[HoopsWorld]NBA 2009 Preview: Houston Rockets

ClutchCity3 · Sep 18, 2008

lock it if posted

Now, without further ado... here's a look at the Houston Rockets:

Five Guys Think...

Travis Heath Yes, I realize this is a somewhat risky pick given the injury history of both Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, but with Ron Artest now in the mix, something just gives me the feeling this will be Houston's year. Don't forget the 22-game winning streak this team reeled off last season without Yao. This is a deep squad that seems to have responded to Rick Adelman and has veteran players at crucial positions across the board. Health is obviously a concern, but if they stay healthy, Houston could very well qualify for The NBA Finals for the first time in over a decade.
1st Place, Southwest Division

Jason Fleming Ron Artest has shown he can stagnate an offense when he doesn't trust his teammates to be successful. However, with teammates like Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming look for him to focus more on defense and be the Rockets' missing link.
2nd Place, Southwest Division

Tommy Beer It may take some time to incorporate Ron Artest into the mix, but as long as T-Mac and Yao can stay healthy, the Rockets have a legitimate shot of advancing to the Finals.
3rd Place, Southwest Division

Wendell Maxey If the Rockets can stay healthy, this may be the year Tracy McGrady sniffs the second round. Maybe. It all comes down to Rick Adelman getting the most out of Ron Artest and T-Mac and Yao staying injury-free.
3rd Place, Southwest Division

Yannis Koutroupis No games have been played yet and everyone is healthy, making this team the favorite to win the Southwest. Ron Artest will thrive alongside two other legitimate All-Stars, but they have to re-sign Carl Landry and a backup center for Yao. On paper Houston looks capable of winning it all.
1st Place, Southwest Division

Top Of The List

Top Offensive Player: Tracy McGrady. There are many scoring threats on this team, and Ron Artest is one more, but no one player sets the tone for Houston's offense the way McGrady does. When he's aggressive and attacking the rim, the Rockets are unstoppable. He creates rifts in the defense with his ability to score or dish to an open teammate. However, when he falls in love with his jumper and stops working for points, McGrady sabotages Houston's offense. Either way, McGrady's play dictates the effectiveness of Rick Adelman's system on the offensive end.

Top Defensive Player: Yao Ming and Shane Battier. It's impossible to give one the edge over the other, as Battier is responsible for stopping the other team's top perimeter player, which Yao Ming is responsible for preventing dribble penetration and lay-ups. As on the offensive end, the Rockets have a plethora of great defensive players, but Battier and Yao are the ones who set the tone and bear the lion's share of the load.

Top Playmaker: Although Rafer Alston is an underrated floor leader and has truly come into his own with the Rockets, Tracy McGrady is the one who creates Houston's offense most of the time. Alston's role is part play-maker, part scorer, with his three-point shooting and killer driving ability equally as important as his passing game. So really the two share a role here, but the team can overcome an injury to Alston far more easily than they can sustain an injury to McGrady.

Top Clutch Player: Tracy McGrady. Last season we saw Yao being called upon more and more often to make the big plays at the end of games, and he stepped up time after time. But considering McGrady has been the go-to guy ever since he came to the Rockets and wound up having to carry the load when Yao went down last season, this is still McGrady's label to lose.

The Unheralded Player: Shane Battier. One of the most common mistakes NBA fans make is to talk wistfully about the Rockets' Rudy Gay/Shane Battier trade. People love to say the Rockets would like to have that trade back, but the truth is Battier is every bit as indispensable as Yao Ming or Tracy McGrady. He's easily one of the top five defenders in the league, brings a tremendously valuable voice to the locker room, and is the consummate teammate. He accepts any assignment without complaint and plays as hard as anyone. The reason you hear his name come up so often in trade talks is because every team wants him, not because the Rockets are shopping him.

Best New Addition: I'll give you three guesses and the first two don't count. Ron something or other . . .There's no question that the arrival of Ron Artest in Houston has put them right at the top of the Western Conference if everyone's healthy. After all, they were nearly at the top last season in spite of the latest injury to Yao Ming. The best part about adding Artest may be that the Rockets are much better equipped to be without Yao Ming for a prolonged period of time with another big body who can defend the four. Sadly, how well this team plays without Yao may become the gauge that measures their postseason success.

Who We Like

1. Yao Ming: Hands-down the best center in the NBA, the only thing that can stop Yao is the inevitable injury that rods the Rockets of their franchise player every season. Over the past five years Yao has missed roughly 30% of Houston's games, and the team simply can't overcome that kind of set back. The Rockets are working on shoring up their center position, but at the end of the day the only way this team gets out of the first round of the playoffs is with a healthy Yao Ming.

2. Luis Scola: He's an MVP in international basketball, and last season we saw that it won't be too long before he's putting up MVP numbers in the NBA. Scola has the complete package - he's a great scorer, a defensive stopper, an animal on the glass, and he's extremely passionate about winning. Everything you could ask for in a traditional power forward is embodied by Scola.

