# So what do we do now...



## OneBadLT123 (Oct 4, 2005)

So what should houston do? 

We have injured players playing, and injured players sitting.
Players who are even tradable, have no value whatsoever. 
We are probally going to be below .500 for the next few weeks.
And JVG's days are commin up quick. 


At what point do we throw in the towel as far as hope? I mean us rockets fans wre spoiled with last years sucess and now, its just really hurtful. We cant have all the burden on TMac this season. Everybody wants him to carry the team, but what success does that bring? Come playoff time(if we make it) he'll be out of gas.

I say, stick it out this year, and help the team get healthy and reorganize a few pieces here and there. This is going to be a hard season, but i hope whatever happens, something positive is the result.

Thoughts? Opinions?


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## joefox4279 (Dec 23, 2005)

Dont know but this is a rumor i hear ..

Read this Link ..

http://web.basketballboards.net/forum/showthread.php?t=218567&page=2

I tried a salaries match thingy and this trade works .. But like i said its a rumor ..


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## bronx43 (Dec 9, 2005)

I think we will still make the playoffs, as long as we get Yao back before too long. If that is the case, then these injuries could very well be a blessing in disguise come April. Honestly, even if we had everyone healthy, we would be 4th or 5th seed. That would mean we would play Dallas no matter what. After last year, I would not want to play Dallas again first round. If we drop to 6th, or 7th it's a golden opportunity to advance deep into the playoffs because we'll be playing Clips or Minnesota (both teams worse than Dallas imo) However, 8th would be total disaster. (first round vs Spurs...)


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## debarge (Nov 13, 2005)

Wow I wholeheartedley disagree with you. If we even make the playoffs, and that's a big big IF... then we'd be like the 7th or 8th seed. The west is far more open with more teams being competitive than the just the top 5 or 6 even. You've got maybe 9 or 10 teams with concievable playoffs teams.
(SA, DA, HOU, NO/OKC, MEM)that's the whole sw div??? 5 spots right there??? Then you've got the pacific div. (LAC, GS, PHO, LAL,) then there's (MN, DEN, MIL) that's alot of spots for just 8 teams... every team listed is a serious possibility and can play competitively down the stretch, mostly because of their depth unlike us. Something that concerns me greatly right now, our lack of offensive depth. We have some decent guys, but outside of T & Y we've got journeymen. To me this "thing" needs to be busted up. You tried going with bascially all veteran players, it's not working because of the one thing a vet cannot control, INJURIES. Vet meaning someone in the nba for more than 5 yrs... If we had 4 guys like Luther on the bench, you don't think we'd win some of these games just on our youth and quickness. The problem is not just how our players have been playing, its the coaching. You can't coach the same way with your stars that you do with your scrubs. Expecting Tracy/Yao to fly in with their utility belts' isn't the answer. You can't play 2 on 5 as we saw in the Dallas series. Luther has been coming along well, but what about Baxter he had good 'dirty work' minutes at center/pforward. But Jeff won't give him a chance because he's a 'no-name guy' unlike Swift whose a namebrand guy, or Bowen whose 'his hussle guy'. Right now we're soft in the middle, we need that tough Oakley type workhorse to play with Yao, Howard, Dke, and TMac. I thought he played well for someone who had no minutes. As for Graham, YOU'VE GOT NO GUARDS JEFF VAN GUMMBY!!! :curse: Maybe if you play your 'kids' for right now, they can help Tracy right the ship until the 'cavarly' comes back in.


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## joefox4279 (Dec 23, 2005)

It will be a dog fight mark my word ..


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## Pimped Out (May 4, 2005)

ive said it once and ill say it again, draft aldridge. thats about as optimistic as i feel right, that we can win the lottery.


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## jdiggidy (Jun 21, 2003)

Debarge is correct, it will take at a minimum 50 wins to reach the playoffs. Even then that will probably only be good enough for the 7th or 8th seed.

I am concerned at this point however because unlike the Astros the Rockets will not have a sick run like the stro did in the second half of the season.

It is still a bite premature to concern ourselves with this right now. Though our record sucks, the West is not as strong as it used to be. We are only 4 or 5 games out of that 8th spot right now. I'd say if we lose the next 3 or 4 that were hosed. :boohoo:


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## OneBadLT123 (Oct 4, 2005)

Mcgrady isnt near 100%, and the whole situation with yao also. 

I say, keep yao on the bench till he's 100%, and Also place mcgrady on it as well. McGrady right now needs to rest, because i dont want this crap for season to give his back even more severe cronic problems.Just watching him makes me cringe. Hes in pain people...

