What the Rockets get to look forward to this upcoming season....

In most people's eyes the Houston Rockets of last season had a mediocre .500 season. As Rockets fans we had the opportunity to watch each and every one of our players grow and develope. We have the most depth out of any team in the NBA.

Starting 5:
- Aaron Brooks: 2010 NBA's Most Improved Player, League Leader in 3pt FG's Made, Averaged 20 PPG and 5 Assists. I'd expect his scoring to drop slightly but he should improve in his assists and his 3pt FG% with more open looks with Yao in the post.
- Kevin Martin: Acquiring Martin was a steal for the Houston Rockets, we were in need of a SG with Ariza playing out of position. Martin is an elite scorer in the NBA but didn't get much recognition in Sacramento. He managed to average 21 PPG without really understanding the system. With the half of the season he played last year and this summer to prepare Kevin should be pretty hard to contain. Martin is also one of the league leaders in FT attempts per game as well as FT%.
- Trevor Ariza: Ariza came to the Rockets last offseason and was put in a position he wasn't ready for. He isn't the go-to guy on a team, he's a role player. After the trade for Martin, Ariza was able to slide into SF position where he belongs. He doesn't have to handle the ball and the expectations for him aren't nearly as high. He can sit back and do what he does best, slash to the basket for easy dunks and knock down the spot up 3. With Yao back this year you'd expect easier looks and more opportunites for Ariza to attack the basket. Through his ups and downs last season he still averaged 15 PPG and 6 Rebounds.
- Luis Scola: To be honest I wasn't a fan of the Chris Bosh deal because we were going to be losing so many of our young assets for a player that doesn't do that much more than Luis. He averaged 16 PPG and 9 Rebounds. Considering that much of his season was split with Carl Landry his numbers were great. This was probably one our best offseason moves we could have made. He spreads the floor for Yao with his ability to knock down the mid range jumper and last year showed what kind of low post moves he has with the up and under.
- Yao Ming: The missing piece to the puzzle. Yao got us through the first round two years ago and without going down probably would have put us past LA. With Yao back it puts us back as one of the top defensive teams and adds one of the league leaders in FG% and FT% back to the roster.

I'd have to say that what I'm looking forward to the most next season is the depth of our bench and thier impact on the team. We've got great backups at each position and in some cases two or three.
- Kyle Lowry: Lowry is explosive and attacks the basket every opportunity he gets, the game doesn't change when he comes in. He keeps the tempo up and runs on every team. He averaged a solid 9 PPG and 4 Assists off the bench. He's a perfect fit for our second group and as a back up to Aaron Brooks.
- Jermain Taylor: Taylor made a name for himself late in the season last year with some good starts and quality minutes for the Rockets. He had a great performance against Kobe and the Lakers proving he's ready for the league. I think he's a solid backup to Kevin Martin. He's a run and gun type of player who can knock down the jumpshot and is explosive around the rim. This year in the Summer League he averaged 18 PPG ranking in the top 10 in scoring, also making the All Tournament Team.
- Chase Budinger: Chase had a great Rookie season last year averaging 9 PPG. He's a great shooter and finishes at the basket with the best of them. As for all the other 3pt shooters on the team, he should get better looks with Yao on the floor.
- Jordan Hill: Hill has spent the summer developing into a NBA big man. Before the trade for Brad Miller, Hill was expected to be Yao's backup. This means he would have to guard elite Centers in the NBA, he's not ready for that. He now gets to settle into the backup spot for Luis Scola at the PF. He's developed a back to the basket game and finishes great at the rim. It's been said that Hill has been spending his summer focusing on just two things, Defense and Rebounding.
- Patrick Patterson: He didn't get much attention at Kentucky because of Wall and Cousins but in my opinion he's just as good. Pat is a perfect fit on the Rockets with his post game and suprising range on the court. During his debut in the Summer League he was 2-2 from the 3. Hopefully he's not rushed into anything, he has great players to learn from and develope into a great forward.
- Brad Miller: What a great addition to the team. Exactly what we needed, a legit 7' backup. Finally no more Chuck Hayes in at center.

Expendables:
- Shane Battier: He has a lot to offer, and expiring contract and he's a great defender. Only problem is he's lost a step or two.
- Jefferies: He's a great defender but has no clue what to do on the offensive end, and he also has a large expiring contract. I don't expect to see him on the floor.
- Chuck Hayes: I don't really see much use for Chuck anymore. He's also a fantastic defender but he is undersized and offensively limited.
- David Anderson: I don't know what happened to him at the end of the season but he's a scrub anyways, I hope they package him in on any trade that they may try and make.

I don't see anyone else in the league with depth like that. I don't even see the need to add another star. We are a championship team exactly were we are. Go Rockets