I have called Santa Claus, broke bread with the Easter bunny and talked Rockets with the drunk bum on the street, and we have come to the same conclusion. It is a guards league, and the Rockets are deficient in the guards they are playing. It is as simple as that, they have the pieces everywhere else, but at the PG and backup SG position they are deficient. Taking a center out of the game is easy now with fronting and weakside zones, and the way to beat that is either over the top with jumpers (our guys can't shoot) or with drives to the basket (our guys are not good at that either). Now, there are 2 guys who could help in Francis and Brooks and they might very well be the answer at some point in the season. The NBA has mirrored college basketball and is now a slashing PG, SG, SF league, those are the domnant players, and if you don't have at least 2 on the court capable of breaking down the defense in crucial situations you are not going to win. Just look at the Suns game, Tmac and Francis finished, and it was no surprise that Francis took advantage of Tmac being doubled and drove in for the winning layup. That is EXACTLY what the team needs to do..... So, unless Mike James learns how to play as a teamate, or Rafer suddenly remembers that two basketballs actually fit through the hoop at one time, the team will be hampered while they play. Here is to hoping that Rick Adelman is just reigning Steve in and grooming Aaron for the stretch run....because if we go the rest of the season with Rafer and Mke James, it will end in shame...again. It is a penetrating league........time to penetrate !! DD
Luis and Steve on the floor would up the energy level on both ends..... We need penetration and energy. Energy + Penetration = satisfaction. DD
yes lets blame it on the 7'6 stiff who has been moved from the paint...where we have him....playing 12 to 15 feet from the basket... or chasing guards 1 foot shorter than him around the court again
Who would have guessed that Aaron Brooks would have been DaDakota's savior from the end of the bench this year? I really would have expected someone else. Steve Novak was the likely choice, but with him in McAllen, it's pretty hard to call for him. Ah well. The over/under on the number of posts from DaDakota with Aaron Brooks' name in them is 1200.
LOL - now that is funny. I am not talking about Brooks per se, but more about helping Yao and Tmac. Some of you need to take off your DaDakotaHatorade and speak to the points in the thread. (which are 100% correct as usual) Of course you will rate it 1 star, not bothering to actually CONSIDER the issue and what it means to the team. Better to hate then to think, eh? As for the point of the thread.....the Rockets need to help Tmac and Yao, they are both getting doubled leaving TONS of opporutnities for the other 3 on the floor.....but when they are Hayes, Rafer and Battier, they are not exactly taking advantage of what defenses are leaving open. I am looking for Rick Adelman to recognize what a lot of people can see clearly, sometimes coaches are just not the sharpest tools in the shed.....right dennisCD? DD
Without question, the crux of the matter. The 2 on 5 lineup has not cut it, not cutting it now, and will never cut it. This is not brain surgery. When only two out of five players on the court can score consistently, not going to work. Yes, I know about Shaq and Kobe and the seven dwarfs, BUT, different rules applied then. It's Now, and Rafer is still Rafer. And the Rockets better get creative and quick. All this "wait," "give it time," "it's all new" nonsense makes me want to puke. Is it TIME or is in it not TIME? I say, it's TIME. Change the lineup NOW. If it doesn't work, change it again. Once and for all, Battier, Rafer, and Hayes should not get the credit for winning 52 games. They helped, but many times, their performances had to be overcome. And what about the Celtics? New players, new system, new coach, new everything, and they roared out of the gate. When you got it, you got it, when you don't, you don't. Talent makes the difference, and most team's in the West have better players on their benches that we have in our starting lineup.
well at least DD is consistant with overly opitimistic idea (and near delusional) that the guy at the end of the bench can change everything around. JVG ?
What Francis is at the end of the bench? This is something Donkey Carl Fisher have failed to grasp, it is essentially the same point as last year. We need a player who can create in the lineup with Tmac, whether that is V-Span, Francis, James, Brooks or a player to be traded for.... Until that happens the team will struggle. Once you guys figure it out, come on aboard the bandwagon....there is always room for ya. DD
right...because a past allstar is the same as an UNPROVEN rookie. I'm sorry, i forgot to add the unproven part. first v-gina, now brooks. At least with brooks you have actually chosen a NBA quality player...baby steps Bandwagon?! what the F-hell are you talking about guy? you must be getting desperate with that weak approach. I don't even need to address that trite message board fodder about "not being as good a fan as you" ... Brooks is a dang good player and loved watching him in college but i just really don't think he's going to start solving the teams problems this year. Sorry, but the rockets have more than enough proven NBA talent to be winning/playing better than they are right now...and that's a fact
The fact is that they do not have the 2nd penetrating player at the end of the games and it is killing them, that is the whole point of this thread, that you are twisting around to make it fit your own DD hatorade agenda. It is not about Brooks at all (no matter how many times you misrepresent that it is)....it is about fixing what is wrong with the team. DD
