Looks Like the Rockets Are Turning It Around

Camarograna2 · Dec 1, 2015

yes i have seen improvements on the team as well these past few games even in the losses. However Brewer doesnt appear to be getting it and Tjones is just not cutting it. Dmo we need you to rescue us with your captain hook.

People i would trade today
1. Brewer (big $ but no production)
2. Jones (Not enough upside to retain)
3. KJ Mcdaniels( if your not gonna play him we wont ever see his potential. Right now he is just salary killer)
4. Terry (locker room vet is not really working out. He gets murdered on D). Ty is better than Terry even with Ty's slow start.

Those add up to 15,407,884 in salary. What kind of shooters can we get for that?

MONON · Dec 1, 2015

glynch said: ↑

Saying that we are "turning it around" does not mean that we never lose, never make mistakes, never have a bad half.

Sheesh why not go back to all the rest of the threads that the sky is falling, "I'm becoming to hate, McFauden, Howard, Brewer, Lawson, Beverly, Jones", etc. etc.

Avoid the trauma of a semi-positive thread and return to the comfort of all the other threads.
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That's ok, glynch. Us Chicken Littles know that's beneficial rain falling, not the sky.

cebu · Dec 1, 2015

The OP is right, it's turning around back to earth.

Easy · Dec 1, 2015

Playing 3 losing teams in the East has that effect.

CCorn · Dec 1, 2015

I still think we will make the playoffs. Problem is I see us getting the 7 seed and losing to SAS in 5.

jeevinesh · Dec 1, 2015

davidio840 said: ↑

I'll go out on a limb and say Davis goes for a cool 38 pts, 15 boards, 10 assist and 10 blocks tomorrow.
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Scoring 6/14 from the three point line

jeevinesh · Dec 2, 2015

CCorn said: ↑

I still think we will make the playoffs. Problem is I see us getting the 7 seed and losing to SAS in 5.
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I'm not sure about 5.. Think we'll get swept if we meet San Antonio and if we meet GSW we will be the first team in sports history to lose a 7 game series in 3 games..

alethios · Dec 2, 2015

Easy said: ↑

Playing 3 losing teams in the East has that effect.
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We used to feast on the East - what the hell happened?

J.R. · Jan 15, 2016

Watkins: How Rockets righted the ship

HOUSTON - It was early in the season when James Harden's patience was tested most.

The Houston Rockets had lost their first three games by an average of 20 points and nothing worked.

Yet, here was Harden, the Rockets' best player, telling anybody who would listen to wait because things would improve on this team. It had undergone several changes. Dwight Howard, Harden's superstar counterpart, reiterated that message.

Harden said the struggles reminded him of what the Cleveland Cavaliers went through in their first season with Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love and LeBron James. Indeed, the Cavs started 5-7 last season and sat 19-20 in January 2015, having lost six consecutive games, five of which came with James inactive.

But the Cavs improved, beginning with a 12-game win streak and eventually pushed themselves to the NBA Finals before losing to Golden State.

That's what gave Harden hope through a 0-3 start and the firing of head coach Kevin McHale. True to his words, the Rockets have improved, riding a season-high five-game win streak with their heads above .500 (21-19) as they host the Cavs on Friday night on ESPN (9:30 ET).

The Rockets are not an elite team, something GM Daryl Morey and team owner Leslie Alexander expect, but much improved. Still, there's work that needs to be done.

"I'm worried given our goals," Morey said. "We still have a lot of improvement to do and we're working towards that." Added Harden: "We're playing a lot better than a month ago. So that feeling is different. Now we got to figure out how to be on the same page at all times. These last few games have offered some tests, we've been through some adversity and we figured it out together against some good teams. Hopefully we can keep that streak going on."

Let's look at five things the Rockets have done to right the ship:

Better defense

During the five-game win streak, opponents scored fewer than 100 points three times and averaged 96.6 PPG. With J.B. Bickerstaff as the coach, the defensive efficiency has improved to 104.5 from 106.5 in 11 games under McHale.

"We're more aggressive, playing harder and we're rebounding better," forward Corey Brewer said. "Once we rebound and we're aggressive, we're going to be fine."

True, there still are defensive lapses, particularly with Harden along the perimeter and in the frontcourt where the Rockets struggle with backdoor cuts. In losses to less talented teams such as Brooklyn and Denver, the Rockets were outrebounded.

