I figured a game thread doesn't need to be made for every preseason game so I thought I'd make one gigantic thread for the 8 games. Things I Liked Last Night: A.) Ron Ron. He displayed just about everything last night. We got to see his creativity off the dribble and on the blocks, his shooting touch, his ability to run the floor, passing, and defense. B.) Carl Landry............I still don't understand why more teams didn't make a run at this guy. Maybe it was the knee injury...........Either way I'm glad we got him back on the cheap.......Dude is a solid 6th man off the bench night in and night out. And that jumper which was fairly good last year, now appears to be extremely consistent. Judging by his movement and jumping last night I'd say the knee won't be a problem..................... Things I Didn't Like: A.) Aaron Brooks................I'm sorry, but I'm just not seeing how he's going to be a reliable back up. He made a couple of good plays off of penetration last night, but for every good play there was a bad one. He still throws a lot of bad passes, had trouble finishing at the rim, still can't shoot to save his life, and his defense against bigger guards (which includes 99% of the NBA) isn't good at all. This kid is a 3rd string PG at best. You can't be that small and not do anything well.......... B.) Rebounding................We looked bad on the boards at times last night, but I'm not worried about it in the long run. C.) Interior Defense..........it was absent for the most part last night...................I think this is a big reason why we HAVE to get Deke back. D.) Yao...........looked a bit sluggish and tired, but it's the preseason so I won't make that big of a deal about it...............................
I wouldn't worry too much about the defense after the first preseason game. Adelman has said that he has yet to start going over defensive principles with the team. That's coming this week. I think Brooks needs to be a little more composed at times. You want him to stay aggressive and look to penetrate and get to the basket, but at the same time he should be better at recognizing defenses and moving the ball to the open man. He should be a good scorer for us, at the least, but he does need to improve on finishing around the basket. Yao admitted that he was rusty, particularly in the first half. Last year, he struggled with Adelman's offense. It will be interesting to see if he's improved this year.
Yao needs to watch the play of Vlade Divac....It'll be a good indication of how the offense is run with a big man like him. Other than that, it looked like Ron shot it really well from downtown. Did he start? And how was Battier?
Ron started and played pretty well. Battier didn't play, and he isn't expected to play at all in the preseason. He's letting his ankle heal.
Really? I didn't think it was that bad. Also noticed that Strawberry didn't play that much. I think DJ and Brooks have the same kind of game...
Von Wafer looked pretty good in the first half against the Spurs, but he's a long shot to get a contract. This game got ugly in the fourth quarter. Brooks had been mildly disappointing for me, so far. It doesn't appear like he's taken that next step in these first few preseason games. Barry showed some nice playmaking ability (though his jumper, uncharacteristically, was off). It looks like we might see more Barry and less of Brooks taking backup PG duties if this trend holds.
Von Wafer sighting! Brent Barry might be one of the most overlooked free agent signings made this summer. He just understands the game and he's the perfect weapon on the perimeter to compliment Yao. He'll take a lot of pressure off TMac this season with his ability to bring the ball up and run the offense. I agree with Dream, I can't believe more teams didn't pursue Landry. He's perfect off the bench with his energy and activity on the glass. I'm guessing teams were scared off by his lack of height, but he more than makes up for it with hustle. I love how he attacks the rim and finishes strong in traffic.
yeah like what I saw out of Von Wafer.........hopefully we put him on over DJ........agreed on Brooks....... man the entire offseason I was worried the lakers were gonna go after landry......thank god they didn't land him..... and I agree on Barry....I must admit I was the first to hate on the rockets picking him up, lol............but he looks like he's going to be a nice addition.............
I remember that thread ... still wishing we got CDR? I suppose we could have picked him up instead of Dorsey. We'll see that turns out.
Ron Ron's physical presence and mentality took it's toll last night as we saw the entire rockets team play scrappy.................even tmac shoved the shit out of that rookie scrub from k-state.................... Ron slapping the ball out of Pierce's hands so hard that it sent him to the locker room = good Ron knocking ray allen to the floor = good Scola and Powe going back and forward all night = good Tmac shoving rookie scrub with elbow = good Rafer not backing down = good
Here's a very detailed breakdown of the third preseason game between Rockets and Celtics. He practically goes over it possession by possession. http://nbaroundtable.wordpress.com/2008/10/12/game-time-boston-vs-houston/
Good find. The Rockets are already taking on Ron's no non-sense persona on the court. Scola & Landry gave them a toughness in the post last season, and Ron/Battier gives them toughness on the perimeter. Off topic: How come the Rockets gave up on Novak? I watched him play against the Lakers and he was lights out from the perimeter. He has a pure shot and a quick release. I figured he'd be a perfect sniper to stretch a defense for Yao and TMac.
the excuse was always that he couldn't play defense..........my answer to that was...................so what????.......Chances are he wouldn't have gotten much playing time this year anyway, but he can flat out shoot the ball, so he'll always have a job in the NBA.
Novak couldn't do anything but shoot. No defense, no rebounding, not a good ball-handler or passer, didn't move well without the ball. He's a nice option to have, I suppose, for a single offensive possession, but he wasn't a viable option for more than that.
luther head should be traded for cash.....................I think Von Wafer and Strawberry should both make the roster........................they can actually handle the ball...........Wafer looks like he has a jumper also..........I like his confidence..........
Dream, who do you like more --Strawberry or Wafer? I think the Rockets will likely have to choose between them.
Wafer. He can be a chucker at times, but I like the guys confidence. He's a better shooter than strawberry, and from what I've seen I think he's just as good if not better at attacking the basket and creating his own shot.......cats got some serious hops also......
almost forgot, but aaron brooks has looked great ever since deciding to look for his shot more.....this is really the 1st time that he's appeared "comfortable" on the court.......just score aaron....score....
