Rockets vs Grizzlies: what made the difference

Wow...what a great move.

 

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Every contending team needs to have a one-two punch to win it all, and it's true to everybody, shaq, TD, KG. The thing is a 7'5 skilled center, who is still improving his game, is hard to get.

 

Are you saying Jerry West is coming out of retirement?

 

Yao already has a compliment player, which is Francis, or whoever we get by trading Francis. And while Shaq needed Kobe for a ring, Duncan only needed an over-the-hill Robinson for his two(especially the 2nd).

The thing about Yao is that he still hasn't hit his peak. Once he does that, even the roster the Rockets have right now could be enough to bring in a championship team.

The Grizzlies, on the other hand, lack the go-to scorers. The team depth resembles the likes of Sacramento, Dallas(1-2 years ago), or Portland(a few years back). But these other teams have tons of starts to go with the depth: Nash, Dirk, Finley, Pippen, Rasheed Wallace, Peja, Webber, Bibby. You Griz have Gasol and... well, that's it. This team reminds me of the Pitino Celtic teams, the ones that got blown up in the playoffs.

 

Jerry West made all the difference. Look at his Memphis (Vancouver) team a couple of years ago and look at it now. See the difference.

I've always believed that the managment is the most important portion for a sports frachise. People laugh about what Jerry Krause said that "organizations win championships, not players". What he said was absolutely true.

 

I read an article once in which Hubie Brown said that Memphis plays 10 players and a balanced game to showcase their whole roster's value. To make up for playing ten players, he asks everyone to play as if it's their last game, and to adjust their energy to lower minutes. This way, you have lots of good trade bait, and your team is performing the same way an 8-man rotation would. So, Memphis continue doing this, and in the process attempt to get into as many 2-for-1 or 3-for-1 deals as possible to turn 2 or 3 marginally good players into one star player.

But what's the end result?

The end result is a very talented 8 man rotation, with a couple of franchise players and some of the better remaining good players hopefully.

Now, Memphis X, do you seriously think that you'll acquire a building block as significant as Yao through trade?

Do you really think Eddy Curry can compare to Yao? You think getting T-Mac or Kobe will do the trick? If you don't lose too much for Kobe, you may go up again, but it remains to be seen if the Lakers are DUMB enough to make themselves foolish by dealing Kobe to West. McGrady, as seen before, can only carry a team so far. Who's a better building block, McGardy or Yao? Look at the sig. In his 2nd year, Yao is averaging 18 and 9 per 33 minutes. Once the stamina and upperbody strength problems are gone, who's going to stop him? Shaq? Pleeeeeease. Yao has been averaging 25+ppg against Shaq.

IMO, we're one step ahead of you. Not because we have a betetr GM, because of luck. But still, we're one step ahead of you.

Don't, for even a second, forget that this is JVG's first season but Hubie's second. Don't forget how much Hubie has shaped the roster during his tenure compared to how much JVG has done it. Remember, JVG has not made a significant trade till now. Don't forget that we lost Eddie Griffin for nothing.

You don't think JVG will propel this team to 50 wins in his second season?

 

To defend McGrady a little bit here. . . .. his team did truly suck
and CARRY is the word for it. . . . Memphis would have a better
supporting cast

QUESTION: McGrady/Gasol > Yao/Francis?
I don't think so . . .

Rocket River

 

Swift, Wells, Battier, Watson, Smith...coming off the bench...compared to Weatherspoon, Jackson, Boki, Pike....

do the physical and athletic math....Swift I would take over Cato and Weatherspoon, though Cato did not play last...Wells and Battier are far better than Boki and Jackson and....whomever else on our bench...

Their bench is like a starting lineup for another expansion team...which is very nice to have....now, will they succeed in the playoffs in this 10/11 man rotation , probably not, but I would like to have Swift and Battier and Wells coming off the Rockets bench as part of a 8-man rotation in the playoffs...

Will they succeed in the future under this system? Probably not because salaries will eat away in the next 2 years... Gasol will command a higher salary and the others will too....they have not superstar in the making and this could be troublesome longterm...

 

I find it curious that the criticism leveled at Memphis today is that they are not a true Championship caliber team.

A year ago nobody thought they were even close to a playoff team.

Jerry done good.

 

Lots of good and interesting points here and I agree that Memphis has made some good management decisions and shown a willingness to open their wallet wider than Les has.

