1. I agree wholeheartedly, the team needs a shakeup of some kind. If he has the brass tyo do it, RT could sit down selected players for not following the gameplan. That may be enough. A single loss in the w/l column is simply that one loss. Taking the loss but allowing a player like Boki to play 36 minutes, having Mobes sit for 24, putting the ball in Posey's hands for a great deal of the game, or revisting the Cato-Yao tandem may just be the ticket to "shaking-em up". 2. I serious;y doubt RT will ever be sent to the showers. hre may take a smaller role at game time with a burgeoning assistant handling all the duties, or he may "voluntarily" take a more advanced front office role, but be assured I seriously doubt Les Alexander will ever outright FIRE RT. 3. I have more patience than I sometimes portray here, but it is wavering and running thin lately with the Rockets recent on-again/off-again play. Sounds familiar doesn't it. Try last year, the year before,etc .... The goals this year are not unsurmountable nor were they unrealistic. A decent seeding in the playoffs. Then Les spurts out an entusiastic "best", "most talented ever"etc... sound bites and some had even higher expectations. I did not fall for it! I rationally surmised that a 6 to 8 seed was not asking toomuch. I still thnik that is possible. 4. But if they continue to play this slow start, leading to sporadic play leading to a dash to catch up .... or the fast start leading to leave what is working and succesful against an opponent to play individual agendas ... well, that will not lead to anything but a horrible waste of a perfectly good season to grow. I have been around the Rockets a long,long time. Saw the Celtics and Pistons go through horrendous downfalls after years of success, but this team is more talented than any "rebuilding team" I have ever witnessed in my many years and that is what is so frustrating. Time for Francis and any others (RT,et al) we feel have had enough time to bring this team to a playoff birth over the last three or more years. The excuses are getting weaker and weaker. Cheers.
Yes, thats what Im saying. First, you can't compare statistics back then to now. 10 years ago if you shot 50.4%, you didnt even make the top 20. This year, the 20th best FG% is John Stockton at 47%. Also, Payton shot 27.8% from 3 pt range and 59.5% from the FT line. To put that into perspective, James Posey shoots around that pct from 3 point range. You can't compare Payton's TO's with Francis. Seattle was one of the best teams in the league and Payton didnt have to carry the team. Also, teams were not as sophisticated defensively as they are now. Back in the good ole days, teams were still scoring 100 points per game. These days, Denver is lucky to reach 90.
If Rice was fit and a younger player it would have been very easy to move Mobley to the bench and Posey to the 2 but can Nachbar or T-Mo really be productive for long minutes at the 3 is the question.I don't think Rudy will increase Nachbar's minutes drastically partially because of his weak defense and because he has just recently recovered from a groin injury. I wanted to see Rice come off the bench to replace Posey at the 3 and retain Mobley as the starting two but yesterday's game convinced me that the Cat isn't going to give up his ways.He needs to come off the bench now even though T-Mo and Nachbar aren't likely to be very productive at the 3. But they are smart team players who are willing to play within the system. I think Posey will have to readjust to the 2 spot which might take some time as he is still new to the team but I think it's worth taking that risk now.
IMO = In My Opinion Back to the topic I think 2 things will help CUTTING CAT and STEVE's Minutes They are playing entirely too much ROTATE ROTATE ROTATE on defense and in the line up Rudy needs to keep fresh legs in the game Rocket River
Jeff, I think the most glaring problem with our team right now is our lack of a true passing point guard - i.e. one who can not only help orchestrate our half court plays but also one who can really seize the game by the throat and dictate the tempo. In all the games we've lost, esp. against comparatively weaker teams, I can't help but feel that we lose b/c we fail to realize when we play to our opponents strength. For most sub-500 teams, that hidden danger means the OPEN COURT, FREE FOR ALL game. Then, in the upper echelon of teams, with Sac and Dallas, this means the BASKET FOR BASKET, "WE CAN OUTSCORE YOU" mentality. Neither of these styles play to the Rocket's strength. Ironically, I think the Rox of recent year's past, in the absence of having a inside presence, relied on the above methods. But this year is different and the Rox sorely need to settle into their new identity as an 85-90+pt scoring, HALF COURT set, inside-out team. Inasmuch as I want to say this revelation has dawned upon them, I still don't see it in action on a consistent basis. Not to draw ire from hardcore Steve Francis fans, but SF is NOT a good enough passing point guard. If anything, SF LIVES FOR THE RUN AND GUN GAME which is not what this teams needs. Not to blame our current problems all on SF, I bring this to the fore to highlight how POINT GUARD instincts aren't so easily taught. The best Poing Guards in this league started off as guards of sorts on the playground and in high school ball. They have 2nd and 3rd instincts w/ respect to passing lanes, open men, angles, and most imptly, TEMPO. How we solve this problem, I really can't say. Never in my history of watching NBA ball, have I seen a championship caliber team not have at least an above average passing point guard to at least lead the team into finals contention. Sam Cassell, Kenny Smith are two high quality players and classy guys who will forever remain underrated in the annals of NBA history, in my book. Then again, just b/c we haven't witnessed it, doesn't mean it's not impossible. Maybe it IS possible to go all the way w/o that special point guard. If there is a silver lining to all this, it's that perhaps Les, who remains stubbornly commited to Cat and SF, finds a way to get even stronger at both forward positions. Possible? Sure. Then we can go into the record books as the first championship team that won w/o having a "pure" point guard at the helm. Realistic dream or wild fancy? You be the judge. theSAGE
Forgive me if I don't buy it. If there were 800 guys shooting better than 50% in 92-93 and 2 doing it this year that only proves to me that today's shooters aren't as skilled. It's not a conclusion that because Payton was #20 or #200 than he had no jumper. You may be right, but that argument doesn't prove it. OK..I'm done...back on topic...lets' shake things up...Cato at PF...Posey at 2...c'mon RT...cajones are what's needed...no more status quo.
