Dr. Clanton or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Rockets

I am spoilering this and warning everyone this is going to be a long post. I am sorry for that and any spelling or grammatical mistakes ahead.

Spoiler

With the new season now less than a week away there is a lot of conflicting views in the national media and across the internet about the progress this Rockets team can make. Typical of most team dedicated sites, the majority of the members here are upbeat and optimistic about the upcoming season, which is not a bad thing. Others are down right pessimistic and believe that this team is at best a playoff team. Myself? I feel like that this team in a best case scenario can be a top level playoff and title contending team, but does not that final piece to be able to win it all.

The missing final piece, whether it be a "superstar" or just another all-star caliber player, has plagued my thoughts this entire offseason. Seeing the other elite teams in the league make moves to bolster their depth or in Miami's case turn them into a contending team the need for this piece became even more apparent. With the door closing fast on the "Yao era" the Rockets best chance is now while a young team like Oklahoma City is still finding its way and the trio in Miami hasn't become an unstoppable force of nature just yet.

Do not get me wrong I absolutely love the moves the team made in the last few months in acquiring Courtney Lee, drafting Patrick Patterson and signing Brad Miller. These are the type of moves an elite team would make to keep them elite and even make them a stronger team from the previous season. The problem was that the Rockets, even with Yao, to me at least did not constitute as an elite team. A good team? Absolutely...an elite team? No.


And then it hit me, it was as if Alfred E Neuman came in and knocked on my brain and said, What, me worry? I should stop worrying and just love the Rockets for the team they are and not what I want them to be, because they are a very damn good team and I shouldn't lose sight of that.

If we go down the Roster:


Aaron Brooks:

My initial fears: Way too undersized, needs to improve passing, shoots too much, liability on defense, upset about contract extension

How I learned to stop worrying: Though undersized AB is one of the best scoring PGs in the league. If he wants that new contract he needs to go out there and perform and I think he knows that its not necessarily trying to notch another 19ppg season but by being a much more efficient scorer and leading the team into the playoffs. His contract is going to be based both off of individual and team success. He has shown better awareness when running the pick and roll with Yao. One thing about AB is that while he may have hit his ceiling, he has shown over the years that he can make slight changes in his game that will reap huge benefits to team success. Sure he'll never be that defender or that rebounder, but he is far better than anyone we have had at the starting PG spot in the last few years. I can live with that and smile.


Kevin Martin:

My initial fears: Horrid defender, way too injury prone, not a play maker

How I learned to stop worrying: The injuries thankfully so far have been injuries that have been accidents and not something chronic like a bad back or foot. These type of injuries can come and go but considering Martin's frame probably would happen more to a player like him. At the same time Martin is one of the most efficient scorers the league has ever seen. A lot of this has to do with his ability to draw contact and get to the line. The moment he becomes timid about drawing contact, his value drops immensely so I want him to draw contact, get to the line have the other team in the penalty. He has worked out and looked great so far in the post season and looks like he'll be returning to that 20-23 ppg scorer on 11 shots. His defense? Has looked better (though not saying much) but I am hoping he will be more confident in his defense knowing that he has a shot blocker now and be more aggressive. Considering that the team has gotten absolutely nothing positive from the SG spot the last 2 seasons with McGrady's issues and having Ron and Ariza play out of position Martin again a lot better than what we were.


Shane Battier:

My initial fears: slowing down, not the defender he once was, liability on offense

How I learned to stop worrying: Seeing him attempt that putback dunk in China that alone was awesome. Shane hasnt done anything like that in a while. Injuries hurt him the past two years and it looks like he is fully healthy and bounced back. He'll never be a scorer, but he helps spread the floor and is probably the best post entry passer to Yao. He is still the best perimeter defender and while he may not 'lock down' players as before the one thing about Shane is that I do not think there is a mentally tougher player in this league than Shane, including Kobe. Shane was able to get into Kobe's head but Kobe wasn't able to get into Shane's. His leadership and toughness spreads to all the younger guys and is the foundation of what endears this team to its fans. Honestly my only worry was him slowing down but he has looked as good as ever in the preseason.

Luis Scola:

My initial fears: Playing over the summer is taking a toll on his body

How I learned to stop worrying: Scola has looked tired at times in the preseason, but with some more depth now at the PF spot I can see his minutes being reduced with the hopefully development of our younger players. I dont really worry about Scola the guy is a beast. Getting that new well deserved contract has not changed the guy's motor at all. Give me 12 Luis Scola type players on my team and I am ready to go to war any day of the week.

