My biggest worry is starting backcourt defense with Brooks and Martin on the floor. This was our biggest problem last year after Martin's arrival, and I even heard an assistant mentioning in an interview last year that some people just weren't interested in playing defense (I assume it was a reference to Martin due to context). Excluding some blockbuster trade for a new starter at one of those positions, this is something that is not going to be fixed by personnel changes since Morey loves both of those guys and I seriously doubt this is something that he would even try to fix. We'll just have to see how the team gels and works with this flaw. Will their strengths overcome this weakness now that Yao is returning? At the least, I think both of those players need to become more defensive minded. There is no reason two blazing fast guards can't put some pressure on opposing ball handlers, as opposed to "beating" them up. Think AI. My second biggest worry is frontcourt athleticism. I was expecting Scola's shot to suffer mightily last year without Yao. I thought opposing centers would start blocking his flatfooted release since they didn't have to guard Hayes, but Scola proved that wrong. We have so much talent in the frontcourt, but I really have no idea how it will all mesh and how they will matchup against the other playoff teams in the league. How much production will we get from Hill and Patterson? Will Miller turn back the clock under Adelman? Will Anderson become a consistent threat? Which one of these guys will play the best defense? Very few of our guys are anything close to a prototypical ideal. My third worry - How will Yao fit back into a team that is DRASTICALLY different than the one he left. We're a full court team now. This is a big deal.
I agree these guys can go, the only thing that makes me hesitate is Jeffries defensive capabilities. He is a good guy to have in a pinch. Imagine what it would be like to be in game 7 of the finals with the heat, up by 1 with 10 seconds left and the heat have the ball. I would love to see adelman put a lineup of Ariza, Battier, Hayes, Jeffries, and Yao on the floor. Pure defense right there.
Defense in the backcourt Scoring from the 3 This team could be very tenacious though. Really mentally tough.
We checked one block this offseason....acquiring a Back-up/ starting center caliber "big" big man (i.e a legit 7'....no more 6'8" but plays hard) The other objective has not been achieved yet.....and that is the getting another all-star or superstar player. Obviously those guys are hard to find, but that is what we are lacking at this point OP.
3rd string PG :grin: Brooks/Lowry/Rafer Martin/Budinger/Taylor Ariza/Battier/Jefferies Scola/Hill/Patterson Yao/Miller/Hayes get rid of Andersen, Harris, Johnson **** the Heat, **** the Lakers...this team is deep and ready
Doc it's been a while.... I am with you on one and three... Unlike others I am still not overly convinced with Martin and number three is just a pure out mystery.
I definitely agree with your first point Doc. Here's a quote from Morey on 4/15 regarding defensive concerns: "So we’ve got a lot of excuses but we’re for sure going to turn it around. In the three years prior to this year, if you just take the average of those three years, we were the best defensive team in the league. So we’re definitely going to be a top defensive team and it’s either going to be with this group or some other group because we’re not going to accept not being a top-10 defensive team. It’s just not what the Rockets are." He's also mentioned the back-court defense specifically in the past...
a Granger. Brooks/Lowry Martin/Budinger/Taylor Granger/Battier/Budinger Scola/Hill/Patterson Yao/Miller/Hayes = a f***ing ring!
No move I think the team is a contnder right now. Right now I think we are the 2nd best team in the west and we attack all weaknesses of the Lakers also address strenghts with bodies. Only question mark is Oklahoma City.