3. Carl Landry: Most fans don't care too much about the second round of the NBA Draft, but teams know that every once in a while you have a jewel waiting to be discovered even after David Stern steps away from the microphone. Gilbert Arenas and Rashard Lewis are a couple of examples of star players who emerged from the second round, and all indications are that Carl Landry will be another. He's a hard-worker who boards well, attacks the rim relentlessly, and even has a knack for making big plays in pressure situations. We expect big things from this young man for years to come.

4. Ron Artest: Sure, there are plenty of external forces that give people reason to question the logic of acquiring Artest. His long history of off-court antics give you reason to wonder where his head is at sometimes. What's most important to know, however, is where his head's at when he on the basketball court. Artest is all about hard-nosed defense, pushing himself and his teammates to new heights, and winning a championship. Ron knows this is probably his last chance to win a title and he's already gearing up for the challenge. He may just be the piece that gets Houston back to the NBA Finals.

5. Shane Battier: Not only is he one of the league's best defenders, he's also someone who is working to make his community better and understands his role as someone kids look up to. Whether it's speaking out in support of Presidential hopeful Barrack Obama, putting in extra work with NBA Cares, or taking part in community improvement activities around Houston, Battier is as committed to improving the world he lives in as he is to excellence on the basketball court. He's someone parents can be proud to have their kids look up to.
Click to expand...

http://www.***************/Story.asp?story_id=9991

GBRocket · Sep 18, 2008

ClūtchCītｙ③ said:

lock it if posted

http://www.***************/Story.asp?story_id=9991[/QUOTEL

Get your fire-proof blanket, you're about to get flamed.
Click to expand...

ClutchCity3 · Sep 18, 2008

madmax11 said:

ClūtchCītｙ③ said:

lock it if posted

http://www.***************/Story.asp?story_id=9991[/QUOTEL

Get your fire-proof blanket, you're about to get flamed.
Click to expand...

read the title...it's from hoopsworld
Click to expand...

MayoRocket · Sep 18, 2008

madmax11 said:

ClūtchCītｙ③ said:

lock it if posted

http://www.***************/Story.asp?story_id=9991[/QUOTEL

Get your fire-proof blanket, you're about to get flamed.
Click to expand...

Maybe. Maybe not since the article doesn't totally disrespect the Rockets. I suspect however, that there will those who have issues with who the "go to player," is.
Click to expand...

Marsarinian · Sep 18, 2008

MayoRocket said:

madmax11 said:

Maybe. Maybe not since the article doesn't totally disrespect the Rockets. I suspect however, that there will those who have issues with who the "go to player," is.
Click to expand...

Actually I thought the article was extremely high the Rockets. Not undeserved, but that's a lot of love... Even from Hoopsworld.
Click to expand...

ClutchCityReturns · Sep 18, 2008

Nothing hits the spot quite like a bunch of typos and misinformation from Hoopsworld's writers.

Or maybe Luis Scola's 6rpg makes him a monster on the glass in today's NBA, Yao Ming is both a better defender than Ron Artest and "hands down" the best center in the NBA...

Tfor3 · Sep 18, 2008

I still like reading good things about the rox
don't care if it's from a 3rd grader or ESPN

Vivid · Sep 18, 2008

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/EvJLWxxTbj8&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/EvJLWxxTbj8&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

a 2009 preview.
-V

ico4498 · Sep 18, 2008

Vivid said:

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/EvJLWxxTbj8&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/EvJLWxxTbj8&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

a 2009 preview.
-V
Click to expand...

nice!

forged in the fires of 1st round futility, we will regroup triumphantly.

"Rise oh fallen fighters,
Rise and take your stance again.
'Cause he who fights and runs away,
Lives to fight another day." -Bob Marley & The Wailers

Seven · Sep 18, 2008

Artest not even mentioned for his defense. I don't see a problem with Yao being handsdown the best center in the NBA. I guess you can dispute it but not really.

ronnymac · Sep 18, 2008

ClūtchCītｙ③ said:

lock it if posted

http://www.***************/Story.asp?story_id=9991
Click to expand...

Considering the source, it's actually not all that bad. there spot on that tracy is the best offensive player we got. there spot on that we need health to be on our side for once and there spot on that yao need to be dominante again.

TracywtFacy · Sep 19, 2008

I never realised Rafer has a "killer driving ability", nor that Scola is a "defensive stopper" until that article.

ronnymac · Sep 19, 2008

Rafer is very hard to contain off the dribble. it's his finishing that lets him down.scola is a solid or at the very least above average defender.

1JumpShot · Sep 19, 2008

Vivid said:

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/EvJLWxxTbj8&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/EvJLWxxTbj8&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

a 2009 preview.
-V
Click to expand...

that song is from medal gear solid lol! niceee!

FFz · Sep 19, 2008

wait a minute... shane supports obama?

Clutch · Sep 19, 2008

ClūtchCītｙ③ said:

lock it if posted
Click to expand...

... or if not posted.

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