How far do you predict the Rockets will go in the playoffs this year?

Hmm, weird wording. Get out of 1st round means we lose in the 1st round?

 

He's saying get to 2nd round, WCF, finals or champs. Weird wording for sure. Plus to remain unbiased should have an option for 1st round exit. Never know what health issues may come.

 

It will depend which Dwight Howard shows up in Houston. If he wants to be the man and superstar of the team, there will be problems. If he agrees to be the defensive anchor and let Harden/Lin/Parsons take ownership of the offense, then the Rockets can be good. Howard's problem is that he wants to be more than he is. On offense, he has no post moves and is a liability in the 4th quarter with his lousy free throw shooting. If he focused on defense, he could be as good if not better than Ben Wallace to a championship team. But he insists on trying to get out on fast breaks leaving his defensive duties and screws up the flow on offense because his teammates need to stop to think to make sure he gets the ball or he's not happy. I'd say best case scenario, they get home court advantage in the playoffs and make it to the second round. Worst case scenario, they are a low seeded playoff team and they lose to OKC or San Antonio in the first round.

 

You think Howard's ceiling is a Ben Wallace type on a championship team?

 

Hahaha, yeah what is that about? He is already a lot better than Ben Wallace ever was.

I really think a lot of you guys are underrating this team. This team won 45 games last year with 3 first year starters, and the majority of the players being new to the team. This year most of the players are back, and with more experience, (both on an NBA court and as a team), add to that, the league's best center and top 5 player Dwight Howard, I think this team will be really good. I would really not be surprised to see the Rockets in the finals this year.

 

They better get to wcf otherwise its a disappointment.

 

#14th pick

 

Haha perfect

 

All depends if they can get a power forward. With this current team they're a west finals team.

 

There is a difference between stat padding on an average team in the Eastern Conference and being on a title team where superstars need to learn to give up on their box score statistics for the better of the team success. The Rockets, like the Lakers last year, were both fine on offense without Dwight Howard. They do not need him in the way to get the job done on that end. What he brings to the table is his defensive abilities. Ben Wallace anchored that Detroit team built with essentially no legit superstars and they won a title and made the finals another year. I'm just saying, if Dwight wants to win, he should use that as a template when he's already got good offensive players on his team. Rockets defense was about as bad as it got last season so they really need Dwight's help on that end more than anything. The Lakers will be a much better offensive team next year without everyone worrying whether Dwight is getting enough touches...but their defense is going to be god awful unless they sign some overachievers to vet minimum contracts.

Phil Jackson seems to think Dwight Howard is joining the Astros per his latest tweets.

 

Every year is different. The Rockets caught a lot of team by surprise last season, but now that Dwight is on the team, they will be more of a marked team. Plus, with more nationally televised games (I'm assuming), they will get more opponents that want to step up in those games. And there's always the variable that is Dwight Howard...the Lakers were actually better the season before they added Dwight Howard. Now, you can blame the massive injury bug that they endured, but the fact is they were worse with Dwight than without. There are no guarantees and that is why they play the games.

 

If Rockets make no other significant changes, then they'll get eliminated in the second round. If they do make another few changes then they'll reach the WCF...barring any injuries.

 

its like we finish .500 again

 

I think the Rockets matchup well with every team in the West.

I don't see the Spurs making another run (though I've thought that for last 3 years and they keep doing it).

Thunder are good, but they got Perkins to be a Dwight stopper, Perkins is horrible now, I don't see it.

I think WCF or better. If the Rockets get vs the Heat, that would be an interesting matchup. We can't stop Lebron, they shouldn't be able to stop Dwight (outside of fouling). Sorry Bosh, Birdman, and Haslem shouldn't be able to slow down Dwight at all.

 

OP, are you not able to create threads in GARM?

 

I voted NBA Champs, though my therapists tell me I need to be more optimistic. I have no therapists.

 

Maybe it was all those not so cleverly disguised Harden hate threads :\