12 things to watch (ESPN) Rockets mention

idrockfan · Dec 16, 2011

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/7353336/nba-twelve-things-watch-season

3. Who is this season's Memphis -- the surprise contender?

Every season does not produce a Memphis, a team in 2010-11 with a great mix of young talent and veteran studs that played incredible defense down the stretch. But we do have some teams that might sneak into the playoffs and then do some damage once they get there.

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It goes without saying that a Clippers team with Chris Paul will be much better than last season, and replacing Al-Farouq Aminu with Caron Butler makes L.A. even better. Who would want to play the "Blake and Paul Show" in May? It's just as obvious that the Knicks' new frontline will help propel them to better things this season.

Houston, meanwhile, had the league's top offense after the trade deadline and made a strong playoff push. The loss of Chuck Hayes will hurt, but if Kevin McHale can help Hasheem Thabeet and Jordan Hill step toward their potential as defenders, or if GM Daryl Morey can use the team's considerable assets to add a top-tier small forward or center, Houston can make a big jump.
Indiana, however, is primed to be the bigger surprise. In second-year wing Paul George and newly acquired David West, the Pacers should feature a defense that by season's end could be suffocating.

One last dark horse, perhaps my favorite to be this year's Griz is the Nuggets. With Nene returning, Denver has the pieces to be very good. It may take more seasoning, but by March I'd guess Ty Lawson will be playing a very high level and Denver, which has always been able to score, will be a top-8 defense and a team capable of making the West finals
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11. Will Daryl Morey be able to pull the trigger on a trade again?

I'll be honest, I like Morey and respect the job he has done in Houston, not to mention his role in getting "geeks" (not the term I'd use) to be an accepted and even coveted part of the NBA. (Roland Beech of 82games.com is an assistant coach with the Mavs -- who would have ever predicted that could happen even five years ago?)

Morey isn't the only GM who has suffered bad luck in the form of injuries to star players, but he is the only guy to construct a blockbuster trade that no one saw coming -- one that would have been followed by the signing of Nene -- only to have the league veto the deal.

Morey is competitive and is the last guy to just sit back and see what happens. The Rockets have a ton of good-to-great players, although none have made the All-Star Game. Still, only one player is over 29, and Morey has extra draft picks, so the conditions are right for another big trade attempt.
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AFS · Dec 16, 2011

Can you post the article?

Rocketball · Dec 16, 2011

Nevermind, it was posted..........

idrockfan · Dec 16, 2011

I'm glad someone from the outside looking in isn't as doom and gloom as it seems to be around here.

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