RealGM

Its that time of the year again. Now that the Rockets are finished, how would u rate their performance?

Yao: B+
Great regular season. Solid postseason. Another year of Yao, another year of hard work and another year of season ending injury. Will Yao be here post 2010?

Tmac: D-------
This guy's been through enough. DOn't have the heart to give him an F so he gets a D minus minus minus minus minus minus from me. Injury not his fault but he complained and whined too much during the season. Coming from the so called "leader" that's unacceptable. I would've gave him an F but did u know that he registered a couple of triple doubles and near triple doubles during a brief stint of comeback from his "illness"? That tells me the guy still got it.

Artest: B
Overrated as a defender. Erratic as an offensive player. But ultimately his determination and toughness is what pushed this rocket team passed the first round hurdle. Whether we resign him will depend on his asking price. Something tells me that Ron Ron wants the monay.

Scola: A
Improved just about every facet of his game during his sophmore year. Developed a much needed mid range game that helped spread the floor for Yao and guys like Brooks. Arguably our best player in the playoffs. Still a below average defender due to his limitation... however.. resign him at all cost.

Battier: B
Battier is Battier. He does what Battier does. Best perimeter defender on this team. Quality leader. I <3 Shane Battier. No homo

Alston: C+
Since i included Tmac, its only fitting that i mention skip to my lou as well. I mean he played more games for us than Tmac. No matter what anybody say, he was a solid PG. Not nearly as talented as Brooks but much much more stable. Some of Aaron Brook's turnover just makes u want to commit genocide on all the midget scoring point guards in the world.

Brooks: A-
Despite his tendency to commit despicable turnovers at crucial time, he still played brilliant basketball for us especially in the playoffs. I hate him but love him at the same time. He was the one guy that neither Portland or LA had an answer for. I see a star in the making...

Lowry: B+
I was very against the Alston/Lowry trade in the beginning. I was wrong. This little guy is a pitbull. Absolutely devastating at attacking the basket. Much more stable as a court general than Brooks. If he develops an outside shot, the league better watch out.

Landry: B
His highlight of the year was getting shot in the leg. Tought to improve on last year's spectacular rookie season. He still played solid but Rocket town has such high hope on this lad.

Barry: D
One word, Disappointment
Two words, shot gone
Three words, Just Retire Already

Hayes: B-
Didn't play a whole lot for us during the regular season. Played fantastic defense when we needed him. Chuck wagon is here to stay.

Wafer: B+
Surprise discovery of the season. Far exceeded anybody's wildest imagination. Except for those guys that think he should average 40 points and 10 dunks a game ofcourse.

Mutombo: A++++++
Good bye Mutombo. U will be missed.

Cooks: F
I dont think i've ever hated watching a Rocket more than Brian Cooks. For the record, i liked Greek Mac ALOT when he played.

White: NA
Nice form on the shot. Next season's Von Wafer possibly?

Yao - B++ - Would give him better, but he's still to prone, shut-down-able, and went out in the playoffs. Not a bad year at all for him though.

TMac - F - Would have given him a D- prior to his talking against us publicly in the playoffs and not showing up for any games. After the former, the latter almost needed to happen though. I've taken up for him in the past, but this year he wore out his welcome.

Artest - C+ - Were it not for his emerged leadership role and 3p shooting, I'd have given him a D. Going into the season, I expected the perimeter to be LOCKED DOWN but our offense to still be shaky. The offense was still shaky, but only Battier (and somewhat Lowry) truly performed on perimeter D.

Scola: A++
I'll steal/modify guy's here...
Improved just about every facet of his game during his sophomore year. Improved his mid range game to help spread the floor for Yao and our slashers (Wafer/Brooks/Lowry). Our best player in the playoffs. Decent defender, resign him at all cost. One of the best bargains in the NBA.

Battier: A-
Only thing I can say bad about him this season was oops he was injured for the first part of it. C'mon, he outscored Kobe. Lifetime achievement award right there.

Alston: B
Alston was Alston till we traded him. Underrated but effective in his own little demented, referee-kissing way. He hasn't really dropped off yet, but we got rid of him just in time. He'll still be a very nice backup for Orlando next year, but reached the end of his starting days with us.

