This game is on Yao!

[khrno]

I agree but theres other ways to get Yao the ball whether off pick and roll, or by setting multiple screens to try and get a mis match and bring miller off him. Yao struggled tonight, but the bottom line is adelman had all game to find an effective way to score against the bulls. Ron dribbling the ball at the three point line is not an effective play call. Yao still could have been used in pick and roll, some nights players are off and Yao isnt a consistantly dominant player. Thats fine, but adelman should have found a way to counter the front at the end of the game or find another way for other players to get effective shots.

However on the defensive end eveyrone is held accountable for this game

you nailed it

[MaxRider]

we can't get the ball to Yao
Artest tried to take over
failed

Brooks didn't do anything
Scola is afraid to take jumper instead driving in trying to pass to Yao instead called for charge

Battier is just Battier

don't know why Adelman don't want to go with Lowry (at least he can drive to the basket strong)
don't know why he didn't play Mutombo and Cook when Hayes and Landry are out and we definitely need those extra inches for rebound

[Rerisen]

Just watching Yao from tonight, it seems like Adelman left him in there too long at times. Yao looked exhausted a couple times. He is a devastating force when at 100% energy and most of Houston's lead was generated indirectly off the Bulls defense not properly rotating and being overly worried about Yao. Once he became a non-factor in the 4th, either from fatigue or being unable to adjust to the fronting, it was so much easier for the Bulls to just focus on Ron and even consider trapping and double teaming Houston's perimeter players who had been killing us all night.

[Amel]

I cant really blame ron that much because ive been in the same situation in a game. If you have the ball and nobody is moving you try and create your own shots. Ron was the only person who seemed to have energy even though he jacked up a few shots that were inexcusable atleast he showed some fire. If yao cant get position, why not set a pick and hit yao on the pop for a jumper. Also if Yaos being fronted he should be able to get to the basket easier for an offensive board, i believe he had one or none this game.

I also think adelman is insane for putting the ball in rons hands at the end of games. im sorry but artest cannot create open shots for people that is supposed to be brooks job. This has been the rockets problem for years and without tmac it will show even more, we dont have a point guard that can create at the end of a game.

The bottom line is artest was put in a position he shouldnt be put in,,,he shouldnt have the ball in his hands at the top of the key dribbling,,,this loss is on us a TEAM defensively. And offensively it is on Adelman. He did not do a good job of play calling down the stretch plain and simple. Artest should have got the ball in the post or scola who was on fire barely missing. Anyone who disagrees with that simply wasnt watching the game, adelman did not draw up efficient plays OR he did and the team didnt listen to a word he said

I think this makes the most sense

if you watch the game again, you will see everytime the ball rotated, even just a few touches, the ball got to Artest..

why?

well, the Bulls pressure made all of our guys reluctant to do anything, besides Artest..

Adelman took timeouts and drew plays after plays but nothing really worked...everytime they tried to play Yao, Yao got fronted, everytime the ball came around, the ball ended in Artest hands...

It might have been better playing Lowry instead of Brooks the last few minutes..

[PocketRockets]

Sorry have to blame Artest. I was watchign the Chicago feed of the game. I not a fan of either teaam so was just watching as a fan of basketball. They kept on saying bad shot by Artest but he kept making them. Artest put up numbers. Artest made shots. It was all fools gold. He was not playing the game the right way as Larry Brown says.

IMO Yao being taken out of the game was part of poor spacing by Houston and Ron Artest gunning. Also the point guard play in the 4th quarter was not good. Bad guard play will effect the bigs.

Exactly, everyone wants to laugh and rejoice when those shots are going in and we're up 15 pts., but then condemn the man when we're down 2-3 for taking that shot. Who had the hot hand tonight? Ron and Scola. IF i had to put the ball in someone's hands, it'd be them two. We're just unlucky that he missed and that he didn't have enough knowledge to give it to another player. Let's say he did get that pass off to wafer, and he missed. Why aren't we bashing wafer? Other than his first 2-3 games, his shot selection has been the worst on the team. I put barry/ron in 2nd place. I fking hate the "heat check" even if you make it or miss it, it throws the team's chemistry off. The benefits of making it, doesn't offset the huge loss of momentum if you miss it. STOP THE FKING HEAT CHECK!!!!!

[PocketRockets]

Okay, I have to defend my boy brooks right here a little. It's been how many games that he's started?? yeah...though so. We can't expect him to be a TP or d. williams after 10 games or so as a starter. Hell, TP wasn't $hit his first few years into the league when he kept choking against the lakers in the playoffs. AB will get better, at least I hope so, b/c if not, we're in for dark times as Rocket fans. When there's any kind of pressure in the game, he's still getting tunnel vision. Once the game slows down for him, he'll be able to lead us down the stretch. He needs to realize this...if Yao is fronted, he needs to stop worrying about feeding yao/getting yelled at by RA/or whatever and play his game. He took a three earlier in the game when d rose was laying off him and semi-doubling yao. AB also took that dagger 3 the other game against the mavs. He needs to let the game come to him and take what the defense gives you.

Ron needs to trust his teammates.

[moofs]

Yup, Yao has like a 20 inch vert, it's pretty terrible

You're being very generous....

