State of the Union Address: Houston Rockets
by grungedave on Apr 17, 2008 8:39 AM CDT
5 comments
Today, the morning of April 17, 2008, is a good day.
We are officially in Playoff Mode. And the Houston Rockets are prime participants in this glorious adventure of basketball played at its highest level over the next 2 months. And Lee and I got everything we asked for when it comes to the playoffs. Bring on the Utah Jazz. Who I hate. So very, very much.
Game 1 is Saturday.
I therefore present the 2008 State of the Union Address for your Houston Rockets.
The Houston Rockets are a Team. With a capital "T." Yes, we have a future Hall of Fame elite-level superstar in one Mr. Tracy McGrady. Yes, we also had another future Hall of Fame center in Yao Ming (until Tuesday, February 26th). But there is no ego among this group. There is no "I" in this "team"... and if necessary, they would even mis-spell "team" to leave out the "me" just to prove the point.
Need a defensive stop? Battier, Mutombo and Chuck Hayes are on it.
Need an offensive rebound in traffic? Enter Luis Landry (hey! I haven't been able to use "Luis Landry" in a while! It's good to have it back in the vocabulary!)
Need a bucket? Say hello to T-Mac. No, not Tracy. T-Mac.
Need a laugh? The Cookie Monster has that covered. And if you don't laugh, he's going to wag his finger at you.
That said... let's take a look at the pieces that have contributed to the Playoff-Bound-Houston-Rockets. Oh, and we have homecourt advantage again. Suck it, Utah!
Tracy McGrady
It begins and ends with T-Mac. Last year, McGrady said it was "on him" - probably to relieve the pressure that may have been on Rafer and Chuck and Shane and, well, pretty much the whole team. This year? See above about that whole "team" thing. T-Mac needs to facilitate the offense and NOT shoot those transition threes. In fact, no jump shots, Tracy. No. I want to hear nothing but this for the next 4-7 games:
We are officially in Playoff Mode. And the Houston Rockets are prime participants in this glorious adventure of basketball played at its highest level over the next 2 months. And Lee and I got everything we asked for when it comes to the playoffs. Bring on the Utah Jazz. Who I hate. So very, very much.
Game 1 is Saturday.
I therefore present the 2008 State of the Union Address for your Houston Rockets.The Houston Rockets are a Team. With a capital "T." Yes, we have a future Hall of Fame elite-level superstar in one Mr. Tracy McGrady. Yes, we also had another future Hall of Fame center in Yao Ming (until Tuesday, February 26th). But there is no ego among this group. There is no "I" in this "team"... and if necessary, they would even mis-spell "team" to leave out the "me" just to prove the point.
Need a defensive stop? Battier, Mutombo and Chuck Hayes are on it.
Need an offensive rebound in traffic? Enter Luis Landry (hey! I haven't been able to use "Luis Landry" in a while! It's good to have it back in the vocabulary!)
Need a bucket? Say hello to T-Mac. No, not Tracy. T-Mac.
Need a laugh? The Cookie Monster has that covered. And if you don't laugh, he's going to wag his finger at you.
That said... let's take a look at the pieces that have contributed to the Playoff-Bound-Houston-Rockets. Oh, and we have homecourt advantage again. Suck it, Utah!
Tracy McGrady
It begins and ends with T-Mac. Last year, McGrady said it was "on him" - probably to relieve the pressure that may have been on Rafer and Chuck and Shane and, well, pretty much the whole team. This year? See above about that whole "team" thing. T-Mac needs to facilitate the offense and NOT shoot those transition threes. In fact, no jump shots, Tracy. No. I want to hear nothing but this for the next 4-7 games:
"T-Mac to the rack... and one!"
That's it.
Luis Scola
My new favorite Rocket. Well, other than Yao. Yao is a badass, but he is not walking through that door right now. As I told ESPN yesterday, Luis Scola is the x-factor of this entire series. What we were missing against Utah last year was someone willing to mix it up and not back down to the dirty, dirty Jerry Sloan tactics. Prepare to be undercut, back-picked and flopped to death Houston fans. Luis Scola can fortunately give as well as receive.
Rafer Alston
He's hurt? Good. I didn't want to have to say nice things about him and then jinx the rest of the team because of it.
Moving along.
Shane Battier
The Defensive Player of the Year. And I don't care what anyone says about KG. Shane is DPOY. This series, Shane is going to probably match up with Andrei... who isn't exactly Kobe, LeBron or Carmelo. It's okay though, Shane - you'll get to stop Kobe in two weeks' time. Just be patient!
Dikembe Mutombo
The living, breathing, perfect example of why you ALWAYS have a competent backup center on your roster. Always. Imagine the Rockets with no Yao and no Deke, either!?!? Scary.
