With the Rockets now 1-4 without McGrady (or 10-34 counting up until now), do you think the Rockets should look into rebuilding around Yao Ming again? I’ve watched a lot of Rocket games, and this team just isn’t deep enough to win games without McGrady (yeah i know big surprise huh?)
Sure Yao can give you 30+ pts, but its still not enough to warrant a win. I don’t care if we lose by a single point, we still lost. And I don’t like moral victories. The role players need to step up and hit there shots. Alston is a good ball handler but he’s a piss poor point guard. Low b-ball IQ, horrible defender, and an average passer at best.
Not to mention he cant shoot worth a lick. Hayes is a great rebounder but he can’t even make a open lay-up under the basket!
Dikembe and Howard (although playing real well recently) are in the final stages of there career. You can't rely on those two players forever. Novak, VSpan, and JLIII are pretty much unproven b/c Jeff Van Gundy refuses to play them off the bench.
Yao, Luther Head, and Shane Battier are the only players i would keep on this team.
Which leads to, you know who... Tracy McGrady. I've thought about this for a moment. I loved the way he showcased his brilliant skills in his Orlando days, but the past year and half has been a complete utter nightmare. I can’t take this shyt anymore!
Let's be realistic, no team are gonna trade their stars for our injured star “playmaker” (so forget about the Garnett, Areanas, Joe Johnson, etc..).
At this point, if your Carroll Dawson would you give this season one last shot and look into rebuilding this team around Yao Ming again if things fail? (Ex. 1st round exit or no playoffs at all)
I’m talking about trading TMAC for new significant role players or future picks, and probably tank for someone like OJ MAYO? Basically the same transition Philly is doing this year by trading A.I. Or keep TMAC, and just keep working with what you have. Trade the players around you and HOPEFULLY land a better acquisition along with hoping TMAC’s back doesn’t fail out on us in the playoffs (IF we even make it).
This team just needs to all be firing on the cylinders at the same time.
Last night for instance... Bonzi hit 2-10 shots. 20%?? for a supposed scoring threat? But in the last game.. he shot 6-12 50%.
You can't blame Chuck for no offense. The only time he shot the ball was to attempt a tip in after a missed shot. That's it. The ball never got to him on the weak side. You have to consider he makes over 50% of the shots he gets and the Rockets aren't asking him to be a scoring leader, just pick up the garbage.
Rafer apparently needs 3 qtrs to warm up, because he shoots great at the end of the game.. and terrible at the beginning. I think all of his points last night except for like 2 were in the end of the third and in the fourth quarter.
Shane only shot the ball 4 times. He only made one, but he could shoot more and have Rafer shoot less.. that would be nice.
To be honest, the problem isn't personnel or talent... its consistancy. We know that each and every one of the players on our team can perform, hence the idea of depth.
The problem is getting them to all be consistant together... Even without McGrady we know they can win, they should be 4-0 in the last four games. But if it takes them to until February to figure out how to get that consistancy, isn't that alright. As long as we win enough to stay on the playoff path that's enough because the playoffs are everything correct?
It may not seem like it however, I really am a fan of TMAC. It is just really hard over the past two seasons not to get at least 75 games out of your superstar. I already posted this on one of the AI threads. This is TMac's salary over the next four seasons.
2006 through 2009
$16,901,500 $19,014,187 $21,126,874 $23,239,561
This is alot of money to be investing in a guy superstar or not with a CHRONICALLY BAD back. If you wait to long then teams in him will not be open to the idea of taking on his salary.
As a Rockets fan, you really have to ask yourself if you want TMAC for 60 games or less per season or would you rather have lets say Jamal Crawford, QRich, and David Lee for an entire season year end and year out. (THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE.)
Larry Legend is a classic example; a degeneretive back will stay with a player the rest of his career, and unfortunately his life. T-Mac isn't going to get better, just numb when possible.
The next time your back hurts, try raising your arms and jumping.
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we are one healthy superstar away from becoming very very very legit
Big deal, so is just about every team in the NBA. Hell, My beloved Blazers would be world beaters with one superstar added to the current roster in lpace of say Udoka or Przybilla. Those guys are great, but replace them with either LeBron James or Tim Duncan and we are instant title contenders.
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"SHOW ME THE BUFFET!!!"
Former Blazer Alaa Abdelnaby on being a student athlete at Duke. "The only way I could get 5 A's at Duke was to spell my name"
Larry Legend is a classic example; a degeneretive back will stay with a player the rest of his career, and unfortunately his life. T-Mac isn't going to get better, just numb when possible.
The next time your back hurts, try raising your arms and jumping.
Larry Johnson is another sad case in bad backs
__________________
"SHOW ME THE BUFFET!!!"
Former Blazer Alaa Abdelnaby on being a student athlete at Duke. "The only way I could get 5 A's at Duke was to spell my name"
This team just needs to all be firing on the cylinders at the same time.
Last night for instance... Bonzi hit 2-10 shots. 20%?? for a supposed scoring threat? But in the last game.. he shot 6-12 50%.
