[Game 16] Houston Rockets v. Indiana Pacers Game Thread

[TMACFORMVP]

Yeah, I agree with mpsniper101 and TMU, there's no point in McGrady sitting out, he's just being (Please Use More Appropriate Word) doing and getting more out of shape if he keeps missing games.

[Mike12345]

I like how this topic slides over to tmac skipping a game. Guys we were facing indiana at home,,,,give me a break this game was a good game to test if sitting out would help his knee. We sould have one this game without tmac indiana is about half as talented as us.

I dont want a crappy version of tmac all year i mean u would think after the first 13 games he played his knee would be improving,,,,it wasnt he felt it was getting more sore. So i mean if theres no improvement u gotta try resting it. This game thread should have nothing to do with tmac really,,,,it should have to do with the poor performance by the rockets as a whole,,,,,oklahoma city could have closed that game out last night at home. If neither of our point guards can create an easy shot for artest or yao at the end of the game then find a point guard that can. Artest shouldnt have to create his own shot

[ShaY]

If he can't give us 100% there is no point of him playing , if you are not 100% but you can play fine but he can't.

No reason to force him playing when all he is thinking about is that he is slow and can't jumop and he is dragging the leg up an ddown the court.

IMO>

[Iggyemu]

Yeah, I agree with mpsniper101 and TMU, there's no point in McGrady sitting out, he's just being (Please Use More Appropriate Word) doing and getting more out of shape if he keeps missing games.

The guy limps up and down the court.

I am sorry...if he can't sit out and rest that knee b/c we'll lose every game then we might as well forget being a playoff threat. Because we would be exactly where we were in the last 4 years. Too reliant on Tracy McGrady to win games.

[TMU]

I like how this topic slides over to tmac skipping a game. Guys we were facing indiana at home,,,,give me a break this game was a good game to test if sitting out would help his knee. We sould have one this game without tmac indiana is about half as talented as us.

I dont want a crappy version of tmac all year i mean u would think after the first 13 games he played his knee would be improving,,,,it wasnt he felt it was getting more sore. So i mean if theres no improvement u gotta try resting it. This game thread should have nothing to do with tmac really,,,,it should have to do with the poor performance by the rockets as a whole,,,,,oklahoma city could have closed that game out last night at home. If neither of our point guards can create an easy shot for artest or yao at the end of the game then find a point guard that can. Artest shouldnt have to create his own shot

This team shouldn't settle just for a playoff spot. We've been there and done that for the past 3 out 4 years. With the acquisition of Ron Artest, our goal is to compete for home court advantage in this competitive Western conference. And without getting the home court, we'll never advance past the first round. JVG knew this from the start and both Adelman and Morey know this.

The topic digressed because we need McGrady's assurance of whether or not he can play. Some of us are frustrated with McGrady because he himself doesn't understand his health status. McGrady claimed that he was healthy in games which he shouldn't have played. As a result, he ended up hurting the team by playing in those games (e.g.: both LA games). Upon these piss-poor games, McGrady stated that his knee was bothering him. Upon re-examination, the doctor(s) told him that his conditioning was poor due to the surgery (and what not), and that he needs to play to get his knee straightened out. But McGrady disagreed with the doctor(s) and decided to shut himself down. So did McGrady knew what he was doing? No, instead he played against Phoenix and scored 27 with 4 3-pointers... Strange isn't it? Then he went into another stretch of slump and eventually decided to sit out the team announced that Battier will be able to play against Indiana.

This whole fiasco just tells me that McGrady's lost confidence in himself and that he's confused. He doesn't know the difference between what he can and can't handle. He' needs to stop toying with this franchise and make up his mind. The only question he needs to answer is: 'Can I play?'.

If McGrady can play, he should believe in himself and play like all athletes do. Otherwise, sit out for a couple of games and come back strong. He shouldn't come out and score 20+ points on one night and then go for 1 - 11 the next night and call it quit. And finally, he shouldn't use his teammate's health to decide whether or not he's going to play. This is a basketball team, not office security.

[Mike12345]

I see your point,,,,but the reason some nights he scores 20 and some nights 5,,,,,,is simply because he has to resort to shooting because his athleticism isnt back yet, It has nothing to do with his desire,,,,he hit 4 3 pointers and everyones like ohh tmac plays better on national tv,,,,,ya his brain automatically triggers him to shoot better on national tv,,,,i doubt that.

