks, to see more of whether this squad can do the job or not. I know it's easy to get into panic mode, but i don't think that's necessary just yet.
