i hate to say it but the reason our offense sucks is because our lack of a real PG. I heard a new york radio announcer talking about it and i realized it is true. Our offense sucks. Its as simple as that. Steve has made a valiant effort trying to run the team but he is just not a PG. He is a decent PG but a damn good SG. Our offense seems to rely on one pass and someone shooting a jumper. Steve bogs down the offense with too much dribbling. He is only effective while driving and dishin for alley oops but that isn't going to cut it everytime. I think we either better start revolving the offense around MING like we used to do with olajuwon or trade mobley for a real PG like a jason kidd type who runs the offense well and generates the break. If francis could play like kidd then we would be much better off. Just look at how richard jefferson and kenyon martin have feed off Kidd and become better players because of him. I'm tired of seeeing one pass and a forced shot by eddie griffen. I'm tired of seeing cuttino mobely just hoisting up threes.This is like grade school basketball. Watching the rockets tonight against the knicks just made me sick. I hate the knicks although i'm a new yorker more than any team in the league. Damn
The weakness is team chemistry. Those players you mentioned all fit into a system and have a role. Whether they fit in this team is another matter. The coach has to have a vision and get players to match it. Singling out players for fault is like singling a person out of a company because he is funny looking. Everybody is different, ultimately the fault lies in the management of the team - coach and gm.
Our glaring weakness.........................................Rudy. Our glaring strength.......................................Frances.
Francis seems to take matters into his own hands more often AFTER everyone else just punks around. When things aren't going well, you can see the change in the play. Dribble dribble, juke, fake, oops, turnover-or dribble, dribble, juke, fake, drive, pass, oops, shot clock buzzer-or dribble dribble, juke, fake, drive, jump into a forest of 7 footers, and pray for a foul-and occassionally, make the shot.
I can see one huge problem, and that is our 3's and 4's aren't hitting shots which allow teams to collapse on Yao leaving Steve with the load of making everything happen and he's not that type of guy. As much as people say he's a ball hog or whatever he does not rely on shooting the rock like Iverson, it is just that he is the best option most of the time. When Posey takes over from Rice and Eddie actually hits a basket, then this team will change dramatically. A good change would be to put Eddie in the post where most teams will let him go one-on-one plus decrease his outside shots. Rudy just has to figure out how he can combine all the Yao, Steve, Cuttino and Eddie plays into the same sets. BTW, even Cato is missing most of his shots at the moment. Someone has cursed this team, I'd bet on it!
the problem as I see it is a lack of consistent PF play....neither Taylor nor Griffin has come to play.....EG plays in a fog and Taylor hasn't gotten into shape. but in general it takes a team to win a game and we aren't playing like a team..... I hate to say this but the trade disrupted whatever unity we had
So you'd rather have a true point guard like Gary Payton and Jason Kidd? There aren't many out there that are as good as Gary Payton and Jason Kidd. Steve Francis is our leading scorer and our franchise player. He is not leaving. When Steve passes the ball, good things happen. But yesterday was just terrible because when he passed, they didn't make the shots. So he had to force fouls and do all the stuff. It was an ugly game. I don't know why they didn't call a timeout and start through Yao. We really need a CONSISTENT power forward who can shoot the ball when he is WIDE OPEN. That is not much to ask for. But Eddie Griffin is great sometimes and fabulous at defense, but he just couldn't shoot correctly. We need a Wesley Person with a big body. The first shot he made was when the guy hit him in the arm and straightened his shot. Maurice Taylor is getting better but when he starts his one-on-one crap, he forgets about everyone else around him. That's why I miss a guy named Kenny Thomas. The three-way-trade wasn't even supposed to occur this early. Art Long was not allowed to be traded until a certain day, but it's too late now. I guess this will get Posey used to the team faster. Even Glen Rice doesn't make the open shots. We need an old veteran who can lead our team.
The main problem is that this team really does not play well together as a unit b/c certain key pieces are not complementary. The ball simply does not move enough on a consistent basis b/c the guards just dont have a good basketball IQ, court sense and understanding of the game. The fact that the Rockets rank 24th in the league in Ast to TO ratio and 27th in assists is an absolute travesty considering the amount of talent on this roster. I have heard every excuse in the book for the Francis-Cuttino combination, first it was they are young, then it was they need someone to pass to, now it is they are getting used to having a center. This is not a problem that just happened this yr, it has been a consistent theme throughout the Francis-Mobley tenure. I have watched these players very closely throughout their careers and realize that the Francis-Mobley backcourt simply wont work. I have heard that the fact that neither makes consistently good reads and has low bball IQ doesnt matter b/c we have a very good passer at the center position. That is a complete crock. As great a feel as Yao has for the game, he is not going to create every shot for this team. 80 shots is a lot. No matter what a team has up front, the guards will still have to make intelligent reads and smart passes. I realize there is a contingent of fans that will defend Mobley at all costs as there were with Kenny, but it simply is not working. Cuttino has only had one really good game (Atlanta), where he fit the role this team needs alongside Francis. Overall, Cuttino has struggled to move his game off the ball. Cuttino simply needs a sufficient amount of those iso type plays called where he receives the ball at the 15 foot elbow. However, b/c that is not for the good of this team, he has not been getting it called for him nearly as much as before. I felt going into the season that is was worth a shot to see if Mobley could become the off the ball threat this team needs, but it just is not working. A couple of weeks ago, I stated that this team will continue to be extremely inconsistent, and I stick by that claim. They will have nights where they beat quality teams like Indiana and then games that are complete stinkers. The end result I think will be a win total in the low forties or high thirties. That would appear to be a great improvement from last yr, but I just dont consider it as such. Had this team been healthy last yr (esp Francis), they wouldve easily won atleast 35 games imo. A jump from 35 wins to the low forties is not some great improvement esp after landing a #1 overall pick with the immediate impact of Yao.
