Quote:
Originally Posted by mavs777
Yao was the best scoring center no one knows how he will play after the serious injury. Of those 5 players you named, 3 are much better players on the break Ariza and Brooks are electric in transition and Scola is a great filler on the break as he is much quicker than most bigs. Houston should be good offensively but bad next year, Yao probably won't be in the best condition and will struggle defensively and we know how bad Brooks and Martin are already defensively.
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You are right - we really don't know how good Yao will be. Remember though that Yao's game (unlike a T-mac for ex.) isn't based on athleticism. So even if he isn't moving around so well he can still make a hook shot or a mid-range jumper. I would say the same applies roughly to the defensive end. As long as he is an effective shot blocker in the paint he will have done his job.
I agree that Ariza is MUCH better on the break than half-court. But all he has to do is knock down the open three then he will have done his job in a half-court offence. (i.e. the kind of role he had with LA)
Brooks can knock down open threes. More importantly he can also drive & create a midrange pullup for himself and/or create opportunities for others.
Scola was easily our best half-court player this year. I suspect things will get easier for him with Yao around.
Martin: I don't need to say more. Offensively this guy has all the tools..
The moral: Houston has the players to be a good half-court team.
With regards to defence, the Rockets absolutely sucked this year. Brooks, Martin, and Scola (see David West vs Rockets) are all not good defenders.
Without a legitimate shot blocker, anyone was able to get into our paint and get easy layups. With Yao that changes. Teams don't get easy layups and they have to work harder for their points and take tougher shots. With Yao in the middle, Rocket players can afford to play tighter defence.
The moral: the Rockets without Yao are an atrocious defensive team. With him they'll probably become average to above average.
Btw, the Rockets were actually MORE efficient offensively with Yao in 09 then they were this year. So much for the whole myth that Houston is offensively better off without him...