Come off season we need to make some serious adjustments, and moving players around. Possibly coaches. I am almost sure this season is already lost. ANd it just makes me dissapointed watching this team. But its just not going to work out for us. Even if we made the 8th or 7th scede. 

I honestly dont want to just throw in the towel, but how low does a team have to go/be?

Man i love my rockets, but this is the worst ive seen them for as long as i remember...


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## joefox4279 (Dec 23, 2005)

I still have faith in this season .. Rockets are just shell shocked atm .. I think there will some moves to free up cap space involving picks .. There are some good free agents next year ..

Reshard Lewis, SF, Seattle (Player option)
Peja Stojakovic, SF, Sacramento (Player option) 
Ben Wallace, PF/C, Detroit 
Jason Terry, PG, Dallas 
Al Harrington, PF, Atlanta 
Drew Gooden, PF, Cleveland (Restricted) 
Bonzi Wells, SG/SF, Sacramento 
Nene, PF/C, Denver (Restricted) 
Matt Harpring, SG/SF, Utah 
Joel Przybilla, C, Portland 
Speedy Claxton, PG, New Orleans 
Vladimir Radmanovic, SF/PF, Seattle 
Bobby Jackson, PG/SG, Memphis 
Keith Van Horn, SF/PF, Dallas 
Melvin Ely, Charlotte (Restricted) 
Sam Cassell, PG, Minnesota 
Chris Wilcox, PF, LA Clippers (Restricted) 
Mike James, Toronto (Player option) 
Alonzo Mourning, Miami 
James Posey, SG/SF, Miami (Player option) 
Reggie Evans, PF, Seattle 
John Salmons, Philadelphia (Restricted) 
Ronald Murray, Seattle 
Nazr Mohammed, C, San Antonio 
Jared Jeffries, Washington (Restricted) 
Michael Olowokandi, C, Minnesota


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## OneBadLT123 (Oct 4, 2005)

Lewis may be possible to get depending on how much he wants. He is a native houstonian, so who knows there...

We just need to move some players around now while we can still have some sort of trade value on them. And possibly free up some space for offseason additions/picks or whatever.


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## joefox4279 (Dec 23, 2005)

Those are the best top 26 in order ..


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## joefox4279 (Dec 23, 2005)

Here is the summer 2006 free agent list after this 2005/2006 season ..

