Are the Rockets Falling or Catching Up?

I think if wells is gone than the kings are gone and the griz are just not that good gasol is not as good as Yao and they dont have a Tmac so i think they wont make it either!

 

Battier will help us this year way more than Gay. I don't care if we have a worst supporting cast than some of the other up and coming teams, having 1 superstar changes everything, much less 2. Wade showed this year that 1 guy can change a series. That's why Shaq/Kobe's Lakers were so good, cause they were both superstars.

Rockets should be one of the better teams IMO.

 

I think alot of us forget that we have two of the BEST players in the NBA. I know alot of us are upset about the recent trade, but I honestly like it. Battier will take ALOT of pressure off Tmac, as he will not have to carry the load offensely and defensely. This could potentially lengthen Tmacs carrier. Gay has all the potential in the world, but he is VERY far away from becoming the next great swingman. The one aspect that Gay lacks is ball handling. Tmac,Kobe,VC,Wade, and Lebron were very good ball handlers when they entered the league, therefore they were able to create off the dribble and for others.

 

The rockets front office is doing everything in their power to fall back. The only catching up we're doing is squarely on the shoulders of Yao's development. (I would have said health of Mcgrady as well, but he was healthy two years ago, so it's hard to say that he'd be catching up so much as getting back to where he was)

 

I don't see any reason to expect the Clippers to be better. Yes, Sam will be back, but he'll also be a year older. He's what? 37? Tim Thomas could be an improvement, or he could very well go back to his habit of coasting now that he's got another contract. I don't know that they'll be any worse than they were last year, but I see no reason that they'll be better unless Shaun Livingston improves his shot dramatically over the off-season.

I also think Memphis took a very serious step backwards in the short-term. In the long-term, their team is probably far more promising now, but losing a solid 35 minute player in exchange for a guy who might not even see much time off of their bench isn't going to make them better. I honestly think that even if Gay is solid enough to a heavy rotation guy this year, he still won't be as solid as Battier for a few years. He'll make dumb rookie mistakes like they all do, and Battier's main strength is his efficiency.

Denver is going to self-destruct. Their whole organization is a mess right now. I'm not even slightly worried about them. I'm not even sure that the Suns will be as good. Nash is a year older. Amare may never be the same (that's really what makes or breaks them) and there is talk that Marion is on the block. If Colangelo were still their GM, I'd trust him to improve the team if he moves Marion, but man, I just don't see how they move Marion and become better. They lost Tim Thomas too, and he was great for them. (Though, again, I'll be shocked if he shows up to play this season now that he has his new contract)

Radman could help the Lakers, but they're still basically in the same situation we are except they don't have a second superstar.

The Kings are decent, but I'm not worried about them either. Especially if Bonzi Wells goes elsewhere.

Basically, I think if the Rockets are healthy next season (and I know after last season that seems like a big if) then we should be right behind the Spurs, Mavs and Suns. That's catching up if you ask me....

 

Add Bobby Jackson to that list.

http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=114764

 

Im inclined to think:

1. Spurs
2. Suns
3. Mavs

4. Clippers
5. Rockets

6. Lakers
7. Denver
8. Hornets/Memphis

I think the top 3 are set. I think the Clippers and Rockets will have similar records depending on injuries-- the Clippers have more depth but the Rox have a more potent 1-2 punch. The Lakers and Denver will be similar as well. I think Memphis traded away short-term success for long-term gain, and I wouldnt be surprised to see them miss the playoffs this year and have the Hornets make it.

 

I think Sacramento could very well over take one of the 6/7/8 slots but I like your rankings.

 

At this point, we're declining.

The Hornets, Clips and Lakers have all improved drastically in a matter of 48 hours.

As of right now, if I was to rank the top West teams:

1. SA (I think they'll respond with a great year after falling out this year)
2. Dallas (I don't see them making major improvements this offseason--but they still need defensive depth)
3. LAC (Nice little core with Brand, Tim Thomas, Mobley, Cassell)
4. Sacramento
5. Hornets
6. Rockets
7. Denver
8. Utah

 

Rockets111, you forgot the Suns. Unless you intended to have them fall out of the playoffs which I doubt.

