Yao is out for the season and playoffs because of a stress fracture in the worst possible area of his foot. China will force him to play in the Olympics, healthy or not, buy apparently he should be fine by then.
So what does this mean for the team? Well, we can pretty much count ourselves out of the championship race. We now have no chance to compete with the Lakers and Spurs. But we do have a very good chance to make the playoffs, in fact, we are almost assuredly going to make the playoffs because of our weak schedule.
Carl ROY Landry is going to emerge as a candidate for rookie of the year, Scola is going to continue playing well and put up bigger offensive numbers, and our beloved Dikembe will get more minutes (especially tonight against Brendan Haywood). We may have trouble getting Brent Barry now that we don’t have much of a chance for a ring, and Dallas is probably going to sign Jamaal Magloire.
So this may be the season that T-Mac rises to his former MVP-like play, which I wouldn’t be surprised and hey, we have been unsuccessful in the playoffs with Yao, maybe we can play without him…This is now a season to improve the rookies, restore T-Mac’s confidence, learn Adelman’s system, and play some fast, exciting basketball. This summer we’ll have plenty of money to add someone and the Rockets will be the team to look out for…next season…
End the season now!! Start the playoffs!! The Houston Rockets have declared GAME OVER for the rest of the NBA. On Thursday the Rockets completed two deals, ridding of Gawen DeAngelo “Bonzi” Wells, Kirk the bench Snyder, and Mike James (who played more golf than basketball).
Not only were they able to rid of the three stooges, but brought in the GREAT Bobby Jackson and the cupcake-blowing-while-dunking hometown STUD Gerald Green!!OK, I know they were not the most mind-blowing or fan-friendly trades, but they were nonetheless SMART.
As much as fans want progress now and could care less about the future, this trade will do a great deal of help to the Rockets in the future. This summer we will have the money to go after someone who can really help us. As much of a homer as I am, I have to look at this trade through the statistical genius of Daryl Morey. Statistically, the chances of the Rockets actually winning the championship this year are slim to none. The west has never been this good, and if we some how do get past the beasts of the west, we would still have to face one of two…scratch that…now THREE very good teams in the east (the Cavs did some dealing yesterday as well). Fans will be praising Morey this summer when the Rockets are vastly improved through some additions and we don’t have to go after players like the Franchise or Stromile Dee Dee Deee Swift.
That is not to say that we don’t have a chance. Adelman has done what none thought was possible in combining JVG’s defensive brilliance and some of his pass the ball like a hot potato offense. And T-Mac seems to be cruising through the second half of the season, a la Robert Horry, where he will likely explode into the playoffs. But lets face it, although Aaron Brooks can play and has a good chance of being our PG in the near future, he is not ready to handle the reins in the playoffs. We needed an experienced backup to Rafer and we got it in Bobby Jackson. Jackson is a competitor in the playoffs, and only old man Dikembe Mutumbo has more experience than he does. Trust me, playoff experience in the playoffs makes a world of difference. Gerald Green is another story…
this guy plays less defense than the Phoenix Suns and is basically a turnover-prone spot-up three-point shooter. I do believe however that with a veteran team like the Rockets he does have the chance of getting his act together and improving vastly. He’s barely 22 and has worlds of talent.