Brooks: B-
Needs to learn to pass, and use his quickness to funnel his man to the right spots on the floor, but generally performed his role well, especially since he was a starter and more or less still a rookie this year. Unless he improves a lot in the above-mentioned aspects over the off-season, expect more of the Alston love/hate relationship with him. That said, I wouldn't be surprised if he was able to improve some more.

Lowry: B+
The best trades are the ones that initially make you think "nonono" (unless your GM is Chris Wallace or Isaiah Thomas), as they mean you may have gotten an undervalued asset, which is gravy. The business side gradually became clear - not likely to win it all this year, got a good backup/potentially starting point, traded a guy whose time as a starter is coming to an end before it happened, etc. On top of that, Lowry quickly showed his worth on the court as well. I'd wet myself for him to develop an outside shot. (which improved immediately with him being able to set his feet in our offense) He's still young...

Landry: B
Did ok, didn't do great, didn't disappoint. Had a few nasty dunks, but nothing like last year.

Barry: D+
Did ok as a third stringer, but without his shot he was mostly just a steady hand on offense and toreador on defense. Oh well, dice roll is a dice roll, he didn't hurt anything by being here.

Hayes: C+
Did what he do, but without TMac feeding him easy shots, his shooting percentages dropped by a mile. His spinning layup in game 7 made me question reality.

Wafer: A++
Pulled us out of several games as an expected 12th man on his 800k salary. Filled in admirably for McGrady, and shot worse, but got better rounded as the season wore on. How much can someone exceed expectations?

Cook: A
Go Rockets go! Wooooooo!!!!!! I was waiting all season for him to come out in a 50's style cheerleader skirt. Sadly this did not happen.

Mutombo: A++++++
Thanks for everything, Deke, and congrats on your first career.

Yao - B
Still not assertive as he should be, but is the anchor of our offense, draws double team like he was a white chick.

TMac - Z
Not sure if he has the passion to play basketball anymore. A waste of talent and skills and that is the worst part of it for me. Don't really care if you suck or not as long as you're giving it your all. Too many excuses from this guy.

Artest - C-
Love Ron and his crazy post-game interviews but leave it to Tru Warrior(or is it Warrier) to miss use the english language and chuck low percentage shots.

Scola: B+
Scola is definitely the bright spot for this organization. Great value, great competitor can't really say much more.

Battier: B-
Battier is Batman without his gears. Right mentality, right attitude, great motivator, great defender, just too bad his shot is about as good as mine.

Brooks: C+
Consistency is the path to greatness. Reminds of when Yao first came into the league and would have those 9 points 5 rebounds 5 turn overs 5 fouls then next game he'll come out with 20/10. Shows great promise as undersize as he is.

Lowry: C
Gritty guy that plays with great intensity, I should know, I went to Highschool and Middle school with him. Only problem is his outside shot is horrendous and thats what our offense relies on.

Landry: C+
Recovered great from his injuries, getting shot in the leg is no joke. His upside is still fairly high, love his tenacity on the boards.

Barry: D-
I contributed more to the Rockets this year then Barry and all I did was watch their televised games.

Hayes: D
Chuck is a paradox when he's out on the court he'll draw charges play great defense then miss a wide open layup. This guy couldn't hit the broadside of a barn. You're in the NBA for god sakes layup drills are so Junior Varsity.

Wafer: C+
Only 23 years old, lightning in a bottle. Too bad sometimes that lightning will hurt you.

Cook: A to the Infinity.
One word, Fat. without the qualities of Sir Charles.

Mutombo: HoF
Deke is a class act. I'll be shocked if he's not considered for the HoF but Bill Walton was selected.

Somebody is hard to please. lol



Tmac getting a Z is just harsh.
Lowry and Brooks IMO deserve atleast a B.

Yao: A-
Didn't play 82 games like he said he would, but he paced himself well through the regular season. Reason he doesn't get A or higher is because teams can still shut him down too easily due to fronting. Yao needs to get better at overcoming this, but perhaps he can't.

Tmac: D
Couldn't do a Yao and manage his injury woes. We won a playoff series and extended the title favorites to 7 without him. That's addition by subtraction to me.

