I watched tonights game and I noticed something. I noticed that most of the players on our current roster have a very low basketball IQ. Sure, they are all gifted athletes (minus Bullard ), and sure one of their problems seems to be effort. But, what struck me was the countless idiotic mistakes made over and over again. The (main) guilty parties? Steve Francis - No this wasn't his typical game, but I was actually wishing Rudy would bench him in the second half and give the reigns over to Mooch. The missed lay up is a glaring example. The weak short jumper he got blocked at the end. What about after he stole the ball and drove down court how he lost control and turned it over. Or what about in the 4th quarter when he was in the corner and drove it across the lane into two Sonics then threw up some weak attempt at a shot/pass, but just turned the ball over. Or what about his seemingly lack of desire to drive the ball to the hoop even though Seattle lacks any sort of inside presence.... I mean if I had recorded the game I could go on and on. Maybe I'm being hard on Steve, but if this guys really wants to be the team leader he's got to get a lot smarter and in a hurry. Kenny Thomas - I seriously dislike this guy. I think Cato has more desire than KT especially on the defensive end. I just hate seeing him allow the guy he's guarding to back him down into the paint and then just stand there with his hands in his pockets as he watches the guy shoot a 4 ft shot right over his noggin. I think KT should get implants over the offseason. He should get some sort of splint that will permanently force his arms to remain over his head in the extended position. Sure, maybe they'll shrivel up and die from a lack of blood, but hell they aren't doing him any good the way they are now. Kelvin Cato - This has been done to death, just read every other Cato-bashing thread and apply it to this area. He's terrible. He's milking the Rocket organization for a ton of money. He needs to get gone in a hurry. Walt Williams - Okay he had a pretty good game tonight, but ditto on the Cato thing. Walt cannot expect to stay in the NBA (or at least the Rockets) by showing up for 15 to 20 of the 82 regular season games scheduled. He just is way too inconsistent. Cuttino Mobley - What Mobes lacks in Bball IQ he makes up for in desire and effort. Still, he'd be an amazing player if he could harness some of his energy into not making moronic decisions on both sides of the ball. Maurice Taylor - This guy actually seems to expect the ball to magically float into his hands whenever someone misses a shot. He rarely jumps, he is usually standing about an inch from the bucket so as to totally take himself out of just about any chance to get a miss. He doesn't box out (Do any of the Rockets?). And, what was that terrible pass to Walt late in the game? Ugh. Other things the team seems to do as a whole I don't think I've seen a team defend against the pick and roll worse than how we defended it tonight. There was one instance where our defense broke down before the pick could even be set! Whenever we tried to set a pick the Sonics always seemed to be there. There wasn't a huge lane to drive right to the hoop. There wasn't a huge open space from which to shoot a wide open jump shot. There wasn't a chance for the guy setting the pick to either slash to the hole or settle into an open area in the corner. So, tell me this, WHY THE HELL CAN'T THE ROCKETS DEFEND AGAINST THE PICK THAT WELL? It just seemed like whenever Seattle ran a pick they had a couple options on what they could do and they were both as effective. Can't we at least shut down ONE aspect of the pick? I don't care which one, just pick one dammit! Rebounding..... what can I say about rebounding. The whole team had Tayloritis tonight. As stated above, Tayloritis is defined as a delusional state in which a player thinks he can "will" the ball into his hands using his mind instead of his body. How many times (especially in the 1st half) did you see a single Sonic player come in and outrebound a group of 3 to 4 Rockets? Geez, I was screaming my head off about 5 minutes into the game. With about 3 minutes until halftime Calving and Bill brought it up, and I said to my wife, "Why did it take them so long to notice?" So, what can be done you ask? Well, with the current team the answer is, "Not much". We desperately need to get rid of players who have a low Bball IQ, and especially those with no potential to increase it. Namely, Cato, Kenny Thomas, Taylor, and Walt must go. I think Taylor can be worked around, but for him to work out, the rest of the team would have to have to compensate for his inadequacies. Also, Rudy somehow needs to instill a team philosophy that makes rebounding and defending picks a major part of the team psyche. After ditching our dead weight we need to find a way to sign players who are strong in basic basketball fundamentals. Who knows Battier may just be a perfect example of this type of player. I'd much rather have a team full of overachievers than underachievers. Even if they would both come out with the same record, the overachievers are much easier to root for. Carlos Rogers, Moochie Norris, Pig Miller, those are guys who play within their abilities and put forth an effort worthy of praise from Rocket fans. GO ROCKETS! ------------------ DREAMer's Rocket Page
I agree with the problems of tonights game, but that doesn't mean all those players should go. They would be great if the Rockets just added one more good low post player. They are role players that are forced into big roles thanks to Houston's lack of inside talent. They are good role players, but are forced to play star positions. I do think that Mo can develop into a Webber type player. He is only 23. ------------------ Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon is the greatest player in the history of basketball. If you disagree, you are not a Rocket fan.
