As you may have heard by now, as word does get around quickly, the Houston Rockets’ season ended last night with a loss to the Sacramento Kings. The good guys made a run of it, but in the end, could not overcome their prior futility, a state of events very much reflective of their season as a whole.
There will be months to ponder the ramifications of the season as a whole and as many to anticipate the next; barring intervention the scale of the divine, there will be no postseason for the Houston Rockets.
The season was a validation of sorts, but a reminder of a fatal downfall. Minor tinkering led to the league’s best offense and a defense very much acceptable; rookie Patrick Patterson is the latest notch on the scouting department’s belt. But the Yao bogey still hangs over the franchise’s head, the organization’s devotion to “the large man” once more causal to its demise; the time wasted acclimating Yao may have led to wins potentially game-changing at the moment.
But the Rockets’ methods work. There will be time for deeper digging, but what they are doing is of worth. Plucking individual parts on the strength of identifiable characteristics and plugging into a lineup built upon some entrenched philosophies has led to the league’s best offense, one that produced at rates that left us wondering who this team even was. It is not Morey’s fault that he has not yet procured a star, but when he finally does, one can feel safe with the future.
Daryl has shown he can build competitive teams from sand, but is the strategy of competitiveness the right one? With another lottery finish, that is still up for debate. Derrick Favors was the difference in landing Deron Williams; Derrick Favors is a prospect the likes of whom this team will never have following these methods.
Many topics can be debated and re-hashed, all sides with legitimate justification. Of only one thing am I personally sure though, and that is that this team needs to cut the cord with Yao Ming. It’s time to make a clean break and move on, turn the page to a new era. The large man will not hold up and a team should not be built or even premised upon false hope. There are those who will say little damage can be done, little risk would be taken if depending upon Yao in a backup role; I point to the complete metamorphosis of this team with changes so small as pushing up Patterson or moving down Hill/Miller. In a conference, for a team, where again, just one win might have made the difference, I am no longer willing to throw them recklessly in waste. It is time to turn the page.
