Yet were still overwhelmingly better odds to win the finals. 16/1 vs 50/1 It's not just Rockets homers that think we still have the superior team. Lost all those guys, still have McHale, still have ball hog iso no defense Harden and the never serious about winning Howard and still you will be hard pressed to find somewhere in Vegas that likes Dallas more than Houston.
No dallas will be a scrappy team of vets this year. Its gonna come down to guard play against the mavs. And they have no one to guard James Harden. I dont think monta ellis defesne is that good. So i see james harden coming thru.
What does being better than Dallas gets us anyway...??? What's the point...??? We didn't play Dallas in the playoffs... We played Portland. Are we better than them...? Are we better than San Antonio and OKC...?
Parsons has been replaced. Asik missed half the season anyway and played like crap before that. He didn't play well until Dwight got hurt at the end of the season. Lin is the one who will be missed until we replace him from the outside or Canaan/Johnson steps up.
If we add to the casual rotation those guys: DMO Cannan Nick Along with Ariza... How we cant be better than a year a go?
Felton Ellis Parsons Dirk Chandler Word is they are targeting a shooter with their room exception....... Mo Williams or a Jordan Crawford. Add Jefferson, Lewis, Wright, and Harris to that and I think you have a pretty good team. Taking off the homer shades this board tends to have on all the time and I think it's clear Dallas is better.
Vegas liked us a hell of a lot more than they liked Portland in the first round last year........ where did that get us??? I don't give a damn what Vegas thinks..... nor should you, it doesn't mean ****.
Their shooting has taken a major major hit. Their defense sucks. Felton is a huge downgrade. Devin Harris cannot step up for Calderon. Calderon shot .449 from three; Harris shot .378 overall! T. Chandler did not perform better than Dalembert last year. Might be a downgrade. Lewis didn't do much last season (16.2 mpg, FG% .415). He seems spent. Jefferson is fading: 10.1/2.7/1.6 as a starter last season. They'd better get somebody. I think they're behind the Pelicans now.
I don't think Felton will start but having Rick Carlisle means a heck of a lot. That team had a better efficiency offensive ranking last year than the Rockets. No reason to think that's going to fall off with the addition of Parsons. I don't know if it's "clear" Dallas is better though, but they definitely aren't a garbage team.
You realize that the Rockets are literally in competition with other teams, right? Anyway, it's good to see someone so confident in the Rockets!
Jose Calderon is straight garbage on the defensive end. He couldn't stay in front of a glass of water. I heard Tyson was going through things with his mother's health last year but I don't see a drop off in the center position. Every team in this division better be worried about the Pelicans in the next year or two. Davis is a BEAST.
lol I know the favorite doesn't always win. Vegas wouldn't exist if they did, but there is a reason there are favorites and underdogs. I was merely pointing out that you don't have to be a Rockets homer to think we are still better than Dallas. Heck they have us favors as the 4th best team in the West just like last season. Again I know that doesn't lock us into the 4th seed, but it says something about how outsiders view things. Fans of a certain team do 2 things really well. Overrate and underrate their team. I feel like the playoff series and the offseason has swung a ton of fans into underrating our team.