I agree with most of your post, but I don't agree with the criticism of Francis. First of all, wasn't he playing hurt (which might explain why he didn't want to take it inside and get banged up)? And second, how is him missing a layup an example of low bball IQ? ------------------
You got a point about Kenny Thomas. He is a pretty bad defender right? He should be able to handle the center position. Right? I can't believe you expect him to be able to hold off the other team's center. I think KT shows alot of heart when he plays. Don't you notice that unlike the other big men he really tries to rebound. If he can't get the board he tries knocking the ball out so one of the guards could pick it up. The dude's 6'8 and you expect him to be a defensive monster against the other teams center. That's unbelievable. ------------------ Mmmm ... open-faced club sand wedge.
How can you dislike Kenny? Just because he doesn't scream into the air and show emotion like our guards, doesn't mean the guy isn't bustin his ass out there. He has the best footwork of any big man on this team, and I wish they would go to him in the post more, because he can take it to ANYONE in this league. See Sacramento game versus Webber at home. Unlike most big men on the Rockets team, Kenny has hands, and despite his reputation as a bad finisher, finshes just as good as any other big man on this team. He and Carlos have the best defensive technique on the post, as they actually defend the man before he has post position, unlike Mo and Cato. Kenny actually boxes out, which is a rarity nowadays. Sure he's undersized, but he's quicker than most 4's, and has the bulk to bang with them. The only advantage SOME 4's have over him is that they can shoot over him, and those same 4's, like Duncan, score on anybody so it really doesnt matter. As for the pick and roll, Rudy has ALWAYS defended it that way. He tells them to go behind the pick,because he would rather them beat you from the outside than the inside. The rebounding was not all about not hustling, with the exception of Cato. Sometimes you just don't get the bounces, and last night was one of those nights. They were long rebounds off long shots, and the Rockets just never got the luck of the bounce. ------------------ [This message has been edited by tacoma park legend (edited March 25, 2001).] [This message has been edited by tacoma park legend (edited March 25, 2001).]
Speaking of defense, Houston has no idea how to run defensive sets. (The offensive sets, I will save for another thread.) The Houston teams that won two titles weren't fundamentally sound defensively, but they had gifted, defensive players (Olajuwon, Horry, Drexler) and rebounders (Thorpe). With the current line-up, Houston desperately needs one, probably two solid/outstanding players to provide weak-side support -- at C and SF. University (Call Out to Ashford and Simpson) Blue ------------------ "You drift into the strangest dreams. Of youthful follies and changing teams. Admit you're wrong, oh, no, not yet. Then you wake up and remember that you can't forget." Forever PSB
While Kenny may have the best footwork on the team (which isn't exactly saying much, since Mo is more of a face up player, and Cato is just plain uncoordinated with a ball in his hands.) He's a HORRIBLE finisher. How many layups has he blown? Does it really matter that he's 6'8''? That makes absolutely no difference, other than it makes him a poor defender, and the fact that he's undersized does not mean that when he gets overpowered down low that it's excusable. Reggie Slater sure is playing pretty tough for Minnesota at center, and he's 6'7''. Los does a nice job too, and he lacks the weight to be a legit center. If he wants to play more PF, then he should've beat out Mo Taylor for the job, but that didn't happen, did it? We desperately need a defensive force at the 5, and Cato sure isn't being it. If we miss out on Webber, and Taylor is the 4, we should build the rest of the frontcourt on defense and rebounding. ------------------ "That's been a lifelong dream of mine." -Vince Carter, after laying it in on a breakaway, much to the Vancouver crowd's displeasure.