Its not like tmac has been playing 15 mins a game to get into shape. At the beggining he was playing a lot of minutes and trying to move around,,,,,,so id like to know what the doctors think of that. If he plays 10 games at 35 minutes,,,,,how come theres no improvement in his knee?? That doesnt sound right to me personally,,,,why is he moving slower some days then others.

And for the record he hasnt SHUT IT DOWN,,,,,he took a game off to see if that makes a difference. Now lets say he comes back saturday and is moving a lot better then he did against miami,,,,what will you say to that??? That he was right and he needed some rest,,,,,and maybe telling a player how his body SHOULD feel is stupid.

He seemed to play 40 mins in the playoffs needing 2 surgeries,,,,,so maybe the guy is right and his knee needs some rest.

Did i say we just want to make the playoffs??? No but a home game against indiana we should win without one of our three stars,,,,guys need to step up because nobodys gona be fully healthy in the playoffs. Are we really that concerned with home court anyways lol we suck at home,,,,we played great on the road last year against the best home team in the league. I just wanna be healthy for the playoffs,,,,and if tmac blows his knee out based on doctor reccomendations and everyone pressuring him to play i will flip out

[MaxRider]

dont we have a thread saying cutting Hayes? now we are saying not playing Hayes enough?
i'm blaming this on our assistant coach or whoever response for the scouting report or defensive play
i can't believe we let Granger shooting that 20 footer after pick and roll all the time
after 2 made baskets we should cut him off already

[TMACFORMVP]

The guy limps up and down the court.

I am sorry...if he can't sit out and rest that knee b/c we'll lose every game then we might as well forget being a playoff threat. Because we would be exactly where we were in the last 4 years. Too reliant on Tracy McGrady to win games.

I dunno man, I don't see how much better it gets resting his knee, when the doctors told him it'd be better if he were to play on it and thus strengthening it. Knowing Mac's personality, if he were to sit, he wouldn't do any rehabbing, and just sit around getting even more out of shape.

It's his mentality moreso than the injury IMO. He's shown the ability to be able to still dominate games (Portland, Phoenix, Washington (4th Q), and few others like Boston). It's just that he's content with passing the ball and deferring to his teammates, even when at times it's not best for the team. He still draws an enormous amount of attention on the court, yet refuses to attack the mis-matches he on a daily basis. He's always had a good mid-range/post up game and has been shooting the ball from the outside than he ever has, it's just that he's content with doing nothing on the court, because he has some sort of help. That's not going to cut it, the idea wasn't for T-Mac to become a worse player with the acquisition of Artest, it was for all three to play to their fullest potential, meaning all three up near and over 18 points per game on good percentages. It's his mentality, he's been slower than seasons before, our offense past couple of years has been the pick and roll, T-Mac would normally get the pick, then the opponents come with a hard double, in which McGrady would dribble out of and either get himself, or his teammates wide open shots, which resulted in a decent shot attempt. Too reliant on McGrady? Yes, but still was our go to offensive move, this year, every time the hard double has come he's just passed it off.

He still has the ability, he's shown he can get to the rim and to the line (earlier in the season), he's shown he can knock down the three, and he's shown that when he wants to and forces the issue, he can still be that 20+/5+/5+ type of player, but it's his mentality. He settles, he doesn't play hard, and is too content with not playing to his fullest potential and deferring to an extent that robs our team of attacking an even bigger mis-match. His playmaking has been horrible this year, Yao has been inconsistent, and Artest is a horrible shooter that takes horrible shots.

Our potential is great, but our mentality is horrible, and I don't see how we really change that unless we were to have some one call them out. In most situations it'd be the coach, but Adelman, like our players, is a players coach, and not the motivator, leader type. McGrady needs to realize, even if Yao were to be our best player, McGrady is the backbone of this team. He by far draws the most attention on our team from the perimeter, our best play-maker, and one of the most dangerous one on one scorers in the league. His ability to impact the game, especially on the offensive end when he's forcing the issue and trying to be aggressive is only matched by few perimeter players in the game (Kobe, Wade, Bron, Pierce, etc.) When he plays well, and is aggressive, it's no coincidence our team is tough to beat, even moreso than when Yao plays well, because he can get everyone else involved and create overall more havoc for the other teams defense. If the team sees McGrady playing hard instead of gingerly walking up the floor doing nothing, and him being aggressive, our team is one of the best in the league. He needs to realize that even with some of his skills diminishing, he can still be a dominant player on the offensive side of the ball.

