Only 1 ESPN writer thinks the Rockets are a top-5 team next year.

i think we are better than the clippers if we are 100% healthy

 

Just like with Dallas last year, people are getting caught up with the sexy names of the Clippers. Is everyone forgetting that no one can shoot except pierce on their bench?

 

My top 5:

1. Spurs
2. Warriors
3. Rockets
4. Cavs
5. Clippers

 

People want to give the Spurs the title already. I love it. The top 5 teams of last year will be the top 5 teams of this year. Not much has changed.

GSW
Rox
Cavs
Clips
Spurs

 

Redick can shoot. Paul's added the 3-pointer to his arsenal. Stephenson was a 35% 3-point shooter the season before last in Indiana. And Smith and Crawford are capable of getting hot from outside.

Their shooters are streaky, but that's honestly not that different from the Rockets.

 

Dragic/Chalmers
Wade/Green
Deng/Winslow
Bosh/McBob?
Whiteside

It looks like they will be able to score a lot but I don't see them stopping anybody defensively. Plus, on paper they look like they will have issues with shooting/spacing and rebounding. And you have to figure Dragic, Wade, Deng, and Bosh will each miss around 15 games. Add that all up and they look like a sub-55 win team to me. Good for home-court through round 1 but not much promised after that. I'll be watching though a Miami vs. Cleveland storyline would be great for the league.

 

Yep, a team that lost more man-games than all but two other teams and finished with the two seed before making it to the WCF with two key starters injured isn't a top five team in spite of essentially having roster continuity and adding an excellent player at a position of weakness. Sounds logical.

Seriously though, why is everybody hanging all over the Spurs and Thunder's nuts? Spurs may have issues with depth and three-point shooting this year, and the Thunder haven't been the same since they gifted us Harden. I feel like pegging the Thunder as a top-five team is like pegging the Nash-Kobe-Dwight Lakers as the best in the league, except its worse because those guys were expected to produce while forecasts on the Thunder are assuming Durant's foot is healed, and that their defense will be sturdy in spite of adding Kanter's slow-footed ass to their pick and roll defense. Who's their starting two-guard? Durant and Westbrook aren't good enough to carry that team. Too many question marks defensively and regarding their big two's durability.

 

really depends on player's health

 

This is what so many people fail to see for some reason! With the addition of Lawson and hopefully a healthier season, the Rockets should be improved from last year.

If healthy, they will be good enough to compete with anybody

It is really hard to rank teams at this point (The top of the West is just stacked):

1. GSW (they won it all, so gotta put them up there, although they might end up anywhere from 1-5 in the West)

2-6essentially Rockets, Cavs, SAS, Clippers, OKC (in no particular order)

 

So we add Ty Lawson, Patrick Beverly and Donatas Mortiunas to the squad that was competing in the WC finals and remove Josh Smith and we drop out of the top rankings like that?

What did any of those other squads do to solidify their position or leapfrog us?

 

wow we get no respect at all
Grizzlies and Heat over Rockets?
wth?

 

I am glad they write us off so when we beat their little b****# teams we can happily listen to them cry themselves to sleep.

 

Thunder and Clippers I can understand. Thunder were an elite team before last season's injury issues. Although they don't have Thabo, whom I think was important for them, Westbrook has grown as a player and they still have KD. Clippers were a really good team last season and they got Lance Stephenson and Pierce to upgrade over Barnes. I like their additions.

Miami? No way. Grizzlies? Good, but no way.

Rockets are a top 5 team

Warriors
Spurs
Rockets
Clippers
Cleveland

 

Miami?????????????














that dude has a job working at ESPN........



MIAMI!!!?!!?!?!

 

ESPN always caters to the public sentiment.

They will pick the Warriors obviously. The Cavs are a legit pick for the top 5, as are the spurs. The next two are much harder to chose. The put Miami only because it's Miami and a popular team the last few years.

OKC is legit too but no one knows how legit.

So I think it's more like
Tier 1: CAVS-warriors-spurs
Tier 2: OKC, Clippers, Rockets
Tier 3: Memphis, Atlanta, Miami,

 

All five ESPN writers are in agreement that the Warriors, Cavs, Spurs, and Clippers are top-5 teams next year.

But there's no agreement for that fifth team. Rockets, Thunder, Grizzlies and Heat all got one vote each.

Personally, I think the Rockets are the best among these four, but I wouldn't disagree that at this point, we're a level behind the Warriors, Cavs, Spurs, and Clippers. Not too far behind, but definitely the next tier.

 

^^
Oops, it looks like Thunder got two votes instead of one.

Well, I still think the Rockets should rank higher than OKC.

 

I think the Heat will do well in the crappy East. Their division sucks and they have three stars that can light it up at any time. Having Dragic will free Wade to not have to handle the ball as much and will also help Bosh.
Getting Ty Lawson was amazing but the fact is he has yet to prove he is a two way player. He has to be able to play both ends of the floor or we're Dwight needs to show that he can remain healthy. Our pf situation is also a bit "iffy". T jones dissappeared against the better pf's of the West and Dmo has yet to play in the Playoffs. Capella has more playoff experience than Dmo at this point.
Memphis , cavs, gs, sa, are definitely proven. 5th spot is definitely open to Houston, clips, okc, miami and Atlanta.
These early predictions are still very meaningless, let's see how well everyone meshes and who can stay healthy long enough.

 

It's highly ironic because Sherwood Strauss was one of the biggest Rocket haters out there last year before the playoffs. In fact I remember a podcast during the MVP race where he said something to the effect of, "he refuses to watch Harden play". Maybe he had a change of heart when he saw Harden against his beloved Warriors...either way, it's typical reactionary sports lackey take. ESPN asshats always overrate teams who made big moves in the offseason - it's highly predictable. I can't tell if everyone there is just really lazy and mails it in every day or they actually believe their own hot takes...

 

Yup - show me a healthy Durant before giving these guys a crown.