I really don't care if he thinks the Rockets are a contender or not. People may be giving the Rockets too much credit too soon, who knows. NewYorker obviously thinks so, and wanted everyone to read this very topic since he was so unsatisfied with his first thread (saying the same thing) getting merged -- probably wrote it 10 days ago. My only point is I think it's humorous that he was shown a time when he tried to push Houston fans' noses to the dirt for unrealistic expectations, just like this instance, and was made to eat it himself. That All-Star game/13-and-8 line should be someone's sig
The man is full of contradictions, just look at his conversation with me about why his nick on this board is NewYorker yet he is in Houston
I really would have expected more from you at least being the moderator of this board. I actually have a lot of respect for you in creating this BBS, but if you are going to create something for all Rockets fans, then do it for all Rocket fans, not just the ones you like or agree with. the 13-8 line was someone else making that claim, i put it in quotes because at the time i thought it was ridiculous that he's AVERAGE that in his first season. Well, he did. But everyone can be wrong...look at you man, you're digging up stuff from 3 years ago!!! THere's something really sad about that. Fact is, who cares!!!! I'm a rockets fan stating my opinion, why don't you just disagree instead of personalizing it?
Your quote doesn't prove anything either. Jordan is the best player to ever play the game, while Barkley is barely a top 50 player.
It was announced a few minutes ago. Bottom line is Barkley is a few steps down from the top of the pyramid (Jordan being on top)
It's extremely unlikely that H-Town will meet Boston for a meaningful play-off series in the next 2 or 3 seasons- so I'm not too concerned about this loss. Put it this way, Boston beat us simply because the guards didn't hit the shots they were making during the 6 game surge. If they did, we would have blown out the Celtics. Also, sometimes opposing role players have career or season highs and there is nothing you can do about that. On a cost benefit analysis- I think this game is a timely reminder to the team that there are no gimme games in the NBA. C'mon Rockets! Time for another winning streak.
New Yorker, man, you could have just said that and saved youself all the trouble I don't think the Rockets are ready to beat the Spurs or the Heat either. However, outside of those two teams, I think the Rockets can surprise a few people. It is the Yao bashing that is getting you in trouble now. Can Yao improve on a few things? Of course! Who can't use some improvement in his game? Even Shaq can use some improvements in his game. Yao should definitely rebound more, but that doesn't mean he is somehow a bust or not living up to expectations. I think if you told the Rockets a few years ago when they drafted Yao that he would average nearly 18.5 pts/game and 8.5 rbs/game in just his third year, they would have been thrilled! Yao's development is definitely not something that would happen in a short span of time, I really don't think we will see him in his prime for another 2-3 seasons. Moreover, I don't think the Rockets can be contenders and win it all until Yao hits his prime years in the NBA. Right now, I think our two stars are way too young and a bit on the soft side mentally. I am a firm believer that you don't win until you mentally 'mature', a phase I think our two young stars haven't reached yet.
Even Shaq has grab 6 or less rebound 10 times this season while playing 30+ mins in some of those games. You don't need to make a big deal out of it.
Juwon Howard has been averaging just that much.... 13/8 in games since February, when we put on a 8 games and 6 games winning streak.... then u said if he is the factor that we are not a contender now, we are in trouble.... and yet u turn around and say that we a a 13/8 PF away from being a contender.....
Here're the Frequently asked Q&As: Can we take boston lightly? No. I said well before the game this is the nearest test. Well, in another thread called 'reasons to be contenders'. Does Yao get enough touches? Not sure. Do teammates respect Yao on the court? Probably not. They just don't like him that much: "The dude is simply too nice. What kind of superstar is that? So lack of confidence, and so awkward!" Do we have an inside-outside game? No. We're a team living or dying on the perimiter. Sometimes, we did play an outside-inside game, though. How did we manage to win so many games? Mostly it's through T-mac's outstanding performances. When the guy's cold and we're against tough opponents, the chances are indeed slim. Could we have won all those games without Yao? Not sure. But tricky as it seemed to be, it could have been the case. Did Jeff Van Gundy do a good job as a coach? He's trying. Being coach doesn't mean you can do whatever you think is right. You have to deal with player's egos and stuff. You have make them happy at the same time. Could the Rockets work out a trade of Yao for somebody? No. Dream on. No matter how many suggestions you make, under normal circumstances, the Rockets are not gonna trade him in the forseeable future. Plain and simple. Better save yourself some time. What's hurting the rockets most right now? Rebounding, rebounding, rebounding. What do the rockets need to improve on to get better prepared for playoff time? Aside from rebounding, they need to establish a true inside offensive strategy. Everybody should be trained for this sole purpose for a while and get used to it. Then when the outside shots aren't falling, they know where to go. Also, they will always know that you have something to fall back on. How far can the rockets go come playoff time? A prediction is a prediction. No matter who you're, you've got to prove it. You accomplish what you've accomplished. what on earth are you talking about? You figure out the mess.
The timing of this post is great. I mean, posting this during a winning streak would mean that you'd have the guts to take a stand. Of course, when you are proven wrong, you'll just shrug it off like it never happened.... Great job keeping the topic alive too. I didn't even notice the lobotomy I recieved from reading this thread up until now.
