Apr 27, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; General view of shirts on the backs of chars inside the Toyota Center before game three of the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs between the Houston Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
The following post was contributed by Michael Ma, FanSided’s editor for theHouston Rockets site, Space City Scoop. Be sure to visit SpaceCityScoop.com for all of your Rockets news and rumors.
In a span of a year, the Houston Rockets have gone from a team full of unproven players, to one of the most hyped teams in the NBA. A franchise that chose to invest and move towards using analytics in 2006 when they hired MIT graduate Daryl Morey as general manager, the Rockets are coming close to building the picture perfect team that they envisioned after the departures of both Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming.
At this time one year ago, the biggest off-season moves that the Rockets made were prying away restricted free agents Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik. But just days before the regular season was set to begin, Morey pulled off a blockbuster trade that brought in James Harden from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Harden immediately signed a max contract with the Rockets worth around $80 million for 5 years, and didn’t disappoint in his first season. He finished 5th in the NBA in scoring, averaging a career high 25.9 points, and lead the Rockets to a 45-37 record, and a playoff berth where they would lose to the number 1 seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.
Aside from Harden’s rise to stardom, the Rockets were able to develop a few other young players, as they were the youngest team in the NBA. Chandler Parsons established himself as a player on the rise, as he averaged 15.5 points and 5.3 rebounds. Parsons showed out in the playoffs and caught the eyes of many, as he finished with 18.2 points and 6.5 rebounds in the 6-game series against the Thunder.
Omer Asik showed that he can be a starting center after being a backup with theChicago Bulls, averaging 10.1 points and 11.7 rebounds while starting all 82 games. Jeremy Lin recorded a fairly productive season after bursting onto the NBA scene with the New York Knicks. Lin started all 82 games, and averaged 13.4 points and 6.1 assists. An injury in the playoffs cost him his effectiveness, which lead to the rise of rookie Patrick Beverley, who averaged 11.8 points and 5.5 rebounds in the first-round series loss.
Unfortunately for Beverley, his great play was overshadowed by being involved with the play that resulted in Russell Westbrook suffering a torn meniscus.
The Rockets won the biggest free agent prize this past summer, by signing Dwight Howard. Morey’s ideal foundation of building a championship team is to have 2 top-10 players in the league, and that has been accomplished now with Harden and Howard pairing up.
Howard’s addition immediately fills several holes. While the Rockets finished 2nd in the NBA in points scored per game last season(105.5), there was no low-post presence on the offensive end. Howard’s ability to finish at the rim will allow for perimeter players to attack the rim even more ferociously, as they now have a safety outlet to dump the ball to if defenders step up to help.
The Rockets also finished near the bottom of the league in every major defensive statistic, and Howard’s commanding presence in the paint will fill that void. Add in Asik, who was a top-10 defensive center, and the Rockets should see some improvements defensively.
Depth and bench production was a bit of a weak point last season, but should not be this year. The Rockets have plenty of capable players such as Francisco Garcia, Terrence Jones, Donatas Motiejunas, Omri Casspi, Greg Smith, Ronnie Brewer, and Reggie Williams. The Rockets have the ability to play an effective 10-man rotation, which could pay huge dividends with the rapid pace that they play at.
Oct 24, 2013; San Antonio, TX, USA; Houston Rockets head coach Kevin McHale talks to center Dwight Howard (12) during the second half against the San Antonio Spurs at AT
Best Case Scenario
This team won 45 games, and had the chance to clinch the 6th seed in the West before losing their final two games last season. That was without Dwight Howard, or any effective low-post scorer. While Howard battled with a back injury last year, and may not start the season 100 percent healthy, the Rockets should cruise to a 50-55 win season
Morey is no stranger in making in-season trades(he’s made a deadline deal every season that he’s been the GM), and makes another one to bolster the Rockets for their potential playoff run. The Rockets win the Southwest division, get home court advantage in the first round, and soar all the way to the Western Conference Finals.
Worst Case Scenario
Injuries can always come into play, and there’s a small possibility that it could ruin the Rockets’ season. There are two different scenarios that could happen involving an injury: 1)Howard’s back issues come back during the season, and the Rockets limp to a 48-50 win season, with no home court advantage in the playoffs. Or 2)the Rockets fly through during the regular season, securing home court, but struggle with injuries in the playoffs, as they did last season, resulting in a first round exit, and another off-season filled with criticism towards Howard.
It’s also possible that the tandem of Asik and Howard does not end up working, and Morey pulls a trade in an act of desperation. He ships Asik away for a serviceable stretch-power forward such as a Ryan Anderson, who would bring the same attributes as an Omri Casspi. The Rockets would again, become the run-and-gun team they were a year ago, with no signs of stopping anyone defensively, and will cost them in the playoffs.
Most Likely Outcome
I think the Asik/Howard combination will work, and no major trades will be made in the season. With the core that the Rockets have, it will easily be a 50-win season, and a top-4 finish in the West. With the San Antonio Spurs a year older, the Rockets will go toe-to-toe with them for the Southwest division crown.
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