Esteban Batista Atlanta Restricted Free Agent 
John Edwards Atlanta Restricted Free Agent 
Royal Ivey Atlanta Restricted Free Agent 
Donta Smith Atlanta Restricted Free Agent 
Orien Greene Boston Restricted Free Agent 
Kendrick Perkins Boston Restricted Free Agent 
Alan Anderson Charlotte Restricted Free Agent 
Kevin Burleson Charlotte Restricted Free Agent 
Matt Carroll Charlotte Unrestricted Free Agent 
Kareem Rush Charlotte Unrestricted Free Agent 
Malik Allen Chicago Unrestricted Free Agent 
Eddie Basden Chicago Restricted Free Agent 
Kirk Hinrich Chicago Restricted Free Agent 
Andres Nocioni Chicago Restricted Free Agent 
Darius Songaila Chicago Unrestricted Free Agent 
Mike Sweetney Chicago Restricted Free Agent 
Martynas Andriuskevicius Cleveland Restricted Free Agent 
LeBron James Cleveland Restricted Free Agent 
Aleksandar Pavlovic Cleveland Restricted Free Agent 
Anderson Varejao Cleveland Restricted Free Agent 
Josh Howard Dallas Restricted Free Agent 
Rawle Marshall Dallas Restricted Free Agent 
Josh Powell Dallas Restricted Free Agent 
Jerry Stackhouse Dallas Unrestricted Free Agent 
Carmelo Anthony Denver Restricted Free Agent 
Greg Buckner Denver Unrestricted Free Agent 
Alex Acker Detroit Restricted Free Agent 
Dale Davis Detroit Unrestricted Free Agent 
Amir Johnson Detroit Restricted Free Agent 
Darko Milicic Detroit Restricted Free Agent 
Zarko Cabarkapa Golden State Restricted Free Agent 
Monta Ellis Golden State Restricted Free Agent 
Mickael Pietrus Golden State Restricted Free Agent 
Chris Taft Golden State Restricted Free Agent 
Derek Anderson Houston Unrestricted Free Agent 
Ryan Bowen Houston Unrestricted Free Agent 
Dikembe Mutombo Houston Unrestricted Free Agent 
Moochie Norris Houston Unrestricted Free Agent 
Jonathan Bender Indiana Unrestricted Free Agent 
Austin Croshere Indiana Unrestricted Free Agent 
Chris Kaman L.A. Clippers Restricted Free Agent 
Brian Cook L.A. Lakers Restricted Free Agent 
Aaron McKie L.A. Lakers Unrestricted Free Agent 
Chris Mihm L.A. Lakers Unrestricted Free Agent 
Smush Parker L.A. Lakers Unrestricted Free Agent 
Von Wafer L.A. Lakers Restricted Free Agent 
Luke Walton L.A. Lakers Unrestricted Free Agent 
Dahntay Jones Memphis Restricted Free Agent 
Eddie Jones Memphis Unrestricted Free Agent 
Lawrence Roberts Memphis Restricted Free Agent 
Jake Tsakalidis Memphis Unrestricted Free Agent 
Jason Kapono Miami Unrestricted Free Agent 
James Posey Miami Unrestricted Free Agent 
Dwyane Wade Miami Restricted Free Agent 
Charlie Bell Milwaukee Restricted Free Agent 
T.J. Ford Milwaukee Restricted Free Agent 
Ersan Ilyasova Milwaukee Restricted Free Agent 
Jamaal Magloire Milwaukee Unrestricted Free Agent 
Joe Smith Milwaukee Unrestricted Free Agent 
Maurice Williams Milwaukee Unrestricted Free Agent 
Dwayne Jones Minnesota Restricted Free Agent 
Nikoloz Tskitishvili Minnesota Unrestricted Free Agent 
Bracey Wright Minnesota Restricted Free Agent 
Marc Jackson New Jersey Unrestricted Free Agent 
Jeff McInnis New Jersey Unrestricted Free Agent 
Scott Padgett New Jersey Unrestricted Free Agent 
Zoran Planinic New Jersey Restricted Free Agent 
Clifford Robinson New Jersey Unrestricted Free Agent 
Brandon Bass New Orleans Restricted Free Agent 
P.J. Brown New Orleans Unrestricted Free Agent 
Maciej Lampe New Orleans Unrestricted Free Agent 
Desmond Mason New Orleans Unrestricted Free Agent 
David West New Orleans Restricted Free Agent 
Maurice Taylor New York Unrestricted Free Agent 
Travis Diener Orlando Restricted Free Agent 
Grant Hill Orlando Unrestricted Free Agent 
DeShawn Stevenson Orlando Unrestricted Free Agent 
Shavlik Randolph Philadelphia Restricted Free Agent 
Leandro Barbosa Phoenix Restricted Free Agent 
Pat Burke Phoenix Restricted Free Agent 
Boris Diaw-Riffiod Phoenix Restricted Free Agent 
Brian Grant Phoenix Unrestricted Free Agent 
Eddie House Phoenix Unrestricted Free Agent 
Dijon Thompson Phoenix Restricted Free Agent 
Steve Blake Portland Unrestricted Free Agent 
Travis Outlaw Portland Restricted Free Agent 
Ruben Patterson Portland Unrestricted Free Agent 
Jason Hart Sacramento Unrestricted Free Agent 
Ronnie Price Sacramento Restricted Free Agent 
Peja Stojakovic Sacramento Unrestricted Free Agent 
Corliss Williamson Sacramento Unrestricted Free Agent 
Nick Collison Seattle Restricted Free Agent 
Danny Fortson Seattle Unrestricted Free Agent 
Mikki Moore Seattle Unrestricted Free Agent 
Vitaly Potapenko Seattle Unrestricted Free Agent 
Luke Ridnour Seattle Restricted Free Agent 
Matt Bonner Toronto Restricted Free Agent 
Chris Bosh Toronto Restricted Free Agent 
Mike James Toronto Unrestricted Free Agent 
Morris Peterson Toronto Unrestricted Free Agent 
Jalen Rose Toronto Unrestricted Free Agent 
Pape Sow Toronto Restricted Free Agent 
Eric Williams Toronto Unrestricted Free Agent 
Devin Brown Utah Unrestricted Free Agent 
Keith McLeod Utah Unrestricted Free Agent 
CJ Miles Utah Restricted Free Agent 
Robert Whaley Utah Restricted Free Agent 
Andray Blatche Washington Restricted Free Agent 
Calvin Booth Washington Unrestricted Free Agent 
Jarvis Hayes Washington Restricted Free Agent 
Michael Ruffin Washington Unrestricted Free Agent 
Donnell Taylor Washington Restricted Free Agent


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## rocketeer (Oct 7, 2002)

if we can't compete right now, can we at least start the young guys and not play ryan bowen?

put head, tmac, graham, baxter, and swift on the floor. it's not like they are going to do any worse.


