I think right at this moment, any of the 8 teams that were in the playoffs last year could win the west. I think you can't sleep on any single one of them. To lay out a detailed map of where teams will land seed-wise is impossible right now. To pick the rockets at 6th/7th/8th is sort of meaningless because the spread between the best and the worst will be really thin. In my opinion, the idea of picking a 5-8 seed is more of a comment on their probability of getting out of the 1st round, not where they actually rank. I think Charles is also being a bit safe here in not picking the rockets. I don't blame him, but I don't think he's right either.
Doesn't make much sense to pay a guy who is going to fake an injury for half the season and then not even try when he is on the floor. Its really a shame b/c having (a motivated) Asik coming off the bench would have been incredibly valuable... I'm very concerned about our current big man depth.
QUOTE=DCHAMP;9296748]Barkley criticizing the rockets is definitely not out of the ordinary, but rockets 7th or 8th seed at best in the west? Thats a little extreme [/QUOTE] so where you think the rockets should be seeded than, sensitive boy?
Maybe I'm just being a little rockets fanboy here but I actually see the rockets being a top 3 seed. My logic is having the best SG and obviously harden has improved and thinking about his overall energy on D and the best center who still dominates in his worst season last year. Then we have a good starting lineup and hopefully a good enough bench with a few three point shooters and somewhat big forwards. Idk I just feel like rockets could easily be a championship contender as is and we have no idea what trades could happen from here to trade deadline.
fify. But seriously, the 8 seed could differ from the 1 seed, when it's all said and done, by 10 games or so. Ridiculous.
Barkley gets paid to give an opinion. Just because you don't agree with it doesn't make it absurd. You can put a hat over every team after SA, LAC, and OKC IMO.
I could see it in the realm of possibility that the Rockets end up as a 7-8 seed. It is the "at best" part I have a problem with. They certainly could be higher.
Yes, the Rockets will probably fall somewhere between 5-10. It's up to the Rockets to prove people wrong. The Rockets lost in the first round to a lower seed last year. Can't really fault people for thinking the Rockets are pretenders at this point. Hey, Howard and Harden, show us what you are made of.
This plus why should it matter to folks here what Barkley, Shaq, Kenny or even Ernie has to say about where the Rockets will end up? Didn't the season just start last night? By my reckoning that leaves 81 more games to play. Anything can happen between now and April and if you truly believe in the Rockets, stuff like this shouldn't even raise a blip on your radar. The insecurity of folks here is simply astounding - someone says or writes something that questions this team and the floodgates open. By my reckoning, they won last night and they handily beat a dogmeat team. That should be enough to satisfy everyone here.
It's definitely possible. Our bench scoring needs a lot of work. I just don't agree with the notion that losing Asik/Lin/Parsons is big enough to say we downgraded.
In the last 15 years or so, when has anyone ever picked the Rockets to be at the top of anything? Furthermore, what have the Rockets done on the court during the last 15 years or so to warrant being picked. If they want respect, if they want to be chosen to be at the top of these "lists", then they need to prove themselves on the hardwood. Houston will likely never be the sexy pick, they'll have to earn it the iron way.
Seems like there are only a few guys out there who give us much of chance. On PTI they were talking about Davis and his MVP chances and TK said no chance because they will be last in their own division and won't make the playoffs. MW then responds that they have passed Houston and as much as he likes Memphis they may have passed them as well. Dallas, Portland and NO really are 3 teams getting too much love. I guess we will see if any are changing their tune after 20 or so games.
Difference between thinking we are not contenders and saying we are 7th or 8th seed, at best. One is arguable, one is most likely just flat out wrong
Seriously, 3 teams that have not done much or even gotten much better on paper (okay, NO got a lot better just from the fact their starters can all play now...but not enough time together and still too young. At best, sneak into 8).
Watch how fast they change their stance when our Rockets go on a winning streak of 15+ beating playoff's team in the process. They will then be saying we are a top 3 team in the NBA. Prove them and the naysayers wrong Red Rockets.
From a speculative point of view, saying the media hates the rockets could just be subjective, but an objective look of how their perceptions goes like this. In 2014, there are essentially 4 rockets, who are known commodities and didn't show a noticeable increase or decrease in performance last year, here's how espn ranked them. Jeremy Lin #100 up from #106 Chandler Parsons #43 up from #58 James Harden #9 down from #4 Dwight Howard #10 down from #7 Lin changed teams, Parsons changed teams, they go up. Harden didn't play defense in 2012-13 and he didn't play defense in 2013-14, he was a better player on the offensive end (he went from weakish in the 4th to the bearded god of clutch last season), yet he will get worse.... Howard is definitely healthier and for a player whose game was predicated on significant athleticism, having that back should mean a lot, but....they play for the rockets, so he'll be worse. So how often do offensive players leave teams with a top 4 offense and get better, whilst young players with removed health question marks get worse? When that team is Houston it seems.
