We might be second in the West, but we have to sharpen up the roster. We can make do with a bunch of shooting guards rather than one solid PG, but we are probably one more move away from really stepping to the top. Maybe CD is waiting to announce all the signings and trades on the same day? "Anderson and Mutombo sign for two years, Yao signs his max extension, and a trade for ____ ..."
The Texas Longhorns are ranked #2 in the country in preseason polling ~ does this make them the 2nd best team in the country? No. The Rockets have to prove it on the court -- projections are fun, but have little to do with reality at the end of the season.
Suns lost JJ, Mavs lost Finley, and the Sonics lost their coach, starting center, and best 6th man. The Rockets didnt lose anybody of significance. Instead we gained two starters and a PF (Howard) to come off the bench. On paper it sure looks like we have the 2nd best team in the West. Of course the Lakers of two years ago on paper looked like they had the championship locked up before the season even started only to get destroyed in the Finals. We are going to have to prove it on the court but just looking at the roster we have a better shot than anyone else to beat the Spurs.
$100 on Rox.....I just did these are odds to win the west.....20-1 to win the championship!!! Dallas Mavericks 10-1 Denver Nuggets 12-1 Golden State Warriors 22-1 Houston Rockets 10-1 Los Angeles Clippers 30-1 Los Angeles Lakers 15-1 Memphis Grizzles 25-1 Minnesota Timberwolves 18-1 New Orleans Hornets 100-1 Phoenix Suns 7-2 Portland Trail Blazers 100-1 Sacramento Kings 20-1 San Antonio Spurs 6-5 Seattle Supersonics 20-1 Utah Jazz 50-1
I'd just like to think that we have a championship calibre team and we can beat anybody. We have the size, passion, althletik-sism, experience, we have two awesome superstars, a great coach, strong bench..our chances are as good as anybody and i think that we will be the team that no one will want to play come playoff time. I love our chances!! yeah baby!!!!!!
I think we should be ranked atleast 2nd in the west behind the spurs...last year we were ranked 5th and only the suns, mavericks, sonics, and spurs were ahead of us...i think we improved much more than the suns, mavs, n sonics without losing anyone important
I feel that I can honestly say the Rockets can be the 2nd best in the West. You take a look at what the Rockets have added, how they have addressed a lot of their weaknesses and yet havent lost anyone. That's huge. Especially when you consider how good they were in the 2nd half of the season after they had gelled. Then you look at the teams that were ahead of them: Phoenix, Dallas, Seattle. Clearly Seattle will come down and I think Phoenix and Dallas have lost enough that they will drop a level as well. This could be a big year for the Rockets!
The Rockets have the potential to be the second best in the West, but so do the Mavs and Suns. They just have to go out and prove it. The Spurs will clearly be the team to beat with the Rockets, Mavs, Suns, Sonics, and Kings battling it out for the next 5 spots. This team needs Yao to elevate his play if they want to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. That is what will be the difference.
I believe the Rockets will be a much better team this season. Remember last year when we lost to SA sans Duncan - because our point guard (Rod Sick-land) was kicking the ball around the court and hobbling around all 4th quarter. ... Rox solved that problem (by adding James) remember when Stack was backing Wesley down in the playoffs and then shooting over him cause Wesley was 6 inches shorter ... Rox solved that problem (by adding DA) remember when Yao was getting into trouble trying to play help D b/c our power forwards were all softer than the stay puft marshmellow man.. .. Rox solved that problem (by adding Swift) remember when Pedro was running for President and needed help ...Rox solved that problem (by re-signing Bowen)
All this aiming for second best. If everyone plays to the level they played at last year (or their pre-injury level) without any significant improvement or deficit then we're a top 4 team. If Yao plays 35+ and shows even slight improvement (Swift + a bit of rest in the offseason = less foul trouble = more aggression on offense?) and Swift shows no significant improvement (though I think he will) but plays for 30+ minutes, and Howard is healthy enough to play at his normal level, then we are at least the second best, and perhaps the best in the west. You read "if" several times in that, but consider that none of them are long shots.