This team relies on McGrady, a bit too much? Yes, but if he's really the star he is, then he needs to accept the responsibility and go out there, play hard and play HIS GAME. Everything else involved with our team will come if he does that. I really don't know what's wrong with his knee, but like TMU mentioned saying he needs to shut it down after every poor game he has, seems to be more an excuse for his poor performance. I just don't see how resting on the bench would heal his REAL problem, his mentality, it'd just further put him out of shape, when the doctors said it'd best he play on his knee to get it stronger.

[ShaY]

The guy limps up and down the court.

I am sorry...if he can't sit out and rest that knee b/c we'll lose every game then we might as well forget being a playoff threat. Because we would be exactly where we were in the last 4 years. Too reliant on Tracy McGrady to win games.

I dunno man, I don't see how much better it gets resting his knee, when the doctors told him it'd be better if he were to play on it and thus strengthening it. Knowing Mac's personality, if he were to sit, he wouldn't do any rehabbing, and just sit around getting even more out of shape.

It's his mentality moreso than the injury IMO. He's shown the ability to be able to still dominate games (Portland, Phoenix, Washington (4th Q), and few others like Boston). It's just that he's content with passing the ball and deferring to his teammates, even when at times it's not best for the team. He still draws an enormous amount of attention on the court, yet refuses to attack the mis-matches he on a daily basis. He's always had a good mid-range/post up game and has been shooting the ball from the outside than he ever has, it's just that he's content with doing nothing on the court, because he has some sort of help. That's not going to cut it, the idea wasn't for T-Mac to become a worse player with the acquisition of Artest, it was for all three to play to their fullest potential, meaning all three up near and over 18 points per game on good percentages. It's his mentality, he's been slower than seasons before, our offense past couple of years has been the pick and roll, T-Mac would normally get the pick, then the opponents come with a hard double, in which McGrady would dribble out of and either get himself, or his teammates wide open shots, which resulted in a decent shot attempt. Too reliant on McGrady? Yes, but still was our go to offensive move, this year, every time the hard double has come he's just passed it off.

He still has the ability, he's shown he can get to the rim and to the line (earlier in the season), he's shown he can knock down the three, and he's shown that when he wants to and forces the issue, he can still be that 20+/5+/5+ type of player, but it's his mentality. He settles, he doesn't play hard, and is too content with not playing to his fullest potential and deferring to an extent that robs our team of attacking an even bigger mis-match. His playmaking has been horrible this year, Yao has been inconsistent, and Artest is a horrible shooter that takes horrible shots.

Our potential is great, but our mentality is horrible, and I don't see how we really change that unless we were to have some one call them out. In most situations it'd be the coach, but Adelman, like our players, is a players coach, and not the motivator, leader type. McGrady needs to realize, even if Yao were to be our best player, McGrady is the backbone of this team. He by far draws the most attention on our team from the perimeter, our best play-maker, and one of the most dangerous one on one scorers in the league. His ability to impact the game, especially on the offensive end when he's forcing the issue and trying to be aggressive is only matched by few perimeter players in the game (Kobe, Wade, Bron, Pierce, etc.) When he plays well, and is aggressive, it's no coincidence our team is tough to beat, even moreso than when Yao plays well, because he can get everyone else involved and create overall more havoc for the other teams defense. If the team sees McGrady playing hard instead of gingerly walking up the floor doing nothing, and him being aggressive, our team is one of the best in the league. He needs to realize that even with some of his skills diminishing, he can still be a dominant player on the offensive side of the ball.

This team relies on McGrady, a bit too much? Yes, but if he's really the star he is, then he needs to accept the responsibility and go out there, play hard and play HIS GAME. Everything else involved with our team will come if he does that. I really don't know what's wrong with his knee, but like TMU mentioned saying he needs to shut it down after every poor game he has, seems to be more an excuse for his poor performance. I just don't see how resting on the bench would heal his REAL problem, his mentality, it'd just further put him out of shape, when the doctors said it'd best he play on his knee to get it stronger.

In the games he played well it was all jumshots , he simply got hot from 3 , he is shooting over 40% from there this year , if it wasn't for that he would look even worse.

His assist numbers are down because he can't break people down at all and is slow off the pick n roll.

Playing through it hasn't helped at all so far and he said is knee is sorer than usual so he sat out , I am willing to see if the approach he wants to take which is sit out will work better.

You can't know if he will rehab or not so stop guessing and saying he didn't rehad hard enough in the off season because you don't know , and I didn't see any indication written anywhere that confirms what you are saying.

