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Houston Rockets Team Report
There a probably a bunch of errors, since I haven't check the spelling and grammar in this. Tell me if you find any obvious ones. I hope you like this. I was bored so I made it like 5 pages lol.
Houston Rockets Team Report
Starting Guards Review:
The Rockets have a deadly backcourt. 4th year superstar point guard Steve Francis is putting up MVP numbers. His migraine headaches are not bothering him anymore, and he has recovered fully from an offseason shoulder surguery. He is currently averaging 24.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 6 assists per game. He has been everything for the Rockets. Maybe people have labeled Steve as a "ball hog" or "a shooting guard playing the point guard". But Steve has been proving his doubters on early on. His shot selection has been much better then last season, and he always gets his teammates involved first, at the start of every game. But when it is Steve's turn to dominate the basketball, he is unstoppable. Rudy Tomjanovich told Stevie not to drive as hard to the hoop as hard and often this season, because that is how Francis tends to get hurt. He convinced Steve that he has a good jumper. When Steve's jump shot is on, and his defender has to play tight defense on him, it gives him room to drive to the hoop. When Steve drives to the hoop, he is basically unstoppable. When he is on fire, there is no way that you can stop him. Steve's shooting a solid 44% from the field season and 42% behind the arc.
The one and only problem that Steve has had this season is that has the tendency of pulling up for jumpers too often. In a couple of games, his stroke has been off, and he kept settling for 18 foot jumpers. One thing that Steve has to learn is that when his jump shot is off, he shouldn't settle for the jay. He should take it strong to the hole, and either draw contact, hit a driving layup, or kick it out to the open man.
But for the most part, Steve has been playing terrifically. He scored 32 points in a key win against the Kings and he , shut down Allen Iverson, leading the Rockets to a blowout win against the Sixers, and has been crucial in the development of Yao Ming. Before the season started, there were rumors that Steve didn't want the Rockets to select Yao, but he has proved them wrong. He quickly befriended Yao, and has praised him constantly. Francis has proved that he is a great team leader. He has led the Rockets, who were 2-25 without him last season, to a 12-8 record early on.
Steve’s backcourt counterpart Cuttino Mobley had struggled early on this season. He has already missed 8 games due to ankle problems. When he has played he has been inconsistent. His scoring average is down from 21.7 points to 17.1 points this season. His shooting percentage is down to 41.8 percent and his 3-point percentage has plummeted from nearly 40% to 29.6% this year. There is no need to worry though. He has helped the Rockets win some games. He has been pretty inconsistent throughout his career. He started off this season strong, and has been in a slump ever since. Once his ankle problems are over, he will probably start to play solid basketball again.
Cuttino has played 2 games since coming back from his ankle injury. He played pretty well against the Sixers, scoring 16 points, on a solid 7-13 shooting from the field. Against the Kings he had a solid game. He only shot 5-15 from the floor, but he still managed to score 14 points, grab 7 rebounds, dish off 4 dimes and record 3 steals. He scored most of his points in the second quarter. He was pretty quiet on the offense end for the rest of the game, but he still had a solid all-around game.
Mobley’s biggest problem has always been his poor shot selection. As much as I like him, I have to admit that he is a major ball hog. He loves to shoot and does not pass the rock enough. He has a deadly jumper, but he tends to throw up wild shots.
Starting Forwards Review:
The Rockets are one of the deepest teams in the NBA at the forward position. The Rockets have 3 solid PFs in Kenny Thomas, Maurice Taylor, and Eddie Griffin. They have 4 good PFs in Glen Rice, 29-year old rookie Juaqin Hawkins, Terence Morris, and rookie Bostjan Nachbar.
Kenny Thomas has emerged as the Rockets best power forward in the last week. He had one of the best nights of his career against the Hornets, scoring 29 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in an overtime loss. He played pretty solid against the Sixers, scoring 14 points and ripping down 7 boards. He is averaging a solid 10 points per game this season.
Kenny Thomas is a great one on one player. He has tremendous quickness for a power forward, but he tends to rely on 1 on 1 play too much. He tends to slow up the Rockets offense. It seems like every time the Rockets try to swing the ball in a motion offense, the ball ends up going to Thomas, and he immediately attempts to take his man one on one, instead of swinging the rock. When he gets it he usually does a jab step or two. When his player doesn’t fall for it and his clobbering him on defense, he usually holds it for a few seconds, and then passes it, messing up a good sequence of ball movement. Rudy T needs to sit him down and tell him that the Rockets’ offense isn’t based just on him.
The Rockets have switched starting small forwards off and on this season. Glen Rice and Jauquin Hawkins both got starts early on, but Rice has started the last couple of games. Rice is no where near at the skill level that he used to be earlier in his career, but he still is able to contribute to the Rockets offense. After missed all but 20 games last season, but he appears to be healthy so far this season.
Rice scored 10 points, all in the first quarter, against the Sixers, but he has been in a miny slump lately.
Starting Center:
Yao Ming is quickly developing into a star. His scoring average continues to rise. In his last 4 games he is averaging 19.5 points, 14.5 rebounds, and nearly 3 blocks per game. Steve Francis labeled him with the nickname “Dynasty”. He is living up to that nickname. Yao is developing quicker then anyone could’ve expected. He has tremendous low post moves, a deadly jump shot, and is a great passer for a big man.