 

First of all, I will assume both Yao & Tracy are healthy, Mike James joins the team AND we pick up a decent starting SG. If all of this happens we are an elite NBA team and a Finals contender. Like someone already said, we have two of the best players in the NBA on our team. If you add Battier, Mike James and another SG, bring Luther, JH, Novak and whoever else off the bench, this team can make noise. We won't be as deep as this year's Mavs, but who cares. If injuries don't destroy us again, we will be a top 4 WC team. I'm not even worried about the Clippers, Lakers or Kings. The Nuggets are in self-destruct mode and I think they could flame out well before the playoffs, especially if they can't unload K-Mart. The only WC teams that concern me are the Spurs, Mavs and Suns and it's possible one of them has an off year.

 

You're right, I forgot about them. My mistake.

So, here's my update--thanks m cable. Good look

1. SA (I think they'll respond with a great year after falling out this year)
2. Dallas (I don't see them making major improvements this offseason--but they still need defensive depth)
3. LAC (Nice little core with Brand, Tim Thomas, Mobley, Cassell)
4. Sacramento
5. Phoenix
6. Hornets
7. Rockets
8. Denver
8. Utah

 

I think the Rockets will definitely be a top 5 team in the NBA next season, if not top 5 in the whole NBA, at least top 5 in the west.

 

Yao has for all intents and purposes shown the step up progress in the second half...TMac will be fine...The addition of Battier had me disappointed but after stopping and thinking it through...It bodes well short to mid term for quicker impact...

The Rockets will be on the rise baby...

 

ROFL @ Sacramento & NO being better than the Rockets. I guess people have really forgotten who T-Mac is.

And some people are really bent over about the trade. How about this: I don't expect Memphis to make the playoffs next year. The loss of Battier will weaken them considerably, especially defensively. And while Rudy Gay may or may not have a good rookie season, he cannot compensate for that loss in his first year. The Lakers have gotten better by adding Radman, but I'm not sold on Kobe and chemistry issues, so they could hover around the bottom/stay on the bubble. The Kings will be solid, and so will the Clippers. I think the Nuggets will still implode, and Carmelo's play will not be enough to get them back to the playoffs. So I'm picking Utah out of the Northwest. Adding Peja is a huge upgrade for New Orleans, but they'll still be either a bottom tier playoff team or on the bubble...the West is too strong. Hopefully KG finds his way out of Minny -- that team ain't going nowhere.

The Spurs need to solve their age problem soon, or they could be on the way down. Now as for the Rockets ... right now I'd put them at middle-of-the-pack with the Clips...but a good FA signing should move them into contention with the Suns/Mavs. Speaking of the Suns, I think the return of Amare is a little bit overrated ... they will not be the incredibly dominating force that everyone expects them to be ... but they'll still WCF contenders. The loss of Tim Thomas could be costly. Still a long summer ahead, but I'd say the WC playoff picture looks more like this at the moment (assuming the automatic top-3 seeding rule goes away):

1. Dallas (Incumbent, and they're probably going to be better)
2. Phoenix (More than shooting. These guys are tough competitors.)
3. San Antonio (San Antonio has an age problem. They need to do something.)
4. Houston (Assuming T-Mac & Yao are healthy, this team is currently stronger than the 2004-05 squad already. In spite of what you think about the trade, this draft definitely improved a lot of things, and Novak is likely to be a great 2nd round steal.)
5. LAC (Hard to seed them with the Rockets, I'd put them at about equal strength actually. Just that we have T-Mac, and they don't.)
6. Sacramento (This is a huge question mark, actually. New coach, never know how things will pan out.)
7. LAL (Another question mark. They're here just because of Kobe, although adding Radman is a definite plus.)
8. Utah (I'd rank NO ahead of them but they are the best team in the NW at the moment).

 

1.Dallas(defending western confrence champs)
2.Suns(Amare is back)
3.Spurs(Always around the top)
4.Clippers(Same team but nice addition with Thomas)
5.Rockets(Depends on injuries)
6.Lakers(Radmonivich should help)
7.Denver(them or Jazz,couldn't decide.)
8.Hornets(improved team with peja)

 

Put the pipe down son, Memphis is no where near that level and PHX could drop depending on Amare. G@y is not ready there is no way he catapaults them into contention get real.

The teams that could drop out are the Kings, Grizz, Lakers. The Clippers are definately 5th seed.

 

So we are in decline!! Last year we did not make the playoffs because injuries. This year with everybody healthy, we are expecting 5th or 6th at most. And that is if we are lucky and get some FA; otherwise, we won't even make the playoffs.

 

So you really think that with T-Mac and Yao healthy, and with the addition of Battier, we won't make the playoffs?

I'll have a big crack pipe and some french fries please.