Why the Rockets Will Improve

When's Sura due back?

 

I totally agreed with you. These two are truly special players with rare abilities that their peers just not taught to do.

 

agreed....evryone running around here and dreaming aboutgetting some stud star PF and PG can just give it up now...it aint happening.

there isnt any team in the league(short of last year's Lakers) that has more than 2 bonafide max(or near max) level star players....it just isnt possible to do that ...the Lakers are the only team that pulled that off, and even then they had to get Payton and Karla for cheap cheap contracts.
not that it helped them much...

We have a decent support system for TM and YAo....all they need is the time to find their places and learn where their teammates work best on the floor...you saw hints of it against the Kings...

the only way we make a move this year is if a cant miss falls into our laps.....and we all know the chances of that.


btw...thanks for taking the time to craft that post Jeff...its a lighthouse of excellence in a very dim sea of mediocrity that this forum has become lately.

 

Keep in mind that as we get better, western conference teams will be less likely to let players go to us. They'll try and pick up player options/free agents, i.e. prevent us from becoming an elite team by helping the enemy (us!).

Dallas is one of those teams (Mark Cuban). They do NOT want us to get any good players like Dampier or R. Lewis. It would just ruin their plans! They hate the fact we have Yao and they have Bradley.

PG and PF...those will be coveted postions next year for us (and maybe an athletic SF). It's always nice we can find a player that does not want to say with his old team even if they paid him more.

You know? That, "I wanna play for a contender" thing.

 

He hath spoken. And that is how it shall be.

 

I am glad to see that our players like to play team ball from their heart this year.Maily from Yao and T.M, this will be quiet different from former I.S play. It's the key to the champion.

 

good thread and posts. My additional thoughts.

1. I recall MacBeth (------where the heck is he anyway?---) saying that Tmac has unbelievable "feel" for the game. I simply cannot believe how good a passer/playmaker Tmac is. I thought he was more like a AI, one dimensional scoring machine. As the season goes on, I hope we see Tmac attack the basket more.

1a. Give JVG credit. He knows what Tmac can do and is already giving him a huge role in the offense. I don't mean to bash Francis but Tmac is just that much better AND SMARTER player. A few games into the year and JVG is turning Tmac loose. Francis can complain all he wants - he just was not as good and could not be trusted to freewheel and make good decisions.
Funny, all the years that Jordan kicked the Knick's ass. Well, Van Gundy finally has that type (no, not as good) of a weapon. An elite perimeter threat that stretches, pressures team defenses. Knowing Van Gundy, he must have an orgasm every time Tmac drives the lane and dishes to a wide open MoTay or Yao, or every time Tmac single handedly beats a double team.

2. Last night again showed that the Rockets will not reach championship level until Yao is consistently effective in the paint. He flat out makes the game easier. With his additional experience, strength and perfect running mate, his improvement should continue this year. His consistency will improve, but wont' be championship caliber. Next year is the year they make a serious run.

3. Last night's passing was the best Rox passing I've seen in 2 years. I don't know how many times we saw post, repost passes - - - WITH NO HESITATION. In past years, the perimeter players (who shall remain unnammed) always hesitated, not trusting the system, and always took a peek at the lane or the basket. In the 4th quarter, we moved the ball without dribbling. It was awesome.

4. Howard better get ready. To me, he hasn't played well, except in spurts. But he has the 15-17 footer. He needs to be ready to get the pass from Yao and look to fire the repost pass or, if the defender stays on the double down, stroke the J with confidence.

5. Yao needs to quit trying to draw the charge by moving laterally. He's just too slow to do that effectively. I want to see him go after the block. Let the offensive player shoot and swat that thing.

 

I figure we hover around .500 until the All star game and take off from there.

DD

 

Ywo years? Really? The last time I've seen passing THIS GOOD it was by a guy named Drexler seven years ago. McGrady has great court vision for a 2-guard! Just like Clyde the Glide!

 

I agree. JVG, Ewing, 'Tumbo, whoever really needs to sit Yao down and FORBID him from trying to draw charges. That's probably the easiest way for him to stay out of foul trouble. Yao has a nasty habit of trying to lean into a defender to block shots, but what he really should be doing is to keep a distance away from them and jumping straight up instead. When he's too close to the offensive player, then he can't extend his arm towards the ball, and has to resort to the hands straight up, "I'm not fouling anybody" tactic.

Yao doesn't have a crazy wingspan that's longer than his height like some other players in the league, but that doesn't mean it isn't very long in general. I mean, Yao has to have a top 5 wingspan in the NBA (I know Darko has a longer one, and possibly Deke, but I can't really think of anyone else). So he should still be able to be an effective shotblocker, if he can get the technique down.