Artest: B+
Artest is a 2nd option on a bad team, a 3rd option on a good team. Just forced a few too many shots, and his D was getting shown up by the elite Roy and Kobe. Did bravely through the injuries and I hope he stays

Scola: A
Took giant steps in his 2nd season in the NBA. Was an ironman and a decent fit alongside Yao. Stepped up in the playoffs with some big shots.

Battier: B
Missed the start of the season with the foot injury and it took some time for him to find his shooting touch again. Playoffs proved how important he is to the Rockets team, shadowing Roy and Kobe whilst getting some of his own back.

Alston: B-
Just wasn't getting us far. It's like that, we needed something new. He's in the ECF now.

Brooks: B
Some great games in the playoffs though inconsistent. Couldn't become a spark-plug off the bench, and though more comfortable with the starters, is he the guy to take us forward? He's a hope.

Lowry: B+
Is going to be a great backup PG, if not fringe starter. Gave us the stability in the 2nd unit that Brooks failed to give us when he came off the bench.

Landry: B
Did what he could. Scola's improvement means Landry faded into the abyss somewhat. Still, if he fully recovers from that gunshot, he still has a very bright future in the NBA, hopefully with the Rockets.

Barry: D
Disappointing, when he went from SA to Houston, he forgot his jumper. If he still had his shot, we would've seen a bit of him, especially in the playoffs, but not to be. Oh well.

Hayes: B-
Still like him, great 3rd string PF. Filled in admirably in four playoff games starting at C against two 7-footers. Fact of the matter is that he won't see much time (barring injuries) in the regular season. Nice to know a guy can come off the bench and hustle like he does.

Wafer: B+
Nice to see Wafer emerge, he had to soon otherwise his career was done. If he stays loyal to the Rockets then he might continue to prosper, where he has a defined role.

Mutombo: HOF
Sad to see him go out like that, him and Alonzo both suffered similar injuries.

Cook: F
The contract is expiring ($3.5m) and will be quite valuable. That's all I can say.

White: ungraded
Didn't see much. Don't much future in him, but same would've been said about Wafer.

Brooks - B+
He isn't a pg, but you have to love his gunner's attitude. After watching Alston miss open shots and layups til I wanted to cry, AB's ability to fill it up is a welcome change. I do miss Alston's decision making, but after everything Aaron showed me in the playoffs it's something I can live with.

Yao - B
After 7 seasons in the NBA, I'm convinced Yao is what he is. He's an elite big from a conventional offensive standpoint, plays great defense, and is the consumate team player, but his lack of agressiveness and the fact that he allows himself to be taken out of the game so easily has bothered me for a long time, and I don't think it's going to change.

Scola - A
I'm convinced this guy could be the leading scorer on a crappy team and average 20+ a night. He's handles his increased minutes well. My only nitpicks with him are his size and his tendency to pump fake instead of going up strong. He's excellent in the post, makes his open jumpers, hustles, attempts to play defense, and doesn't make a lot of mistakes.

Battier - A-
As one of those who hated trading Rudy Gay, I've really come to appreciate Shane Battier. His injury brought him down a tad from that DPotY caliber defense he played last year, but he still gets it done. He's the one of those guys who will make any team in the NBA better despite not being an all-star. He plays tough defense, makes open shots, passes, and you never have to yell at your TV "WHAT ARE YOU THINKING SHANE?!?!?!?!".

McGrady - D
He's no longer T-Mac. His athleticism has been on a noticably declined over the last 3 years, and this year it just became too much to hide underneath his considerable talent. He's still got great court vision among other things, but his relaxed attitude, unwillingness to play hard at times, and the whole surgery debacle made me wonder if he's worth keeping in Houston any more. Here's hoping he can come back strong, but it's just as well to trade him for Hinrich if possible.

Hayes - C+
In the past, Rockets' coaches have been able to hide his offensive impotence behind the considerable offensive ability of McGrady and Yao since you had two guys who required a double team it wasn't an issue when Hayes was left alone. He even got a lot of layups off Tracy McGrady passes in the past. He's still awesome on defense, and he plays hard, and hopefully Adelman can find a way to use his talents in the future.

