This post telling people to relax over Ariza's contract got me to thinking not only about that particular acquisition, but why Rockets fans ought not lose hope just yet. 

Firstly, a bit of disagreement with that post: while I might have liked to see Ariza get paid a bit less, I don't know that he was necessarily overpaid.  As reported in the Chronicle, he could have gone with the Raptors and gotten $9 million more, so other teams probably valued him higher.  (Yes, I know that's the Raptors, but last I checked, Bryan Colangelo was hardly considered a dim bulb.)  And that Shaq and Lebron are pursuing him as well should tell you that he's gotten attention from plenty of teams. 

As stated in that Chron link and elsewhere, he had several reasons for selecting Houston: shorter distance to L.A., opportunity to start, etc.  But check this from the Chron story:

"Yeah, I don’t know what’s going to happen with them," Ariza said of McGrady and Yao. "But that team played hard. They always compete and that’s the way I play no matter who is down.

"That team fought without T-Mac and without Yao and I’m a fighter too. I’ve always been a fighter and I’m going to roll with them, with the Rockets."

Translation: this team is more than two players. 

Here's the takeaway:

• We've still got an outstanding core of young talent (Scola, Brooks, Lowry), with other guys possibly in the wings (Joey Dorsey). 
• We've got one of the biggest brains in the game in Shane Battier. 
  
• Yes, we lost out on Gortat.  But the postseason has hardly begun, and things could still shake out with one of the free agent centers.  Besides, unless I'm very much mistaken, there's still plenty of unexplored opportunity in the European and Latin American leagues. 
• Which brings us to the man who has made it all happen: Boy Genius Daryl Morey. 
  

Yes, the situation with Yao sucks royally.  No, the Rockets will not be in title contention next year.  I'll be stunned pleased just to see them back in the playoffs.  But I simply don't see a train going off the rails here. 

So, relax.  Plenty can still happen in this postseason.  If anything, save your emoting for next postseason.  That should be something to see.

Let me open by stating that I am most certainly an armchair basketball expert.  Even my amateur attempts at playing have been occasional and limited at best.  What I understand of the game has been limited to watching and studying (and, of course, cheering for the Rockets).  So I post this expecting to hear plenty of flack from those with greater understanding of the game. 

That said, it seems to me that something has got to be done to answer the fronting defense against Yao.  Here are what I believe to be the top three options against the fronting defense:

1.    Draw fouls.  If the opposing team wants to pull a double-team fronting defense, make ‘em pay by sending Yao to the line, where he’s something approaching 90% (just one of many reasons he’ll end up being better than Shaq).  And before I start getting all sorts of blowback: no, this won’t work.  The referees, who have clearly demonstrated they won’t step in until our big man is being pummeled, won’t give Yao calls regardless of how well he learns to draw fouls.  So #1 is out of the question. 

2.    Execute quick passes to sharpshooters in the perimeter.  This might work, assuming a) Yao is surrounded by the right guys, and b) they’re on their game.  Based on Morey’s efforts building this roster, it seems the former is accomplished—the question is whether the latter is in place as well, which of course can vary on any given night.  But if Battier keeps up his offensive efforts, Artest settles down, and guys like Von Wafer and Scola keep working their magic, it seems to me this can be an effective answer, especially if a fronting defense (and resulting double-team) leaves one man open.  The single biggest problem I have with this is that it keeps the ball out of Yao’s hands, and last I checked, the offense is at its best when he’s taking plenty of shots. 

3.    The pick and roll.  On one hand, this seems a bit elementary, at least to me—isn’t this one of the oldest offensive schemes in the book?  OTOH, it takes the fronting defense and throws it right back at the opposing team by forcing a mismatch on the floor, which the Rockets can easily exploit. 

Those are my thoughts, for what they’re worth.  Again, maybe some of you with greater experience will respond.