our roster is good enough to get us on playoff track, but we will need Morey to pull off a blockbuster at the deadline to give us the impact star we need to be true contenders for an NBA championship. I like the plan. Stability is key. In Morey we trust!
Nicely written, but at the end of the day there has to be a balance between Talent, and Stability(or Chemistry, or whatever arbitrary term). No matter how stable, or how much chemistry a team has, if the talent deficit is too great, they will have no chance. This is why we have constantly tried to improve or upgrade. Some through internal growth, some through external upgrade(trade). As you suggested, let us take note of some of the elite teams: Lakers would be nowhere without the Gasol trade. If they stuck with "stability", Kobe would have demanded to be traded, like he already did. Celtics were built through trade, from the ground up. Mavericks- Second seed in the west, constant turnover yearly. Nuggets- only got over the hump after trading for Billups. Spurs- traded for Richard Jefferson last year in attempted talent infusion. Magic- Swapped Courtney Lee for Vince Carter, and in the process losing Hedo, a key contributor the year before. Cavaliers- Mo Williams, Jamison, Shaq etc. etc. And now, Miami. Looking back at these top teams, it seems that ALL of them have gotten where they are now through trade. Obviously I don't want the Rockets to trade, just for the sake of change. The question is are we good enough currently, TALENT-wise, to compete with the elite. Because only then can we afford the luxury of stability, and growth. My answer to that is no, not quite. And from all the moves that this organization has made the last few years, we have accumulated enough assets for that FINAL move/piece. Through trade.
Thanks guys for your responses (although in DaDakota's case, grandma might have some soap for you! :grin: ) CxBBY, you are absolutely right that talent is a "basic." You can have chemistry and still be going nowhere. The right combination of talent and stability is the ticket. Do the Rockets now have that? Well, we know they don't have stability, and frankly, there are questions about talent. Roll the ball out, and let's see. I have serious doubts that Yao will hold up. Martin will be better than last year and he was brilliant at times. Brooks will be even better. Miller will help. Scola is Scola, you know what your are going to get. Battier likely goes to the bench. Ariza, not my favorite, but as a complimentary player will likely do well. On paper, this team is not a contender and still needs more talent. However, IF Yao miraculously holds together and regains form, maybe.
Stability of mediocrity will get you another mediocrity and low interests from the fans and the media. The talent level of Rockets is far behind their opponents in the league. Rockets need constant change to either get their team better or get the fans into the stadium.
