[Poll] Did the Rockets get better this offseason?

I remember a few years ago (vs. Sacramento) Cousins lighting us up beyond the arc. If he add that dimension to our offense, we will be better for it. Go Rockets!

 

I think the team will be a little better. A lot depends on whether Cousins stays healthy and pans out. And there's reason to be concerned about the defense. Hated losing Covington. Wish they had really shaken things up by trading Westbrook, but I guess that wasn't meant to be. The biggest change and reason for optimism, bigger than the players, might be the new coach and system.

 

They got better if for no other reason than having a legit big man that can defend and rebound opposing bigs but fixing that broke the wing spot.

They need a tweak or two .... and its yet to be seen if Harden is staying or not.

 

wood is an upgrade but I am not sure it's enough to make a significant impact. Cousins is a question mark with his history.

If everything goes right, and we see the westbrook that doesn't brick and play like a bonehead, and wood pans out as a legit star, and cousins stays healthy, and we get contributions from on of the other pickups, and we don't see a decline in play from tucker, gordon, and maybe gg comes back and can contribute - I think this team could make it to the WCF in that scenario.

 

Offense improved.

Defense took a step back, or two.

Games may not be as tight in regular season.

 

I voted that the team is slightly better because the glaring weakness of having no big man has been addressed, but they still need to find a way to replace some of what they lost with Covington because he was huge for this team...I also believe that we’re slightly better because I have a lot of faith in Silas...I think he’ll be better than MDA

however, the result will still be the same...a 2nd round exit if we face either of the LA teams, and a struggle to beat any of the other WC teams in a playoff series

 

On-court seems about the same. Coach... who knows. Front office is probably worse.

 

I want to say this team is better but I am concerned about the depth at the forward position. If Nwaba/Tate can play back up 4 then the Rockets could be better.

I feel like this team is one roster balancing trade away from being a serious contender. They aren’t going to sell low on Gordon so we will all have to wait and see what happens there. They will have to make a move with EG at the deadline or hope to find help on the buyout market once again.

 

Well everyone was happy last year and optimistic about playing together again. Westbrook was able to play within himself in the regular season. The ability of MDA to find away to blend the superstars was successful and both took their play to new levels. Our new coach has the blueprint from last year and can add to them. Our biggest “if” is buy-in.

 

Awesome image in the OP, OP.

I would have liked an option similar to, "Oh, I don't know. I guess the jury is still out." Something like that as #4. Anyway, good topic and it's something I've been thinking about. Not ready to make a definitive statement one way or another (jury still out), but the moves by Stone have been very intriguing. They've certainly helped to increase my interest in how preseason and the season will play out, with the Rockets incorporating the young players Stone added. What Silas will do with the team and the direction he takes us, as well as how the absence of several guys from last season will be felt.

Also waiting to see if any more moves will be made, like everyone else. I suspect that there will be some, perhaps closer to the deadline. Maybe small moves, maybe gigantic ones. Moving Westbrook would definitely fall under "gigantic." Trading Gordon being "pretty damn big," since I'm making up goofy categories. I'm still wondering what will happen to House. He's value in a trade, could definitely help grease the wheels for a deal, but he's also value on the court for the Rockets. Still pissed at the guy for popping his Bubble, but maybe he won't be a mobile home.

Harden? I'm not prepared to accept that we will move Harden. Doing that would fall under the "brutally stupid" category, in my opinion. So when I think about how the team will play this season, it's with James suiting up for us.

I've got to say it. We've been Stoned.

 

upgrade at every single aspect:
Better O&D
better coaching without watching a single game as of yet.
a GM,who talks about the team not about how genius he think of him self
and for us ,the fans , we deserve unpredictable games to watch, not trying to break a record of most missed 3s ever

 

I voted worse, because to me losing Covington is like losing Ariza and Moute, and my recollection is that really f'd up our defense. Like lots of other people have said, if everything goes absolutely perfectly in terms of health, older players not regressing, and younger players progressing, we could be better I guess.

Mostly I just wanted to say how awesome OP's graphic is though.

 

If we hadn't traded Covington then I'd say yes. He is too good at help team defense

 

We're taking some interesting risks. Trading Roco after what he cost, was a bold move. Whether it be a good or bad move, is yet to be determined. Wood could be like buying Amazon at $500 or more like a solid growth stock with a decent dividend. The way Harden plays with bigs, I'm hoping its more of the former versus the latter. I look at him as a lower risk, higher reward investment. Cousins is a higher risk of contributing and staying healthy, but on the vet minimum its a great gamble. Keeping Bruno and adding Brown are both low risk, solid moves.

Now keeping your two disgruntled superstars is a ballsy play that I like. Keeping James around is a no brainer, but not letting Westbrook go I think is really smart. No one wanted to pay market value, so why sell low? Russ can get in the groove again that he had before the bubble and with Silas likely playing a more conventional scheme, his 3pt shooting may not be as important. There may be better offers down the road and if not, we're stuck with a 3rd team All-NBA player.

Gordon should rebound from last year and that is key for our bench. Hopefully House took the bubble debacle and used that to get his life right and focused on taking another step. Tuck is older, but he's got some help underneath and that should help. Most of our depth is young and small (except Bruno, not sure about Wooten), we could really use another proven 4/5 (esp if Boogie misses much of the start) and another ball-handler.

With all of that said, I'm really looking forward to seeing the new system and the new players. This off-season has certainly been a roller coaster and I don't think the ride has really even got started yet.

 

while i really like the versatility that Christian Woods bring to this team, i think ultimately he wont be able to replicate the impact that Covington brought to this squad last year. Cousins, imo, is a non factor. So in terms of offseason roster change, we are slightly worse.

But i think where we are really going to suffer is on the court chemistry. Has a team in any sports history ever gotten better after its two leaders demanded a trade? Both Harden and Westbrick want out, Tucker is mad about his contract and lets not even talk about Danuel House . That locker room is going to be a mess. This is clearly the most dysfunctional team in the NBA. And we have a rookie Head Coach??

 

I think slightly better. I believe we will be better coached, and I think it’s a more complete roster than a year ago. If the chemistry comes together, which is a BIG big if, I think they could be a little more dangerous team than they were last year. Probably still not good enough to win a championship, but maybe a little more likely than they were last year.

 

Great observation - chemistry, familiarity and trust was in full force last season from FO to coaching.

 

Got more whinier.