You can't blame Chuck for no offense. The only time he shot the ball was to attempt a tip in after a missed shot. That's it. The ball never got to him on the weak side. You have to consider he makes over 50% of the shots he gets and the Rockets aren't asking him to be a scoring leader, just pick up the garbage.
Rafer apparently needs 3 qtrs to warm up, because he shoots great at the end of the game.. and terrible at the beginning. I think all of his points last night except for like 2 were in the end of the third and in the fourth quarter.
Shane only shot the ball 4 times. He only made one, but he could shoot more and have Rafer shoot less.. that would be nice.
To be honest, the problem isn't personnel or talent... its consistancy. We know that each and every one of the players on our team can perform, hence the idea of depth.
The problem is getting them to all be consistant together... Even without McGrady we know they can win, they should be 4-0 in the last four games. But if it takes them to until February to figure out how to get that consistancy, isn't that alright. As long as we win enough to stay on the playoff path that's enough because the playoffs are everything correct?
This is the thing thats though. We just cant be "waiting to gel" or to click together. It has been almost 2 months into the season and it is just not working outside of Yao. We are one of the worst shooting teams in the NBA, commit the most turnovers, and jack up the most 3's. On top of that we have lost too many must win games (Portland, Minnesota, New Orleans, Golden State)
In our division, and being in the west, we just cant lose those games. We just cant. Elite teams dont give up games like that. Those are 4 wins we let get away. We would be 19-6 for 2nd best in the NBA. Every game counts because if we end up with the 5th or 6th spot, then it could just lead to another disappointing first round exit. As long time Houston fans, we just cant take it anymore and keep "waiting" we have had too much success in the past to keep putting things like this off.
Now on Brokeback Tmac, when healthy he is great. But this is the thing. He is never healthy anymore! He has had a ton of time off last year, and all summer. And he STILL pulls his back when just jumping in the air. Tmac for 50, 60 games will never get us anywhere. Ever. It is going to be a pattern of 10 games miss 2, 15 games, miss 5 and so on. I wish for once some Rockets fans would take off their homer goggles, and delusional ideas of him working for us this year. Because it just isn’t.
The Rox should STOP trying to rebuild around Yao! They should surround Yao with long and athletic scorers, some stars, but not necessarily all-stars. Yao is a team player and wouldn't mind if he was second or third scorer. Rox need more offensive playmakers. If Rox rebuild around Yao, all they going to get are a bunch of passive nice guy players who can't make their own shot. I'm a Yao fan, but I just want to see him on a good team and win a ring, not score 30 every night for a losing team.
It's very possible TMac's career is over. Even before the latest injury, when his back was OK, he was old and slow. TMac is only going to get older and slower. Les needs to do something soon.
Big deal, so is just about every team in the NBA. Hell, My beloved Blazers would be world beaters with one superstar added to the current roster in lpace of say Udoka or Przybilla. Those guys are great, but replace them with either LeBron James or Tim Duncan and we are instant title contenders.
That's not what he meant. The Rockets already have two superstars. The only thing is the second superstar isn't healthy. It would be the same thing if the Blazer already have Lebron or Duncan, but they were injured.
I didn't say we needed to "gel", we just need everyone to be consistant instead of streaky. Losing all hope because we are 5-5 in the month of December isn't the answer either.
Even without Tmac on the floor, we can win if Yao continues to play as well as he is. The problem, I think, is getting everyone else to contribute the same thing day in and day out.
Now that Yao's rebounds are up Chuck's are down. Now that Bonzi's stepped in Shane isn't shooting at all.
If we could get everyone (or even 5 people out of the 9 in the rotation) to perform to their ability in every game then we would be winning all these close games. One or two guys carrying the load may work in the short term, but in the long term you need everyone contributing.
Also, you need more of an offensive motion than dribble down, set a screen for your point gaurd, one pass, in to Yao inside. Because what happens is exactly what is happening.. only three people get to shoot. Yao, the point gaurd, and the player that gets the first pass before it goes into Yao at the post.
I guess my answer is not to rebuild, but to get more utilization out of what you have... that I blame JVG for.
as a Blazer fan who's watched Darius Miles, Shawn Kemp, Damon Stoudamire and Scottie Pippen become shells of their former selves while still cashing mammoth checks, I can honestly say you guys are pretty much stuck with McGrady.
I can tell you firsthand that teams just don't make trades for guys making $10+ million with chronic injury problems. it's too much risk for too much salary, and not enough payoff for the risk.
Iverson is still putting up 30 a night. Iverson is still filling arenas. Iverson has played in over 72 games each of the past two seasons, and hasn't missed any this year because of injury. McGrady isn't Iverson.
I've always been a big fan of McGrady (and Yao), so it depresses me to think his career is beginning to Grant Hill itself into oblivion.
should Houston rebuild? sure. they should do whatever they can to put in pieces that fit around Yao. but people need to realize that McGrady is a sunk cost. he's really not a trade asset anymore.
Are the Houston Rockets forced to rebuild?