It seems that all of the doubter that claimed that Yao would be a stiff or the “next Shawn Bradley” have shut up. He is making a strong run for the Rookie of the Year Award, and is averaging 11.4 points, 7 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game. He is leading the league in FG%, shooting 59.1% from the field! Once he bulks up, there is no telling how dominant he will be.
Yao gives the Rockets a huge presence in the middle. He doesn’t have to block shots to make a difference. He change’s a ton of shots. Whenever a player looks up and seeing an athletic 7-6 player standing near them, they will hesitate to shoot, and usually pass it off. Once Yao fully develops and gets used to life in the NBA, he will be a megastar. His only flaw is that he tends to get in foul trouble, but that hasn’t affected his play so far this season. Yao has been playing tremendously!
Bench:
Second year power forward Eddie Griffin has been a huge disappointment. The Rockets expected him to be a starter at this point, but he has been riding the bench lately. This was supposed to be his “breakout year”, but he has proved so far that he won’t live up to his expectations. When the Rockets traded Richard Jefferson and 2 other first round picks to the Nets for Eddie Griffin, it appeared to be a draft day steal. It has turned out that RJ is turning into a superstar, and Eddie Griffin is turning out to be an average role player.
Griffin has a pretty good outside shooting touch, but that is about it. He has a terrible post up game and he can not dribble. He is often caught standing behind the arc, with the ball, with now place to go. He desperately needs to work on his dribbling skills and low post play. He needs to add more muscle. He is a solid defensive player, but he is not the star that the Rockets thought he would be.
Eddie had a solid game against the Kings, scoring 13 points, but that was his best game in a long time. He is a great shot blocker, but he is not a great offensive player. The only way that he can get you points is if he is wide open for a jump shot. Pretty soon opposing players will realize that that is his only offense asset, and they will guard him tightly. Since he can not dribble, it will be almost impossible for him to make a move and score. There is no way that he will move back into the Rockets starting lineup.
What is wrong with Moochie Norris? I am puzzled that he continues to get 20+ minutes per game. He is terrible. He makes stupid passes, takes stupid shots, and turns the ball over constantly. He is a liability on the defense end. He has a terrible habit of dribbling too much and running the shot clock down too much. Rudy T needs to bench him, and see how rookie Tito Maddox handles the point.
Why isn’t Rudy T. playing shooting guard/small forward Bostjan Nachbar? Nachbar was the 15th pick in the draft. When the Rockets drafted him they acted like he would be making a big impact with them this season. They acted like they got a steal at the 15th pick and that Nachbar would turn into a star. Numerous sports reporters thought that Nachbar would make a bigger impact this season then Ming would. But Nachbar has only played 4 games this season, playing only a total of 32 minutes. He has hit on 4-9 shots this season, and averages 2.5 points per game. How will the Rockets ever know if they guy has the potential to make a big impact in the league if they don’t give him the chance to show his stuff?
Off guard Jauqin Hawkins has made the biggest impact for the Rockets off the bench. Hawkins is a 29-year rookie. He is the Rockets best on the ball defender. Don’t let his stats deceive you. He only averages 4.2 points per game, but he is a solid all around player. He is a big spark off the bench.
Players on the Rise:
Yao Ming-
Yao has proven that he was worth the number one pick. He can do it all! He can shoot, pass, dribble, and he is a huge defensive presence.
Kenny Thomas-
Thomas is a tremendous one on one player. He is extremely quick, and the Rockets are involving him more in their offense game by game.
Players on the Fall:
Kelvin Cato-
Cato started off the season on a tear. He was a defensive force and he grabbed a ton of rbeounds. But then a close family member of his died. Cato missed a couple games, because he was too upset to play. When he came back, Yao had already established himself as the Rockets best center. There is no competition for the starting center spot. It now belongs to Yao.
Moochie Norris-
Do I even have to explain this? Mooch has played terrible off the bench. He can’t shoot, pass, or play defense.
Overall Team Performance:
The Rockets are turning into the surprise team in the league. They are coming off of a two game streak against two solid teams in the Sixers and Kings. The Rockets are currently 12-8, which is 3rd in the West. The Rockets are solid it every position. Steve Francis is living up to his nickname, the Franchise. He is doing everything for the Rockets. Whether it is scoring, rebounding, passing, or playing solid defense, Steve is doing it all!
Yao Ming gives the Rockets an inside force for the first time since Hakeem “the Dream” Oljauwon dominated the paint for the Rockets. On paper the Rockets have one of the best starting lineups in the league. Francis, Mobley, Rice, Thomas, and Ming. That is one heck of a lineup.
The Rockets’ offense has struggled at times this year. The Rockets are 21st in the league in scoring, averaging only 90.5 points per game, but the Rockets defense made up for their offensive woes. The Rockets defense is 4th in points allowed, giving up just 87.3 points per game. Juaquin Hawkins has helped out the Rockets’ defense tremendously. Their offense will eventually move into the top half of the league, once Mobley starts to play the way he is capable of. If the Rockets keep up their tough defensive play and improve their offense, they will be a force in the West. The Rockets have gone from being a sub- 30 win team to being a team that has the potential of winning over 50 games this season!
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Houston Rockets Team Report
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