[TMU]

In the games he played well it was all jumshots , he simply got hot from 3 , he is shooting over 40% from there this year , if it wasn't for that he would look even worse.

His assist numbers are down because he can't break people down at all and is slow off the pick n roll.

Playing through it hasn't helped at all so far and he said is knee is sorer than usual so he sat out , I am willing to see if the approach he wants to take which is sit out will work better.

You can't know if he will rehab or not so stop guessing and saying he didn't rehad hard enough in the off season because you don't know , and I didn't see any indication written anywhere that confirms what you are saying.

And why do you suppose 78% of his shots are jumpers? And why can't he break down opponents left and right?

He's either injured or/and out of shape (under an athlete's standard), or both. You can't simply say that he's hurt just because McGrady will never admit that his conditioning is poor. He has too much ego. If he's hurt, he needs to sit out. If he isn't, he's just out of shape and needs play these regular season games in order to improve his game. Either way, he needs to make that fine distinction between the two, and not waver back and forth depending on his previous production. That's all.

[TMACFORMVP]

I acknowledged he's not as fast as he was in previous seasons (see my comment on his normal ability to dribble out of the hard double on the pick to get his assists), but he's shown, he can still get to the rim and be aggressive. That's the only thing he relied on the first 6-8 games of the season. When his jumper wasn't falling this season, he went to the FT line over 8 times in four consecutive games (11, 8, 10, and 10). And then after that Phoenix game where his jumpshot looked good, he stopped attacking and settling.

It's true I don't know whether he'll rehab or not, but come on, T-Mac had months to try to recover from the surgery by rehabbing and it looks like the same situation or worse than it was last season. The injury is bothering him, I'm not doubting that or denying that, I just think his mentality is more worrisome than the actual injury.

If there was actually some sort of evidence that would show McGrady would benefit from sitting out and resting (all is pointing otherwise), then I'd fully agree with you, and tell Mac to sit out until it comes to a point where we just need him on the floor, or he's just feeling better. It seems it's becoming more a scapegoat for him everytime he has a poor game.

Man I really don't know what to think, this team is so frustrating to watch, we should have the game last night, just like we should have won the Portland and San Antonio game (arguably the Boston game as well). Our offense is atrocious, our defense can be inconsistent and we're not showing too many signs of improvement, rather repeating bad habits. I just hope we can turn it around, because these are the type of losses that will come back to hurt us. San Antonio got Ginobili back and are playing well, Dallas is on a roll, New Orleans is starting to get it together (though two games were against the Thunder) and then factor in Phoenix is playing very well, Portland with the same record as us, and Utah getting Deron back, the West's competitiveness which got off to a rocky start, is seeming to pick up. I didn't even mention the Nuggets who actually lead their division and playing big time basketball with the acquisition of Billups.

[TMACFORMVP]

hehe, TMU I was just about to delete my post, because I thought I accidentally double posted, lol.

[TMU]

hehe, TMU I was just about to delete my post, because I thought I accidentally double posted, lol.

My bad. I changed my avatar to avoid further confusion.

Anyway I am with you MVP. You can't rule out his effort and conditioning in this discussion because there is a vast discrepancy in his production between games that are nationally televised and games that aren't. Something's just not right.

[ShaY]

I acknowledged he's not as fast as he was in previous seasons (see my comment on his normal ability to dribble out of the hard double on the pick to get his assists), but he's shown, he can still get to the rim and be aggressive. That's the only thing he relied on the first 6-8 games of the season. When his jumper wasn't falling this season, he went to the FT line over 8 times in four consecutive games (11, 8, 10, and 10). And then after that Phoenix game where his jumpshot looked good, he stopped attacking and settling.

It's true I don't know whether he'll rehab or not, but come on, T-Mac had months to try to recover from the surgery by rehabbing and it looks like the same situation or worse than it was last season. The injury is bothering him, I'm not doubting that or denying that, I just think his mentality is more worrisome than the actual injury.

If there was actually some sort of evidence that would show McGrady would benefit from sitting out and resting (all is pointing otherwise), then I'd fully agree with you, and tell Mac to sit out until it comes to a point where we just need him on the floor, or he's just feeling better. It seems it's becoming more a scapegoat for him everytime he has a poor game.