 

You're on target about what MacBeth said about McGrady, Rileydog. What would be more accurate, I guess, is that MacBeth was on target. Tracy is just going to make things easier and easier for his teammates as the season unfolds. By the All Star break, we should really be cookin'. Who knows? With a few more games like the last one, our Rocket gumbo may get too hot for the rest of the league to handle sooner, rather than later.

Here's hoping Sura comes back at mid-season strong. I wasn't crazy about Bibby scoring seemingly at will against Ward and Lue, although the D tightened up late in the game. Sura could make a huge difference when healthy and in game shape. My appendages are crossed that he makes it back, and becomes the player he was last season.

Loved your post, Jeff.

 

Jeff - Very thoughtful initial post. Worthy of a pro NBA scouting report. I agree that we are not likely to see any blockbuster moves this season not because the management wants to see where we stand with all the pieces assembled this year but because they are acutely aware of the salary cap and committing to too many max contracts.

I think there is an awareness that the Rox lack depth. JVG has been quoted and his concerns are probably reflected by all the Rox mgmt that Yao/T-Mac don't have enough of a supporting cast. Rox definitely have the need to get more speed, athleticism in the form of quality PF and PG. Cato was an excellent complement to Yao, Yao could be the man at the offensive end, the offensive end being Cato's weakness but could use his defensive/rebounding/athleticism to help out Yao on the defensive end and offensive rebounding.

Now that we see what we have received from the other pieces in the Orlando trade, losing Cato and Cat but adding Lu/Gaines/Howard was a net subtraction for the team. Lu and Howard are not long term pieces to round out the potential of the team and Gaines seems to be a bust.

The league has gotten lot a better and I see a lot of teams that 3 or 4 quality players that will give the Rox fits.

Seattle Dallas Utah Detroit TWolves Miami Indiana SA and I think even Denver and Memphis will come around.

So the bottom line is how dominant will the Yao/Tmac combo will become and who if anybody will step up and be that 3rd or 4th quality player the Rox need, I am skeptical of this because most of the supporting cast have been career backups and role players. I also hope Yao and TMac avoid injury because I think the Rox are less able to sustain a loss of these key players than say say SA losing Tim Duncan. We need to add talent to get to the championship level.

 

I seem to recall we have two championship trophies earned by a team full of career backups and role players...

Im not saying we couldnt use some help at certainpositions....but to say that they could never do it with a team consisting of two superstars and a bunch of role players is ignoring history.

 

This team will improve if JVG loosens the strings on the offense...and I believe he will. The only game I have been able to watch this year is the Memphis game and what worked best was, in my opinion, the pick and roll. Tmac so easily gets out of the double team traps coming off the pick and roll that the play is almost guaranteed to make something good happen.

When Tmac drives to the bucket, something good happens almost everytime. Either he passes it out or draws the foul, but he is not like Francis, in that he does not drive into the lane, jump into the air and not know if he will shoot or pass. Tmac is so disciplined in that regard, when he drives he sees the court perfectly and if he sees the open man, he will pass it to him and if he doesnt hell go up for the score.

Loosening the strings on the offense, letting Tmac work with pick and rolls and also dumping it into Yao in the low post will allow this offense to become great. Tmac should be the focal point of this offense, not Yao...but I think Yao's scoring will increase this year because Tmac is such a gifted passer and his playmaking ability frees up other people.

 

JVG will "loosen the strings" as you say, as long as the *star* of the team plays smart. McGrady does. So, there's no problem there. This is the first time that JVG has had a player of McGrady's caliber at such a young age. He'll be fine.

This was NOT the case last year.

JVG's system will carry the team in the regular season (stars and role players). The stars will carry the team in the play-offs. And that's when McGrady/Yao will be *expected* to do even more.

Everyone thinks that JVG held Francis back. We'll I don't look at it that way. JVG allowed Francis some leeway. But since Francis was turnover prone with the leeway he did have, JVG didn't think he earned his trust for more. Yao then became more a focus.

There's no point in letting Francis get his 21/6/6 if it just means playing the same way that he did under Rudy. Either way, the team loses, and so would Yao. It was a lose-lose situation. With the trade, everyone wins. McGrady/Yao can carry the team playing as a team, and Francis can get his *stats (unrestricted)* in Orlando playing free-style.

 

We have the choice of winning one ring doing it the old way. Or we can do it the "dynasty way (3 rings)" and try and improve each and every position. As long as every player knows their roles and place, i.e. McGrady/Yao run the show.

For example, if we got R. Lewis, he wouldn't be averaging 23PPG here. He'd have to take a lesser role. But doesn't mean that he's lost his talent. He can still carry a game now and again.