I see between 45 and 49 wins. I know Griffin is a player. Ming needs to reverse his aggresiveness to the defensive side as opposed to the offensive side. I see noting but greatness from Ming and Griffin. Franchise and Cat will stabilize the team as expected but I think the defensive side will come through this year, bigtime.
It definitely is a possibility if all Ming's fan will vote for him. There are more than 10 millions of them online in China, regularly. If the Rox organization do a good job of pushing it for Ming, it definitely can happen.
I predict 55-27. I am thinking we bust out the gate quickly and that confidence keeps us going. WCF is on the horizon but we lose to Sac or L.A. We will have atl least the 4th seed.
Is it possible for a rookie to be chosen for the All-STAR game (through fan votes) and not be selected for the All- Rookie team (who selects this team - I am not sure)?
54-28 ... 5th seed Lose 1st round Yao makes All Rookie team. Francis makes All Star team. Griffin top 3 b.p.g.
50-60 wins????? Oh you Rocket fans, My prediction: Less wins then the Grizzlies who have real hoopers on their team. Grizzlies 42-40 Rockets 40-42
47-35, assuming we are relatively healthy. If everything goes our way, 50-55 wins isn't crazy. We would have to in a healthy % of the close games, as well as being healthy 90% of the time. And, of course if Yao can develop very quickly.
I think we are going to start out slow, maybe like 21-20 for the all-star break. Then The second half if every one is healthy we are going to start playing better and finsih the season 49-33 not quite getting over the 50 win mark, but still making the play offs.
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/sports/bk/bkn/1634569 Oct. 26, 2002, 1:19AM -Preseason review- THE GOOD ·Eddie Griffin led the NBA in blocked shots after blocking seven in the preseason-ending back-to-back. ·The Rockets' defense, their biggest weakness last season, has been a strength. Fronting in the low post has worked and made Griffin an even more effective weakside shot-blocker. ·Yao Ming's first week was impressive, especially in his ability to handle the whirlwind of demands and attention. ·The "five-man" offense looks good, the players love it, and it fits the personnel. THE BAD ·The "five-man" offense has made only cameo appearances in most of the preseason games because of the changing lineups and injuries. ·Terence Morris' high ankle sprain hit hard. Morris was playing especially well and is solid at both forward positions, a valuable commodity when Maurice Taylor serves his five-game suspension. ·Maurice Taylor's return from a ruptured Achilles' tendon was twice sidetracked when he stepped on another player's foot. He was forced to miss the last preseason game and will have to miss the next five games, forcing him to almost start over on shedding that rust when he comes back. THE UGLY ·It usually goes without saying, but the more of the Rockets uniform, the worse. Outfitting 7 1/2 feet worth of player in those stripes is more than the eyes, and weaker stomachs, can take.
Chalk me up for 50 wins, if we can stay away from too many ISO plays. Yao Ming looks very promising. Has the NBA ever seen someone over 7'4'' who is so athletic? Things are looking up if we can dodge the injury bug.
Team-wise, the rockets must improve their defense to make the playoffs. Over and above that, Steve must emerge as the team leader, controling the flow of the game, getting everyone involved in the offense, and then taking over the game at money time. And thus, I disagree with some who say that steve must adjust his game to the new talents of ming and griffin, if that means to take a more backseat role. However good those two are w/o steve we are a lottery team. So my prediction: 47-35 and 6th seed. If both the above happen, then 52-30 and 4th seed is not out of the question. And the grizzlies will battle for the 8th seed with a 41-41 record.
I pick the Suns above the Rockets for a few reasons. I still think Penny has something left. Marbury is a quality point guard, Googs still has something left, and their new stars such as Marion and Joe Johnson shouldn't be underestimated. I think if Googs is healthy, this team will make the playoffs. Remember, they finished ahead of the Rockets last season, AND they had injuries too. As for the Clips, I don't think the Rockets are that much more supremely talented. Andre Miller is a great point guard, Elton Brand shared ROY with Francis, Q Richardson is a rising commodity easily on par with Mobley, and Lamar odom is awesome if he is healthy. Throw is the Kandi man who getting better ever year, and that fact that this team wasn't bad last year (almost .500), and I think they'll make a move. With the addition of Andre Miller, and the return of Odom, they will be above .500 for sure. Most of the reasons I pick Houston as a .500 team is because I don't think their passing game will come about this year, and the defense won't really be there either. They are already making excuses (injuries) for saying why they are going back to iso. They are just a really young team that doesn't have anyone to say, "Hey, let's move the Rock around and play some D". Francis is a great leader, but how can you be considered a top point guard when you aren't in the top 5 or 6 in assists or assists/Turnovers? Francis is a great player, but he still needs to learn something about the point. I think Yao will be fine, but he's not going to get ROY. He simply as too much to learn. He's going to be lost at times, and we've already seen that he has problems with foul trouble which will limit his playing time severely. In this day and age, being a finesse player is ok so long as you got the power to back it up. Both Mo Taylor and Yao have serious question regarding their willingness to bang. That's not a good sign, but Yao is Young, so that may change...just don't expect it to happen his first year or so. Also, Francis still has inner ear issues...Mobley seems to have returned to the jack-it-up form, and Griffin is getting better but he's not going to put in 15/8 a night which is what the Rockets would need from him to make the playoffs. They have no on-court chemistry whatsoever, and they clearly aren't going to be that accustome to playing together considering all the changes. Only Francis and Mobley have had a lot of time together. Good teams are built over night, especially with young players no matter how talented they are.