IMO - in my opinion... Jeff, etc... Why is Posey considered untradeable? His defense is decent, but I don't seem as the stud stopper that some made him out to be. Maybe it's the defensive sets or whatever, but I don't see Posey as the man the Rockets put on the hot guy on the opposing team. He's definitely active in the passing lanes, though. Not to mention that his idiotic attempts to start fights in the third quarter against the Mavs left a bad taste in my mouth... but that's another tirade. Thanks for the intelligent thoughts Jeff.
Jeff, has there been any consideration towards bringing Calvin Murphy in as an assistant. I'm sure he's more pissed off than any of us. He has to watch this team play 82 games a year. He has seen the same problems for the last few years, and seems to know how to fix many of them. I say give him a chance as an assistant.
Rudy could start Hawkins at the 2 and bring Cat in with the 2nd unit. If Cat is hot and plays within the system, he gets more minutes. Worth a try for a couple of games, imo.
I agree with Jeff on bringing in some fresh blood on the coaching staff. But since Rudy is very predictable, we know that will never happen. I think instead of Nachbar starting at 3, that Posey should remain at SF and Hawkins should start at 2 guard. I would rather concentrate on perimiter defense, then having all of our guards leave their man to rebound under the basket.
Don't Trade the Cat One thing I don't suggest doing though (and perhaps this is due to my own biases) is trading Cuttino away. He's a good enough defender and creative offensive player to warrant a permanent spot on this roster. Many of the criticisms levelled at Cat, I believe, can be easily addressed if Cat's involvement in the offense become "formalized" - i.e. calling more 'set' plays off screens and pick and rolls. Esp. given the fact that Cat is such a streak shooter, the Rox should "assist" him with getting open looks at his favorite spots. Everything else Cat does, with creating off the dribble and getting out in transision should be just an added bonus and not per se, the mainstay of his game. When Steve Francis plays a disciplined game, the Rox benefit. When Cat plays a disciplined game, the Rox benefit even more. Why? b/c Cat is usually out there in the second and third quarters with both the first AND second units. Cat's shooting percentage (at last count) stood at 35% or so, by my recollection. Something's not right here. Either he's taking too many wild shots, or he's just really not an elite jump shooter. Personally, I think it's a little bit of both and I wish the Rox would draft plays for him... much like they do for Rice and much like Dallas does for its players. just a thought theSAGE
SageHare6: Actually, Smith was a terrible passer. Drexler and Olajuwon were the table setters from the post. Cassell was a shoot-first point guard. Still is. The thing with Francis is this, the guy has only played point guard since he entered the NBA. He played one year of high school ball and only one year of division one college ball. He wasn't asked to defer to anyone until he hit the NBA. In some ways, despite his un-Godly athleticism and rare skills, the guy was a real project. He was the equivalent of someone like Nene Hilario but in guard form. Point guard is the single most difficult position to learn on the basketball court. It requires a boatload of skill and a lot of knowledge of the game. Francis just isn't there yet. The very fact that he has been able to play the position relatively effectively (he still is one of the best at his position in the NBA - certainly in the top 10) thus far is both a tribute to him and a sign of the times with athletic guards (Iverson, Marbury, Baron Davis, etc) more common in today's game. Shooting 43 percent both in front of and behind the three point line is remarkable. His shooting this season is particularly impressive considering the fact that he doesn't go to the hole nearly as much as he did in his first two seasons when he shot 42 and 45 percent respectively. Steve's biggest mistake as a player is his inability to calm down on the floor. He gets worked up and makes poor decisions. He tries to do just too much on the floor. His heart is in the right place even if his head isn't. That's why I think Yao will be such a great influence on him because Yao already has that presense on the floor and that instinct even though he lacks the pure athletic ability Francis has in spades. This is Francis' 4th year. I remember reading an interview with a league scout when Francis entered the league saying that he would be an all star but that it would take him 4 or 5 years for his game to fully mature because he just didn't get the seasoning he needed in college and high school. He wasn't drilled on the fundamentals and he didn't play the point until he was drafted. I think the scout was right. Francis is already a star player and a scoring machine. If he is able to mature over the next two years, he could be the most dominant player at his position in the league. I just don't think you give up on that potential when it is so close to being realized.