Lowry - B
He's the antithesis of Brooks. He's much steadier as a point guard, but he's unlikely to go off for 25+ like AB. He plays good defense though.

Wafer - C+
Had some great stretches, but he doesn't pass, and despite his athleticism, he can't finish in traffic. I'd like to see him back because he's a lot like Brooks with his gunner's mentality, but I don't want him playing more than 20 minutes a game.

Artest - B-
He's a ballstopping, reach-around giving, dumbass. I could think of a million bad things to say about Ron Artest. His defense has become overrated, and he never thinks to pass. He still plays hard, and you would never question his effort. I'm still undecided about him. Part of my wants to keep him for his attitude, but the other part of me wants him traded for a less ball dominant guy who can score better.

Landry - B-
I'm glad he's okay, and he did cause my friends and I to scare my friend's son and the neighbors with his dunk. That said, his defense has been suspect, and he isn't the same finisher he was last year. He's still a good player who might get better though. I'd like to keep him.

Barry - C
What happened to his shot?? I'm hoping he comes back and can shoot next season.

Mutombo - B
He can still play quality limited minutes at center, and I give him a B partly because of sentimental reasons. It was a pleasure to have Deke wearing a Houston Rockets uniform.

Cook - N/A
Can shoot, that's all I know.

White - N/A
Can jump high, that's all I know.

lol at tmac's grade. anyone remember when he came back early from knee injury and had a triple double, and everyones like, 'HE'S BACK!!!'

glydersid wrote:lol at tmac's grade. anyone remember when he came back early from knee injury and had a triple double, and everyones like, 'HE'S BACK!!!'

Not me. I said at the time that he looked like crap, just his jumper was falling. The next game, I only had to nod.

Hey guys was down at Toyota Center for end of the season interviews

Rick Adelman
Daryl Morey
Les Alexander
Ron Artest
Von Wafer
Shane Battier
Aaron Brooks

Les was before Daryl, so the first comment Daryl makes refers to Les' last comments about Daryl

Enjoy

LOL Artest C+??? His presence alone and his ability to pass, drive to the basket with his strength, and exceptional defense, leadership to our young guys, made it possible for us to win many games. Sure he does dumb things like jack up shots and take lots of gambles on defense. But when hes clicking, he created many mismatches and made the team play better.

You ask any opponent of ours who they fear most, and who's the biggest threat, their response will be artest. Because he creates mismatches and bullies guys down low. Even Phil jackson named him as one of the biggest threats. Kobe wants him on his team.

Yao: A-
A-, only because he's injury prone. He led the team to big away wins in game one vs lakers, and game one vs Blazers. Commands a double team all the time, makes it easier for teammates to shoot the open shot. And we would not have lost by 30 or 40 if he was in the middle of the lane vs lakers... That's how underrated his defense is.

Artest: A-
I almost lost hope for him because of his lackadaisical plays and chucking shots during the regular season, but he transformed himself during the playoffs and did less dumb things. He created many mismatches and without him, we wouldn't have did so well vs blazers, and he was strong vs lakers when yao was hurt. He's our utility player, he's as quick as any shooting guard, and has strength to guard the bigs.

Battier:A
Without his leadership, i doubt the rockets would have had the mental strength to pull through 2 wins vs lakers without Yao. No one can guard kobe better than he does. And he steps up with big shots when we need them

Scola: A
Works the hardest, kind of undersized but he gets the work done under the basket. He still has a hard time grabbing rebounds vs taller PFs but hes got the european touch, everything he shoots will most likely go in.

Lowry: B
A steal , this kid was well composed in the playoffs and played very well backing up brooks. He's such a great penetrator to the rim, and he defends players really well. Who could forget his big rebound vs the blazers center?

Brooks: A
His ability to make big shots and score, exceptional passing, and quickness on the floor. Especially the way he took over as a starter from Rafer and led the team winning in the playoffs and reg season. During the playoffs, every time we won, he always came up big for us. He totally manhandled the vet fisher and Steve blake . He totally deserves an A. He's just a rookie starter, and he scared the hell out of the lakers and blazers. You're nuts if you give him less than a B. He's inconsistent, but fact is , We wouldn't have won without him coming off big.