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## joefox4279 (Dec 23, 2005)

The guys in Blue is who i would love to have here in Houston ..

There is other guys as well but i think our main focus should be trying to obtain the guys in blue and lock them in for 2006 ..

The guys in red should be the first option ..
Reshard Lewis isnt on that list but he is a free agent comming up ..

:boohoo:


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## 4BiddenKnight (Jun 23, 2005)

If T-Macs having severe problems with his back, rest him at all cost because I don't want a man with such a great career to be spoiled by chronic back injuries. Waiting will hurt but I would prefer watching T-Mac playing 100% after he fully recovers for a year rather than watching T-Mac agonizing it and having possible chronic risks.


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## joefox4279 (Dec 23, 2005)

I agree, also i think we should trade a big chunk of our payroll out for a scrub and there 1st pick next year .. We would save cap space on a free agent boom, and get multiple picks in the first round ..
:banana: 

As of right now we need to think of next year free up cap space, play Head more get more time, and get younger and more tallented for next year ..

Basically what im saying is fold in and throw in the towel because its going to get worst before it gets better and as a team they need to think .. 

Thats not what i wanted to do but as of right now what can you do to get out of this shell shocked season ..

I know Wesley has a Expiring contract .. He should stay imo ..

Howard had 2 good games tonight and the other night but makes about the same type of money as Wesley .. Will be getting older before consistant .. 

Swift seems to soft and sometimes i question his basketball IQ and Tougness .. I think he would be good bate to send to NJ for Jackson and a First rounder or Two .. I think his trade will be more valuable now then later ..

Anderson will Expire so he should stay ..

Barry will Retire

Mutombo should stay for his price and he solid back up and still a defensive presence .. Hes got 1 year after this year i think .. He needs to sharpen up those elbows and take no prisonors ..

Alston needs a chance to proov himself after his injury .. But for 5 years we will have plenty of time this season to find out before we trade him up in the draft ..

Bowen i think only signed 1 year so after this season he becomes a FA ..

And for crying out loud .. Get rid of Moochi Norris 3rd sting contract .. Its too big for a guy that will play 15 games a season ..

This would give us 4 potential First rounders next year .. And free up about 5 or 6 spots in the roster ..

Signing options :
Bosh PF -1st choice
Diaw SF/G - 2nd choice
Nocioni SF - filler
Henrich SG - filler
Ford PG - 3rd choice
Cant sign all of them because we will have 4 First round picks ..

Line up for next year

Yao/Mutombo/Jackson
Bosh/Howard/Baxter
Diaw/Nocioni
McGrady/Henrich/Head
Ford/Sura/N/A

Im willing to put money that this line up here would win us 2 world champions ..

And 4 First rounders makes up deep and younger by far .. They want to Run, this looks like a running team to me .. We could even go small ball ..

I really know its frustrating as hell for the Rockets .. I been watching them since the Olajuwon era .. And i never seen a team that been so devistated at once time so early before .. I just hope they can stick together and find a way to pull this thing out ..


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## OneBadLT123 (Oct 4, 2005)

great post^

my thoughts exactly. I see this as an oppertunity to start preparing for next season, because this season as it is, is pretty much lost. 

McGrady, rest his back, and by next year, back to 100% again. Because now its just going to be creating problems that may haunt him the rest of his career


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## darknezx (Apr 13, 2004)

joefox4279 said:


> Signing options :
> Bosh PF -1st choice
> Diaw SF/G - 2nd choice
> Nocioni SF - filler
> ...


I think we should just rest T-mac, and possibly give up this season. It's beyond reach I guess, and the only thing worth watching the Rockets this year will be for Luther Head, and his growth. Fire Vun Gundy in the offseason - priority. Hopefully we can get Stan Van Gundy, but his family commitments may not allow him to come.

I'd like to see if the Sacramento Kings are doing fine; if they aren't, we might have a chance of coming away with Shareef Abdur Rahim, or better still, Mike Bibby. With their current core, they aren't going anywhere, and they could take some of our expiring contracts to rebuild. Last year they were still playoff threats, whereas this year their in a hole of theirs as deep as what we're in.

Alternatively, we could try to make a deal for Brent Barry, he could provide the veteran smarts that Jon Barry provided, and top it off with consistent play and bigger minutes.

Another way would be Mikael Pietrus. This guy may not be keen on returning to Golden State, and though he may be raw offensively, defensively he's a beast, and could be groomed into a good defender who makes open shots. Just for next season alone, he could be worth it, just for defence.

