Let us first keep in mind the opposition in Western Conference- San Antonio, Phoenix, Dallas, Utah and Denver. If there is one common thread on the strengths of these teams- it is Starting PG and PF ( in Case people forget- The PG line up is Parker, Nash, Terry, Deron, AI). Let us not hallucinate that Rafer will turn around- even if Rafer was shooting well, that is a quantum leap in talent that we are going up against. Power Forward is not as easy either- Duncan, Shawn Marion, Nowitzki, Boozer. Denver may getting back Martin. These are our glaring weaknesses. We have the capacity to win it all if Yao and Tmac are healthy- we still need to cover one of the two spots at PG/PF- PG being my priority. We will not advance very far with talent deficit ( leave the numbers alone for a moment). Although I would love Bonzi to find a spot- I have a feeling that this thing is up in the air. I am a believer in his ability- but if we are not going to resign him- it is better to trade and upgrade. Frankly if we can throw in our pick ( assuming JVG will be around and does not trust rookies)- we can upgrade both the PF and PG spots- and perhaps strenghten our bench. A lot will depend on Snyder when he gets back- he has JVG's confidence- and he is a longer term option for us. My choice for PG is Andre Miller- right now he is the 3rd best in terms of Assists- sure he cant shoot the 3, but it will be a serious upgrade. A good PG can change the offensive execution of the team. Our Bench needs help- if Bonzi is not going to be there. Frankly we are right where we started last year- a lot of potential, but if we dont correct these issues- we still will be a step short, and a few points behind the ultimate goal. What is the status on the "Win NOW" mode we were supposed to be in. We will know by End of February.
for some reason, im scared of the lakers altough they only got kobe, thier offensive execution seems extremely crisup under PJax if they could push the suns to a 7 game series, im scared what they would do to us.
We're better than the Lakers. Scared doesn't win, and different teams match up to different teams...differently.
We shouldn't give up next year's 1st rounder without getting something significant, and Andre Miller is not significant. I think we will make a trade for a PG, but not Andre Miller.
If we enter the playoff picture with the team healthy- the first rounder will at best get a role player off the bench. Andre Miller is a SIGNIFICANT PG- whichever way you look at it ( whether talent wise or Stats wise). Whether we get him or not is a different thing- but we need to be looking in the same Talent calibre. Sure I would love Bibby, Billups or Kidd- but lets be realistic
Don't you think getting Sura/Snyder back will help us a little bit? If Sura does indeed come back and gives us 10-15 minutes a game, then Alston doesn't have to play 30-40 mpg. Plus, Sura might actually be a better shooter than Alston. He's a little bigger, and could guard opposing PG's better. Snyder is a pretty solid defender himself.
I don't want him for a 1st rounder. If we must have him, get him some other way. I'm well aware players like Billups and Kidd are out of the question while Bibby is on the trading block.
I don't think we can defeat Dallas, Phoenix, or San Antonio in the Playoffs, they will definitely have home court advantage, I think we should set our sites on Utah, they are inexperienced, and most of their guys have never even been to the playoffs.
we just have to play high intensity and get at least the 4th spot we don't want to play SA, Phoenix or the Mavericks first that would not be good, all teams are contenders and want the championship really bad, especially Phoenix
In 1995, we fielded a playoff team that started Kenny Smith and Chucky Brown at those two positions (no better than Alston and Hayes, IMO). And we had to play through a series of killer power forwards (Malone, Barkley, Rodman) and point guards (Stockton, KJ, Hardaway) to win our championship. Trying to restructure our roster to match up against a projected playoff opponent is stupid. To get a top four seed under the new system, we would have to finish ahead of either Dallas or San Antonio, and that's not going to happen this year. Barring additional injuries, we can get the fifth seed in the Western Conference, which would give us a likely first-round matchup with Utah. This team can beat Utah in a seven-game playoff series. Let's stick to our strengths, and play this one out.
We dont need anything too drastic at PG. This team is built around Yao, defense, and 3pt shooting. Tmac and Head can handle the penetrating duties. With that said someone like Derek Fisher, a cheap, efficient, championship winning PG would be realistic. He shoots, plays D, protects the ball well. But Utah would NEVER give him to us. I am just saying, someone around that caliber should suffice.
PG - maybe chucky atkins for memphis? i mean this guy can play and hit the three... not sure if andre miller or bibby or any other top tier PG will be available. we don't have the resources to get one of these guys. to get top talent, we're going to have to find a team where a player is not happy and wants out and the team wants them out. this could be francis, maybe, artest, maggette, maybe earl watson... not sure of the options moreso than PG (especially if sura can quit being gay and start playing), i am concerned with our frontcourt. yao and deke are our only BIG GUYS; the only ones who can rebound in traffic or block shots. what are our chances of picking up a journeyman PF/C? brian skinner maybe? i don't know... but this to me seems to be our glaring weakness. i see our guards as being versatile enough to get the job done. but our frontcourt could use a body 6'10" or taller!
On the other hand, we have YAO MING AND TRACY MCGRADY! As far as Dallas and SA go, I don't think Oberto and Dampier can hang with Yao on his worst night. Camby, and Okur can have some impact on the game, but won't be able to hang with Yao. Amare is still questionable. I still believe he is too small to guard Yao now that Yao knows how to use his body. His speed and atheleticism are still scary but not 100% there yet. So as far as Okur and Camby go, Howard has shown that he can have a similar impact on the game for us on the offensive end and Hayes can't shoot a lick, but can grab boards like a maniac. With a combo of TMac and Yao, we are the scary team! As far as getting Miller goes, Rafer's most important aspect to this team is his passing into the interior. So why would be trade for Miller when he can't shoot. If anything we need a PG with range or some J so that the middle isn't packed with 6 players.
Let us have some context here before we get high on Nostalgia. The rules have changed dramatically since 1995. It is NOT one Playoff Roster that we have a problem- you basically have 4 others who have a Talent advantage. Emotions, Adrenaline, Effort, seeding works for 1-2 games in the Playoffs- but to go through 2 rounds of Playoffs in the Western Conference and to make it to the Final- cant be done without tinkering with our current structure.
well said. why restructure our roster to matchup with other teams? they need to worry about who is guarding yao and tmac! duncan, marion, dirk, boozer, melo, and yao will all produce at a similar level. parker, nash, terry, deron, iverson, and tmac will also produce at a similar level. the difference IMO is ginobili, amare, howard, kirilenko, and smith. i'm not sure we can be a contender without a 3rd scorer. not to mention finley, barbosa, stackhouse, okur, camby. possitions don't matter as much as production. we can compete 2-on-2 against any team in the league. we need to add a 3rd and even 4th scorer in order to really be a favorite to win. yao, hayes, shane, and tmac are a very productive unit. deke, howard, and head are a decent bench. to compete next year we need to somehow find away to land a PG like bibby and a scorer off the bench like mo pete. that would put us right at the top of the league.
^^^ I definitely agree. Although we lost to Dallas in the playoffs a couple years back, we took it to them. Despite our lack of playoff experience, we clearly showed that with the TMac and Yao tandem, we can be a force. Also, keep in mind that history has proven that an inside-outside game plays well in the playoffs. Teams tend to play a more grind it out style and a half court oriented offense, both of which the Rockets are well suited for. And although most of us do not agree with JVG's coaching, he does a very good job in gameplanning during the playoffs. He took the #8 seed Knicks all the way to the Finals. Defense wins championships. Don't count us out no matter who we face.