On trading Steve Francis - it cannot happen with his contract extention, so delete that thought. It also should not happen regardless of the contract, but that is a different issue for a different day. On trading Cuttino Mobley - regrettably it makes a lot of sense. But, what deal might there be for the Cat? The MMurph suggestion, was it?, of Ray Allen works for me (as part of a larger deal to make salaries balance), but where or what else? On who is untouchable? You nailed it with #s 3 and 11, SF and YM. Griffen and Posey would take a heckuva deal to pry either of them away. On firing Rudy T - ditto to all you said. One question is how it might affect relationships 'in the East'? On hiring additional assistant coaches - yes. Yes. YES! On maturing on the floor - this is not a smart team, and really only SF and JPo are physical. Toughness and smarts will have to start coming from the 'braintrust'. So, what will be done? Probably only Les Alexander knows for sure. And for sure it is time to be heard, LA!
James Posey is untradable according to NBA rules - which states that you cannot trade a player twice in a season. Your above take is a piece of junk IMO (no hard feelings) - it does not even make any sense.
Cat is shooting 42 percent and 31 from the three point line, both career lows. The problem he is having is that he is taking bad shots. His bad shots are coming when he decides to take the game upon himself. I honestly believe that, if he were more disciplined about taking jump shots in the flow of the offensive set, he would be a devastating shooter. I'm just not sure he is ok with doing that. Clutch said Cat reminds him of a former CBA player who got minutes and shots on a bad, injury-plagued team for a season and now, after all the veterans have returned, he thinks he should get all the minutes and shots he got before. The irony is that, often times, the better your team, the better your shots and the better your numbers BUT, YOU MUST DEFER TO YOUR TEAMMATES to make it happen. Niether Cat nor Steve have figured this out yet. I think that analogy of Cat can be applied to Moochie and Kenny Thomas as well. Both good role players but if either is a starter or getting starter's minutes on a consistent basis, you probably aren't a very good team. Cat really has a choice. He can continue to get big minutes but defer more of his game or he can play fewer minutes and be a raging offensive machine off the bench. Look, Cat is on pace to take as many shots as he has taken each of the past three seasons but about 100 fewer free throws. He is also on pace to come close to his career high in three pointers attempted in a season despite the fact he is having his career worst year from behind the arc, percentage wise. This all ads up to Cat taking way too many bad shots.
First no one is saying trade Cat just to trade Cat. As the old 1/2 full/1/2 empty argument goes.... if a player has been traded several times, many teams want to get rid of you and many teams covet you. Are we a complete ballclub with championship talent? No. We need another piece which would be either a dominant PF who can hit an open shot and rebound or a PG that can relieve some of the pressure off Steve and make more efficient passes to the post and distribute the ball. This will allow Francis to spend less energy directing the offense and hopefully translate to more effort on defense. So how do we get that piece? Go through our roster and almost every player we have is either indispensible (Yao, Francis), difficult to replace (Posey, Cato), too young (Griffin, Nachbar) or just suck contract-wise or talent-wise (Moochie, Mo. Taylor, T. Morris, etc...) That leaves Cat. Cat is just good enough to trade (good scorer, great contract) for a viable player that fits our need. As far as our coaching. Some of the things we do is absolutely irreprehensible. This team's passing is absolutely horrid . They need basketball coaching 101. Our spacing, entry passes, movement without the ball, etc etc etc. ... There's no excuse for that. How many times have we seen wide open players ignored. Passes to the post where there are 4 players around the passer and the recipient. Here's a hint: When you don't have the ball, youre not supposed to be just standing there unless your role is a stand up shooter. You don't pass the ball when you're 2 feet away from your teammate. 50% of the time they throw it into Yao, there's another Rocket standing right next to him who has no business being there whatsover. Easy double team while that guy just loiters around. Hint, be a triple threat (Shoot, pass or dribble to the hole). This is taught to 7th graders. Some players on this team aren't even a single threat - i.e. Terrence Morris, Moochie Norris. Anyways, enough rant. Instead of just dismissing this criticism , just watch the team as they fall into the same bad habits over and over again. Coach - we need a coach in aisle 2.
For all the greatness Francis possess, no one has mentioned his piss poor defense. For this reason alone I will still settle for Mobley at the 2 - the lesser of 2 evil scenarios. Save for The Glove and Mr Kidd, there are no other high profile point guards (we can trade for) that can play really good defense - and there is no way the Rockets will land any of them (Payton = Too old, Kidd = NJ, SA or burst). In essence Francis should try to stop opposing PG before considering stepping to the SG position where bigger, stronger players like Kobe, TMac, Finley, KoryM, Derrick Anderson abound.