Yao Ming

My initial fears: conditioning, health, skills pretty much everything the guy hasnt played in 15 months

How I learned to stop worrying: Yao is going to be Yao. The guy gives it his all even if its just for 24 minutes he is going to do his best. As the preseason games progressed Yao's timing and rhythm has gotten better and it looks like he can be back to the Yao Ming of 2 years ago. Even if its just for the 24 minutes. Now if he gets hurt again it will be a huge blow to the team, I am hoping he wont and if he does that it has nothing to do with his feet. The one thing I can find solace in is that if Yao sadly does get hurt again, its not because of something he did wrong or poor conditioning its just bad luck and having a huge body. It sounds like Dr. Clanton and his medical staff do have a good plan put in place to monitor Yao's progress. As Yao said himself he will be at least playing more minutes this season than he did all of last season. I dont know how much longer Yao may play in the NBA but thinking about his injuries and susceptibility to injury is only going to take away from watching what an absolute joy it is to see him play.


Kyle Lowry

My initial fears: still cant really shoot worth a lick from the outside, looks stronger but may have slowed him down

How I learned to stop worrying: Kyle does a lot of things right and while he will shoot the occasional long jumper the majority of the team he plays within his skills and maximizes that. he is still the gritty defender and pushes the second unit. I feel like Kyle Lowry isnt the reason why you lose games, but more the reason why you win games. As long as he doesnt start getting alston syndrome and start shooting 3s all game there isnt much to worry about with him.

Courtney Lee

my initial fears: seems like he is doing too much, too much 1 on 1, how soon is he going to fit into RA's offense and adjusting to coming off the bench

How I learned to stop worrying: Lee seems to have been playing better and within the flow more recently and it will come as the season progresses. Coming off the bench will take some getting used to but he is back on a good team after the banishment in NJ it seems to me he is genuinely happy about that. Patience is the biggest thing to remember here with Lee's chemsitry with the team and of course being patient is not easy. Lee much like with Brooks, Martin and Lowry actually brings a lot of skill, athleticism and talent to a position that the Rockets have been lacking for the past few years.

Chase Budinger

my initial fears: the injury would hurt him, he did not seem to get better in the offseason, needs to work on his defense

How I learned to stop worrying: I don't think Chase did get better in the offseason, but its cool the kid was pretty damn good to begin with and coming off the bench he is still going to be one of the best scoring bench threats in the league. He fits this offensive perfectly and is a great midrange shooter which will always mean open looks for him. I think he does an average job on defense but most of the players he will be asked to guard probably will not be as dangerous offensively as he is.

Brad Miller

my initial fears: the guy is how old? hasnt really wowed anyone last few years, defense not his 'thing'

How I learned to stop worrying: He only played on preseason game but he looked good in that game. The thing is he knows Adelman's system better than anyone else on the team so he will be fine. Not a shot blocker but a crafty defender and a big body sometimes thats all you need in the paint. And really who else was out there that would be able to do all this, that was realistically available. Coach trusts Miller and I have no reason not to myself right now.

Chuck Hayes
If you have a problem with Chuck Hayes, then you have a problem. Chuck has impressed me with his improved offensive game this preseason, he isnt going to be scoring a lot still but its nice to see

Jordan Hill

my initial fears: the defense is still really bad, he takes too many jumpers, hasnt worked on his rebounding and post game

How I learned to stop worrying: Hill will have his moments this year, the defense does need to be worked upon still but Hill seems to play up to the level of his competition so hopefully that is good for the Rockets. Being able to go up against Yao and Miller in practice this year will help Hill improve his game I dont think any of us will see it right away its probably going to be gradual with him. The jumpers probably wont necessarily be there once the season starts as he wont get too many minutes right away.


Patrick Patterson & Ish Smith

Both of these rookies to me have a clean slate. They both have tremendous upside and can contribute to this team but I don't see them having a major impact in the first half of the season so there is no need to worry about them. At this point I feel both of these players will not lose you any games, but at the same time they will not be responsible for the team winning any games. Great options to have but right now the players ahead of them are too talented to not play the lion's share of the minutes. I think both will see their time much like how Landry and Scola did in the rookie years, becoming productive in the second half of the season.


