Q: I have been a Rockets fan a long time and I really don't see them going anywhere. They lost James Posey, who had great chemistry with Franchise, and have no real small forward. True, Jeff Van Gundy is a good coach but will he get the Rocks into the playoffs? -- A. J. Miller, Katy, Tex. FORD: The Rockets are right on the bubble. They have a dominant point guard in Steve Francis and a center, Yao Ming, who I believe will improve dramatically. Now that he's got a year under his belt, and will have a full training camp with his team, I think you'll see him worked seamlessly into the offense. I also like the signing of Eric Piatkowski. He's one of the more underrated players in the league and I think he'll give the team a big boost off the bench with his sharp shooting. Adrian Griffin will also give them some of the defensive intensity they lost in Posey. That's the good news. The bad news? The small forward and power forward position are issues. Eddie Griffin has shown a lot of promise the past two seasons, but his inconsistency has been maddening. For the Rockets to get into the playoffs next year, he needs to make the leap this year. I think he's capable. The other position will depend on health. Glen Rice can still give them solid minutes if he's healthy. The same holds true for Maurice Taylor. With Francis, Yao, Griffin and Cuttino Mobley on the floor, no one is asking them to be the primary scorer, just hit an open jumper now and then. The other wild card is second-year forward Bostjan Nachbar. With Rice in his last year, the Rockets need to see what he's going to give them this year. He really struggled last year and had just a so-so summer. If he doesn't learn how to play defense, Van Gundy won't play him. In the end, there are six teams -- the Lakers, Kings, Mavs, Spurs, T-Wolves and Suns -- who appear to be locks for the playoffs. The Rockets will be battling the Blazers, Sonics, Clippers and Grizzlies for one of those final two spots. I think they have the edge over the Sonics, Clippers and Grizzlies and should be able to nail down that eighth playoff spot. http://insider.espn.go.com/insider/story?id=1600944 Ford seems to think Eddie is the key to if we make the playoffs or not. That is a scary thing! Thank goodness for Utah being bad this year or we might not make the playoffs again. I thought Yao was going to miss the start of training camp. Ford seems to think Yao will be there for the full camp. I'm excited to see how Piatkowski works out after being labeled one of the most underrated players in the NBA. It doesn't sound like Boki is going to play if JVG expects any defense out of him. I hope Nachbar can prove me wrong. I'd really like to see him succeed. How can the Suns already be ranked ahead of us? They barely beat us to the 8th spot last year. I can't wait for the season to start and see how things play out.
Ford doesn't know what he is talking about. Doesn't he know we are competing with Minny, SA, Sac, Dallas and LA?!?!? Blasphemy!
you're right Codell with the Burden of Rudy gone and the saviour in JVG arrived we should be competing for home court advantage throughout the playoffs
The Suns record was distorted last season. Their winning % with Penny in the line-up was good enough for 6th seed last season. Also, Amare will improve as much as Yao will improve. They also have a backup PG and a backup combo F now. Our hope rests on the fact that Yao is a C, and is better rested this time around. Having a good pivotman is usually way more effective than having a just-as-good PF who is not a true post player.
everyone knows that the reason that the Lakers signed Malone was because they needed someone to be able to play with Eddie Griffin. When is the rest of the world gonna realize that the Rockets are going to dominate everyone? I mean, gee, we have a stud like Mo T and are gonna be force to make him come off the bench. And now with Moochie pushing for those minutes, we are forced to move an all-star PG over to the SG position. And lets face it: the Lakers signed Payton because they knew that Moochie would dominate them otherwise......
jailblazers are better than the suns. and how the hell is Yao going to have "a full training camp"? I thought he was going to be bringing glory and honor to the PRC by beating Thailand by 8 in the Asian games? shows how much chad ford knows.
Actually, this is what I see also. With the dismantling of GS in the past week and the expected decline of Utah, this is the group that the Rockets have to beat out for that 8th spot. The only variable in my mind is Denver. No one knows how much they will improve this year and they could surprise everyone...or no one. Unlike others on this BBS, I do not turn up my nose at the Sonics and Grizzlies. They are young teams with good talent and excellent coaching and as such should not be overlooked by anyone here, especially the Rockets. A team that has been in the lottery for 4 straight years cannot afford to look past anyone.
<b>Also, Amare will improve as much as Yao will improve. </b> The difference between Amare improving and Yao improving is that Yao's improvement instantly makes the team better, because Amare can't influence other team's offense like Yao can with his shot-blocking, and Yao's passing and spacing makes the offense more potent then Amare does. Why are people talking like Phoenix is some borderline dominant team and that we would be lucky to compete with them. They finished ONE game ahead of us in the standings, and the Rockets went 3-1 against them, the Suns only win was a last second shot by Marbury. The Rockets will finish ahead of Phoenix, take it to the bank. <b>The Suns record was distorted last season. Their winning % with Penny in the line-up was good enough for 6th seed last season. </b> You could use the same excuse for the Rockets, the Rockets actually were playing like a #6 seed and had just beaten Phoenix before Rudy was diagnosed with cancer. Rudy may not have had them as disciplined as they should have been, but the Rockets were playing better. Rice's injury and Mo getting in shape from a serious injury also hurt. The Rockets are just as good, probably better then Phoenix.
I also don't get this whole "Suns are dominant" team ****. Other than the year they went to the finals with Barkley, they have always been a decent, sometimes good team but never a juggernaut. It looks like more and more that Boki is going to follow in the footsteps of other Rocket busts like John Turner, Andre Harris, and the inimitiable Rodrick Rhodes to name a few.
Since the 96-97 season, Penny has only played in more than 60 games in a season once. Why should next year be any different?
With both Webber and Kobe in the jail, Garnett traded to the EC in the middle of the season, Rox will be the #3 seed behind Dallas and SA. In the playoff, with both Nowitzi and Duncan having an ankle injury, Rox rise to the occasion and win the WC final and eventually beat the Detroit Pistons for the NBA final.
We're on the bubble?!? What is this?!? Just to please us? We are going to be the worst team in the NBA. But....if we sign Stephen Jackson, I think we can probably make the 7th or 8th seed.
apparently he's a "legit former nba player" now if you read page four. legit my arse. i'll believe it when i see it. kept on seeing stuff about the pba (philippine basketball association), but you can't tell if he's still playing there.
so there are 5 spots in the playoffs??? When did they announce that.... Is this big news or something I didnt hear anything on ESPN??? Ill email them to tell them they should air this big chance...
HAH... Chad Ford just doesnt know what to say anymore... He speaks so much nonsense.... HAHAHAHA... poor guy he actually thinx the phoenix suns are going to be better... And then he actually dares say that we just might be able to land 8th... THAT GUY IS CRAZY... we should at least win 50 with 6th spot... Can someone slap Chad Ford, He acts like penny is the next MJ... poor guy
