I will reserve judgment until I see how Josh Smith does over the next 5 - 10 games probably.. It is exciting though... too pick up a player of Smith's caliber for basically free... thank you based God.
Our offense is still really sketchy sure it's fun watching Harden carry 100% of the load doing crazy shet, but what if he goes flat in the playoffs like last year against portland. we don't have other reliable ways of scoring, we actually don't want Harden to win the scoring title, I feel like we because way too dependent on him on offense that other players don't know what to do when he goes cold.
Favorites? I don't know. We're not even in #2 seed, let alone #1. We're definitely contenders though.
Definitely a fair point. However, I am feeling very optimistic about this team given with what we've seen so far. A few things have quite a few people feeling very, very good about this team. They were able to challenge and overcome the Grizzlies, one of the best defensive teams in the league (on the road as well, mind you), with Josh Smith never participating in a single practice. I'm very excited to see what this team does with some practice time together under their belt. To really integrate Smith into it's offensive and defensive schemes. Smith clearly has some pretty decent vision, and he really impressed me with a couple of passes he pulled out on Friday night. Getting all of these new players more locked into our system 'should' yield even more positive results. One would hope. How funny it is to be so worried about depth barely a week or two ago, to now being seemingly one of the deepest teams in the league. Now add Tjones coming back in a month or two? Solid. The Rockets have been shockingly deadly on the road. This team's ability to win close games and also the ability to shut the door on the opposition in overtime has been very impressive. It's something I have not seen out of this team in a long time. Top that off with Harden playing absolutely out of his mind right now. I mean.... have you seen his numbers through December? He's guaranteed western conference player of the month. I seem to catch myself texting my brother almost every other game about just how much growth we've seen from him since last year. I have to say it has been really amazing watching Harden slowly become the player he is becoming. His confidence is through the roof. And so is mine with this team. A lot of reasons (even though I excluded quite a few) to be optimistic about this team's season. I've been watching for a very long time, and I am definitely more excited than I've been for a very long while. I'm a maniac watching these games. Loving it. LET'S GO
Wow I'm not sure about that. That mid 80's team was seriously talented. This team may have a deeper bench but more talented....I don't think so.
No 1. Harden is still playing way too many minutes and carrying the team. I'm just praying he's not worn down or hurt by the time the playoffs come around. 2. Still no legit true backup center... DMo plays more of a Forward role than a center. 3. Still too early to tell how well Smith will gel with our locker room chemistry and accept his role. I do like the look of the team, but we need time, adjustments, and chemistry. Right now, I'm most scared by the Mavs and Warriors.
The team to beat? No. Chicago, San Antonio, GS, Memphis and possibly Portland all are viewed as equal or better than the Rockets. The Rockets didn't add a star player to widen the gap. They did a good job adding two rotation guys but nothing more.
I don't worry about what the media says, this is about our team, the Rockets, and the feeling we have as fans.....who gives a crap about the national media? They never give the Rockets their due. DD
kneejerk of the month, this thread is almost as bad as the one that proclaimed ariza was suddenly a good shooter. it's. way. too. early.
San Antonio? They are gonna struggle to make the playoffs. GS needs a healthy Bogut to do anything and a healthy Bogut is rare. Chicago is tough but I like how we would match up. Memphis is tough and a tough match up for us with Randolph healthy. Portland...bag of dicks.
Wasn't DD lamenting the Josh Smith signing like...a day ago? And now a thread asking if the Rockets are the favorites?
I was just watching NBA TV and Rick Fox actually was picking him as the MVP so far. Brent Berry went with Curry but seriously talked up Harden. Progress is slow. Both almost bregrudgingly offered praise of Harden's "improved, passable defense."
Not to be a downer but Canaan, Shved and Pappa are not really quality rotation players, and Tjones is indefinitely hurt right now. That being said HOW FREAKING AWESOME IS IT TO BE THAT TEAM THAT JUST GETS A FREE VETERAN BENCH BECAUSE WE HAVE POTENTIAL?!?!
The 08-09 team was probably the most deep and talented team. I have no doubt they would've won the championship had it not been for injuries. Pg- brooks, lowry Sg- Tmac SF- artest, battier PF- Scola, Landry C- Yao, mutombo
Some posters have mentioned Dwight's knee as a concern and it is something I have wondered about. Even the fantasy news on Dwight is that his knee might be more of a concern than what is currently being voiced officially. If he isn't right, we don't have a chance to win it all. I personally think that we have enough to be competitive until the very end, if most of the variables turn out positive for us (health, fit with the new personnel, etc). The west is too stacked for any team to be the favorite, IMO. I mean, even when GSW was killing the league, nobody was definitively declaring them as the favorite. That just illustrates how brutal the west is. As for smith and the new players, I agree with A3PO. The evaluation can only really come after the league adjusts to the rockets and the rockets react to it.
Favorites? You're a little fast to this kool-aid bowl, aren't you? There is at least 6 other teams that will not fear Houston. Spurs by default are #1 favorite. Even if Rockets sweep in the regular season Spurs will turn it on in the playoffs. #2 is a healthy OKC. In fact, I'm not sure we beat them with at least Westbrook or Durant playing. #3 Clippers. Too many Rockets killers on that team. And they know how to defend Harden. #4 Warriors. If Bogut is healthy I can see him outplaying Howard. #5 Memphis. Although Harden played well last time, Tony Allen has proven too many times he can shutout Harden. #6 Portland. Damian Lillard is a better player this year than the one that shot that game winner.
There are no dominant teams this year. As stacked as we are, I don't see why the Rockets couldn't win it all. With the recent additions plus the team recovering from injuries, the sky is the limit, especially when they start gelling. A late fourth quarter comprised of Harden, Howard, Smith, Bev and Ariza could be deadly on defense and above average on offense.