Every reason you pick the Suns and Clippers to make the playoffs you can make for the Rockets. And every reason you pick the Rockets not to make the playoffs you can say for the Suns and Clippers. The difference is the Rockets have some veterans to help the players, and their coaching staff is much better and more proven then the Clippers and Suns. I don't trust Alvin Gentry to lead that team anywhere. And Richardson and Odom are both injured and likely will be all season. I'll guarantee you the Rockets will finish with a better record then the Suns and Clippers, and the Rockets are just as talented, if not more then both of those teams. This Rockets team is better then the 45 win team, which by the way is more wins then the Clippers and Suns had last year.
i agree. this team won't gel until at least after all star break. only i don't think we will play the lakers if we are 7 or 8th seed.
Aight, I think the Steve will dominate the league...I am looking for about 22 8 and 8...over 2 steals and a higher percentage from the field and from 3. Look for 2nd team ALL NBA...the media is in love with Jason Kidd, so he wont be first. If he stays healthy the sky is the limit for him....hes simply the most talented PG in the league and in 2 years will be the the best at the position in the NBA. Cat, I love his game but hes too selfish and at times swears hes better than Steve and takes horrible shots and breaks the offensive sets down by trying to take players one on one....If he accepts his role as team player and scores a solid 16 to 18 a game, with a higher shooting percentage the team will be much improved. But Shot selection is a huge problem that he needs to overcome....coach should sit him down and explain to him why the team will be better if he shoots the ball a little bit less and plays tougher D. I would NOT start Rice at the 3...at this point in his career he is tailored made to be a 3 point shooter off the bench and will help spread the floor for Steve and Cuttino in the 4th quarter of games. I would play Griffin at 3...he can shoot it and defend at the position reasonbly well...If he plays solid D and picks up his aggresiveness on the inside he will help the team drastically..the talent is certainly there. He is one of those players that PAINS me too watch...reason being if he played half as hard as a Charles Oakley played, with that talent, he would be an all star in a matter of no time. If i were coach I would show him Kevin Garnett film and tell him...."See KG doesnt just rely on his talent he plays his ass off every second of the game and that makes him the player he is" Mo-Taylor and Thomas are both good 4's...but both are too offensively minded. When you are on a team with two great scorers at the guard, a post presence like Ming...and shooters like Rice, Griffen, and Nachbar you should find other ways to help the team, because scoring shouldnt be an issue for this team. If they both become tough defensive players and focus their attention to playing inside D and rebounding...the Rockets could have a 50+ win season. To change Moe and Thomas' focus from offense side to defensive side of the ball and rebounding will be a huge task for Rudy T. Ming HAS to start at the 5....He is the type of player...who after watching him at the worlds has to become comfortable in games. Meaning, you should throw him the ball early in ball games and make him feel a part of the show. This will help his intensity and will keep him more active on the defensive end and on the boards. That said...I would not look for him to put up 20 a game in his rookie season...His value this season should be in making open shots....spreading the floor for the guards and causing havoc on the inside for opposing teams. He has the ability to do that at in his rookie season...I would like to see him score 15 a game and grab 9-11 boards with 3 blocks a game. But he needs MINUTES. Rudy will have to work hard with him and teach him how to keep defensive focus when hes on the floor so he stays out of foul trouble. He is not use to the aggresivess of NBA players and the quickness and strength of PF's and Centers..and playing against Chinese players can certainly make you think the game is easy and you can get away with lack of focus and being out of position because you are 7'5 and can move. I love the Rockets...I am from Maryland and have followed Steve's career from the first day he stepped on the university of Maryland campus. He is the key to the Rockets season....but everyone has to play their roles effecitvely. If they do they can be the 5th seed in the west this season and push the Spurs in the first round if Ming steps up....I look for them to make the 2nd round and play the Kings in a 6 game series and ultimately come up short. Kings right now have too many weapons BUT most importantly have been together LONGER than the Rockets have. Give the Rockets a few years and they will be one of the best teams in the league if not the BEST....Shaq does have to retire first though.
hey new yorker Otis Thorpe and Drexler were not on the same team. It would have really hard for them to do that considering that they were traded for each other.
Sacramento Lakers Dallas San Antonio Portland Clippers Jazz Rockets Minn Suns Golden State Memphis Denver (who will absolutely suck this year) ROY: Gooden MVP: Kidd We could do better, but Francis and Mobley insists on continued isolation one on one play and the Rockets are again in the bottom three in assists in the league. As a lifelong Rocket fan, I truly do hope that I'm wrong, that they really do implement motion offense and passing to the open man which should double the amount of assists on the team. But I just think our players believe so much in their own ability that they try to do it all themselves.
