I voted for the Rockets. The griz have more talent, but there is not a coach alive that could get the talent to work together.
Hell yeah, if Rick were coaching the Grizzlies they'd be a playoff team. The things they missing are leadership and chemistry. As of right now too much ego on that team and not enough ball to go around esp. your PG is AI. It was dumb move to sign the cAnswer.
People underestimate playing hard on both ends of the floor and competing as a team, they tend to look at individual talent rather than team talent. It is the classic case of people constantly underestimating Battier, he is not a great individual talent, but he makes any team a LOT better, especially on defense, same with Chuck Hayes. Understanding how to play a TEAM game, as a good TEAMATE is a talent. The Rockets have the most talent between the two teams....because they have guys that understand how to play the TEAM game.... DD
Dwight Janes, for one, is not impressed with the Rockets personnel. He thinks the credit should go mainly to the coaching. http://www.dwightjaynes.com/yes-the-rockets-look-great-right-now
given the parameters you have placed on your question durvasa then the grizzlies do have the better makeup but as others mentioned the rockets play both ends of the floor and have a team first approach whereas the grizzlies 4 best players -mayo,gay,iverson and randolph all are me first type of guys. the coaching is a huge advantage in the rockets favor and that cannot be overlooked given the right coach that grizzlies team could get the 8th seed or so, even if it means trading/benching one of their better players. given the same coaching staff and all (as your question states) then i dont see how the grizzlies wouldnt be the better team. the hard work and hustle the Rockets show will get them far in the league but ultimately the lack of talent will hurt them (as shown last night) as a neutral casual fan I'd probably go with the grizz as well they have more 'exciting' players as a neutral knowledgable fan the rockets roster is more appealing since they play team basketball
Exactly. This is one of those cases where posters think the best way to analyze the matchup would be to do this: Rockets C < Grizzlies C Rockets PF < Grizzlies PF Rockets SF < Grizzlies SF Rockets SG > Grizzlies SG Rockets PG < Grizzlies PG And then they'd conclude that Memphis is obviously the more talented squad. Our players aren't all slashers with a mid-range shot, so our team must be doomed.
When you talked about last night, esp. last night, IMO an efficient scorer eg. a more experienced version of C-bud would have done it.
The Rockets have been constructed around each other and around Adelman's offense, while the Grizzlies seem to be some sort of mish-mash of underachievers and malcontents. The Rockets are clearly the superior basketball squad as far as I'm concerned. I don't know about the question -- better personnel? Which team has better players? Well, obviously, its the Rockets.
You DO realize that Memphis team wasn't the same as the one in question. The Hubie Brown squad was far more balanced, disciplined, and had a higher basketball IQ.
I think of it like a dinner plater. Think of a plate with a 5 steaks sitting on it. Sure steak is great, but man it needs balance in order to be a good meal. The Rockets are balanced, you have your steak, your potatoes, vegies, etc.
I'm one to give people a chance with threads but damn, this is the worst of the week. What is it about polls that make people say stupid things?
It seems to me that some people are having a bit of trouble understanding the difference between "talent" and "athletic ability". Just because a player is a good athlete doesn't necessarily make him a 'talented' basketball player! AND - just because a player is smart and plays defence doesn't make them an "untalented" basketball player. No doubt the Grizzlies have some players who are athletic, who can score, and who can even do some flashy things. But are they overall 'more talented' than the Rockets? I'd say "no". Ariza, Battier and Hayes make a living on the defensive end, defence is their 'talent'. The Rockets are clearly a more 'talented' shooting team - we have more players with genuine range. We are also more 'talented' at shooting from the free-throw stripe. The Rockets are a more 'talented' passing team Rockets are more 'talented' at protecting the ball And, most importantly, the Rockets are more 'talented' when it comes to winning ball-games. Given the same coaching, I'd suggest that the Grizzlies would NOT win as many games as the Rockets. In fact, they'd probably make some moves to fix their line-up and bring in guys whose talents and complementary, not similar.
most everyone in the NBA was a star in high school or college. these were the guys who did all the scoring and put up great numbers. overlooked are the college guys who took charges and played defense every posession, guys like chuck hayes and shane battier. guys who outwork the stars who would rather not take charges or dive on the floor.
