When will Yao Ming finally break through and become the great player we thought he'd be? Will Stromile Swift and his big contract accurately backup Juwan Howard and his huge contract? Was the Mike James-Rafer Alston trade a good one? Can Tracy McGrady lead a team by himself? No, no, no... If you thought a Jeff Van Gundy-coached team is slow, you haven't seen one without their leading scorer or starting PG. Houston scores a mere 86.8 PPG, third only to Portland and Orlando. Even with Alston, the PG hasn't been doing his job: Houston is 28th in the NBA in assists. As usual, Van Gundy keeps the pace down to the point where nobody takes fewer shots than the Rockets. The league has never been younger, and this is its oldest team. One reason for the rough start is injuries. McGrady has been out 8 of their 18, and Houston has lost all 8 games. Rafer Alston isn't the proper PG to lead this team, but they'll have to endure until Bob Sura can come back. Sura emerged as an energy catalyst last year, but is out right now because he is recovering from knee surgery. And with Alston occasionally injured, the starting PG has been SG David Wesley. Juwan Howard and his massive contract are always injured. At this point we might have to accept that there is a chance that the Yao Ming we see is as good as he'll ever be. In China he could get away with lay-ups and soft hook shots from 10-feet away. In the NBA, he needs to buck up and charge the hoop with the basketball. He doesn't play like any Center I've ever seen. So far he is only averaging 8.9 RPG, pitiful for a 7-6 giant. When players charge at him, he should just swat the ball to oblivion. Instead he tries what no Center should do...trying to draw charges. Because of this he allows guards to run right into him and so he picks up fouls way too quickly. With McGrady, Houston is 6-4, now they just need to make up the other 8 losses. Luther Head has been surprising in his intensity and accurate shooting. Things are going to get better when Alston, Sura, Howard and McGrady all consistently healthy. However this team might be too old to compete for long. With the influx of high-school players in the NBA, this isn't the best time to take the least shots and score near the least points. Yao is the one player who hasn't maxed out. If he were to EVER get 22 and 10, this team would be Finals worthy. As of right now, the Houston Rockets aren't even a playoff team. We advise you to take the Houston Rockets to go under the predicted win total at the best safe sportsbook and feel confident. |
