I think the Rockets can be making the finals in 4 seasons if they make the right personnel moves. The only problem in the next for seasons is who will be our starting small forward? Jim Jackson would probably be retired. Also, will Mobley be here? <font color="red">WHEN WILL THE DYNASTY BEGIN??</font>
When we become a dynasty will all depend on Yao and how he develops/ He is the centerpiece and it will be his play that sets the tone. I think that it will definelty take a few years to reach that point. Shaq will be peaking out in the next few and be on his way down hill. The teams we will have to compete with in the west will be Minnesota and San Antonio. There will definitely be some serious line-up changes taking place I think. For one, I don't see Cuttino Mobley in a Rockets jersey for long. I would really like to get a bigger 2 guard since Francis is rather small. Also, I would like to get a PF that is able to provide some points for the team. I love Cato to death and I think he would be a perfect back-up to Yao however we really need a PF that at least can make a few shots here and there. Jim Jackson is in his 11th year so he has 2-3 years left at the maximum. I think Nachbar could make one heck of a small forward for the Rockets. All he needs is to get some experience and be allowed to develop. It all depends on Yao.
I think Yao is sort of an AK47 phase or Bosh stage in the sense of needing to be more powerful or dominant. Isn't there a question of leadership down in Houston as well? I believe it'll start when something like the Wolves situation occurs with you, the gain of help for the main starters. Not that there's anything wrong with your players, you have no selfish ballers, let alone great defenders, I remember dex telling me of how Mobley shut down AI. Another person with the skills and likes of Artest would be nice as offensive capabilities will already be established in Houston sometime soon anyway, well in the future that is, is what I meant by all of that.
This team won't make it. Anyone else think we should trade Mobley and Francis? They don't fit w/ Van Gundy.
I think the Rockets are a year away...honestly, they have all the significant pieces in place...All-Stars at the two major positions, center and point guard...great helping role players (Pike, JJ, Cato) who know their roles...a demanding coach who preaches defense and has playoff winning experience...a defensive foundation that is already among the best in the league...it all will come together for Houston soon enough, and I honestly feel they'll be in Finals contention by next season...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting HoustonHoopa33:</div><div class="quote_post">I think the Rockets are a year away...honestly, they have all the significant pieces in place...All-Stars at the two major positions, center and point guard...great helping role players (Pike, JJ, Cato) who know their roles...a demanding coach who preaches defense and has playoff winning experience...a defensive foundation that is already among the best in the league...it all will come together for Houston soon enough, and I honestly feel they'll be in Finals contention by next season...</div> Thats a bold prediction. Is it possible? Yes, however it will require a lot of work. For us to be Final contenders next year Yao Ming must get tougher and play tougher down low. The turnovers must go down. There needs to be better ball movement and spacing. Yao must play a lot better than he is now and Stevie needs to look to get players involved more. I think it is a few years away.
HoustonHoopa might actually be right. 2 seasons ago, when we were 28-54, we lucked out and got Yao through the draft who will probably be the face of this team for years to come. The next season, we had a huge 15-win improvement and missed the playoffs by one game mostly because Rudy T got sick. I think that's a blessing in disguise as we needed to get a new coach which we did in JVG. This season, our play has been inconsistent, beating the Lakers and losing to the Bulls, but we're still tied for fifth in the tough west and are on track to win 47 games. Our defense has improved dramatically, Francis has learnt when to shoot and when to pass, and Yao has played better than his rookie year. Which brings us to the 2004-2005 season. If we can add a young player in the mould of Tayshaun Prince from the draft, I don't see any reason we can't win 55 games and make it to the finals: Yao will officially be the concensus second best center in the L, Francis will have matured and Mobley, if he isn't gone yet, will provide outside scoring. <font color="red">Maybe the dynasty has begun.</font>
