I am so so excited about this team and the way it is assembled, we are loaded at every position. Yes, people are correct in saying we do not have a Superstar player, and this is true, but Morey is trying to do that, and those guys do not shake loose very often, so you go about your business trying to build the best TEAM you can and position yourself to take advantage if one Superstar breaks loose. I can not help but look back at the Sacremento Kings with Bibby and Webber and recall how successful they were and ponder if that can happen with this Rocket's team. Their team was 61-21 in 2001-2 before losing in a controversial series to a prime time Shaq and Kobe. If you compare that team, of very good players but no superstars to this current Rockets team, I believe you see major similarities. PG Bibby and Brooks Both are very good shooters, and not necessarily traditional PGs, Bibby has a more dangerous midrange game and Brooks has more range, but both are comparible in abilities. SG Christie and Martin The Kings had a defensive minded wing at SG and we have an offensive wing in Martin, they are a total contrast but when you look at SF's it will even out. SF Peja and Battier We are the polar opposite here of the SG position but it still equals out, in an offense and defense sort of way. PF Scola and Webber Webber was very close to a Supertar player, and Scola is just a really good PF, so here the Kings have a clear advantage, but Scola is no chump, he can play the position very well, it is just not on Webber's level....he was like a better version of Chris Bosh. Yao and Divac Whereas the Kings were better at PF, the Rockets are noticiably better at the Center position. If healthy there is about the same gap in the Rockets favor as the Kings shared at the PF spot. The bench: Jim Jackson, Bobby Jackson, Hedo, Clark vs. Lowry, Cbud, Miller, Lee, Hayes Again the Rockets compare favorably in skillsets...they had a good change of pace guy off their bench in BJackson, and we have Lowry who does a similar role albeit in a different style of way. They had scoring in Hedo and Jackson, and we do too in Cbud and Lee. They had defense in Clark, and we do too in Hayes....and we also have Hill and Patterson in case of emergency like they had a very young G. Wallace etc. Daryl Morey and Rick Adelman have slowly recreated the Kings from 2000-2005, they had major success, won a lot of games and were contenders in the playoffs. That, IMO, is exactly the model they are going after right now........ Well played Rockets.....WELL PLAYED !! DD
Actually it woudl be Peja and Martin as a comparison and Battier and Christie...in overall team concept.... DD
Dang it, I wanted to be the 1000th.....but still with Lee we are even more like them. And honestly, I loved watching them play.....I recall loving their offense as they got layup after layup on backdoor cuts and hoping the Rox would play that way. Last year was year 2 of the Adelman system, now it is time to take off.....this is the year. DD
That worries me, bcuz the Kings didn't win a championship back in those days, maybe bcuz they weren't good defensively..?
They had one stolen by Dick Bavetta in 2001-2 I think..... 24 free throws in the confernce finals in the 4th quarter for the Lakers.....in game 6..... If that is where this team is headed, it is the BEST you can do without a superstar....and that would be a marvelous thing to see. Don't be a hater, get on board with this team, it could be a really special year !!! Be optimistic...... DD
Won't matter the refs are on our side now...they need that market in China. We will get all those extra FTs and our team will make em. DD
Those Kings were one of my favorite teams to watch. Another team I really like were those 2004 Pistons, which are also somewhat comparable to the Rockets. It'd be awesome if we could combine the 2001 King's offense with the 2004 Piston's defense.
It woulda made more sense if you compared Martin to Peja since there both shooters and Christie with Battier since he's our defender. But really if we kept Ariza he woulda been our Christie with less handles and shot. I understand you're excited and all but this is getting pre-tty annoying DD.
Another team oriented approach, I just believe all the pieces are there....this year...... Sure, Yao has to stay healthy, but dang it, all indicators are that he is doing very well and it has been more than a year to heal that foot. I feel something special here. Getting annoyed at a fan getting excited on the message board? How can cheering and being excited for the team be annoying. Are you sure you are in the right place? DD
this is also false the kings were always tops in the league in defensive fg% which is a better rating for team defense than points scored. the kings always played a faster tempo and had more posessions so the higher scores. i wouldnt draw comparisons just yet, that kings team had a lot of chemistry together playing so far its still to be seen. Brooks and Yao havent had a full season together. Martin and Yao never played with each other at all. Also Webber and Divac are two of the best passing pivots/big men in the history of the league and a lot of the kings success were due to their willingness and ability to make those passes. I believe both Divac and Webber enjoyed several seasons of 4+apg with the Kings. Bibby has the better mid range and passing ability, brooks has the speed and ability to get into the lane a lot better. both are terrible at defense. Peja is the better shooter than Martin but Martin is the more complete offensive player and Battier is better at defense will Christie is the better scorer. Peja and Martin play similar no defense styles. comparisons can be made but those kings teams had several games as an unit under their belt going into that season while this rockets team has none. and at least to me the biggest glaring difference is that and the passing ability of everyone on that team is far superior to this rockets team. I do believe though that this rockets teams has more players that play hard and will fight tooth and nail for every possession compared to that kings team.
I don't get it. Peja and Battier are opposites. So are Martin and Christie. I see similarities in Webber and Scola but Webber was way more athletic. And you can't compare a healthy Yao to the flopper that was Divac. Edit: ok, you're basically comparing Christie to Battier and Martin to Peja. That makes more sense
Do I need to switch them...for folks to understand, I mean I said in the comparison breakdown that it was offense defense of wings at SG and the polar opposite at SF for the Rockets. DD
Yeah,right. Bibby > brooks Peja>martin christie>battier webber>yao divac <scola So what are u trying to say again?
This is funny to me. The Kings were an elite team largely thanks to the brilliance of Chris Webber (and arguably never made it over the hump because of his disappearing acts in crunch time). Some of our personnel is similar, some of our offensive schemes are similar, but if all goes well (and by that I mean if Yao returns to form) we really aren't going to resemble those teams too closely. Our half court sets will likely rely heavily on feeding Yao in the post, as opposed to what we saw with the Kings. I think you're also underrating Christie's ability as a playmaker.
