Exactly!!! I am so eager for the commencement of this season! After last year's letdown, I am awaiting the moral boost from our defeat of Dallas in our home opener!! Dying for it!!
I dont think anyone now with the players we have got this yr. I think the way played late last yr and now you have to double him. Bonzi is a big guard that abuse players in the post and the closer in T-Mac. I really like this team as a whole. Shane is the matchup for guys like Marion and some of the other smaller none postup 4's. SA will always be a solid matchup, but i think we have a better shot against than ever before.
Our difference of opinion on the Battier trade is known to each of us. No point in beating a dead horse. However, on the more narrow subject of whether or not Swift was "exposed" depends on how you define the term. Was he exposed as not the Rockets' answer as the perfect mobile starting PF to have next to Yao? Unquestionably yes. Was he "exposed" as a decent MLE player that can more than adequately cover both PF and C in the role of a rotational player? IMO absolutely not. Your big on 82games stats so I'm sure you'll want to provide those for Swift and Hayes. My advance counter is that Hayes' floor time was a small sample size and he put up numbers against bad players. More specific and recent...he killed a scrub like Tsakalides and got hammered by the Hawks who have a decent front court lineup. As unpopular as it is around here, that's my expectation for Hayes for the season.
I find it interesting that SA isnt the #1 trouble since the rockets havent won in SA since 96. Thats a 20 game losing streak. SA only lost to the MAVS in OT of game 7 in the playoffs
if you go through our line up this year and and look at everyone elses lineup who matches up to us should be the question? On paper the only team that really compares to us would be the mavs, but this so far only on paper let's wait till the season and see how this team works together on the floor and ask this question again say around X-mas or so
I was thinking that the Heat would give us a huge problem this year when we meet them at the finals. Shaq, although has lost a step (or two.. or three), but I think he'll give Yao a hard time. And then there's D-Wade who I think is pretty much unstoppable.. And I think their supporting casts are pretty hard to defend (i.e. Williams, Posey, Walker(?)). But that's ok. our guys should be able to keep them in check.
I voted Spurs, too. Two seasons ago, with MVP Nash and a healthy Amare, the Rockets split the season series against the Suns, including a game where we blew them out in Phoenix in which Yao played maybe the best game of his career up til that point. Yao was always a tough matchup for Amare to score against; now we have Battier to hopefully contain Marion. Phoenix obviously has a quick lineup, but this season we can put the players on the floor to run with pretty much anybody in a samll lineup. Phoenix is still weak defensively, so if the offense is clicking they will always be vulnerable to point swings. San Antonio is a more difficult matchup. Other than the McMiracle, we really haven't had much success at all against them in the last five years or more. In recent times we have had virtually no answer for Ginobili in the fourth quarter, and Tim Duncan can both draw Yao outside the paint with his jumper or abuse Battier or Juwon on the block. Couple that with a speedy point guard , shooters like Michael "Out-Of-Bounds" Finley, and a semi-effective Bowen to pester T-Mac, and you've got a tough team. The Spurs also make far fewer mistakes than either Phoenix or Dallas.
shaq will never be a problem for Yao again the heat got on a good role at the right time last year walker shoots a low % and so do the rest of the heat outside of wade and shaq 7 game series the heat loses to the rockets in 6. The mavs would have beaten them last year if the dirk from the spurs would have showed up instead of the dirk that we all know ( to many jump shots). Against the spurs he posted bowen and drove to the hole at will against posey and the heat he shot to many jump shots. saying that the heat would not beat us in a 7 game series and as long as we stay healthy really don't see anyone out there other than the spurs giving us any type of problems. and NO ONE OUT THE EAST IS A THREAT IN A 7 GAME SERIES
gosh people. how can phonix give us the most trouble????????? if you look at the past, the spurs are the team that gives us the most trouble. the only time we win against them for the past two seasons is the one with mcgrady's miracle comeback and the one where they don't have tim duncan. we suked against them because they play the slowdown game quite a lot better than us. if you actually look at the 04-05 seasons, we split the seasons with them. i actually watched some of those game and i remember yao dominated against them because it is easy to beat phoenix if you are prepared and has the right game plan.
Phoenix and Dallas. Dallas moreso. By comparison, every other team pretty much plays our game. They play at our tempo with players that matchup with our defenders. They have bigs that can't shoot and perimeter players that can be zoned. Dallas and Phoenix have none of that. They won't go after Tmac, Bonzi, and Battier. They'll be attacking Yao and Rafer by going smallball with point guards that can score. They'll spread our pack-the-paint defense with 3pt bombs. And they'll just try to outrun our slowest guy (Yao). We can do everything the other teams can do and do it better. The mavs and suns are the dangerous ones because they can do something we can't do at all. We'll win, but it won't be easy.
We actually split with Suns 2 years ago. Last year, we were destoryed by them however. I think the people around Yao and Tmac do matter. Two years ago, we had pretty decnet group of guys outside Yao and Tmac that can defend and score. Last year, we were out matched by the Sun mainly becuase our guys were too slow and didnt play consistently. This year, with the new crop of rotation guys, I think things will be different. Nash-Marion-Diaw/Amare are even with Tmac-Yao-Wells if we are not a little better. Their main sub balbosa is probably better than anybody we have on the bench, but it will be close. Dallas still presents most problems to us. I think they are deeper than us, and when they shoot well, it's very hard to stop them. When play Dallas, we have to stick to our style, grind it out. It's hard for us to win a shooting match against Dallas. Hey, we did beat them two years in a high scoring game.
I have no problem that they traded Swift. They traded Rudy Gay? it is also OK for me because I am not sure how good Gay really is. But I really upset that they traded Swift AND Gay for one freaking Shane Battier. Funny now to see homers jump on Battier's bandwagon and elevate him to a new level. In their mind, this guy is a super star role player, he can do anything on the court and he is a big piece to Championship, even though his former team hasn't won a single playoff game with him on the team.
I pretty much worry about any team that can effectively and consistently utilize the pick 'n roll. Our defense of that play has never been good as long as I can remember, and it seems to be excessively bad this preseason, so far.
Oh no, not another Battier-Hater.......I thought they had vented all their hot air in the draft board. On a side note, let me ask you a question: Do you think Jerry West would accept a trade fro Stromile Swift and Rudy Gay and send Shane Battier IF he knew Pau Gasol would be out for four months.
you know I like battier I just fill we should have gotten something else also maybe battier and mike miller for the simple fact that gay was projected at number 1 at one time. I actually like battier for the team he is on just should have made them throw in something else with it that's all
I think we have gotten stronger immensely, but usually there is always one team we can't beat. It doesn't even have to be a good team, either, remember last year? The Bobcats?
We (Rockets) are still un-proven 'commodity' with all these off-season additions/aquisitions. On paper we may look good, but there are so many uncertainties (Health and chemistry wise), at this point, i'd feel more comfortable putting the Rockets behind Dalls, SA, And the Suns.
