If we need an upgrade at PG, I would say put TMac to that position and Rafer as his backup. TMac's scoring ability is declining but he has great court vision and passing ability. His size and long arms will be nightmare to opponent's PG. Find another scoring option from the market who do not necessary need to create shots for himself but a sharp shooter. I still believe Steve Francis is serviceable if he is fully healed from his surgery. If he is healthy, Steve is the great supplement at backup SG position. And we can have the new acquired scorer playing as SG. Scola, Landry and Hayes are keepers. Our PFs are fine. Scola's and Landry's shot attempts should be increased. I am not sure about Novak. He is too slow for 3 yet too soft (?) for 4. I hope he improve his defence this summer and surprise us next season. We are lack of a reliable slasher with size at SF. Battier is great but his offence is not consistent enough. He is a keeper and we should find someone for his backup. Mike Harris can only be the 3rd option at this position if he did not improve significantly on his offence this summer. We are fragile at C. Woods is definitely not the answer. Any unhappy 7 footer in the league we may find useful? I would say we sign Deke for another year as insurance.
Thats right Charles Barkley when he was still a monster? People around here tend to think of him as he was in the last season or two but those first few years with the Rockets, he was a beast. He allowed Hakeem to take a break or two inside and remain the sort of force he had been in '93, '94 and '95. Drexler and Barkley might not have been in one anothers fan club, but they actually played well together.
Morey please go and get a PG who can pass and got vision . But it must be a player who can make plays for this team , a pass-first Pg . I dont care about defense but please , we need a pass-first pg . I dont care defense cause anyways Pg's like Deron,Nash,Baron,Parker always scores , we cannot escape from this situation . I think Earl Watson is a realistic target . He can pass and shoot . If we get a good passer you'll see T-mac . If he plays free he might go back to his old days . Please Morey please , make something and steal a pass-first mentality Pg , I'm begging you !
1. Get a solid point guard - I mean trade Rafer + somebody for a consistant guy who can shot and has playmaking skills 2. Trade Luther - this searies only makes me sure he is useless. This guy just can't play well. He was playing well under JVG because he didn't have to do anything 3. Add athleticism and damn get Hayes' ass out of there. He is just too weak for NBA, it is sad but it is true. Maybe get some better PF 4. Aad some nice role players who can step up in playoffs, add veterans.
If we had a young Hakeem Olajuwon on the team I wouldn' t be concerned... we don't so here is my most realistic objective honest opinion- 1. Yao- Yao is very good in the low block, using his size and shooting touch to score on most anyone one on one, he is stiff and if he brings the ball down subject to turnovers. His rebounding has improved along with his shot blocking as he has learned to avoid silly fouls. He is terrible at defending the pick and roll and can still be fronted by long athletic players. Yao's biggest problem is injuries. He has not played a full season and as he gets older he will be at higher risk. He lacks the athleticism to dominate like Olajuwon, but he works so hard he will get his points. We perceive him to be a franchise player, but he does not impact games like a Lebron or Chris Paul. We need Yao to stay healthy. 2. TMac- Tracy is the most complete player on the team. He has fantastic court vision is a very good distributer and he demands a double team. He slacks on defense from time to time, but he makes good decisions and gets his share of rebounds. He has shot poorly this season and that is a big concern because he is not as explosive as he was early in his career. Tracy still has the ability to get to the basket but he just is not an explosive finisher any more. He also has injury issues. Tmac can get his shot, but teams are now running 2 and 3 defenders at him forcing him to pass off and take shots out of rythmn, he is a rythmn shooter and this is a big issue. He would be really effective if we had another outside player that couldn't be left open. The only way you trade Yao or Tracy is if you get the better of the deal. Good luck Mr. Morey. 3. Battier- He is called a glue guy. And he is a hard worker and would be nice coming off the bench. He hustles constantly but lacks the athleticism and midrange/ in the paint game to be a third scoring option. He is a very aggressive defender, takes the charge with the best of them, but is not designed to be an scorer. When he hits three's he definate is a good complimentary player. With the league going more athletic and more offensive Battier certainly will eventually need to be coming off the bench for defensive reasons. 4. Rafer- Rafer has really played well this season- but PG is becoming a vital position especially in the western conf. D. Williams, S. Nash, T. Parker, C. Paul all really are difference makers and hard to hand. Rafer is not hard to handle. He is safe, but his weaknesses really cancel out his strengths and over time it may be he has peaked and he could easily regress next season- unless you just want to get by. How do you get a really good point guard? Aaron Brooks is not Williams, Parker or Paul. If Morey can solve that in the Yao/TMac era he will be a miracle worker. Is there a superstar PG at the 25th pick? Doubt it. 5. Scola- Scola is the kind of player you can start because he has some game left (he's only about 27) and he is smart, agressive, has a high motor and has some pretty nice skillset in the post. He gives up some strength on the defensive end, he lacks athleticism, but he definately is wiley and makes up for his deficiencies with finess and smarts. He can be a good scorer and he will improve on the defensive end- Scola is a keeper. 