The Rockets have the third worst field goal percentage defense at 46.5 percent.

Yet the team does have Howard, third in the league in rebounding at 11.9 and Clint Capela at power forward with his 2.2 defensive box plus/minus.

Better 3-point shooting

Last season, the Rockets set a NBA single-season record for 3-pointers. That rate hasn't stopped. On the season, the Rockets average the most 3-point field goal attempts at 30.3 and are second in 3s made at 10.7. However, at one point this season, the Rockets ranked were near the bottom in 3-point field goal percentage.

"We're taking the same shots as we did last year, but we're just making them now," Brewer said.

This season, the Rockets have had 13 games in which they shot at least 20 percent from 3-point range. Last season that happened 24 times over the course of an 82-game season. Bickerstaff said the team will continue to shoot 3s, however, he doesn't believe that's all this team does.

Good ball movement helps the Rockets most, particularly when it gets Howard involved in the offense. In the last seven games, Howard has been outstanding with 20.3 PPG, 13.6 rebounds while shooting 68.9 percent from the floor. When teams double on Howard, it opens the offense for more 3s, something the Rockets are now taking advantage of.

The Revival of Patrick Beverley

One of the biggest changes under Bickerstaff was benching Ty Lawson as the starting point guard and inserting Beverley. Last season, Beverley was the starter and when the team acquired Lawson in a trade with Denver the theory was to have someone create in the backcourt and take the scoring load off Harden. It hasn't worked and now Lawson is better suited coming off the bench and Beverley is playing fantastic of late.

In the last eight games, Beverley is averaging 11.8 points while shooting 52.4 percent from the floor.

The Rockets just seem to flow better with Beverley as the starter on offense and he's been a key defensive player at the point, as well. With Beverley starting, it keeps Harden as the main ball handler, which frees him up to take more jumpers. On the season, 52.2 percent of Beverley's shot attempts have come from 3-point range, where he's making a career-high 43.1 percent.

"I just trying to be more aggressive," Beverley said. "I've tried to stay positive, get in the gym early, couple of hours and work on my craft. I have more opportunities, play off the catch, and take advantage of my opportunities from my teammates. James and Dwight require a lot of attention, double teams of that sort. It's up to me and Trevor (Ariza) to help this team to make plays."

Changing the roster?

Here is a case where we thought the Rockets would make changes, but didn't. Make no mistake, the desire to trade players remains despite the improved record. The Rockets talked to teams about trades regarding forward Terrence Jones and Brewer, yet nothing of substance occurred. Lawson's reps sought more playing time elsewhere and there was a report Howard wanted out, something he disputed.

When the Rockets signed second-round pick Montrezl Harrell to a three-year, $3.1 million deal over the summer, it used a portion of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception pushing them to the apron level of a hard salary cap of $88.7 million. Morey is limited in what he can do because he can't take on a huge salary for this season with the hard cap.

Harden, hold on to the ball

Harden is averaging a career-high 28 PPG, second in the league to Stephen Curry. Harden leads the league in minutes played (1,508), free throws attempted (405) and made (351) but there is one stat he wishes he didn't lead: turnovers (186). Harden sits just 14th in the league in touches per game at 83.6 percent but leads in isolation plays at 27.6 percent. A majority of his turnovers are aggressive ones -- moves to the paint where he tries to find the open man. He struggles at times trying to bounce passes through defenders on screens.

"Patience, just testing my leadership, testing everything, me as a basketball player," Harden said. "[Asking myself] 'Am I built for this?' I know I am. There are a lot of tests I've been put through in these last three or four years, not a lot of people can get through. Me being a strong minded individual that I am, being surrounded by some really good people, I just continue to work through it and fight through it and good things will happen."
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No Chill Rocket · Jan 15, 2016

Plzzzzz anti-jinx this $h1t

windpuppy · Jan 15, 2016

No Chill Rocket said: ↑

Plzzzzz anti-jinx this $h1t
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Losing to CLE and LAC will put us back to .500, and with the trap game @LAL we gon be below again. TJones and Brewer back to old selves after a few good games. DMo in and out of the rehab for the rest of the season. Nothing is being turned around nothing!

Ops, I probably over did it a little.

Raven · Jan 15, 2016

In the last eight games, Beverley is averaging 11.8 points while shooting 52.4 percent from the floor.
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More gunners please.

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