Let's face it, we're not in the Sun's league, nor the Mavs. Even with T-mac and Yao. Our supporting players are just too weak at the 4 and the 1. Alston isn't going to cut it - he's going to have many subpar games. Thus, who's going to spell him when that happens. We have only one guy who has the talent, but not the upside. And that's not JL3 - it's VSPAN. Yeah, I know I knock the guy, but he needs more playing time - that or we need to make a trade and upgrade. And it wouldn't hurt to get a power forward with some quickness.
Wrong. With a healthy roster this team is capable of winning the championship. But I do agree an upgrade esp at the point would be nice.
I beg to differ...if Yao is able to comes back into mvp-mode along with the t-mac of late...the sky's the limit for this team, not to mention that Bonzi isn't in tip-top shape yet. We ARE indeed a legitimate contender. An upgrade at the 1 position would be nice but Rafer will do, after all...all he has to do is feed it down low.
i think we're absolutely a contender. if yao and tracy were healthy the entire season our record would be close to the top, easily better than san antonio's at the minimum. not saying we couldn't use some help in certain areas, not big on rafer right now, but really like our chances against anybody in the playoffs.
Yao/Tracy/Battier/Wells will be a load to handle come may if they can get some chemistry and good health. And I definitely meant this season as far as winning a title. The way this season is going, i'd say one of houston, dallas, phx, or san antonio wins the NBA title.
I think we can win it all but our chances would greatly increase if we had a person that could shoot at the 1.
I cry every time I think about how good this team could be with a point guard who could shoot even a decent percentage from the field. Steve Francis would do wonders for this team. Not because he is an all-star, but he would be a tremendous upgrade over Bricker Altson.
We are most definitely in the Mavs league. We beat them by 31. Without Yao and T-Mac we were able to be competitive vs. the Suns. I believe that we are contenders with a healthy squad. I think you are premature in predicting doom and gloom.
When healthy this team is built a lot like Miami. Comparisons... Rafer Alston --- Jason Williams Shane Battier --- James Posey Tracy McGrady --- Dwyane Wade Bonzi Wells --- Antoine Walker (a stretch, but they're both basically X factors) Combination of Juwan and Chuck --- Udonis Haslem Yao --- Shaq Dikembe --- Alonzo They did alright last year.
The PG (1) spot wouldn't be such a glaring problem *offensively* if all Rafer did was feed Yao in the post. But that's WHEN Yao gets back. Defensively however there's just not much the team can do against elite PG's. Rafer just doesn't play good enough defense late in games, but maybe it's because he's tired??? I wouldn't mind adding/switching in a strong defensive guard who can shoot the ball well and dribble at an average level. That's just wishful thinking, but that's all this team needs in the backcourt. As for the PF (4) spot, we have one veteran who isn't quick enough anymore to stay with the elite/upper level PFs in this league and the other one is a 2nd season, undersized, foul machine. Not knocking them at all, because I love 'em both (Howard/Hayes) but they're not going to cut it, I think, in the playoffs. I wouldn't mind adding a young, quick, strong PF who can step back about 15 ft to clear some room out for Yao and has a big body to put on opposing PFs. I wish we could combine Juwan's shot, size and experience into Hayes youth, nose for the ball, and energy. Against the Suns: We'd get murdered. I don't even want to break it down Against the Mavs: We'd get beaten by Terry/Harris against Alston and we'd get murdered if Juwan guarded Nowitzki. Our mismatches would be Yao down low (no way they can stop him) and Howard/Buckner/whoever can't guard T-Mac. Nonetheless, barring meeting the Suns in the playoffs, I'm sure this team could get some decent post season success. However, neither of our 2 stars have much success in that department, let's hope it changes this season. GO ROCKETS.
1st- NEWYORKER is right. Our supporting cast is not as strong as the Suns or Mavs we just dont have that kind of fire power. However... Yao and McGrady are the BEST most complete duo in the NBA when healthy. Better than Shaq/Wade, more dynamic than Anthony/Iverson, etc... 3rd- Everyone knows how dangerous we are with Yao and T-Mac out there. The media comments on it all the time. Yet they dont even mention Bonzi Wells being out. A player who put up 25+ppg and nearly single handedly finished off the Spurs in last years playoffs. 4th- Mavs and Suns can run and gun all day. But that kind of scheme hasnt won a championship yet. Defense STILL prevails. And Van Gundy has the Rockets dominating at the defense end. So in conclusion the roster is strong enough to win it all. I really do believe that. An upgrade at PG would huge but right now I just want our guys to get healthy and Bonzi to drop 12-15lbs...
What is wrong with you people?! The Rockets have not played with their full roster at full health all year long, yet they are one of the top five, or six teams in the league. They have stomped both the Mavs and the Spurs and have two legitimate MVP calibre players on the roster, plus one of the best role players in the league in Shane Battier. They remain one of the domiant defensive teams in the league and have enough roster versatility to impose their will and pace on most teams. The Houston Rockets are built for the playoffs. Dominant post-up play? Check. Lock-down defense? Check. Slashing perimeter playmaking? Check. Solid rebounding and shot-blocking? Check. Low turnovers? Check. I'm fired up for this team and I can't see how you professional Cassandras can't see all the positives we have here! Don't get me started about the would-be John Woodens who would second-guess a winning lottery ticket... I think we need to enjoy the ride and watch this train head to the promised land!
Only on paper and in our wish. The reality is when both are healthy, the games where both played brilliantly are few and far in between.
