When was the last time the rockets developed a superstar recently?

Kevin Martin?

I keed I keed. :grin:

But I would say the best job by far done by any team in terms of player development would be the Pistons. Two legit all-stars in Billups and Ben Wallace which they obtained for almost nothing. But that was a rare case, and even Dumars can't seem to work his magic twice.

Personally, I think the Rockets desperately need a Ben Wallace type. Someone who can stabilize the defense all by himself.

 

In my humble opinion all of these players (Kevin Durant, Dwayne Wade, Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant) were much more ready for the NBA style game then Yao was when we made him the 1st pick in the draft. CD and the Rockets did a great job with Yao. Too bad he never realized his full potentia Hopefully the Rox can do the same with the likes of T-Will, PPat, JHill!

 

It is doghouse, and yea he would've for sure.

I would like to point out Rudy Gay has made great strides this season, his numbers are just a lot better overall in every category (most importantly shooting %s).

That being said, I have HUGE doubt Gay would be where he is at right now had he been on the Rockets, under JVG, no way he would've had playing time or freedom he had in Memphis, and he would've just started developing under Adelman. He right now would be a pretty solid player, but fact of the matter is (which is what the Rockets were thinking, which no one can blame them for), with Tmac + Yao, go grab Battier, and win a title NOW.

IF Tmac and Yao stayed healthy, with Battier to go along with them, this team would have won at least 1 title, I have no doubt about that.

 

You need a superstar talent to develop a superstar. In fact the only recent superstar I can think of who probably wasn't a lottery/superstar talent when drafted is Steve Nash. The better question for the Rockets is when was the last time they developed an All-Star. They haven't and that's why the team hasn't been very good for 15 years.

 

about to be patrick pattersonnnnnnnn

 

Wow DOD, that is a pretty bold statement (and not just because I bolded the text....). The most unstoppable offensive force in the post since Shaq? I'm not a Yao hater, but I don't think his peak of a month or two really vaults him into the pantheon of post players. I'm not sure that saying he's the best post player since Shaq is really saying all that much anyway. What post players of note have there been since Shaq came into the league? You have to admit that the past 15 years of pro ball have been nothing like the prior 30 from a big man perspective - so dominating in a down market isn't saying all that much imo.

I agree 100% that he probably developed more than any other Rocket's player, but he's also the ONLY #1 we've had since the Dream and the ONLY draft pick we "allowed" to develop as long as he's been allowed......and the reason for that is 2 fold:

1. Revenue
2. He's 7 freakin' 6 and SHOULD be dominating on the offensive end

I have always felt (and stated on this board unpopularly) that it took him a long time to develop - not necessarily from a skills perspective (because it took 34 a few years to go from Raw to Medium to Well done) but from a leadership perspective. There were a few years that Yao would put up 16-20 pts with +-10 rebounds but they always "felt" hollow if that makes any sense. It never felt like he took over games.....yes, he did do that in 06-07, but I don't think it was even CLOSE to the level that Hakeem ran the show - and he did it for SEVERAL years. When the Dream was on fire, nobody could stop him.

I don't know - I guess I have never really felt like Yao panned out. He wasn't a flop, but he wasn't what I thought he should've/could've been. Maybe the shoes were too big to fill....or maybe my expectations were too high.

 

Yao Ming was probably the Rocket's latest "superstar" that was developed to be honest. Yao was an allstar every single year in his career and carried the Rocket's to the playoffs but the fairy tale ends after he gets his first injury.

 

How many times have the Grizzlies made the playoffs since Rudy has been there?

I can't remember for some reason

 

You're asking the wrong question. None of those players you listed really needed to be developed because they were close to if not the rookie of the year already. It's like saying Blake Griffin or John Wall is the product of Wizards or Clippers development (which is highly unlikely).

You should be asking how players like Gilbert Arenas, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Monta Ellis, Joe Johnson, Amare Stoudemire (drafted 9th?) become great players and if their team is responsible. Most of the time it's the individual. With the exception of the Spurs who clearly know how to develop their players, I believe most superstars become who they are through a solid work ethic and honing their talents.

 

the only sad part of Yao's career are injuries, otherwise, he would've been an unstoppable force in the paint, I have no doubt about it

You can say whatever you feel, he doesn't take over games, so what, as long as we are winning titles, everybody would be happy, and i am sure the Yao-tmac combo would bring at least one title, I have no doubt about it.

 

To lift the Griz to a sub 500 winning percentage and a red hot 10th place in the West.

 

Recently Rudy Gay was the only one draft pick we made I can see that has all-star potential.....I dont think I would have traded him away....Like Battier but that Gay kid can ball......IT IS WRITTEN.

 

Except that "we" didn't make it. Memphis did.

For the millionth time, THIS was the Rockets' game plan in the 2006 NBA Draft:

Plan A: Take Randy Foye at #8, trade him and cash to Minnesota for Brandon Roy (#6) - but Portland ****-blocked us

Plan B: Trade #8 pick to, and dump Stro Swift's multi-year MLE contract on, Memphis for Shane Battier

Plan C: Take THABO SEFALOSHA at #8 (or possibly trade down a couple of spots to get him)

 

While I can understand it, my perspective would be that just when he began to show leadership, he got injured. I mean, I was too young, but wasn't Hakeem wanting out around 1990 or something? That was the same age Yao was in that 2006-07 dominating mode. Dream was great, but won the rings at 31 or 32 as he showed off how awesome he was, while Yao never had the chance, because he got injured (theoretically, Yao could bounce back and win a ring at the age of 32, but I don't think we're holding our breath). I mean, Game 1 against the Lakers was the sort of things you see from the greats.