Hayes: C+ B--
Rarely used in the reg season. C+. But B- for playoffs, Monster effort by him vs Gasol, Bynum. He can't shoot worth sh it, but the greatest 6'6 Center defender in the world?

Tmac- D-
I was one of the biggest critics during the season. He never played healthy and it showed during the season. But people still said how good he played during some games, but i knew he wasn't playing like himself, until he pulled out of the running. His athleticism has decreased, but he never showed any effort during most of the games in the reg season. Even Yao and artest was even questioning his effort.

Wafer- B C+
I'd give him a B during regular season. He's been a revelation.. A great spark off the bench and can attack the rim and he has a sweet jumpshot. C+ for the playoffs, very inconsistent, complained to adelman. And became very predictable in the playoffs. When the ball is on his hands, he's not passing!

Landry B
Showed tremendous heart to go through after being shot in the leg and coming back to full strength in the playoffs. One of the most efficient players in the playoffs when given the opportunity. He was awesome vs the lakers.

Mutombo: HOF
Great heart, other teams thought we wouldnt win without him backing up yao in the playoffs, but we got 50 wins in the reg season without him, what made them think we'll need him? Still played tremendous during the playoffs.

White: Good athletic prospect for next season. Von Wafer 2

Cook: B
You guys got it twisted. He was such a good sport supporting the team on the bench since day one, that adelman played him during the playoffs. He did more than was expected of him. I expected him to only cheer in the bench, but he actually played alot .

Barry: C-
He mentored our young guys .. Still better than Steve Francis or Mike james at his age. So give him credit.

aznkillabeezZz wrote:LOL Artest C+??? His presence alone and his ability to pass, drive to the basket with his strength, and exceptional defense, leadership to our young guys, made it possible for us to win many games. Sure he does dumb things like jack up shots and take lots of gambles on defense. But when hes clicking, he created many mismatches and made the team play better.

Since you're referring to me...
Artest:
50% of games he's clicking, woo! We have a good chance to win!
50% of games he's not clicking, AAAH! Hey maybe we can win in spite of his 3-17

Alston:
50% of games he's clicking, woo! We have a good chance to win!
50% of games he's not clicking, TRADE THIS GUY!!! HOW CAN WE WIN WITH HIM GOING 1-14?!!?

Artest: He's great for our team! Go big three, er, two!
Alston: TRADE HIM!

Yup.

That's great that Kobe wants him on his team, and so does Barkley, and that McGrady thinks every piece we add every year makes us into a new team that will run roughshod over everyone. Most players don't know jack about being a GM, and prove it when/if they manage to become one.

moofs wrote:

aznkillabeezZz wrote:LOL Artest C+??? His presence alone and his ability to pass, drive to the basket with his strength, and exceptional defense, leadership to our young guys, made it possible for us to win many games. Sure he does dumb things like jack up shots and take lots of gambles on defense. But when hes clicking, he created many mismatches and made the team play better.

Since you're referring to me...
Artest:
50% of games he's clicking, woo! We have a good chance to win!
50% of games he's not clicking, AAAH! Hey maybe we can win in spite of his 3-17

Alston:
50% of games he's clicking, woo! We have a good chance to win!
50% of games he's not clicking, TRADE THIS GUY!!! HOW CAN WE WIN WITH HIM GOING 1-14?!!?

Artest: He's great for our team! Go big three, er, two!
Alston: TRADE HIM!

Yup.

LOL comparing Artest to alston FTW!
Alstons impact wasn't that great for this team. This postseason proved it .. A rookie starter and grizzly guard performed better for us..

Alston <Brooks, Lowry. They proved that by going to the 2nd round and winning vs lakers without yao and tmac.

With alston being PG, i doubt we could win the two games without yao or tmac vs Lakers

They were both capable of killing us on an off-night, and both had those regularly. If I had time I could go over their game-by-games and demonstrate.

