I have never seen the rockets play like this. There were extremely difficult times that the rockets could not win any games, like when Rudy T was down in Yao's first season, when TMac suffered his first severe injury as a rocket, and the season when both Yao and TMac were out for the season. But man, no time is like this time. Everyone opponent looks like a superior team and your rockets look like crap. If you watch every game like I do, you know from your heart that your rockets are not going to turn around automatically. It's not on TMac alone, it can not be on any single player. Yao has been terrible. Artest is very inefficient. Landry, Scola are declining...I have to wonder what the owner is up to. I do not think TMac is going to be traded any time soon. TMac's stock is at all time low, trading him will not get any quality return. If iTMac is going to be traded, that means the organization has given up on this season. I am not sure that the organization is going to give up on this season yet. Then it comes to the coaching staff. I remember that last season Les openly questioned the coaching of Adelman and Co. in the middle of the season. I am wondering how pissed off he is right now. It is obvious that this team can not be worse under any other coaches, if the team continue to play like they have been playing. The other day, Morey also pointed out in an interview that the coaching staff is responsible, too, though he held himself in responsibility to. In my memory, neither the owner nor the GM has ever questioned/pointed toward the coaching staff. Now, what will be the trigger? Usually the head coach won't be fired if he has a winning record, but this time is different. The rockets are now at .600 (without this one against 76ers), but 2-3 losses would put the rockets out of the playoff picture. What do you think will push the organization to a decision? This team need something dramatic to save the season!
Their two best defenders are out, TMac is obviously still not right, Landry and Scola were never the best defenders, the Chuck Wagon has broken an axle and should be laid to rest permanently. Oh and Yao. Yao must always think about hurting himself whenever he plays since he is mentally off his game. People are forgetting how much Battier really means to this team, without him we are not playing great team defense that we have in years past. Let's wait out this storm and hopefully the ship will be corrected after the All Star break.
The Rockets have had an unbearably easy schedule over the last 5 games...and have gone 1-4, with a win differential of -6.. I understand there are injuries to deal with, but even with their depth down significantly, I don't think the Rockets should be playing like the worst team in the league (which they essentially were the last five games). This team was supposed to be built as a championship contender. Now they're clawing for the playoffs with the remote but still existent possibility that they won't make them in the first place. Ron is an unrestricted FA next year. McGrady bumps past 30 and may be on the way to retirement. It's uncertain how long Yao will play; players of his size never last that long. They still have time to fix things up, but the Rockets should be aware that time is running out, not just seasonwise but teamwise as well. If this year is ANOTHER first round series exit or hell, if they don't make the playoffs at all, one should seriously think that management would consider starting a rebuilding process.
