I think all these feeble-minded 'experts' out there, such as ESPN's Stein, are missing something. They all seem to want to take such joy in celebrating Yao's lack of Shaq-like stats, but in my opinion, not only do they generally lack functional grey matter, but most importantly they lack perspective. If the Rockets had not been decimated by injuries and ailments last year, this team could very well have improved on their 45-win season the year before, been in the playoffs, and absolutely not been a possibility as Yao's NBA destination. However, things being what they were, we wound up with a team which, when healthy, will be far better than the other bottom- dwellers with similar records last year. Add on top of that the fact that we got phenomenally lucky in the draft lottery, and suddenly this team (which was likely going to be headed to the playoffs this year, Yao or no Yao) has everyone else in the league envious of our overflowing bounty of blessings. But regarding the 5 position specifically: what this team needed was improved play from the Center spot. Not necessarily from a particular player as such, just improved play from the aggregate position - most specifically defensively and in rebounding. And unlike most other teams who wind up with the #1 overall pick in the draft, this team did not *need* that #1 overall to step in and be 'the man' from day one. And improved play out of the 5 is exactly what we have seen, admittedly in only 3 games, but consider: Cato has almost doubled his rebounds and blocks per game. Our biggest needs from the 5 were improved rebounding and defense. Count me among Yao's big supporters, but if ultimately his biggest contribution for the first year or two is to motivate Cato into being the guy we all saw when he first got here, then that is ok by me. Our 5 has so far generated 16.3 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game (Cato & Ming), and that is really with Yao not even having had a whole toe even dipped into this NBA pond yet. Yao definitely has the skills to seriously contribute, I think even this year at some point, but he may not always have great stats, because this team does not *need* him to. And anything we get out of Collier and occasionally EG at the 5 will just be gravy. As long as Cato doesn't turn back into a pumpkin, Rudy will have the luxury of bringing Ming along slowly. And since that will cause Yao's stat line to look anemic more often than not, hopefully these 'experts' will continue trying to ridicule the team and our #1 pick, because while they are all looking in the wrong direction, this team is going to get into the 2nd round of the playoffs, and the scary thing is, we won't even be hitting our peak as a unit for probably 2 or 3 more years. We are flat out loaded. All the ingredients are in the oven. I for one think it's gonna be one helluva surprise cake for the league when it's done baking. ciao
Great post. It contains most of the factors that led me to expect us to be top 4 in the west, and that is why I have a bet in place. Nothing I have seen in the first week suggests to me that we are not in that class. Defensively we are already top 4 in the west and offensively, we have alot of guns coming back.
I completely agree.. who do you think will be the toughest team we face in the first 10 games or so? How long can we continue to sneak up on people? I am crossing my fingers and hoping we can fly under the radar all season long..
Nice post. I agree wholeheartedly. I've mentioned this before, but with Rudy's penchant for having his team's gel around playoff's, no one will want to face the Rockets.
Nero, The part about NOT needing a 1st pick is right. We were good enough last year (without injuries). At worst we could have received the, what, 10th pick? All I wanted was Drew Godden or Amare Stoudimire (sp), which would have been the 4th to 10th pick in possibilities. We needed some inside presents off the bench. Getting the 1st over-all pick is one thing. But getting 1st over-all pick in the same year that some enigma from China entered the draft a GODSEND! Destiny for a Dynasty?
I am not sure we are top 4 in west yet. Actually the Sonics game would be a good early check. I think we are okay at 5 as its rightly pointed out here. The issues remain at 4 and 3. I think griff has been behind what was anticipated by some of us...adn hope MoT can stay off weed. 3 is similarly with lot of potential but none seems forthcoming at this stage- except J- Hawk!!!
