Alright, I'll give you some grades: Steve Francis: regular season: D- playoffs: A Cuttino Mobley: regular season: B- playoffs: D+ Jim Jackson: regular season: B playoffs: F+ Kelvin Cato: regular season: B playoffs: B Yao Ming: regular season: B- playoffs: C Maurice Taylor: regular season: B- playoffs: B- Mark Jackson: regular season: B playoffs: F Bostjan Nachbar: regular season: A playoffs: A Eric Piatkowski: regular season: D playoffs: X Clarence Weatherspoon: regular season: B playoffs: B Scott Padgett: regular season: A playoffs: A Adrian Griffin: regular season: X playoffs: X Mike Wilks: regular season: B playoffs: X Jeff Van Gundy: B Jeff got them to the playoffs, something Rudy couldn't do. And I like his attitude. I expected more, but he deserves another year to try and build a contender. If this team isn't drastically better next year, fire him. Overall: C Flashes of brilliance in a sea of mediocrity.
as I stated they come from half time looking like a Kid that just got Whipped by his father. . . . . .NO FIRE Rocket river
you grades are off Maurice Taylor: regular season: C playoffs: B Mark Jackson: regular season: C playoffs: F Bostjan Nachbar: regular season: C playoffs: B Eric Piatkowski: regular season: D playoffs: X Clarence Weatherspoon: regular season: C playoffs: C Scott Padgett: regular season: B playoffs: B Adrian Griffin: regular season: X playoffs: X Mike Wilks: regular season: C playoffs: X Jeff Van Gundy: C Jeff got them to the playoffs, something Rudy couldn't do?? Barring SICKNESS we were IN THE PLAYOFFS Overall: C+ Rocket RIver
I have no idea how you give management an A-. Jim Jackson was a good move. A Eric Piatkowski was a dismal failure. He sucked. He was far worse than Voshon Leonard and his contract is a lot longer. He contributed nothing. a 3 year 8 million dollar contract for nothing is horrible. F Mark Jackson was decent but nothing great. C Clarence Weatherspoon for Moochie. Yes, Weatherspoon was a decent contributer but his contract is an absolute albatross. I don't give good grades for taking bad contracts. C Glenn Rice. Depends on what happens with the MLE. We have no 1st round choice but we have the exception. Incomplete So why does CD deserve an A-?
Great analysis, Jeff, I gotta agree with most of that. I would rate JVG higher, I think he's a fantastic coach. He has the perfect attitude for this team; if the Rockets weren't so damn awesome at giving away games, we'd be at least 10 wins better. Steve sucked this year compared to his others, but I would still say he is an amazing guard, least C+ or B-. I also agree with ZRB's grades. I'm a little miffed at the A for Nachbar for the regular season though considering he barely ever played, but he was great in the playoffs. JJ's play wasn't as solid as it was in the regular season, but I'm not sure ONE HORRIBLE TO deserves an F+ haha.
I'd say an "incomplete" until we see what happens with the exception. I'm still thinking about the other stuff.
Overall season grade....B- As said before, they pretty much ended up as most predicted. BUT...sadly, they didn't get better and better as the season progressed. They still went through long periods at the end of the season making the same crappy mistakes. Except for games 2 and 5, they gave the Lakers quite a battle, though. MVP....JIM JACKSON! Nobody else is even a close second. This guy was the one constant holding this team together. Awesome signing! Best thing to happen this season...Steve played well overall in the playoffs in his "test" season. This was clutch because it raises his value in the trade market. There still should be some sucker GM's/owners out there who would give us good value in return because of his showing and his still present popularity among voting and buying fans. He MUST be traded this offseason. The worst the Rockets could do is hold on to him too long and have his real value exposed. Those of us older guys remember all too well how the Rockets waited far too long trading Ralph Sampson and ended up with far less than they could have had they acted in time. We'll see if they learned from their past history or if they repeat the same mistake...kind of like the players this year could never correct their mistakes.
Jeff, you are listed as Clutch crew here, please answer me, is ClutchFans still inedpendent of the Rockets organization, or you guys sold off? I see absolutely no reason to kiss management's ass when it is obvious that the team does not have enough talent to compete.
Overall, I was very happy to see the Rox in the playoffs. I must say they play very ugly basketball. They have no offense to speak of.
The money Cato currently commands and his output this season are not mutually exclusive. If anything they should somewhat correlate and be justifiable. Though giving Cato a B+ is conceivable - it is as well logically ridiculous.
