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Originally Posted by alby
I hope Mavericks fans realize that the Rockets will finish ahead of Dallas=\
I really feel we'll be in the 5-6 seed, which isn't a bad thing IMHO. Maybe we are better in the underdog role anyways since we've always been favored in every series the last couple of seasons.
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Go over to ClutchFans and see how we feel. While there's a lot of optimism, the general consensus is this:
On paper, the Rockets are the better team. We have more talent and more depth in more places. But in reality, the Rockets have a long way to go to catch up to the Spurs/Mavs/Suns. This is our first season with a new coach in a new offensive system. We have BOTH Stevie Franchise AND Mike James. Luis Scola, though and INCREDIBLY talented Euroleague player (go check out spursreport.com if you don't believe me on that one), has yet to prove himself in the NBA. That phenom Aaron Brooks we picked up is also unproven. But the Mavs have the chemistry issues down. They're not cooking up a new offense or incorporating 6 new players (Scola, Butler, MJ, SF3, AB, and, yes, Bonzi) into a team.
But what we DO have above the Mavs is Yao Ming. Y'all seem to be utterly incapable of defending against Yao in the low post. And since Dampier/Diop are incapable of scoring the easy buckets, if Dirk is taken out of the equation, your only reliable scorer is Josh Howard. The Mavericks are a big jump shooting team. Dirk didn't drive to the hoop in the Finals because Dirk doesn't drive to the hoop. He drives left and shoots jumpers (and, no, that's NOT a bad thing; that's just his skill set). But the Rockets are now stacked in areas where the Mavs are not: slashing (T-Mac, Franchise, MJ, AB) and scoring in the post (Yao, Scola, Butler). It's going to make for an interesting season.
BTW, I've heard the same phrase over and over again up here (I'm in Denton): trade Josh Howard. I don't know what the consensus is on this board, but that's among the stupidest things this team could possibly do right now. Once again, he's the only reliable scorer when Dirk's shot isn't falling. Give him more touches, and don't let Terry jack up as many 3s, especially when his shot isn't falling.
One last bit of complaining before I finish: THERE IS ONLY ONE JET, AND HIS NAME IS KENNY SMITH.