Try divide that vert by 6.

I dont even think Scola has a 20 inch Vertical.

Yao has about an 8-16" vertical.

Scola's is pry somewhere between 22 and 30. I'd think his standing reach is around 8'6" to 8'9" and he can dunk, so it'd have to be at least 20 inches, and that's probably pushing it. I've read that it's been measured at over 30 before, but have no idea when that was.

[tisbee]

PocketRockets makes some great points. Brooks is still a young PG and he definitely deferred to Ron too much. He needs to learn to use his speed to get past his defender then feed open teammates as defense collapses.(If he can't by next training camp,then we'll see a flopping of Lowry and Brooks,w/Brooks being the scoring PG off the bench. All is not lost.)

The earlier points made about the ball ending up in Ron's hands. That's because it stopped moving once he touched it. He didn't move it along,he fired up shots. Instead of reversing the ball,passing it inside,he kept on chucking it. I too watched the Chicago feed and early on Ron stopped by Chicago announcing team and loudly told his friend doing commentary, "I'm a scorer too!"

Do not forget Ron is playing for his last big contract. He thinks he is an elite player,deserving of max-type deal. To justify that he knows he needs numbers,so I really doubt he's going to change the way he plays unless Adelman starts sitting him when he goes into chuck-it-up mode. And I don't see Adelman doing that,both because he doesn't want to "lose" Artest,and because sometimes "chuck" mode will win some games.

[Amel]

Do not forget Ron is playing for his last big contract. He thinks he is an elite player,deserving of max-type deal. To justify that he knows he needs numbers,so I really doubt he's going to change the way he plays unless Adelman starts sitting him when he goes into chuck-it-up mode. And I don't see Adelman doing that,both because he doesn't want to "lose" Artest,and because sometimes "chuck" mode will win some games.

I'll rather pay Ron 20 mil a year than McCracky

Ton will stay and get his contract, book on it

[PocketRockets]

I'd rather pay no one 20 mill. Considering the down trend in economics players will have to cut back in order for their organization to advance. Will ron do that who knows?

If ron is taking bad shots, someone needs to tell him to take better ones. It's on RA at that point. If Adelman doesn't, then he's a bad coach. Do you ever see Greg Pop let his players run all over him and do whatever they want? No, and that's why they have championships whether you like it or not. If i wanted to watch unorganized bball, i'd just go to the Y or fitness 24 or watch the U.S. team with paul pierce on it. You need a good coach that will tell players how to play to win games, if RA isn't that coach, then he is part of the problem too.

[moofs]

Going by Simmons' notes on how the next CBA renegotiation/lockout is going to be, and how it's likely to swing drastically in favor of the owners, signing a guy to a big painful long term contract now will likely be FAR FAR worse in 2 or 3 years than it would have been say, 2-3 years from 2000, which was already bad.

[Undrafted Rook]

Houston used the "Triangle look" with ball high, a shooter in the strongside corner, Yao in the post and two players on the weakside. Yao got good position almost every time, and after Yao had it strongside perimeter players splitted the post. I wondered why they went away from that when the fronting started. If the defender goes over Yao from the topside a quick passes to corner and to Yao could be open. It also leaves only two defenders to weakside so sandwiching Yao would be little harder.

The play Rockets run at the end was an alright play IMO, execution just seriously lacked. Artest and Brooks just hesitated with the ball too much at the PG spot. A couple of times Yao was open for a quick pass but they missed it. Scola also made good flashes in to the high post but the ball just didn't move quick enough. I'd also like to see Scola post up if the ball is reversed rather than a pick&roll, that didn't seem to work.

It's well known that Yao doesn't handle lob passes well, and the team doesn't even look to throw those anymore. That calls for good execution at fronting situations, fronting already puts the defense off-balance so you must look to exploit that.

If I was coaching the team and Yao was fronted I'd put PG with the ball up top, Battier to strongside corner and Scola and Artest to the weakside. Then if they can't get the ball to Yao Scola comes high and either feeds Yao in the high-low situation or shoots the J, if the ball is reversed Scola dives into the post, then Artest can either feed him or go one-on-one.

I'd expect Adelman to come out more prepared for this situation.

[hackle]

well this game is absolutely not on Yao. though he could have done something. he didnt work hard enough, that's the hardest way to say it.

This game also showed us how we are going to be if we ignore Yao. in 1-3 qtr we did alright because we used him. in the 4th he was ignored for other people believe they can take over. Now as we saw, we are no better than timberwolves without Yao.

He may suck really hard but he is some asset, he change the game with his presence on the court, though at least we should pretend we can use him.

[Amel]

well this game is absolutely not on Yao. though he could have done something. he didnt work hard enough, that's the hardest way to say it.

This game also showed us how we are going to be if we ignore Yao. in 1-3 qtr we did alright because we used him. in the 4th he was ignored for other people believe they can take over. Now as we saw, we are no better than timberwolves without Yao.

He may suck really hard but he is some asset, he change the game with his presence on the court, though at least we should pretend we can use him.

you missed the game

noone ignored Yao, Yao got ignored by Miller and the ball didnt get to him