Agree, we don't really have a consistent go to guy beside Yao since Mcgrady absence; rather we need everyone to execute to perfection. 2nd unit has been great spark off the bench so far and we need them to continue maintaining the high intensity and playing efficient ball. Our only weakness I concern is the PGs' ability handle pressure under fire. Brooks and Kyle are 2nd year players without any PO experience. They must not force it and limit turnover for us to beat good team. Other than that we're ready.
No, statistics show exactly that, he is hitting a lower percentage of overall FGs this year, and his PPG are down. Sure his 3pt shooting is up, but his advantage on D is not as prevelant either, he gets beaten a LOT more on the perimeter than he used to.... Ron is slowing down right before our eyes.....he is noticably slower and less athletic... DD
I agree for the most part. As a second option, Ron is not a perfect fit on offense. This is not his fault however, but he would be much more valuable as a third or fourth option.
I give you much respect DD, but where do those numbers come from? I've been up and down on Ron Ron this year, but if he and Yao can bring it the Rockets can go far in the playoffs. Here are his numbers... Code: Year Team Games Minutes Feild Goal% Points per Game 2002 Ind 5 33.4 0.407 11.8 2003 Ind 6 42.0 0.389 19.0 2004 Ind 15 38.9 0.378 18.4 2006 Sac 5 39.6 0.383 17.4 -------------------------------------------------------------- Totals 31 38.7 0.384 17.3 And let's not forget these numbers do not include his defensive capabilities.
Take out "Tracytime" and Ron's stats are nearly identical to last year. Obviously less PPG because he is not the number 1 option like in Sac. To the defense, I completely disagree. He had an ankle injury he was playing through for the first half of the year and he has been steadily improving. His defense on Lebron, Paul Pierce and Gerald Wallace was a joy to watch live. He sets a tone on defense each and every game....
He is physical and for physical SG/SF it works pretty good, because Ron basically hammers them into submission, but against quicker players they blow by him and he reaches in..... I think his D is overated...but his toughness is not. DD
Wasn't he voted most feared defender in the league by his peers not to long ago? I for one am glad we have a guy on our team that is "feared".
We agree there. Let's hope he steps it up like you believe....I have no issue with being wrong about it....LOL. DD
Well let's just hope that you are wrong. We all know the playoffs are different than the regular season and some players will step up and others will not. For the Rocket's sake let's hope that RonRon steps up. Edited: Ok, I'm like a full reply behind you guys. Let's just hope the Rockets win tonight and go in as the 2nd or 3rd seed and meet Kobe in the WCF.
Yep yep.....I just want him to play within the offense...he is great there....just no more Ron channeling his inner Tmac. DD
I was getting there...but Dave cut me off....I was using the butter up and then hit with real talk....but it was clearly more of a comedy show.... DD
IMO: Yao's the one we NEED to step up the most - demanding the ball, ringing up 26-12-4-4 each night and getting frontlines in foul trouble and us into the bonus. Artest is the one I FEAR will "take it upon himself" to step up and go 5-20 from the field. It's got to be drilled into him that every missed shot is a turnover and takes away from Yao. If he is going to take a high volume of shots, he needs to take at least 3 inside attempts for every outside one. Outside rebounds ignite fastbreaks, while going to the rim puts pressure on the defense and opens the game up. Don't take the lazy road!!! Scola is the one that can make the games routs if he steps up. When he rings up his 14-14 games (had a ridiculous 8 of them this year), it takes immense pressure off of Yao. His midrange jumper is a massive X-factor. Shane needs to bring what he has the last few playoffs: 11 with above 40% from outside....but it can't go AWOL on the road. Brooks & Lowry have the most room to step up, on both ends. It's critical that they hold their own each series, because they're the mismatch teams will want to exploit. Wafer and Landry can be the death sentence to opposing teams if they step up. If they can combine for 30 points off the bench, it should be a win. If they combine for 15, it will be rough. Evan
Click to view full article: It's time to honor the top defenders this season. Here are Hollinger's All-Defense teams Shooting Guards First team: Ron Artest, Rockets (-4.53) Artest effectively became the 2 when Tracy McGrady checked out, and save for his trash-talking Kobe Bryant into a fourth-quarter explosion he was as good as he's been in years. Artest has always had amazing physical skills at the defensive end but seemed caught up in being an offensive player the past couple seasons; this season his nightly effort has been more consistent on D, and it's shown in his being the primary defensive cog on the league's No. 4 defensive team. Small Forwards Third team: Shane Battier, Rockets (-2.39) Battier's adjusted plus-minus wasn't off-the-charts terrific the way it's been the past couple seasons, which is likely just a result of the inherent noisiness of the stat. But the more valid reason to move him down to third team this year is that he simply hasn't played the minutes of the two guys ahead of him -- thanks to foot problems, he's seen nearly 1,000 fewer minutes than he did a season ago when I put him on the first team. ...