I think most people here know that Artest and Alston both did a great job of chucking us out of a lot of games.

p.s. he was TERRIBLE in the playoffs, both rounds - http://www.nba.com/playerfile/ron_artest/

shooting isnt the only aspect to being productive...... Thought youd understand that by being a rocket fan all these years. Hayes, Battier dont have the best of stats but they show alot of heart and toughness that dont go on the statsheet. Same with artest. He gets doubled, and he passes the ball well. Even though he has 6-17 nights, he makes big shots. + - when hes in the game in nba.com shows that when hes on the court, the rockets play better.

moofs your argument is flawed... sorry.. Since you compared artest with rafer.. Ill give an example :

Game 4 rocket win vs Lakers.

Artest shoots 4-19 .. you forget to look at 10 rebounds and 6 assists and +16 when hes on the court.
When Rafer shoots 4-19, do you think the team would be +16 when hes on the court? I seriously doubt it. And plus rafer never defends, Roy or Kobe, or even command a double team in the post.

Game 4 Rocket win vs Blazers

Artest shoots 5-20... 9 assists, More than blake or roy in assists and +5 on the court. He shot badly but he led on assists.... 9 assists in a playoff game as a forward , is pretty damn good.

And Artest played plenty of other games well during the blazer and laker series well.. i could go game for game, if i felt like it

I had a huge argument posted again, but have decided "whatever". I've argued with you before, it never goes anywhere, and you're not very good at not being insulting when you argue, so I'm stopping there.

I'll even toss you a bone and say "you win" if it makes you happy.

</derailment>
Back to rating the team.

Overall as a team B+

Past the first round, and with very limited resources we forced the best team in the league into game 7, what more can you ask for other than what IF everyone was healthy.

Rick Adelman A-
Doing a great job to develop guys like Wafer and Brooks, great rotations in Playoffs, great teacher, great mental for young players, only thing that put him away from A is he didn't manage Yao's minutes perfectly.

Yao Ming B
20 10 in regular season with stellar defense and protected the paint area, relatively healthy compare to last two, sometimes Yao just seems to be too passive on the court, still need his killer instinct. Great performance with little more to be desired.

Tmac C-
Injury prone all season long, was never the Tmac we used to know, but when he is feeling better, he is still one of the best swingman in the league, couple TD performance, he can't do worse than what he is this year

Ron Artest B
Not a great D as we expected, but still one of the best in his position. Streaky shooter and inconsistent all year long. But we got his toughness and heart on the court, we will never pass the 1st round without his passion and heart this year. Hope he resign with us next year.

Shane Battier B+

Missed the early part of the season and can't find his shooter's touch all season long, but his spectacular D and heart provided everything else. Another winner on thie team.

Aaron Brooks B-
He had a great series againest the Lakers, but to be honest he still has alot to learn, his shot was pretty streaky all season long and he still don't know to play with guys like Yao and Scola, great promising young pg that need another year or two.

Carl Landy A-
Great heart, hustle, all energy type of guy, great improved mid range js, slightly improved D,Landry just keep surprise me how much he can improve, great sixth man candidate next year.

Luis Scola A
This Rockets team won't go to anywhere without this Argentinian, all heart, all passion, all skill, he is the main reason why this team has a shot with the Lakers, I think somehow Yao Ming limited his talent, he is a true 18 8 guy if he play with guys like Chandler or Dwight, a true gem.

Von Wafer B
Surprising player, great speed and fearless competitor on the court, he is what I called a double edge sword, if he is hot , he is hot, if he is not, he is not, fortunately Adelman managed his minutes pretty well.

Deke A+
See ya Deke, you will be missed, one of the few true legend in the league.

Kyle Lawry B-
Great D for his size, can make his mid range Js but suck at 3pt range, a very ideal 15-20 mins backup PG, still has more for improvements, I like his attitude.

Brent Barry D

Too old to play, can't make his shot, I think he is done. He should be retired this off season.

Chuck Hayes B-

Limited minutes, played relatively well his those minutes, but his size is really hurting him regardless how much heart he is having.

Brian Cook N/A
You can tell he isn't belong in this league, but can't really judge him by the minutes he played for us

White N/A

Same as Brian Cook cept he has the potential to be something in the league.

Rafer Alston B-
Like always, inconsistent on his Js, but controlling the tempo well, and also one of the few player has any clue about how to post Yao.

Joey Dorsey D-

Didnt see lots of minutes, but he is too raw to perform in NBA now, however I have a potential Ben Wallace type of player in the future.