Come back to us in January, when Damp is resting on his 73 million dollar laurels. Career numbers: 8.9ppg, 7.2rpg.
Here is what it comes down to. If the Rox develop anything even approaching good chemistry, the rest of the West with the possible exception of Minnesota is going to be in our rear view mirror all season and that includes Dallas and SA. If we get our chemistry going, we will be a tough matchup for the 'Pups in the WC Finals and could seriously contend for a Finals berth. If we get out of the gate slowly or the team never develops any chemistry, it could be a long year with us jockeying for the 4th-6th seed and a second round exit from the playoffs. It all depends on chemistry. SA already has it, Dallas doesn't and we don't. Franz - You have got the serious homer glasses on if you think that your 2 and 5 spot matchups are anywhere near ours. Yao is already a dominant big man and if you saw any of China's games in the Olympics, you would be shivering in your boots regarding that matchup. With Deke at the backup, the Rox will OWN the paint 48 minutes per game, 82 games. Deke may be decrepit, but he can still swat balls. Finley v TMac? Puh-leeze.
lol kinda funny me n some of my friends were fightin abt that in skool today, i dont want to type but its gnna be the rockets
Wow Franz, your team has no flaws. No bias there. You really think Daniels will keep the team chemistry as well as Nash did? Not only did you lose your best playmaker but best shooter...yeah, that's not a big deal. Stack's game is going downhill, Finley's consistent but'll always disappear in big games. Terry? A shoot first point guard on THAT team? Daniels was great at the end of last season, but can he maintain that over a whole season? And who's Devin Harris? Another guy with a lot of 'potential'? oookay. Dirk is the only great player on that team and has appeared to have reached his peak. Sorry, but you're team is far from world beaters. They'll probably play okay during the season, but have no upside or hope for a championship in the future.
franz - you are giving the mavs the advantage because they are deeper. that does count for something but not as much as you think. look at the grizz. they are the deepest team in the league. does that mean they are the best? also you are judging by a head-to-head matchup. lets say the mavs are better head-to-head, that doesn't mean they will do better this season. now here is how it breaks down: the rockets may not have great players at every position, but they have role players. they have guys who know what they are supposed to do to help the team win. can you say that about the mavs? yao will be the 1st option. and he will be double teamed every time. thats ok when he can pass over every one to shooters like ward, tmac, jj, even howard, moT, and padgett are all good shooters. with tmac and yao gettign doubled, and all of those shooters i tihnk our offense will run pretty smoothly. ward/lue may not be starters on any other team, but thats ok. JVG only uses his PG's to play D, and hit open shots. that may be the only things those two do well, and thats all they are needed for. heck, most of the time we will see tmac bringing up the ball anyway. so like i said. we are not "deep" and we don't have great players, but our players fit well, and they will work well. why don't you match-up your mavs against the lakers of a few years ago that featured role players like horace grant, ron harper, and brian shaw. those guys are no better than ward, jj and howard, but they won the championship. im sure using your logic, you will find the mavs are a more talented group.....however they are not a better team.
