Will Martin's injury be a concern going forward? I'm not exactly sure how bad his foot is, but plantar facilitus is not a joke injury like back spasams.
Wow this team is going on a roll. I see the haters are coming out of the woodwork and talking about how "soft" the opponents are. But the thing is, we started out as having the toughest schedule, so if you think about it the tough and easy opponents balance each other out give us a difficulty that approximates the "true" strength of the league. Based on this i'd say the Rox are passing with flying colors. we're fourth in the west and have won 9 of the last 10 games. The funny thing is I think we're one of the teams with the highest potential, we're winning games with Scola being in a funk and Kmart dealing with foot problems. We also have all these unused players like the 09ers and MM who could be used for trades to upgrade the team. Next year looks even better for us, not only is the Knicks' pick looking like a lottery pick, we could also see the arrival of both Donuts and Lull next year. Donuts play in Europe is definitely comparable to top picks like Drummond or Davis, and unlike them he played against tougher competition against grown men 5-10 years older than him. Lull is someone who reminds me a lot of dragic, he's fearless, aggressive, relentless defender and can play both guard spots with ease. His natural position is a SG, but I think he'll fit right in as a 6th man off the bench for our team if he can be brought in next year.
The scariest thing about PF is its recurring, you don't know when it will pop up again. I'm not sure there's a cure for it other than rest, but I find it strange KM out of all people will get it. His body is so thin and he doesn't really explode for dunks so I'm not sure why he developed it. Maybe all that jumpshots finally took its toll on his bony legs.
If the Rockets were going to compete with this group of guys, this would be the year to do it. It sounds like a cliche since it has been discussed so much this season, but the teams with depth and young legs will have a huge advantage once we get later in the season.
With the compact schedules, home/road games have been a huge influence(more than usual anyway) on records in the West. Only Oklahoma City and Denver seem to be immuned. When Dallas, SA, Memphis,Lakers, etc. had significantly more home games, they were at the top of the pack. Now that road/away games on the schedule are evening up, so has the conference. Will be interesting to see how the Clips (11 home games vs 5 away) and Utah (12 home, 6 away) will do once they start playing more away. I expect them to slip in the standings.
I love my rockets, theyve been playing very well and have exceeded my expectations thus far. Although: lets be real, we have had a lot of home games against mostly mediocre teams. the schedule will get MUCH tougher in the next two months. the bashing will begin, and the knee jerks will fill the board. although, we will see how our roster and new coaching staff reacts. Win or lose, it should be interesting. Go rockets!
Wed, Feb 1 @ San Antonio Fri, Feb 3 vs Phoenix Sat, Feb 4 @ Minnesota Mon, Feb 6 @ Denver Wed, Feb 8 @ Portland Thu, Feb 9 @ Phoenix Sun, Feb 12 @ Golden State Tue, Feb 14 @ Memphis Wed, Feb 15 vs Oklahoma City Fri, Feb 17 vs Minnesota Sun, Feb 19 vs Utah Mon, Feb 20 vs Memphis Wed, Feb 22 vs Philadelphia Tue, Feb 28 vs Toronto Wed, Feb 29 @ Utah Interesting schedule
I am actually not completely surprised. I never thought our team was that bad. We just never had a true center to replace Yao Ming. Dalembert has finally come in to fill that role and now exceeded expectations.
A trade will happen at the deadline that will either make us better now or set us up for the future. That's the way its gone the past 3 years I don't expect it to change now.
February has some back to back and on the road games. If we can manage .500 for the month, I will be satisfied with the overall outcome.
I had us as a 6th seed at the beginning of the season and that's where I think we'll end up. Second in our division and a first round match-up against Dallas (praying we can beat em).
