Man, rockets fans suck. Why are people ruling out any chance of us making the WCF and annoucing teams such as portland and OKC are better than us as if it were a fact? Last time i checked, the rockets where halfway though pre-season with a 7-6 giant (slowly) returning and a explosive 2-guard that looks ready to take off.
it wasnt for me about what the team did. it was watching durant and westbrook. those guys are very very good. you can just tell how good they will become. i remember saying in the preseason prediction thread that i thought they would make the playoffs last and improve across the team. and a lot of people said i was wrong, and a few agreed. im going to go ahead and say they are going to improve even more this year.
I can't say that the Rockets are contenders because there is still a lot of unkowns with this team. The preseason has shown us flashes of what this team could be if they're clicking but their defense still has a long way to go. I still think Morey has a move up his sleeve based on all the assets he's gathered. As for as the West, there's only one team at the moment we can say that's clearly going to be better then Houston and that's the Lakers. The Thunder have chance to take the next step but Houston has matched up very well against them. The Jazz has a chance as well to take a leap depending on how Jefferson fits well with Deron Williams. The Mavs are the Mavs. They do great in the regular season but aren't a contender. You can say the Blazers but they have health problems just like Houston. Overall, the West is going to be wide open. That's why it's important for Houston to get off on a great start. And if Morey has a chance to land a superstar or someone that can upgrade this team, that makes it even better.
1. If we had a legit backup C, Yao wouldn't be hurt, and we already beat shxt out of fakers. 2. Kobe is half done, we gonna pin down the nails on his coffin this season. 3. Have some faith in your team,
The Houston Rockets, at this point, are not to be considered contenders. There are too many questions surrounding the return of Yao, the defense, and lack of starpower. However this squad does have the POTENTIAL of being considered a contender. If Yao makes a successful comeback the defense should return to its former glory. That will be the star they need. If that happens I can see them making a Finals run. I hate to say it but it the weight of the Rockets season rests on Yao Ming's surgically repaired foot. If he is back, so are the Rockets.
I believe we can contend for a title. Are we the favorites? No but anything can happen. All this, "you have to have a superstar" is bs. Carmelo hasn't won a damn thing, Lebron either or Bosh either. I'd rather take my chances of my favorite team playing team basketball and learning to win the tough games than gut the team just so we could have a pseudo star like Carmelo to blame when we don't win it all.
Don't know about this magical number of needing at least two "superstars" to contend -- that formula's a little too simple and pat, I think -- and I think you and most people fail to take into account that players develop. Some get better, some worse, some have breakout seasons, and this year's list of "superstars" is different than next year's will be. Players' performances are not static from year to year. Few people were predicting Aaron Brooks' improvement last year. I think the Rockets have assembled a combination of players with great potential to take a step forward as a team. That said, I do agree that there are likely to be a few teams better than them. But I also think Morey's biding his time, waiting for the right opportunity to make that big upgrade, and is eager to make it soon. The timing of it is just somewhat out of his control. Whether or not they make the big addition before the trade deadline (and I think there's an excellent chance they will), I expect the Rockets to be in the handful of teams that are among the best in the league, and given the right breaks -- health, for one -- could be a dark horse. So, yes, I'd call them a contender. Maybe not a frontrunner, maybe just a team on the fringe of the elite with the right pieces to make a surprise run if things break their way, but yes, a contender. If they add another key piece, they become a strong contender.
Why not the Rockets? Brooks has improved each year, Martin looks like he is going to have a monster year, even 24 minutes of Yao will vastly improve the interior D as well as create more open looks for Bud, AB, and Martin. Miller will have more of an impact then people think. Come to think of it we do seem a lot like that no superstar Pistons team....
The Thunder are not better than us. Their bandwagon is just gotten out of hand. Pistons had no superstars. Spurs and Heat had one. Magic had one. They all made NBA Finals.
Is adelman a championship coach? Do you trust him to make crucial sub or draw up the best play during crunchtime?
Whatever! Even with a busted up T-mac and Yao, OKC only managed to beat us 1 time since they left Seattle. Rockets own OKC!!!
I don't know how closely you follow baseball...but that's just not the case. Since 1990 we've had 12 franchises win the World Series....with 21 franchises making it to the World Series. Since 1990 we've had only 5 franchises win the NBA Finals...with only 10 different franchises making the Finals. That's not even close, DaDa. Think about recent history, even...with teams like the Astros/White Sox/Rays/Red Sox/Rockies making their first World Series in franchise history or, in the case of both Sox, making their first in many decade. More than in any sport...in the NBA, it's the same franchises making it to the Finals over and over again...because once you get the best player in the game, you generally find yourself there over and over again. Talent wins in title in the NBA more than any of the other sports. One person impacts the game more than in any of the other sports.
you can be a fan without thinking your team is a championship contender. i don't need them to be champ contenders for me to be a fan.
The lakers aren't better now, 2 of their 3 best players have knees like Agent Zero. Honestly unless something changes in the west, it's about playing to lose to the EC champion.
We've been more or less irrelevant for almost 15 years. This isn't the NFL where each year a surprise team shoots through and wins it all. We're a darkhorse until we demonstrate we can at least make the Western Finals. The potential is there, but you don't anoint everyone with hope as contenders in the preseason. Half the league would be contenders.
So u don't think a team, with a rising superstar, that made it to the playoffs last season can't make it to the second round this year.... but u think a team that didn't even make the play offs last year can contend for a title? Do you use logic much? Some people are so bias that it's sickening