Jermaine Taylor

my initial fears: the guy is gonna be von wafer pt 2 - all offense all by himself, no defense

How I learned to stop worrying: Taylor has talent but right now doesnt seem like he will be able to show it off on this team. Courtney Lee has come in and pretty much owns the backup 2 spot now. Taylor isnt making much and has a lot of potential maybe as the season progresses he becomes a much better player through practices and in the D-League. Probably wont see the floor much this year but the Rockets could do far worse when it comes to the 14/15th guys at the end of the bench.

Jared Jeffries

my initial fears: the guy is going to continue to not dunk the ball, shoot ill-advised 3s

How I learned to stop worrying: Jeffries was never a bad player, just a really overpaid one. He is probably one of the most versatile defenders on the team and really is going to make his impact on that end of the floor. The team has enough offensive firepower to not have to rely on Jeffries to score so thats a good thing. I cant really hate him for being overpaid, he defends well and will help the team in special situations.





So what does all boil down to? All this nonsense? This: Way too often a lot of us here, myself definitely include, focus on two things: 1) What these players are not or cannot do 2)What these players can become

What these both have in common is that it they both neglect who these players are right now, for good or for worse. Lamenting or pondering over traits that may never be possess is just an exercise in futility. I am happy with the guys on the court now, but would certainly accept a move to make the team better. What last season taught me was that the moment expectations are put on a team is the moment that I was going to be disappointed. Last season when I had no idea what was going to happen was one of the most enjoyable seasons ever for me to watch as a fan.

This season the ideas of how many games will the rockets win? is it WCF or bust? etc all of those to me are nonsense. I have no idea how many games this team will win and I do not want to set a number on it. All I hope for is for this team to make the playoffs, whether that means they need to win 60 games to do that or 40 games to do that so be it. The team is good enough to be in the playoffs, once there anything can happen really. Every year people shot out this team is going to win 57, 60 games etc and I cant remember a year when anyone was right. Its not like home court means anything to this team the only time it has advanced in the playoffs in the last decade is when it didnt have homecourt.

So when the season starts next Tuesday I am going to be cheering all the guys on for what they do on the court, good or bad. When they lose, and they will lose, its not going to change my perspective at all. I've been down that roller coaster path of ups and downs during the Rockets season and its always ended up me being really upset and its not healthy. Unlike last year where I just wanted to see the Rockets play just to see them play without worrying about the final outcome. And last year the team won more times than it lost so it was good experience overall and at least to me as a fan a much more fulfilling one. I fully acknowledged the shortcomings of the players and the team as a whole last year but it never really bothered me.

One thing that I have is though: faith in the organization as a whole. Its the job of Morey and company to put together the best team that they can. Les is an owner committed to winning a championship and Morey is a really smart GM. We have a great coaching staff. If a guy off the street like me can recognize the weakness of the team they sure as hell can too. They all have a track record of doing what they can to improve and fix the weaknesses the best they can. I have faith in that. Its not my job to worry about Yao having a bad stretch, Battier not scoring 9ppg etc, its their job. My job is to support the team the best I can. Rockets brass will be making trades this season there is no reason to think that they wont be. They have made a trade pretty much every season for the past 4-5 years. When that happens it will be sad to see some players leave but I will be happy with the players that would be coming in as well.


I know some people will think this is a silly, pessimistic or even apathetic approach, but its not. Its appreciating the team the best I can for what it is and NOT getting upset over what it is not. Acknowledge the shortcomings of the team but I wont focus on that.

I do not think this team is good enough as it stands to win a title in the league, but you know what? Who cares...this is a damn good team and no one knows what will happen over the course of an 82 game season. No one expected the Magic to make the Finals 2 seasons ago, let alone with Rafer Alston being their starting point guard. No one gave detroit a shot to win the title in 2004, but they did and completely demolished probably one of the most talented teams in NBA history.

There are just so many variables that occur in the NBA during the months of November to April that none of us have control over and all of these variables will have a direct effect on the Rockets' record. I am tired of trying to speculate or trying to pretend that I know better than the management/coaching staff of this team because I am not.

Once again this season I am going to sit back and enjoy this team to the fullest wherever that may end up, lottery or the finals. I suggest you try a similar approach and see how much more rewarding the Rockets seasons is.

I hope that the Rockets will do the best they can this year I do feel this will be a really good year for them

Again sorry it was so long or too rambling