How much better will Howard/Harden and the Rockets be this year?

H & H should be better, as Harden is just entering his prime, and Howard is hopefully completely recovered from his surgery. We can only hope Howard continues to progress like Dream did, but Dream is probably the only great center to ever peak at age 31/32.

 

I think they'll have a good year, but we need a solid Point Guard to distribute the ball. That James isn't holding the ball, we all love Pat Beverly's energy but he can't really run the point like the elites in this league. Go Rockets!!!

 

Meh, just have a feeling Dwight/Harden won't be healthy all season long. Even if they were, I still see a 1st round KO vs one of the top 4 seeds.

 

Sounds good to me

 

Of course you do.

 

I think they'll have a good year, but we need a solid Point Guard to distribute the ball. That James isn't holding the ball, we all love Pat Beverly's energy but he can't really run the point like the elites in this league. Go Rockets!!!

 

Man i think rockets is going to reach the 2nd round. Ariza is a good replacement for Parson...the only problem in this team is the PG position...Harden is playing combo which is not good imho. Pbev is good but we all know he cant create his own shots, we need a PG that can break opposing team defense with outstanding passing skills. Take Rubio Morey

 

I know the Rockets lost a lot on paper, but in reality their losses are severely overblown. Asik is awesome, and he will probably be a beast for NO, but he was MIA for half the season and couldn't stop the Blazers in the playoffs either. Lin on paper was suppose to be our spark off the bench when Harden goes out. But various injuries and in general timid play severely reduced his actual on court contribution. Parsons just sold out on defense to pad his stats. And Ariza should at worst be equal replacement.

I wouldn't be surprised if all 3 players have good seasons. But that won't change the fact that their contributions last year were worse than their names would suggest. And that lesser players can replace their production.

 

Hardens one of the best passers in the game I really don't get why so many ppl want to take the ball out of his hands. Great players always have the rocks a lot and harden is no different.

 

I personally don't buy into this ridiculous belief that Howard will suddenly become an offensive juggernaut because he received a favorable matchup in one playoff series.

I think the team will be better but I don't expect any improvement from Howard. He is what he is at this point which is pretty damn good.

The improvement will come from defense and Harden. Picking up Kostas looks like it really solidified the three. I expect Landry on board soon to give us at least one legit backup 4. Terry will be better than many think and will deserve his minutes.

We're a strong team. Can we solve the 4?

 

Honest question: Does anyone actually believe that we're going to see Dwight dominant in the post like he was in the Portland series?

He killed it in that series because Robin Lopez is a terrible post defender with neither the strength or speed to stop him. He's still going to struggle against the Marc Gasol's, Perkins, and every other mediocre post defender that gave him trouble last year.

I'm not saying he's not going to have a great year, but that dominance was a matchup thing. Not a glimpse of things to come.

 

I don't necessarily subscribe to the notion that doesn't get the ball where he wants it.

I think he absolutely doesn't have a problem getting it where he wants it. The problem is he doesn't get the ball enough where he NEEDS it. Which is in the P&R when he's already making a move towards the rim.

Last year's playoff series vs. Portland was sort of fools gold to Dwight's overall potential impact to the team. Dwight posting up time after time took the Rockets away from their identity, and really minimized the impact of his supporting players.

If Dwight and James aren't involved in some sort of pick action in every play they run for those two, I'm not very satisfied with the offense.

For the Rockets to be successful, they have to have an identity that beats teams on a nightly basis. You can't all the sudden just change who you are in the first game of a playoff series because one player gets hot. You beat fire with fire in the NBA. McHale losing sight of who his team was and their identity is what truly what lost the series... that and crap defense, and Damien Lillard. They didn't lose the series because of Terrence Jones' height against LMA.

 

There is no question, he will still dominate. There are very little centers in the league that can guard a "true" center. Besides a hand full of teams Dwight will take every ones lunch money.
& once he gets more comfortable in that roll taking on the likes of Marc Gasol will get much easier.

 

I figure a marginal increase in scoring from Dwight based on familiarity with the team/offense and the improved three point shooting surrounding him. I expect he will be the exact same athlete as he was last season which is definitely not Orlando level but still very impressive.

I think Harden will be forced to shoot just a smidge more and his efficiency will suffer a smidge because of it.

Overall individual stats won't change much but I think both guys will do better at making their team mates better. It will also help that we have a vet like Ariza who knows how to play off superstars (instead of trying to become one). I think Kostas will also thrive playing off our superstars as soon as he acclimates himself to the NBA. The guy is like a Scola/Battier hybrid when it comes to being smart, playing off more talented players and staying within himself.

 

You're a lot more confident in our PF's than most people.

 

I think Harden and Howard will be the same players they were last year. I think the team will take a step back. We need a lot of rookies and D-league players to make major contributions for this team to match what we did last year. I think the rockets will be in the mix for one of the last playoff spots.

 

Harden IS the ball handler in our offense. Putting the ball in someone else's hands greatly dimities his game. It's basically why Lin was relegated to the bench behind Beverley. We do not need an elite PG more than we need a good stretch 4 who can play D. I don't get why people keep wanting an elite PG... This is not a video game where you just trade for a player without any thought to how the player will fit.

 

If either of them get injured for an extended amount of time we are going to miss the playoffs. We are not in the Eastern Conference. The addition by subtraction is the biggest amount BS I have ever heard. It's just like the fat ugly girl looking in the mirror and saying it's the inside that counts. Are we really going to count on Dmo, Dorsey, Tariq Black, Tjones to be back ups for the five? H and H may be awesome but it'll be an early first round exit or no playoffs if anything happens to them. They need help or it is going to be a rough year.

 

How many games did Asik miss last year?

And for the games he played, what were his avg minutes, points, rebounds, and blocks?