Both LA's, OKC, and SA are locks. Memphis may be #5 but the rest are open. Yes, I think we can be better than the rest.
We aren't going to be a 6th seed. These are PO teams in the west. LAC LAL OKC Spurs Memph Den Mavs. Minny Utah will likely make PO's as well. Houston isn't going to make it.
improve from last season? we are a whole different team. different style. different mentality. if you are comparing individual players in each position from last season with this group then of course you haven't improved. of course it would be silly to say that a bunch of rookies and 2nd and 3rd year players are better than vets. but as a team, i see this team being better on both sides of the court. hell, going to be putting a lot of money on this team and i'm glad the "experts" are underrating this team and overrating the Knicks.
A lot of what you just said was like one big rambling thought. We are not better than last year and teams that were ahead of us last year are still ahead of us while some of the teams that were behind us, PHX, WOLVES got better. I am one of the biggest Rockets' fans you will meet. But, we are not better than we were last year on an individual level or on a team basis. If we sneak into 6th seed... I would not even be mad about being wrong though.
Denver is a lock to be a top 4. They have a great chance to become the next OKC. One all-star in Igoudala 4 borderline all-stars in Lawson, Faried, McGee, Gallo. Lawson, Faried, McGee are their young core players and any one of them might have a breakout year this season. In another year or two, WC belongs to OKC and Nuggets, while Lakers and Spurs are aging and fading into the sunset!
Although, I know a lot of you are like I am and are just enjoying JUST TALKING about basketball again. ;o
i followed the Kings all my life then suddenly they got Williams, Divac, Webber, and Peja and they suddenly became a playoffs team. i then followed the Warriors and even though they seemed like they were going to make the playoffs they didn't. then last season with all the "stars" and vets that the Knicks had, they were lottery bound until a group of unknowns plus Tyson Chandler saved their season. with the Rockets, i seeing a very good core and most importantly a great defensive big man, and a point guard who can make everyone around him better.
So you are comparing us to the Kings? Not that White or Jones will never be the caliber of Webber and Lin will ever be like Williams but at this stage you are setting your expectations too high. Plus, R. A. is a mastermind and he was huge in turning that team into one of the funnest (and good at the same time) teams to watch. Mchale, not so much. I just want to calm you down, man.
nope, i'm just saying a team like the Kings sucked like forever and then all of the sudden with a new group of guys, they were able to turn it around in just one season. it's not impossible like you seem to think. and i'm not comparing players, i'm looking at the core and the style. that team has a legitimate big man, smart players, and an offense that involves every single player on the team. with the Rockets, we have a legitimate big man, smart players, a very solid defense (from what i can see), and an offense that can be quite similar to the Linsanity crew. i also like the defense and hard work that Mchale is preaching to his guys. look, i'm not just saying all this and putting myself out there to be ridiculed like i'm some fanboy. i've watched quite a lot of games in my years and i've been quite the negative type but i'm actually going to be betting a lot of money on this team this season.
6th is really unrealistic but 8th is certainly a possibility. If Rockets do well before All Star Game, Morey might swing a trade to propel us into a legit PO contender. There are all kinds of possibilities that can happen. If Blazers have an awful season, they might decide to rebuild and DeMarcus will be on an open market. Unhappy player who asks to be traded in the middle of a season happens all the time. At this point, Rockets and Morey are sailing where the wind will take them. I am sure Morey has a set of plans as season progresses...for all possible scenerios, all except Royce not showing up for practice.
6th seed is the best that i think they can do, 7th - 8th is more likely. DeMarcus isn't going anywhere and he's with the Kings. if you are thinking LaMarcus then that would be great but i don't think 1 guy in that position makes that much of a difference on a team (and i'd rather see what Jones and White can do there). the most important position is center and point guard and we have that.
Haha...my bad. Always got confused with those two names. Jones and White are in their rookie season and it will be a painful learning experience for them, and not to mention the grueling 82-game schedule. Are they conditioned for it? If they play any substancial amount of minutes, most likely it's lottery time. We all agree that Omer is key to the success of Rox this season but he is still relatively unknown, despite what he has showed in training camp. Playing against first tier centers is not the same as playing against backup C's in limited minutes or against PPat in training camp. This young roster will not be a legit PO contender without making impactful trade(s)! And I don't see Morey doing that if team sucks real bad.
4 teams that are locked in the east: LAL SA OKC Nuggets High chance: Grizz(depend if they are really trading rudy gay) Clippers The rest are fair game with the follow 2 have above average chance: Jazz Dallas
disagree about nuggets being #4, and now that i think about it even the clippers aren't a lock. lakers, thunders and spurs are locks for sure. can't do much against freaks athletes, former mvp's, scoring leaders, and a spurs team that goes to the playoffs every year.
yeah, giving you a hard time. lol knew you meant LaMarcus. i trust Pat to be somewhat serviceable on the defensive end as a starting pf. hopefully he will clog up the middle with Asik and also pull down a few rebounds for us. the rookies will be coming off the bench for a while and maybe if one of them show that they are starter material near all-stars period then that would be great. but as it stands, i see the starters (assuming Lin, Asik, Pat, Martin, Parsons) as quite an effective unit. with the rookies, Delfino, Douglas, and other guys being quite a deep bench. if the rookies hustle and play defense like Mchale preaches, then i'm sure they can hold their own against other team's second units.
I think the Rox' defense will surprise this upcoming season...... This team has a lot of players that can bring the "D", which not a lot of other teams can claim. We then have Parsons, White (if he's OK), and Lin running fast breaks off the "D", this could be a lethal combination. If the Rox have a weakness, aside from inexperience, it's maybe "beef" at the 1, 2, and maybe 3 positions. Could be a huge matchup issue against teams like the Heat and OKC, players like Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade, guards that like to grind it out into the paint, forcing our bigs to help. (My biggest concern with Lin is more foul trouble and physical abuse than turnovers.) I think the big key to this team is how well the players play together. If this team can move well without the ball in half court, communicate on defense, and win the boards (all items realistically possible), the Rockets could be the surprise team this year. Potentially take the same path as the OKC Thunder.
It's really hard to predict anything at this point, we have too many new players and we have no idea how they are going to gel. It won't be surprising to see bunch of rookies struggling to adjust to the NBA.