Bobby Jackson
He who shall replace Rafer for the next 2-3 games. I was happy when we traded for Bobby J. And I have every bit of faith in him. right now. Daryl Morey is a genius you know - he picks up a vital contributor AND dumps a locker room cancer in Bonzi all at the same time. Brilliant!
That's it.
Luis Scola
My new favorite Rocket. Well, other than Yao. Yao is a badass, but he is not walking through that door right now. As I told ESPN yesterday, Luis Scola is the x-factor of this entire series. What we were missing against Utah last year was someone willing to mix it up and not back down to the dirty, dirty Jerry Sloan tactics. Prepare to be undercut, back-picked and flopped to death Houston fans. Luis Scola can fortunately give as well as receive.
Rafer Alston
He's hurt? Good. I didn't want to have to say nice things about him and then jinx the rest of the team because of it.
Moving along.
Shane Battier
The Defensive Player of the Year. And I don't care what anyone says about KG. Shane is DPOY. This series, Shane is going to probably match up with Andrei... who isn't exactly Kobe, LeBron or Carmelo. It's okay though, Shane - you'll get to stop Kobe in two weeks' time. Just be patient!
Dikembe Mutombo
The living, breathing, perfect example of why you ALWAYS have a competent backup center on your roster. Always. Imagine the Rockets with no Yao and no Deke, either!?!? Scary.
Bobby Jackson
He who shall replace Rafer for the next 2-3 games. I was happy when we traded for Bobby J. And I have every bit of faith in him. right now. Daryl Morey is a genius you know - he picks up a vital contributor AND dumps a locker room cancer in Bonzi all at the same time. Brilliant!
Bobby Jackson just needs to stay in front of Deron Williams. Yes, I know... much, much, MUCH easier said than actually done. Bobby can just get in his head and get Deron to go off on the refs, maybe? It worked last time!
Carl Landry
Along with Scola, the missing piece(s) to the puzzle. A year ago, the Rockets started Chuck Hayes and relied heavily on Juwon Howard. Yes, Juwon. Remember him? This year? I think we upgraded massively by getting Scola AND Landry. Landry may not be 100% healthy, but if he's even 90%... and willing to dunk on Boozer's head... well, I'm excited at the mere thought.
Chuck Hayes
A starter last year, and the 7th Man this year. Possibly the strongest man on the team. He can't shoot free throws for his life, but we love the guy. You know he'll do the dirty work and get rebounds. Just do not pass him the ball on the run or in traffic!!!
Mike Harris
Yes, I am listing Harris this high. He could be a HUGE factor for us in this series. The guy is a rebounding machine who has a nose for the ball. He has big hops and, like Landry, just wants to dunk on your head. I hope Ricky is willing to use him more. Granted, he can't shoot very well, but this isn't going to be a "pretty" series... those that want it more will decide who wins. All about the hustle and the dirty work. Or in the case of Utah... dirty plays.
Steve Novak
Yes, our token white guy shooter dude. I dare you to leave him open, Utah. I double dare you.
Aaron Brooks
The rookie blur. Yes, our rookies are better than your rookies, Utah. Brooks might be an even bigger factor than we thought two weeks ago. Rafer is out, and Aaron may be needed to penetrate the Utah defense. Brooks' increased ability to make long-range shots the last month is just an added bonus!
Loren Woods
I do not want to see him enter a game. Ever. Because it means we are down by 20 or more. This is not an option.
Yao Ming
Yeah, how awesome would it be for Yao to walk on the court to start Game 7?
---
These are your Rockets. Ready for some playoff action.
And Tracy? No. More. Tears.
(cue Ozzy Osbourne.)
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Chuck Hayes and Aaron Brooks dunking last night, that was neat. I think we have a real good shot at getting out of the first round this year, Utah sucks on the road.
by monkypanda on Apr 17, 2008 1:05 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
luther head?
the dude can play defense and is an awesome shooter. who cares if he cant pass, we dont need him to.
also my word verification is mxkSLUT
the dude can play defense and is an awesome shooter. who cares if he cant pass, we dont need him to.
also my word verification is mxkSLUT
by Anonymous on Apr 17, 2008 10:20 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Luther Head was sort of an unintentional intentional oversight... this is not a good series for him.
Things like, oh, maintaining your dribble, not turning the ball over and making an entry pass -- not exactly his specialties. The Jazz will exploit this.
Things like, oh, maintaining your dribble, not turning the ball over and making an entry pass -- not exactly his specialties. The Jazz will exploit this.
by grungedave on Apr 18, 2008 8:35 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
I think the Rocket's rookies aren't necessarily better than the Jazz rookies, it's simply that injuries have allowed them to crack the rotation.
Scola is the exception of course. He should be playing anyway.
Scola is the exception of course. He should be playing anyway.
by Anonymous on Apr 21, 2008 2:06 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Your "State of the Union" address comes across as pure idiocy.
by Anonymous on Apr 21, 2008 11:54 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
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