Parsons is a fan favorite and he and Lin are in a close competition for who is the third best player on the team. Right now Parsons is winning. This team has more talent that any team since the championship years. Yes, the Yao/TMac teams had potential, but the role players weren't up to the caliber of the current team. This team is scary on paper, I am anxious to see how they are on the court.
Good post. We are stacked. Harden and Howard are top notch all-stars and possibly the best at their respective positions. On top of which, we have Chandler, Lin, Omer, and a truck load of youngsters with potential. I really think Chandler/Lin/Omer behind our big 2 is more than enough to contend given chemistry issues and coaching. I'm also big on Bev as well. Let's just hope that Howard can get in where he fits in and provides awesome D and rim-rocking presence rather than him working on his post-up game on our time. I have big hopes for this team in the next couple of years at the least.
"Telepathy" reminds me of "amalgam." High five if you get that reference! Anybody? No? ...self five...
I expect him to be our 3rd star. If he or JLIN can make it, there's no need to go for another star. We've got enough ALPHA males in the team already (Harden and Howard). Too much might ruin the chemistry.
Chandler's role might change a bit since Howard has arrived. I expect fewer touches for him, but his versatility will be very helpful. I hope he will gain a bit more physical strength in his arms, which can help him defend better. He needs to keep on working on his outside shooting so he doesn't slip up, and on ball handling.
I don't expect Parsons to get fewer touches as he is the best non-star off the ball player. Howard is more likely to steal touches from Harden, Lin, and the PF.
My take is a little different. If Dwight returns to form (which has to happen for the Rockets to contend), crunch-time offense is a bigger concern for me than defense. Dwight's presence in the middle (by itself) should radically improve the Rockets defense. The Magic surrounded him with creampuffs but they were a top 5 defense solely because Dwight covered up others' mistakes and shut down the paint. I think people will be pleasantly surprised. Regardless of how they start off, I firmly believe the Rockets will evolve to become a top defensive team as the season progresses. IMO, Parsons should work on arching his jumper and becoming a deadeye shooter, all while not forgetting to slash to the basket. He's needs be a lethal off-the-ball weapon when teams decide to clamp down on H & H late in games. You throw in a Jeremy Lin who shoots better and cuts down the TOs plus a little Morey magic before the trade deadline and the Rockets will be in striking distance of winning it all.
Asik's defense is not much less effective than Howard. I think Morey said that we were top 5 defense when Asik was playing. The upgrade with Howard is more on the offensive side. He's miles ahead of Asik at finishing around the basket. We will be a much better defensive team IF Asik remains on the team to make sure we have one of the two centers on the floor all the time. Otherwise, I don't expect our defense to have a big jump from last season, unless Harden REALLY steps up at that end. I agree that crunch time offense may be a concern mainly because Howard is not known to be a crunch time beast on offense due to his lack of a go-to move and poor FT shooting. I hope he redeems himself on that and proves us wrong. I am also hoping Harden will grow in crunch time decision making. That said, Harden's problem toward the end of last season might be caused by injury issues. It was so frustrating to see him run down the shot clock without being able to beat his man and either jack up a bad shot or pass to someone with 2 seconds left on the clock.
He still is. Interest in the league and basketball in general took a quantum leap when Lin burst onto the scene. The guy is widely respected and his presence isn't actually controversial; it's just the interaction among writers, fans and haters that's toxic.