My thoughts on the season.. we ended up where everyone thought we would. This is before SF3 started the worst season of his career, if people knew what kind of season SF3 would have they would guess lottery team again. Yao starting to come alive offset some of that. SF3: D had a horrible regular season... his TO's, poor decision making, and low FG% are off set some by his hustle, heart and leadership. I still believe in the guy and it looks like he was getting it in the playoffs. If he could play like that in the regular season (20ppg/8assists/8rebs) we would become an elite or closer to elite team. He had a poor season so I assume it can only get better from here. Cat: C had a decent season.. did what he was supposed to (hit open shots, play tough defense) but didnt do anything extra. SF3 or Yao at some points carried the team to a win (difference makers) Cat doesnt seem to have that ability to pull the team through when others struggle. He would be better coming off the bench.. JJ: A I think he had an awesome season but his shooting in the playoffs was horrible. I feel bad for the guy playing out of position (he should be a 2 guard) and he's not that atheletic to boot. He would be more effective as our starting 2 guard, and create mis matches more often then.. he needs to play less minutes. Cato: C I love the guy.. his heart, hustle and defense were inspiring to watch. He just needs a jumpshot.. he was too much of a liability (offensive) to give him a higher grade. Wished he could become the enforcer type (which I think this team needs) but didnt really live up to that either. Yao: B Had a poor showing in the playoffs (true against the more dominant Shaq) but that cant negate the process he has made all season. He struggled early in the season when JVG forced him downlow and made him into a "true" low post player. He seems much more comfortable in the post now and I'd now rather have Yao down low than taking an outside jumpshot. (his shot seems to be off) - He still definately needs to work on his stamina, strength and quickness but I see alot of upside for this guy. MoT: C could be an awesome player he has all the gifts.. size, skill, strength, an awesome array of low post moves, he just needs to work on his rebounding and defense. Those 2 things are more attitude than anything else.. I feel he gets lazy while playing defense (not blocking out/ or rotating) and this makes him one dimensional. Old Knicks (MJ/Spoon): A they did exactly what was expected of them.. I guess since I didnt have much expectations I was pleased with both of them. Do I want them on the team next year? no, not really. Boki: A I think he made the best of the situations he was in and played hard and smart.. with more playing time he could be a really nice player. JVG: C he brought defense, he brought discipline, but he brought a negative attitude trashed our offense. I like JVG alot and hope we continue to grow with him, but his lack of adjustments (in game) and reluctance to use the bench really stifled our development and chances this year. If he went to our bench earlier and more often I think we would have had a much better team this year. Hopefully this season will be about adjustments and he will pull through. I like our core of players.. but minus (Yao, SF3, Cat and JJ) everyone can be had for the right deal. Cat and JJ are in the mix because I love their contracts .. What I would like to see next year.. A decent PF who is a lil mix of Cato and MoT A longer athletic Small Forward who can play around the rim and hit open shots. A backup PG who isnt hobbling around and can hit an open 3. This is what I would look at this summer. he have too many people playing the same positions.. (sounds like Seattle) 5 SG - SF3, Cat, JJ, Pike, AGriffin 1 SF - Boki is the only legit Small Forward on this team. 1 PF - MoT is the only legit PF we have except he doesnt play like one on the defensive end. Love his O but needs to shore up on some other skills (rebounds and defense) 2 C - with one of them masquerading as a PF Spoon is a 3/4 but too small as a PF too slow as a SF.. I would like to see some better balance on this team next season. Maybe move Pike, Agriffin, Wilks, Mjack, and bring in a PF and a SF we have a solid team. J
How in the hell can you complain about Boki's play during the play-offs? The guy did exactly what a player off of the bench needs to do. He provided a spark on both offense and defense. If Boki did nothing else in the play-offs he gave us hope that he is going to be a very good player before his career is over.
Jeff, you gave Steve Francis a lower grade than he deserves. He deserves a C+. Although he might not have the tools to become a player we want him to be, he did play hard almost every night and his relentless energy fuel this team.
I have a boatload of Fs, 2 Bs a C and a D. Trying doesn't count. Grades on results. No Curve. Having failed, I do not advance these "students" to the next grade. Send them back. Send them to "special education". There has to be a limit on the number of times you hold a dumb kid back. Sooner or later he gets the boot, and goes packing to another school more appropriate for kids with "special needs" SEASON GRADE : F - Just so you know, that's you too, JVG, CD, and Les. Thanks for nothing.
I think overall B is a stretch. I would give them a C+ - they backed into the playoffs - nearly got swept - and got their butts handed to them royally in LA in the final game - that was a beating. They held on to Eddie Griffin - even though he was clearly a problem child and let James Posey slip away. The net of the Griffin melt down and Posey loss is a huge drop in talent and youth on the team. When player personnel is your most important resource - those kind of missjudgements are not very good - they awful. Further - the Rockets have no draft choice in the 1st round - and their only second round pick is SAC's! What were these people thinking!? The organization should get credit for signing Jeff Van Gundy who with his staff - really was the difference maker - in getting the team to the playoffs. ( If you disagree - I challenge you to tell me what else changed and remember Van Gundy helped to bring in JJ, MJ and Spoon while loosing Posey and E.Griffin from the previous year.) I expect better results next year - but for me this year was a C+ -- the '+' only because I enjoyed the two playoff games I attended in Houson.