6. Landry- Man, he looked like the kind of athletic young player we have needed until his knee acted up. He definately lost explosiveness after he went down. Will he come back and flash that explosive double pump dunking ability, the quick leaping ability? If he does he will be a nice piece. If he doesn't he will be another reason we aren't getting closer to a championship. 7. Brooks- Little Aaron showed some flashes and if he improves he would be a nice piece someplace on the bench. He just needs to hit the open threes and he can make up for the defense he loses due to his size. Wait and see next season. The rest- well the rest of the team can stay or go- none are difference makers as far as winning the NBA championship- though you have to love Deke, but Hayes, Novak, Head, Harris etc. are what they are- yep scrubs. Frankly the Rockets need alot of pieces to win a championship. Yao or TMac either one just don't have what Hakeem had- superior superstar ability plus- Kenny Smith, Vernon Maxwell, Robert Horey, Sam Cassell, Mario Elie, Otis Thorpe The Rockets will have to get more talent, especially more young talent and hope that before Yao and TMac are spent they can make a title run. Right now looking at the elite teams- Boston, NO, Utah, LA, and SA we are pretty far off. When healthy we are about where Phoenix is. Phoenix has an aging Nash and an aging Shaq. They do have Amare who is legit and still young, plus better shooters than we do. But their window with Nash and Shaq is small. We need a young future star in the worst way. We need to pluck a 'Tony Parker' out of the low end of the draft. We need a third scoring option and we need better scorers off the bench. We obviously still need more athleticism and size also. Can we trade Yao or TMac? Injury concerns may now stop us from getting any super-deal for our 'super' stars so that probably isn't going to happen. I really think Morey needs to think about possibly rebuilding the team- looking for a high draft pick unless he performs that miracle and plucks a gem with a low pick. I don't see us trading and getting good enough to win it all. Not unless we rape another team. Maybe Mr. Morey can do just that.
if morey really thinks tracy didn't have a good chance, we should give him and yao a healthy half a season. now that rick's system is implanted, no more excuses. i rather trade him cause he gets too injured too much, hopefully we can get the best value with him, but doubt it.
What's strange is how the Rockets have basically given up on the motion offense. Now T-Mac gets the ball and dribbles, dribbles, dribbles. If you actually look at how something like the Princeton is supposed to operate it would actually be useful against a team like the Jazz who are bigger than the Rockets. Maybe the Rockets figured that without Yao they had to go back to what they know. Hopefully next season the Rockets can get introduce more of the system to the team. The glaring weakness in the roster is still the point guard spot. Of the two superstars I'd say the more likely to go is McGrady, but how likely that is I couldn't say.
I think the most important piece that Morey need to add next season has been a consistent 3rd scorer. A scorer that can create and shoot. It will be an option out there if morey can find a trade worth tmac's value. chances are we won't see that, therefore Tmac and Yao will be here to stick. Les, need to stop talking big and doing cheap moves. Why Bjax for wells and MJ? adding a guy like artest wouldn't be a bad idea as he played for adelmen before and he could be explosive and what we were missing all along.
Trade Luther for anyone. And Don't trade Novak to Utah. They will actually take advantage of his skills and make him a good player.
If your GM what do you do ?? Because i said what i thought was best for this team and everything i said can all tie in. Whats that comercial again? Impossible is nothing.
Wow - great thread !!! I think it depends on whether the Rockets management believes in Rick Adelman's system. Because frankly Tmac doesn't run it, he plays with the ball in his hands and that is just how he is going to play. He doesn't run, he doesn't defend (for the most part - during the regular season) and he is a ball stopper on offense. Sure he passes to guys cutting to the basket, like Scola and Landry, but in a good offense like Utah runs everyone is a passer, and everyone a finisher, that is the same way that Rick Adelman wants to play, but with Tmac, he just won't do it. So, I believe his days as a Rocket are numbered. Trading him will cement Yao as the number 1 option, you can still get some good value for Tmac, especially from someone like Chicago, and even though you may not get ONE player that is as good as him, you can get a few that make your team better overall. I am behind Morey either way, if you give him another year, fine.......but my guess is the team sees the writing on the wall, and they want to jettison him before his back goes out or his skills decline anymore. DD
Yea can Morey make a steal trade impossible is nothing but there is a flip side to that coin. Its also about giving players what they want. This goes for any team around the league so impossible is nothing.
Direct Quote from Adelman (post game news conf.) Tracy was terrific tonight, he carried us, they just wore him down they kept running so many guys at him, what else can he do, I guess he's going to have to do a little more, they all are going to have to do a little more... link
I agree, upgrading these two positions will probably require moving Alston and Battier. Unfortunately, the current roster is filled with guys who are starting that really are only good bench players. The goal should be to get bigger in the front line and more consistent outside shooters from the guards and SF position.
Yes, you go to war with what you have, but that doesn't mean that Adelman may want to go to war next year with a new set of officers. DD
