# 2009/10 Previews



## Cornholio (Feb 13, 2005)

> *ESPN 2009-10 Forecast
> 
> Outlook*
> 
> ...


http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/trainingcamp09/insider/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&page=RocketsForecast0910

Can't post the entire article. You guys know where to find it.


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## Cornholio (Feb 13, 2005)

> *Most Likely Breakout: *I know Carl Landry's been on the radar for some time now and earned his stripes off the bench. We know he's a trooper, a ball of kinetic energy, that dude who will save a playoff game with a tooth dripping off a rotted root canal. He's also a linebacker of a man whose natural position is that most unnatural slot of "small center." With Yao out, it's his time to build on the Ben Wallace legacy, unless Joey Dorsey gets there first. Yao is skilled beyond belief, in more ways than we care to admit. Landry is a full-on assault balled up in a motivational speech, and can hold down the paint while staying in the character of Adelman's zippy style.
> 
> More obscure pick: Like many of you, I hated Chase Budinger from the day he was born. I wish the Rockets had kept McCants. But between the newly-inked Trevor Ariza and basketball institution Shane Battier, there's clearly a premium placed here on versatile forwards who have no trouble calibrating where they fall on the 2-3-4 spectrum while reaping a little bit of everything. Under the tutelage of Ariza and Battier, Budinger could become a member of their army. Imagine that the Rockets are stockpiling -- nay, engineering -- long, athletic players with high IQ who know how to shoot and enjoy pinpoint defense. If this assembly line gets going, we should all be awed and frightened.





> *Why else you should care:* Sometimes you read about how in the jungles of some part of South or Central America, there will one day be a perfect storm of guerrillas, drug traffickers, and terrorists all hanging out together despite very different dietary preferences. I think that's kind of already Afghanistan, but putting it in a jungle makes it even crazier and gives it more boom/bust potential. I'll go ahead and stake that analogy on the Rockets this season. Advanced stats. A potentially sublime style of play. Exciting guys like Ariza and Aaron Brooks. Lynchpins Battier and (even now) Landry.
> 
> There's also that wild card of Luis Scola, an international gem who in the NBA, has been patiently waiting to bring together all these strains. Some predict stardom for him on these shores. I'm just content to see him step up and become a wacky, mobile, intelligent forward with a little bit of Vlade to him. Is that too much to ask? His resume up to this point, and the place the Rockets are at, practically screams "no, and only a fool would want to spoil this prematurely!"


Full preview


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## Cornholio (Feb 13, 2005)

Fran Blinebury said:


> The Rockets’ plan of attack is to retrench completely without Yao as their anchor and try to implement coach Rick Adelman’s wide-open style of offense that gets easy baskets on the fast break and creates open shots with the passing game.
> 
> Water bug point guard Aaron Brooks, with a half-season of starting experience under his belt, will be the Rockets’ top gun in the backcourt, with Luis Scola playing more of the lead up front.
> 
> ...


Full preview


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## Cornholio (Feb 13, 2005)

> *What are the goals for this team? What will make this a successful season?*
> 
> The goals for this team are very straightforward: Develop the young players, play hard every single night, and to do whatever it takes to make the playoffs. The team is not bad en ough to do any worse than the back of the lottery, so with the added revenue of a playoff team, it is a no brainer to take a shot at the playoffs. Night in and night out they will play hard, focused defense. If at any point in the season they are not hustling they will get run off the court. There is not enough scoring on this team to play anything but all out, all the time.
> 
> ...


[The Dream Shake] Full preview


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## Cornholio (Feb 13, 2005)

> *5) Can a team of all undersized role players be successful?*
> 
> Houston is a team that is really interesting to me this year. They’re kind of a test of standard basketball knowledge. Can you score consistently with a bunch of role players? Can you defend effectively without height on the frontline? The Rockets are filled with guys who have been underrated throughout their careers, guys who don’t have huge talent, but are successful anyway. So the question is, can guys who are successful in small roles be just as effective when forced into bigger roles? They’ll be a fascinating case study in usage vs. efficiency, and that’s exciting for statistically minded guys like me.
> 
> *Projected Finish:* 40-42 (10th in the West)


Full preview


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## OneBadLT123 (Oct 4, 2005)

Man, seeing Tmac wearing no. 3 and Ariza wearing no. 1 is just flat out weird.


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## Cornholio (Feb 13, 2005)

> That said, you go beat the Rockets. Go on, try to beat them. Try to score on them. Stay in front of those guards. Try to tap out an offensive rebound on that Lilliputian front line. They're so awful, you're so good ... go on. Beat ‘em.
> 
> The biggest issue this team will have will be cracking 80 points a night, and that's not an exaggeration. This team will truly struggle to create shots, create good shots, and finish. From the inside-out. I suspect Carl Landry could have an absolute killer campaign if he's handed minutes and looks, but I've never been sold on Aaron Brooks as anything more than a third guard, and I don't really see many other options.
> 
> ...





> Yao Ming? Out for the season. Tracy McGrady? Way ahead of where I thought he would be. Still, he was a team-killing mope last season for a good chunk of his run, and while season-endangering injuries have a way of turning that frown upside-down, he's going to have to prove a lot to me if he plays.
> 
> If he continues his run as a wing version of Chris Webber's final years, than he's still not helping. He has a giant expiring contract that could be worth quite a bit, and I trust Daryl Morey with these sorts of things, but the Rockets still have a ton to figure out.
> 
> ...







BDL's 2009-10 NBA Preview: Houston Rockets


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## Cornholio (Feb 13, 2005)

Speaking of Deke: Dikembe Mutombo: “I Just Want to Be Able to Walk”


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## answerwu2008 (Oct 12, 2009)

OneBadLT123 said:


> Man, seeing Tmac wearing no. 3 and Ariza wearing no. 1 is just flat out weird.


hi guy, Steve Francis really wanna weep, inasmuch as the No.3 jersey belongs to steve, and he wanna his No.3 could just like Olajuwon,
u know, up in the air of Toyota Center.


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