Man I really don't know what to think, this team is so frustrating to watch, we should have the game last night, just like we should have won the Portland and San Antonio game (arguably the Boston game as well). Our offense is atrocious, our defense can be inconsistent and we're not showing too many signs of improvement, rather repeating bad habits. I just hope we can turn it around, because these are the type of losses that will come back to hurt us. San Antonio got Ginobili back and are playing well, Dallas is on a roll, New Orleans is starting to get it together (though two games were against the Thunder) and then factor in Phoenix is playing very well, Portland with the same record as us, and Utah getting Deron back, the West's competitiveness which got off to a rocky start, is seeming to pick up. I didn't even mention the Nuggets who actually lead their division and playing big time basketball with the acquisition of Billups.

Mcgrady will heal the same way if he plays or if he sits and rehabs , thats according to the doctors.

I think he should sit , especially when is knee is sorer than usual and he can't give 100% on the court.
IMO if he can't get on the court and play like is normal self he should sit , if you are out there you should play , no excuses and no dragging your leg and just shooting from outside.

Thats what T-Mac is doing right now so imo he should sit , we disagree and I see from where you are coming from so lets just agree to disagree and hope that whatever he does it works out for the best and he will be 100% again this season.


About the team I agree with you 100% and I feel the same , but there will be plenty high and low , just like we felt good after the 3 game winning streak win a 2nd it turned around and we feel sick about the loss to Indiana.

It's a long season so just remind your self that we are still very very early in the season and a lot of things can change and also try to never get too high or too low , thats what I try to do and it helps to not ruin my mood after these frustrating losses.

[TMACFORMVP]

My bad. I changed my avatar to avoid further confusion.

Anyway I am with you MVP. You can't rule out his effort and conditioning in this discussion because there is a vast discrepancy in his production between games that are nationally televised and games that aren't. Something's just not right.

Yeah, agreed.

And, you didn't have to change the avatar, I just thought it was funny so I pointed it out, haha.

It's a long season so just remind your self that we are still very very early in the season and a lot of things can change and also try to never get too high or too low , thats what I try to do and it helps to not ruin my mood after these frustrating losses.

Yeah man, we just want what's best for the team, I understand the losses in the scheme of things in a long season might not mean much, but I just want to see us improve on situations in which we usually don't come through on. Hopefully as you said our team shows the improvement, and we can live up to the potential, and that potential to be great is undeniable. It's just real hard to vision at this point in time, lol.

[Mike12345]

The guy limps up and down the court.

I am sorry...if he can't sit out and rest that knee b/c we'll lose every game then we might as well forget being a playoff threat. Because we would be exactly where we were in the last 4 years. Too reliant on Tracy McGrady to win games.

I dunno man, I don't see how much better it gets resting his knee, when the doctors told him it'd be better if he were to play on it and thus strengthening it. Knowing Mac's personality, if he were to sit, he wouldn't do any rehabbing, and just sit around getting even more out of shape.

It's his mentality moreso than the injury IMO. He's shown the ability to be able to still dominate games (Portland, Phoenix, Washington (4th Q), and few others like Boston). It's just that he's content with passing the ball and deferring to his teammates, even when at times it's not best for the team. He still draws an enormous amount of attention on the court, yet refuses to attack the mis-matches he on a daily basis. He's always had a good mid-range/post up game and has been shooting the ball from the outside than he ever has, it's just that he's content with doing nothing on the court, because he has some sort of help. That's not going to cut it, the idea wasn't for T-Mac to become a worse player with the acquisition of Artest, it was for all three to play to their fullest potential, meaning all three up near and over 18 points per game on good percentages. It's his mentality, he's been slower than seasons before, our offense past couple of years has been the pick and roll, T-Mac would normally get the pick, then the opponents come with a hard double, in which McGrady would dribble out of and either get himself, or his teammates wide open shots, which resulted in a decent shot attempt. Too reliant on McGrady? Yes, but still was our go to offensive move, this year, every time the hard double has come he's just passed it off.

He still has the ability, he's shown he can get to the rim and to the line (earlier in the season), he's shown he can knock down the three, and he's shown that when he wants to and forces the issue, he can still be that 20+/5+/5+ type of player, but it's his mentality. He settles, he doesn't play hard, and is too content with not playing to his fullest potential and deferring to an extent that robs our team of attacking an even bigger mis-match. His playmaking has been horrible this year, Yao has been inconsistent, and Artest is a horrible shooter that takes horrible shots.