Making the playoffs in the West is an accomplishment. Talented team? I don't see it, at least compared to the top five conference teams or the top three Eastern squads. I believe Seattle has a better roster, the Blazers, too. I would be excited about the Suns if I were in the desert. I'd have to love some of the Jazz if they weren't well, Sloan's Jazz. So, yes, there is reason to be positive. The Bench failed the Rox. When Mo was 'on' he was very, very 'on'. Too often he was switched off. Almost every game he had one good assist and one good rebound. Too few. What would have been so bad if Stevie and Cat's and JJ's minutes had been cut by 3 - 5 each and those minutes had gone to developing quality bench help when needed, like in the playoffs? How many fewer games would have been won? The job JVG and Staff did is somewhat negated to me because I believe SEVERAL significant contributors to this year's playoff team will be toiling elsewhere next season. So, he/they will have to start all over again. I will still be here pouring my heart into this team, turnovers, losses whatever again and again. I miss Rudy, but I believe the move to JVG was a good one.
I agree that Pike turned out useless this year. It may be a bit early to say the whole 3 year 8 mil contract is for nothing. MJ is nothing great, but for vet minimum? I will give that move a A-. You have to consider the price tag for every move. Spoon for Moochie is A+. No matter how bad a contract Spoon has, it is MUCH better than Mochie's 3mil a year contract. They didn't take a bad contract, they swapped a worst contract in history into a reasonable contract. How can you not give that a A+? Glenn Rice: we will see. "incomplete" has a bad innotation, which is not approperiate here. You are still thinking about Posey, right? I guess if they signed Posey, everything else they did would seem much better to you. I will admit that Posey had a good year, but you have to realize that Grizz is a better fit for Posey. They run a lot. But when they played Spurs in playoff, they were forced to play half court games, and Posey became utterly useless on offense. We Rox, on the other hand, try to play half court game every night. I cannot imagine how terribly Posey will fit in our system. Having JJ instead of Posey probably just made the difference to push us into playoff. Overall, I think the management did a good job. Except the signing of Pike, everything else worked out to the best as the situation allowed.
PF Cato - B MoT - B+ Tried his hardest (most of the time) but cannot matchup with Dirk, KG and all the other true PFs. Taylor was great instant offense off the bench all year. I'm in favor of moving Taylor to get a true PF as the starter (Kurt Thomas?) with Cato off the bench. Otherwise, one of them has to go because too much money is invested in a position without one good starter to show for it. SF JJ - A Boki - C AGriff - INC Again, agree that he was the glue of this team. Definitely earned another year to start, but may be better off switching to 2guard, with Cat off the bench, if a longer, younger starter can be found at the 3. Boki still looks like he could be a player, and next year will be his make or break season. SG Cat - C+ EPiat - D Still not consistent enough to be considered irreplaceable. Would love to see him as the third guard off the bench, with another shooter at SG who can spell Steve at the point (BBarry?). Piatkowski should be fine next year. C Yao - B- Spoon - B+ Yao has clearly become the second best C behind Shaq. Who would have ever thought he could almost play him to a standstill in a 5 game series? I hope Del Harris can teach him to be mean, and he needs a new fitness regimen, but all signs point to a monster third year. Ideally, he desperately needs a true PF who can do the dirty work inside to truly thrive. PG SFrancis - D MJackson - C Despite his heroics in the playoffs, it was still Steve who kicked the ball out of bounds on the final play of Game 4 right after he hit the shot to tie the game! Is there any better microcosm of his season (and career) to this point? Undoubtedly tremendous individually, but I remain convinced he will never become anything more with this team. If an elite player is available, a deal should be made with an eye on improving the consistency and Basketball IQ of the backcourt as a whole. Overall - B- JVG needs to be given the freedom to construct this team with the personnel he feels fit best in his system. Like it or not, his defensive style is perfect for the playoffs, witnessed by the fact we won or had a chance to win 3 of the 5 games against the Lakers. Yao has become the focal point of the team; now he needs the supporting cast to maximize his impact on the game. Assuming Steve stays because TMac, Kobe and others aren't available, this is my ideal offseason for the Rockets. 1. Move Cato or Taylor to the Knicks for Kurt Thomas 2. Use exception for BBarry 3. Draft Duhon to backup Steve Next years roster: C YMing/Cato PF KThomas/Spoon a big man rotation of Yao/Thomas/Cato would be among the biggest, deepest, and most talented in the entire league. SF JJ/Boki give Boki a bigger role to prove himself and give JJ more rest. SG Barry/Mobley PG Francis/Duhon the 3 guard set of SF/Cat/Barry would be exceptional. Mobley has longed seemed the ideal instant gunner off the bench. Barry could be deadly spotting up from 3 around Yao and Steve, and his passing skills would allow him to take some ball-handling responsibility from Steve as well. This team still needs to improve by adding inside muscle and outside shooting. It can be done with minimal tweaking, giving this team another chance to prove it can be more than average next year.
