I totally agree as well. Many have been bustin Francis chops for a long time saying how he hasn't gotten them in the playoffs the last 4 years, yet this is the first year he has really had a similar team to the year before (except for the coach the three main pieces were still together). Let's give them a chance .. They seem like they are starting to get some good team chemistry. Let's let it develop. I will say though that you always have to be willing to listen because an offer may come that you can't refuse and you can't be so stubborn to say we are not going to change anything. If nothing great comes along then no changes.
The Rockets gave up a lot for the trade exception, and you guys don't want them to use it. That makes no sense to me. I fully expect Houston to be a player during the off season. Here are 8 reasons the Rockets need to acquire a legit power forward during the summer: Tim Duncan Kevin Garnett Chris Webber Elton Brand Karl Malone Amare Staudemire Rasheed Wallace Dirk Nowitzki Raven
Thats all good ... Except you are forgetting one fact. Just because we have a trade exception doesn't mean we are going to be able to get a legit power forward with it. There are not too many out there, and I don't think giving up any of our big 3 should be an option in that because our team would be worse off. I say play with what we've got this year, and maybe go after Sheed in the offseason.
Of the seasons that you can pin on Steve and Cuttino and the "core" for the "no playoffs" thing, It's pretty damned misleading to say 4 years - no playoffs and just be done with it, and shows that you really haven't been paying much attention to the Rockets recent history. 99-00: This was Still Hakeem & Charles team back then...then Chuck goes down, plays 20 games all season, Hakeem goes down plays 44 games all season; the Pippen thing blows up right before the season...the result was an abysmal season for a team in transition/rebuilding. Steve's ROY season was one of the few bright spots. Playoffs? This team couldn't have got there unless they had season tickets 00-01: Still Hakeem's team, or at least he thought it was, still a team in transition. A diminshed dream plays 58 games, small ball rules, and what looks like another awful season turns out pretty decently as Steve, Hakeem, Walt W, and Mo-T turn it on at the end of the year and fall just short of the playoffs. THe best record ever by a non-playoff team. This was a good season in spite of that. 01-02: The year of the injury. Just pretend it never happened...althought it did give the gift of Yao. 02-03: This one you can definitely blame on the players/coaches. We had the talent, came up a game short. It was only a game, but notheless they missed out when they should have made it. So of the 4 seasons, maybe 2 of them you can say the Rockets had a legitimate shot at the playoffs, and to say that they were doing anything but overachieving in 01-02 is silly. 02-03, they had a hiccup and fell short. However, that's not going to happen again this year (We're already 4.5 (I think) games up on fading Utah, who is the 9 team). To say that this core has been together for four years as the focus of the team is really disingenuous. Given injury and the Hakeem/Barkley transition, and the Yao addition, it really hasn't.
Excellent job Sir Samuel.. but if they cant use the good old "4 years no playoffs" mantra...than they really have no argument against our current players. and wouldnt you hate for that to happen? it's almost as if some here have never heard of "rebuilding a franchise"...which happens to almost every team eventually. I have yet to see anyone name one team that was able to remain a playoff competitor after losing most of their championship team. Im just thankfull we arent the Clippers, Bulls, Nugs...perennial lottery teams. a measly 4 years of no playoffs...and then back to them this year.With a good team with chemistry and talent to boot..
Glad to see people coming out against the '4 years, no playoffs' line...I didn't hear too many dispute it when it was used against Rudy.
Still bitter huh? Come on. If you can't see a change for the better in the way the Rockets have played this year as opposed to last year, you are more blind than I thought. Just read the article about defense from the chron from a couple days ago. Obviously, these things weren't being done last year -- and I highly doubt such a drastic change would have occurred under the ancien regime. Eventually, head coaches stay to long and players tune them out. It happens in every single sport. It will happen to JVG eventually. It's a fact of life.
I admire your loyalty to Rudy, but I think people have kind of gotten your message... ...about 6 months ago .
No, that's not why the Rockets went from #5 in the league in defense last year to #1. I would guess part of that has to do with Kelvin Cato starting. It is, however, why YOU are bitter. Hopefully I'm not still bitter 4 years from now.
No, assuming for the sake of argument that I am bitter in that regard...it would be because of the 4 years of mismanagement that has made the country worse off -- a point that you can't argue about the Rockets at all to this point. Now that that lame attempt to derail the thread has been aborted, it's time to get back to feeding you some crow. If you attribute it to Kelvin Cato-Yao, wholly or in part, then the blame lies on Rudy for that area, and the credit goes to JVG, as Rudy specifically declined to put Cato-Yao in at the same time, insisting that it negatively affected the Rockets spacing on offense.
I think it's obvious there are three reasons why the Rockets are better defensively and lately are playing really well: 1. Van Gundy 2. Van Gundy 3. Van Gundy Oh, want that broken down? 1. Van Gundy makes rockets best defensive team in the league by making the players actually rotate and contest shots 2. Van Gundy make Yao more aggressive and turns him into a blossoming star 3. Van Gundy brings in key role player Jim Jackson and now Marc Jackson and rids team of those who don't fit in (Moochie and Eddie Griffin).
You can't argue that the Rockets have been mismanaged this year? [snicker] So having Cato in there hasn't negatively affected the offense? I know you delight in proving how smart you are, but I don't see where I'm eating crow in this case. I've consistently said that a) the Rockets would make the playoffs this year regardless of who was coaching them and b) any championship aspirations they may have are dependent upon the improvement of Yao Ming. Saying '4 years, no playoffs' is stupid, which was the reason I joined this thread, and apparently you agree. I was saying that all off-season however, and very few spoke up in agreement at the time.
LOL, Freak, dealing with your one-trick pony act doesn't really prove that anybody's smart, just that one is capable of rational thought instead of fanatic yet blind loyalty. And yes, Cato's presence hasn't negatively affected the offense. The alternative to having him in there at PF was having Eddie Griffin standing out by the Three point line. Somehow I think our offense has been able to weather that tremendous loss, and the net impact on offense isn't a big deal. Very few people agreed with you because you were using it as a rationale for keeping the same old same old. While saying that the Rox underacheived for 4 years is definitely inaccurate, saying that they underachieved last year is not. Accordingly, changes were made and the situation has changed for the better. Good for them, end of story.
Were the Rockets 27th in points scored last year? Who cares what I was 'using it for'. I guess you can only say '4 years, no playoffs' is misleading if SamFisher agrees with your argument. Saying they underachieved last year is an opinion. You may think it's 'accurate', but that again is your opinion.
