I don't want to make excuses for a game we should have won. True, it is games like these that have hurt us in our drive for the playoffs. However, until last night Francis and Mobley were 1-2 in the league rankings in minutes per game and the team had just played the night before. The only thing the game did provide some badly needed minutes to some of our rookies. They need to get up to the NBA level of play. The other problem with this team is that we have six new players on the active roster and they just need to get some games under their belt. Some of our players missed a good portion of the preseason and need some time on the court playing under the Rockets system. I think this factor contributes to Francis and Mobley playing so many minutes. Until the team has progressed to the point where we have a number of people who can (and will) step up when our stars aren't producing, we can only expect history to repeat itself. Kenny was the only one whose numbers indicated that he picked up some of the slack. He just wasn't enough last night. I continue to like this team and I remain optimistic about its future. As for now, I am content to say, "every team has a few games like this, even playoff-caliber teams like ours."
7 sloppily to averagely played games, and we've only lost two. I say thats not too bad. Last night the Nuggets guards were on a roll, especially Van Exel in the first half, the way they were playing, we would have needed good games from all the regulars to win. We didn't get it. We finished the game shooting under 40%. But we are still 5-2, and there is no reason to panic.
Steve's just trying to totally stop people and it's taking all the fundementals of defense away from him. He challenges people way too much, gets up tight on Claxton when Speedy has drived on him over and over. Fundamental tough straight up D would be a good alternative. Hehe it's kind of like when Cato gets overly excited and blocks a headfake. Steve gets overly excited and steals air, he is playing risky defense IMO. He gets 2-3 steals a game though. IMHO I'd sacrifice those for good D.
BeHad, remember this from yesterday: after tonight come 8 straight games that will alter our win/loss column. Where we play S.A., LAL, DAL, SAC, POR, SEA, LAC and SAC before we close the month with Memphis. We keep playing like this and 6-9 will be our record.... I'm just as big a Rox fan as the next person, but I'm also a realist. Reality says right now we are not that good of a team. we're turning the ball over too much and not playing good defense. Rudy will make adjustments but they better figure it out soon or lotto here we come again, with all that "talent".
Heart of a Champion? We traded our Champions and we're looking for new ones. I've been meaning to ask this for a while, but do we still have the Heart of a Champion? No one from the Championship years, and all new generation players. What if we just don't have "it"?
What should we sign all the players from our championship years that are 40+ years old and then we will win? lol "it" has to be developed. And "the heart of a champion" is not needed to win games, if anything it's needed to win championships. It's developed.
It was not the offense that was a problem it was the defense. Hell we were winning games scoring 81. We couldn't stop a simple pick n roll. The same pick n roll we were defending perfectly the first 3 or 4 games of the year. It seems like we forgot how to defend. Hope Rudy T goes back to the D that was working last week... Van Excel and Co where hitting shot like crazy in the 2nd but our 3rd quarter was just a joke. Winning in Denver would have been nice but I won't mind losing that game if we take SA and LA in a back to back... I say we win at least one of those games. Go Rox...
And you know something Cat- if the Rockets wree defending champions, I could handle a couple of games like the Denver game. Since this team hasn't even made the playoffs yet, they don't have the right to relax like they did. So please don't compare Friday's loss to the fabled Laker-Clipper game.
That is true. Rockets really cant **** around with teams like this. They try to do the best they can when they play good teams and most of the time they come up short. When they play the teams that no one cares about they lose. They should take every game one at a time and play hard. Rockets might be 5-2, but if they play like this with the coming schedule, then you will see a change on the record. The 5 will remain but the loss column will go up.
I posted my concern that our records was A HOUSE OF CARDS several days ago....and the whole building came tumbling down. Simply put, we got busted. That kind of loss can take us in two direction: 1) a much needed wakeup call for the players and coaches or, 2) what we have seen in the first 7 games is all there is at this point. I'm really disappointed in the lack of offensive creativity from the coaching staff. The league has the book on us and we have been reduced to simply a perimeter team. With the talent we have, there's no excuse! Didn't get to see the game but the posts re. our lack of effort are more than worrisome. IT'S TIME FOR THE LEADERS TO BE LEADERS!! Next 3-4 games will tell us a lot about the character and guts of the team.
