Assessment of the current roster and question marks going in to next season

PG: Brooks, Lowry
SG: Martin, Budinger, Taylor
SF: Ariza, Battier
PF: Scola, Hill, Jefferies
C: Yao, Hayes, Anderson

FG Shooting: A
Starting lineup contains 3 capable long range shooters in Brooks, Martin, and Ariza. Adding Yao will create more open looks to make a good 3 point shooting attack even better. I fully expect this team to finish in the top 5 in three point shooting next season.
Scola is an active big who can pop out and shoot the mid range jumper at a high percentage and he is a good finisher around the basket as well. A healthy Yao can step out occasionally to hit the 18-footer, but it is his high percentage low post scoring that completes this team offensively.
The first unit and the second unit can both run and score in transition. Shooting should no longer be a problem for this team.

Defense: C+
Quite possibly the biggest question mark heading in to next season: What kind of impact will Yao's return have on the defense? Without him, the Rockets had no shot blocking and they allowed opponents to shoot 47.5 percent from the field.
Brooks/Martin backcourt provides minimal resistance on the perimeter. Ariza, despite being a rangy defender, does not have the bulk to stay with some of the bigger wing scorers in the NBA. Scola defends with energy on pick and rolls, but does not have the athleticism to stop athletic PFs from getting inside. Yao's 7'6 prescense in the paint changes the game, but he may have trouble staying out of foul trouble if his teammates consistantly break down and allow penetration like they did this season.

Rebounding: A-
Even without Yao, the Rockets finished near the top in offensive rebounding. Defensive rebounding will improve with the return of Yao.

Ball Handling/Passing: B-
Team ball movement and player movement is above average, but back court struggles passing out of double teams and off of penetration.
Starting linuep lacks a consistant decision maker in the backcourt. Too many turnovers and bad decisions at crucial times.

Bench Play: B+
Adelman can bring a pure shooter off the bench in Budinger. Lowry runs the show well off of the bench, and provides a solid option for the Rockets if Brooks is struggling with his decison making. Anderson provides a long range shooting option at the 5 when needed.
Battier, Hayes, Lowry, and Jefferies are 4 reserves who play stellar defense. Their deficiencies on the offensive end keep them from playing heavy minutes, but the team improves a great deal on the defensive end when these guys are on the floor. Will adding Yao give the lineup enough offensive fire power to play Battier, Hayes, and Lowry more minutes off of the bench?

Free throw shooting: A+
With Yao, Martin, Lowry, and Brooks, the Rockets should take and make more FTs than any other team in the league. Yao, Martin, and Lowry are elite when it comes to drawing fouls, and Brooks shoots a high percentage when he gets there.

Coaching: A
Despite roster turnover and injuries to key contributors, Adelman and the Rockets found a way to produce a winning season. The team has improved tremendously on the offensive end since RA has taken over, and aside from last year, the defense remained strong.
Adelman is still one of the best in the business, but he needs to prove he can lead a team to a championship.

Conclusion:
The Rockets have enough fire power to be a playoff team without making major moves in the offseason. To be a serious contender, however, they must regain their defensive identity.
How many minutes can Yao handle when he returns, and is he capable of providing enough basket protection to catapult the Rockets back to elite status defensively? These are major question marks that may not be answered until next year's trading deadline.
Even with the return of Yao, management must make it a priority to add a center capable of playing 25-30 minutes a game. If defensive problems carry over into next season, management can sacrifice some scoring to add shot blocking big or perimeter D.

Thoughts?

 

Morey has done a great job so far. That said, at some point you have to stop making moves and keep a team in tact in order to establish solidarity and trust on the court. Since Morey has been here, it seems like the roles of the players change significantly from year to year. I think the talent level of the team is fine now. It would be nice to see this group stay together and build chemistry over the course of next season without undergoing any drastic changes.

 

He averaged about 2 threes a game and thats without Yao on the floor. His percentages went up when we added Martin which moved him back to his natural position. He got alot more spot up jumpers when playing the SF position, and he can hit them regularly if his feet are set.

He is not our best three point shooter, but he's certainly capable.

 

I don't think our problems this season on the defensive end were related to Adelmans scheme. We were a great defensive team with him at the helm for two straight seasons. I think our players just couldnt match up.

Putting out a starting lineup of Brooks, Martin, Ariza, Scola, and Hayes is giving up alot on the defensive end. None of those guys can fight off screens consistantly, and none of them can block or even bother shots. When your entire rotation of bigs consists of two offensive minded players(Scola, Anderson) a 6 foot 5 Center(Hayes), and a rookie(Hill), you're going to give up points especially when your starting back court weighs a combined 350 pounds.