Assuming health: What's the ceiling for this team?

The problem is that 3 out of the 5 don't really play defense (Jeffries, Anderson, Miller)....size doesn't really matter if you don't utilize it and apply it....

 

We can upset the Lakers.

 

With health, we are good enough to make the WCF. I'm not sure that we can topple the Lakers. We certainly wouldn't be favored. With health, I think we're the second best team and here's why. It's about Yao. No, not Yao playing 35 mpg or going 20/10. It's about how Yao allows other Rockets to play to their strengths.

- Yao makes it possible to play our two elite wing defenders - Ariza and Battier - more often and together as necessary. He creates spot up shooting and slashing opportunities, which are Battriza's strengths. Their weaknesses are creating off the dribble. They won't have to do that with Yao and Scola present. That will help our defense return to lock down/top 5 status.

- Similarly, Yao's presence will allow Brooks to be more efficient, creating open looks from distance.

- I will be very interested in seeing how Martin and Yao play together. Martin moves well without the ball and Yao is the perfect offensive threat to set baseline picks and "show" as a dump down option.

- Our bench will be defined by tempo and athleticism. I'd also like to see Lowry/Martin/Ariza/PatPat/Hill as an athletic, uptempo unit that feeds off Lowry's pace and bulldog mentality.

- We'll be able to exploit matchups using Lowry and Brooks together when needed.

I get that folks are worried about a stacked western conference. But if we can recapture the defensive identity, we have enough scoring in Brooks, Martin and Yao to win significantly.

 

Sorry to be a downer, but to me the Rockets really overachieved last year. Even with Yao back, the West is just so tough. I see maybe 48 wins and a tough first round match-up in the playoffs as a 7 or 8.

You guys are stacking overachieve on top of overachieve. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm usually not.

 

With a healthy squad, I am going to be very optimistic. Assuming Morey consolidates the power forward position (just too many) into one defensive backup center (anybody who does not block shots and rebounds well need not apply), the sky is nearly the limit. I hope Morey gets this backup center BEFORE the season starts.

As currently constructed, we are essentially running two starting lineups out there. It is for this reason that many a times our bench outplayed the starters last year.

Prediction: WCF.

 

Man, how can you argue with such sound logic like that.



DD

 

Quick someone predict that this team is better than the 22 win streak team, therefore they must be poised to put together a 24 game streak in '10-'11. Right?

I stand by my post. We'll see what happens. There's no Bizzaro Spanoulis walking through that door!

 

Oh, right, I forgot the measure of an improved team is beating that 22 game winning streak.

Forget the NBA championship Ya'll...Smooth wants to beat that winning streak.

Wooohooo !!!

DD

 

Whereas I like the Rockets' two-deep (or better) roster, but we really didn't improve ourselves like some of our competitors. By remaining pretty much the same team as last year, we actually regressed in my personal power rankings when taking into account some of the trades, FA acquisitions and draftees by our competitors.

We have depth weaknesses at center, shooting guard and point guard (lack of size). which we did not address. Our competitors went a long way to address their weaknesses, which will cut down considerably on our win total.

 

Now that you've taken health out of the equation, it depends on how the young guys develop. If Budinger takes it to the next level, or Taylor, Patterson or Hill is a revelation, the sky's the limit. But realistically, 55 wins and the Western Conference Finals sounds about right.

 

I think you're stacking underestimate on top of underestimate. With Yao back, this is a dangerous team. The fact that this thread assumes good health is no small thing. If Yao's healthy during the season and playoffs, they're better than 48 wins and a 7 or 8 seed.

 

Top 3 seed. Championship contender.

I think LENGTH will be the call word for next year.
I think if our young taller talent comes to play . . . .

It will be all good

Rocket River

 

= +

 

2nd round playoffs IMO.

 

Daryl Morey himself has said that this is not a championship contender with just Yao back (don't remember which of the many podcasts this was from)

 

If the sky is the limit, you can't be an astronaut.

 

I don't think they necessarily overachieved, we just had a lot of people step up. We saw the emergence of Aaron Brooks, along with the two-headed PG monster combo of Brooks/Lowry, the great white hype in Chase Budinger, and even had Jordan Hill look like a good player in bursts. Even with Trevor Ariza not playing up to his full potential, we had a good record.

Still, I think the addendum of "if healthy" is just too big a condition to take for granted. We have 2 star players whose health is extremely variable (Yao, KMart); I agree that if completely healthy, the 55+ wins and WCF might be within reach. I just don't think it's useful to think that way. Realistically speaking, I think we'll be a near 50 win team with a 2nd round exit. Even taking the huge variable of health for granted, you have to ask so many questions (Battier? Who handles backup C duties? Do we actually play defense? Can Luis and Kyle replicate their roles last year? What is the team identity? Will Yao be 19/9 again? etc) that I think 55 wins is just too optimistic.

 

nba champs in 2010-11

 

low to mid 50's, with luck, conference finals but probably 2nd round.

 

With our current team as long as we don't play the Lakers conference finals should be our goal. Hell, we can beat the Lakers. The Suns got close last year, why can't we?

Brooks will kill Fisher/Blake. Yao can match up with Bynum/Gasol. Ariza/Battier on Kobe. Martin will frustrate Artest by drawing bull**** fouls.

Gotta have some faith.