Despite the losses, two of which were to elite and playoff hardened teams, I am liking what I see from these Rockets. Francis's game is evolving and you can see he's developing a willingness to pass the ball to teammates and still find his shoot, and he plays so hard. Yao is playing harder and more aggressively, Taylor has become an offensive threat, JJ is just superb, and Mobley well, his 3-pt shoot has been good. Seems to me the major problem is that the Rockets tire because they aren't use to playing so intensely. They seem to fade in the 4th qtr a lot. Yao especially needs better conditioning and I think accounts for a lot of his softness at times. In anycase, before anyone calls for trades, let's give VG a year to do his thing. They guy has coached some pretty good teams and it's likely that between him and Carroll they have an idea of what the Rockets need. Right now, seems to me the Rockets just need time to gel...
You are going to get fried alive for this... but not from me...I agree with you wholeheartedly... they have been tryin to play better...except for maybe the second half tonight.. but of course....SF dishing 7 times and hitting for 26 isnt going to be good enough for some..and Im sure they will let you know it in due time.. Keep the faith...just remember, there are lots of fans here that agree with you for the most part...they just dont bother argueing with the bonehead pessimists..
New Jersey is now elite? Ha! They are complete crap. Two of the last three losses have been to abysmal teams. Pathetic!
"Gel"? We have a lot of talent on this team and no knowledge of what to do with it. Steve and Co. acted like the game was over at halftime; time to go to the Super Bowl festivities.
To counter my depression I have to remind myself.... * The current Kings hjave the best WC inter-conference record and could win the NBA Finals. * The Nets are unbeaten since firing Byron Scott. * Miami is 6-4 in their last 10 and have the same home record (14-7) as Houston. I'll skip the cliches but IMO the real progress will be made next summer when VG can evaluate the team and populate the roster how he sees fit. And please skip the Weatherspoon and Mark Jackson examples...Spoon is an upgrade over Amaechi and I'd rather have half a season of Mark Jackson than 3 more years of Moochie. Jackson will be coaching St. John's next season and Spoon stands a good chance of being in Charlotte or as fill with the TE.
I like your optimism and I certainly hope things turn out well. THis season is starting to look to much like last season for my comfort. Didn't the Rox hit a wall about now last year?
I had my doubts because of the way Yao was being utilized and the early offensive problems this season, but I have changed my mind. After some of the recent wins, I have complete trust in JVG. I don't think there is a better person to be guiding the Rockets and evaluating the players than him. The Rockets may not be consistent yet, but they are more consistent than they have been in years. They may also be fading in the forth quarter, but that has improved throughout this season and I don't see any reason why it shouldn't continue to improve. I trust JVG's judgement when it comes to personnel as well. He will make good decisions if he believes we need different people to continue improving.
That's what I see. People seem to forget that the Rockets had a pretty good month despite losing their last three. Against Sacramento, I think I saw for the first time what the Rockets really lacked to play on the big stage - it wasn't talent, it was that intangible stuff that contenders have. That sort of intelligent play that comes from years of being in those situations - doing the unexpected at the right moment when the game is on the line - like Bibby going around and poking the ball away from Yao. I don't know if it's chemistry or gel or playoff experience, I just know the Rockets don't have it. The Old Rockets did, and the Kings do, as do the Nets and Lakers. I think Dallas has it a bit, and definitely SA. Minnesota and Indiana don't. I think it's in Jim Jackson, probably from having played with Sacramento last year. Marc Jackson has it. Problem is, how do you get it to rub off on to Yao-Franchise and Co? I think it's just something that you learn from failing in close games. From the pain of going home in the playoffs and left wondering why it had to be that way. It's also confidence, which these Rockets don't have. The ability to be poised and composed - stay relaxed but focused, when the game is on the line and the intensity level raises. In those situations, most of the time the Rockets panic and turn the ball over. But they are making progress. As they get more experienced, they will turn the ball over less. They will learn how to find their teammates and pass the ball better - and "gel". It will happen so long as they keep playing hard. But making trades of anything drastic will just hurt that process. I think you have to let them play a while and see if 30 games of intense basketball every night has an effect.
There are good and bad times in both conferences. Western just outplayed Eastern for the past couple of years. The eastern teams used to have an upper hand, not to mention Celtics' 14 Championships. Nets were the Eastern Champions for the past two years, and there is a reason - they have very talented players and a good system. They didn't play well in the beginning of the season, doesn't mean they are crap. Eastern teams play more defensive and organized games, their low scoring games don't mean the Western teams can beat them all by 20. Even in the Bulls' prime time, they were not a high scoring team.
ROX may make progress in defense, but at the same time, ROX's offense is very weak. To be frank, I like ROX's starting lineups of last season more than this season. It seems to me that RUDY run offense much better than JVG did.
I think we are just stagnant. We are making any huge leaps forward and we are taking a drastic turn for the worse. As much as I like all the guys we have, I can see a big trade coming boefre the deadline. There are heaps of great players out there that are looking to move. I think Kidd will leave NJ and there are a heap of Hawks players that will go.
I was driving on I-80 the other morning & heard Sac town sports radio commenting the game on previous night. A few words struck me:".... down the 4th quarter, Rockets still had the game within reach, but all the players lost their heart. You can tell by the look on their faces.... their mind was not on the game..... the poor dude Yao, he knew he was getting double teamed but had no idea where the double team is coming from... the kid is completely lost...." I don't know how much truth there is, but views from your opponents are generally more subjective, especially after a winning game. What's happened to my beloved Rockets ?! Where are there hearts? Is it the loss of EG ? Is it Moochie??? I don't know, but there seems a bad karma circulating in the locker room...
Agree with you. Everytime I have gotten excited about the Rockets the last 4-5 years they have turned around and played like complete crap. I am tired of hearing excuse after excuse. I dont give a crap about anything. I dont care if they are tired, I dont care if they had trouble getting the ball to Yao, I dont care if Francis is improving his game, and I definitely could care less if we are playing better. All it comes down to is victores. I see in the paper today and the freakin Denver Nuggets are ahead of us in the standings. There is just something morally wrong with that.
I wouldn't worry about that too much Rockets03, Carmelo has yet to hit the rookie wall and Camby is almost due for his traditional injury of the season.
Yeah.Though the radio comment seems more subjective,it really hint some key points. Considering last four loss streak,especially the game at PHO, Rox guys did lost something that maybe is either fight to win or confidence to playoff. What's the hell happened to those guys with JVG??? I wonder there is a discordant note hangging over in the locker room...
After I first read this thread days ago, I had a reply typed out saying that we're not playing well and we are losing to teams we should beat (NJ, Miami). But then I thought hey at least these guys are positive and optimistic. After getting our heads handed to us yesterday, it's hard to not be pissed at the Rockets. 4 losses in a row against an easier part of our schedule is awful. I thought we had to beat Phoenix and Miami, but really have to beat Milwuakee. We're in the last playoff seed in the West now.
The Rockets have slipped to next to last in the MidWest and 8th in the West overall. This thread is now like an old newspaper. I was excited a couple of weeks ago, but the team is heading south at the present.