I still think that Hubie Brown has been the main factor though. I look at him doing to the Grizzlies what Jack McKeon did to the Marlins. An old hand to steady a young, talented but inconsistent team but who's also smart enough and adaptable enough to get the most out of his players.

OTOH JVG is a good coach but one who is too wedded to one way of thinking and whose very intensity sometimes gets in the way of providing the steady leadership for a young team.

I'm trying to think of it this way: Where would the Grizzlies be if JVG this season was coaching their line up and where would the Rox be if Hubie Brown was coaching ours?

My own feeling is the Rox are leading the Midwest Division because Brown gets more out of Yao's unique abilities than trying to make him into the next Ewing while Francis and Mobley play more consitently. The Grizzlies end up at the bottom of the division again as JVG forces them to play a plodding halfcourt game that their talent is suited to.

 

OK, if what you say is correct, then how do you explain away the fact that Memphis has shown MORE improvement on the court in one YEAR than the Rockets have in 2 years with Yao?

If the Rockets have a better shot at a ring than the Grizz ever will, please explain what happened this year when the two teams went head-to-head. Why didn't the Rockets come out on top if they are/were so much "better"?

 

I find your arrogance toward the Grizzlies to be typical and completely unwarranted. The only team the Rockets are one step ahead of right now is Utah.

It's time for folks here to face some uncomfortable facts.

Fact: Memphis is the better team. Their record is better. Their playoff seeding is better. Their head-to-head record vs. the Rockets is better. Anything else (we have Yao and you don't) is disgruntled loser talk.

Memphis is better because they don't just talk about their "potential" or reach for excuses like the Rockets - they go out and realize it on the court WHERE IT COUNTS. They went out on the court and did this year what we have been waiting for (and are still waiting for) - PROVED THEMSELVES. Until the Rockets get off their collective asses and show some concrete progress, neither they nor anyone here has a legit reason to turn their noses up at any team in the NBA.

 

1. Have you considered the fact that Memphis is playing at their full potential of their low ceiling
2. Have you considered the fact that if refs give Yao the calls, Gasol, Wright, Tsakalidis would be fouled out by the 2nd quarter?

 

HillBoy,


It's not arrogance at all. JVG is in his first year and Hubie is in his second year. I'm willing to bet that JVG's second season with the Rockets tops Hubie's second season. I don't think even MemphisX will deny that.

I also think that the Grizzlies are not anywhere near the end of their rebuilding, while the Rockets, in terms of the roster, are closer to that goal. All we have to do now is re-arrange role players. Memphis are still looking for their star players.


Memphis will not net something better than Yao this offseason. McGrady is not a possibility - Orlando wouldn't trade him for a bunch of role players, and Kobe is not a possibility - the Lakers wouldn't trade him to Jerry West and look like fools.

Basically, you can rule out all the top players in the West. I'm thinking their most realistic targets are Paul Pierce and Allen Iverson. That's the calibre that will be available this summer.

Also, does ANYONE see Memphis improving beyond their current win total if they make no moves? As MFW put it, they are probably playing at the full potential of their low ceiling.

 

You don't think some Houston folks need to rent cars?

You don't think the rental tax (I believe the highest in the nation) even if mostly levied on out of towners does not impact Houston business and tourism?

Finally, my mistake, I didn't know if you lived outside of Houston than you were not a taxpayer. What are ya'll doing living in Houston anyway--move on out and come join tax free land, except of course when you need to rent a car in Houston.

I agree, sometimes it is better to be lucky than good.

 

Jason Williams' play making 62 32.46%

Hubbie Brown is a better coach than JVG 39 20.42%

Jerry West is a better GM than CD 70 36.65%

James Posey's move from H-town to M-town 6 3.14%

Rockets owner is cheap, while Gs owner is willing to invest in the team 14 7.33%

 

I agree with many of the posters on this site... If the ROX somehow miss the playoffs, or get swept out of the playoffs, I would be very dissapointed if Carrol Dawson is not fired. I think his decisions are awful... ie. not drafting Rashard Lewis, drafting Eddie Giffin and Boki... not to mention the fat contacts he gave Maloney, Cato and Mo T. All of these things have prevented us from being a top 3 Western Conference power this year.

 

You should look at assist/turnover ratio, 3.61 vs. 1.67, wow, case closed.