Maurice Williams of the bucks could be good for us, but I'm not sure at what price he'll come at. 

The candidates mentioned, are probably not coming to Houston:

Bosh - Long shot, unless somehow he deserts Toronto *AND* comes to us for the MLE, which is highly impossible. He'll be looking to get at least a near max contract.

Diaw SF/G - Long shot, gonna stay in Phoenix. He's in an ideal situation.

Nocioni SF - Probably the best one, since the Bulls might not be wanting to lock up cap space meant for Peja

Hinrich SG - Not gonna happen

Ford PG - He'll be Milwaukee's starting PG for the next rest of the decade if healthy

*Next Year:*

I'm thinking of making a run for Mo Pete from Toronto, as well as getting a rookie SF in the upcoming draft. Mutumbo will be all but gone, since he has already made clear his intention in retiring.

Sura may not be coming back at all, and it's better to look at his status as icing on the cake, rather than being a definite factor. We need a backup point, Head can't make the entry pass, Moochie Norris is more suited as the water boy/man. :curse: 

I like the Nocioni signing, since the Bulls might be content to just let him walk, and they're not going to lock up the valuable cap space. Nevertheless he could be resigned, or we might be outmatched by other teams desperate for some energy off the bench/decent starter.

We could make a run for Joel Pryzbilla too, but I'm thinking he'll resign with Portland after they gave him a chance. I'm hoping too that we don't sign Kandiman, doing that will doom us to the lottery for the rest of eternity. :dead:

Most importantly, if Ryan Bowen's gonna be starting again next season, I'd rather risk all of the MLE on a good/average SF. If he's coming back, he better be a backup providing energy in limited minutes. :curse:


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## The_Franchise (Mar 30, 2003)

I don't see Houston being able to free up cap space for big FA signings. They have some pretty long contracts as of now -- Howard, Alston, Swift, Sura. Those are all nice players but not necessarily easy to move. I'm all for stockpiling talent on this team but Houston has never been great at scouting and signing quality FA's. It will have to be done via trade, where there is less of an unknown factor. Tons of possibilities as you guys mentioned, but I'm pretty sure firing JVG is not one of them.


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## VeN (May 10, 2005)

What I dont get is why all the talk about letting JVG go? I think he did a great job with what he had, almost nothing. You guys got hit with a myriad of injuries this season and dissapointing trades. If you guys make the playoffs it will be a miracle but I think yall can do it possibly.


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## darknezx (Apr 13, 2004)

Yes, but either JVG has to loosen the defensive burden on Yao, or he has to go. Yao CANNOT go on challenging picks and rolling back to under the basket, or setting a pick on every play. And if he continues to start Ryan Bowen, well..

They need to speed the game up a bit, not this season, but future seasons. They can play without all the slow tempo and ugliness in their offence.


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## Hakeem (Aug 12, 2004)

I don't think Van Gundy should be fired. He has shown he can win. We were very successful last season after we got the roster straightened out, even when starting Clarence Weatherspoon during the tough post-All-Star break stretch. We nearly beat a 58-win Dallas team with Ryan Bowen starting. JVG took a Ewing-less Knicks team to the Finals in '99. Most likely, he has contributed to Yao becoming a fine defender -- one of the most underrated defenders in the league, IMO. If Yao has to come out to the perimeter occassionally, he has to. Shaq refused to do that, and it hurt his team. Jeff Van Gundy is all right.

Also, I think it's a bit early to throw in the towel. T-Mac is still recovering. You never know what can happen. 8th seed is possible, and it isn't much worse than 4th. We have to beat the Spurs eventually.


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## skykisser (Nov 10, 2005)

I dont think its a good idea to fire JVG right now. I admit Phill Jackson n Larry Brown are better than this guy. But at least he's a decent coach. If we fire him right now, we cant find a better one available to replace him.


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## Pasha The Great (Apr 9, 2005)

Ive been gone but from what Im reading TMAC is playing awful due to playing injured. If this is the case I think it is right that we bench McGrady for a few weeks since we will most likely lose our games.. it will be horrible to watch with out him but it seems to be the best for our future. 

Actually I'd let him play a few more games and see how hes doing.. if he isnt doing well, then he should be put on hte inactive list.


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## Mr. Hobbes (Jul 1, 2005)

The Rockets need change now. No depth, too old, and JVG is obsessed with playing Bowen, Barry and Wesley, the old guys. The Rockets can't get much worse than this, so JVG leaving won't hurt too much.


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