Our potential is great, but our mentality is horrible, and I don't see how we really change that unless we were to have some one call them out. In most situations it'd be the coach, but Adelman, like our players, is a players coach, and not the motivator, leader type. McGrady needs to realize, even if Yao were to be our best player, McGrady is the backbone of this team. He by far draws the most attention on our team from the perimeter, our best play-maker, and one of the most dangerous one on one scorers in the league. His ability to impact the game, especially on the offensive end when he's forcing the issue and trying to be aggressive is only matched by few perimeter players in the game (Kobe, Wade, Bron, Pierce, etc.) When he plays well, and is aggressive, it's no coincidence our team is tough to beat, even moreso than when Yao plays well, because he can get everyone else involved and create overall more havoc for the other teams defense. If the team sees McGrady playing hard instead of gingerly walking up the floor doing nothing, and him being aggressive, our team is one of the best in the league. He needs to realize that even with some of his skills diminishing, he can still be a dominant player on the offensive side of the ball.

This team relies on McGrady, a bit too much? Yes, but if he's really the star he is, then he needs to accept the responsibility and go out there, play hard and play HIS GAME. Everything else involved with our team will come if he does that. I really don't know what's wrong with his knee, but like TMU mentioned saying he needs to shut it down after every poor game he has, seems to be more an excuse for his poor performance. I just don't see how resting on the bench would heal his REAL problem, his mentality, it'd just further put him out of shape, when the doctors said it'd best he play on his knee to get it stronger.

In the games he played well it was all jumshots , he simply got hot from 3 , he is shooting over 40% from there this year , if it wasn't for that he would look even worse.

His assist numbers are down because he can't break people down at all and is slow off the pick n roll.

Playing through it hasn't helped at all so far and he said is knee is sorer than usual so he sat out , I am willing to see if the approach he wants to take which is sit out will work better.

You can't know if he will rehab or not so stop guessing and saying he didn't rehad hard enough in the off season because you don't know , and I didn't see any indication written anywhere that confirms what you are saying.

Exactly what he said,,,,,,clearly ur biased saying he didnt rehab,,,,tmacs never a guy u hear negative things about missing practice or stuff like that,,,,ive never even heard a coach say anything negative about him.

Heres my main point about the rockets,,,,,,and especially yao. Whenever tmac is asked to step up,,,,,he brings it. Playoffs,,,,,or when yao goes out he has stepped up and played terrific. Last night players were asked to step up in his absence,,,,,,hard nosed guys like landry and scola,,,,,,well you saw there stats played great. Yao who was expected to carry the team,,,,,,couldnt drop 20 points,,,,and against a team that doesnt have a big interrior presence. Yao has never stepped up in the clutch,,,,,and if a guy whos an all star cant step up when we need him we will get beat up in the paint in the playoffs.

Artest didnt step up either,,,,,but ill give him the benefit of the doubt because its a new team and he has struggled to find his offense. But hey,,,,,artest is a defender,,,,thats what he does best. Im hoping artest by playoff time steps up big and tmac is healthy. Yao will just play average and will proly give up a lot of points to whoever he covers i.e boozer dropping 30 every game.

[TMU]

Exactly what he said,,,,,,clearly ur biased saying he didnt rehab,,,,tmacs never a guy u hear negative things about missing practice or stuff like that,,,,ive never even heard a coach say anything negative about him.

Heres my main point about the rockets,,,,,,and especially yao. Whenever tmac is asked to step up,,,,,he brings it. Playoffs,,,,,or when yao goes out he has stepped up and played terrific. Last night players were asked to step up in his absence,,,,,,hard nosed guys like landry and scola,,,,,,well you saw there stats played great. Yao who was expected to carry the team,,,,,,couldnt drop 20 points,,,,and against a team that doesnt have a big interrior presence. Yao has never stepped up in the clutch,,,,,and if a guy whos an all star cant step up when we need him we will get beat up in the paint in the playoffs.

Artest didnt step up either,,,,,but ill give him the benefit of the doubt because its a new team and he has struggled to find his offense. But hey,,,,,artest is a defender,,,,thats what he does best. Im hoping artest by playoff time steps up big and tmac is healthy. Yao will just play average and will proly give up a lot of points to whoever he covers i.e boozer dropping 30 every game.

The only bias I see in this thread is your bias against Yao Ming. I like how this slides over to tmac skipping a game, no uh... unnecessary Yao bashing. In those bold statements, you're taking cheap shots at him by bringing up what he did in the playoffs - which have no relevance with the discussion of our team's current status. If you want to talk about his effort last night, do so without any hidden innuendos. Otherwise, you're just revealing that you're only a one-dimensional Rockets fan.

If you're a true Rockets fan, I ask your opinions be fair to all players. Again, your unnecessary Yao Ming bash needs to stop.