We'll have shooting nights like this when nothing seem to go in even though we get open looks. But the difference between championship teams and average teams, is that a championship team can win despite the bad shooting with defense, rebounding and veteran leadership. Houston is obviously not there yet, so not too much to complain about. But if you can get Cuttino Mobley for Jason Kidd I am all for it.
Franchise, I agree with your assessment. The PG is the person who is suppose to set up the offense and if he does an inadequate job, everything else falters as well. But there are a few other glaring weaknesses in my opinion: -I think our team is simply too young. We do not have a single player arguably near their prime! I think it is moronic to camp out and essentially wait for all of our young players to develop. I am confident that it WILL happen in 3 years or so but for right now, we are in serious trouble. Does management really believe that Eddie G can guard the elite PFs in the West NOW???? He was man-handled by Malone and Gasol over the last few weeks. Everyone knew that Yao needed a good PF up front, why hasnt management realized this yet? -Another issue I want to point out is that as a team, we are HORRID at passing. I can honestly say that besides Yao, I do not believe we have a above average passer in respect to their positions. Francis, Mobeley, Griffen, Moochie are all BELOW average passers in my book. -lastly, it seems that we have players that do not listen to our coaches instructions. Granted, this opinion is garnered through interpretations of player quotes however if this assessment is not accurate, Rudy needs to wake up... beloved rox fan
i'm not even asking for jason kidd... i'd be happy with mark jackson. He would provide us with veteran leadership and is one of the best passers in the game. Other guys i'd consider are howard eisley,eric snow. they are in their prime and can get the job done. I love Cat but he just doesn't fit with this team if we want to take it to the next level.
BUT THEY CAN PASS WELL. EISLEY WAS TUTORED BY THE GREATEST PASSER OF ALL TIME. and snow certainly is used to it by playing with iverson
Franchise, I think Eric Snow will fit in pretty well. He is a team oriented PG and does not do anything he is uncapable of doing. He is far from stellar but he gets the job done. Reminds me a little of Avery Johnson in his hey day. That brings up a good comparison. I think most of us on this board believe that Yao is going to be one of the top players in the league in the future and he is exceptionally impressive for a rookie. Many feel that he will be able to take us deep into the playoffs ala Tim Duncan did for the Spurs during his rookie year. I have posted several times already about my disenchantment with the team and I will give you a more vivid comparison utilizing Tim Duncans rookie situation vs. Yao Ming. I think this will clearly show where our primary weaknesses are. (San Antonio @ that time) 1. PG- Had a very good pass oriented PG in Avery Johnson. Played smart and set up the offense extremely well. 2. Big man alongside to help- David Robinson. 3. Good passing team mates- Drob, Sean Elliot and Avery Johnson are all above average for their positions in my opinion. 4. Good offensive flow- team moved the ball well and had good chemistry. 5. Established players- an argument can be made that Drob, Avery Johnson and Sean Elliot were NEAR there primes when Duncan was a rookie. (Our rox currently) 1. PG- No true PG. Francis is decent but he is a much better shooter and creator for his own shot than creating for others. Smart at times but makes silly mistakes often. Setting up the offense is not his strong suit. 2. Big Man alongside- There is absolutely no big man help at least relative to Duncans situation. From Yaos 10th game onward, he had to solely control the paint. Blk shots, rebound, etc. You can argue that Griffen did a little but he is average in effectiveness at best at this juncture. Meaning, he can only somewhat guard other PFs. 3. Good passing team mates?- Nada!!! None of Yaos teammates are considered good or great passers. 4. Good offensive flow- One of the worst in the league. The only team i can say for certain that is worst is Denver! 5. Established players- No player is in their prime. This almost seems like some kind of loonie experiment. Lets try to play a 2 guard at the point and see what happens..... Lets try to play our 21 year old skinny foward against some of the top power fowards in the league.... who cares if he gives up 50 pounds of muscle.... lets throw our 22 year old foreign rookie into the fire without any help.... he should have no problem guarding the oppenents Center, PF, and F..... And people wonder why we arent winning more but dont get me wrong. i think the time will EVENTUALLY come... but if we want to compete NOW, those 5 areas MUST be improved.. some through organic venues and others through trades.... trade Cato for Brian Grant Trade Mo Taylor for Eric Snow. IF that doesnt work, give Mobley for Snow. C Yao, Collier, Grant PF Grant, Griffen SF Posey, Rice, Griffen SG Stevie, Posey, Hawkins PG Snow, Moochie I think this team will fulfill the 5 requirements that I listed above and we will be able to contend for the championship. Good thing about this is that are core Yao, Steve and Griffen will hit their primes in 4 years and we can just replace Grant, Posey and Snow with whoever is good at that point in time. This transfer of talent is what made the MJ bulls do so well as well as the Lakers. The teams core is the most important and we have that. ITs just filling in the other pieces now..
