How do the rockets stack up in the current western conference?

cans are always kicked

 

I promise u that both had something to do with getting Woods and Boogie

 

This is the hardest to handicap Western Conference in a long time.

What I can say is that like last year, the post season is all going to come down to matchups and seeding won't matter a whole lot.

The Lakers are the favorite, but they are an injury to the frail AD or one to LBJ from losing in the second round.

I actually think that the Clippers are a better team and I think they will make a move at the trade deadline. They have a great owner and organization. Serge Ibaka is an improvement over the undersized Harrell.

The Mavericks are going to be a lot better defensively this year and will be tought.

The Rockets have more volatility than the other teams in the West. They can be as high as the second seed or as low as the eleventh. The biggest issue for the Rockets is whether Harden and Westbrook buy in or not. If they don't buy in, the Rockets won't make the playoffs. The Rockets now have more diverse players than in the past.

 

I am concerned about the bench in terms of pg and what about a 4/5 since green left? Too many SG/6’4 types. I think Isiah Thomas is a good choice. Reports are he is feeling his best in a long time and avg 12 pts with .400 3 pt %. last year with WASH.

 

top 4/5 again

 

Did they though? We heard a lot of rumors but I don't recall them saying anything. I think Morey and some random "insiders" were planting seeds.

 

I'm concerned about length, athleticism, and 3 point shooting at the 3/4 spots since we lost Covington, and where we previously had success with Ariza back in the day. You need that length to guard multiple positions in the modern NBA. I still think we are going to rely on a whole heck of alot of small ball, but small ball that has people like Eric Gordon the 3/4 spots. It could be that we have a very very bad defense this year which really was one of the bright spots of the 2020 Rockets.

 

"could be" ... I see what you did there

 

Why are people pretending like Harden is gonna be here for the season? At the first opportunity raf-el is pulling the trigger.

 

Nah, I don't think Harden goes anywhere until at least the Trade deadline....no hurry.

DD

 

Well yeah, that’s what I meant. He’s not making it through the season. So what’s with all this “if harden buys in?” He gone.

 

yes that’s the concern. Wood and boogie arent great man or help defenders. I don’t think they will start boogie and play EG/House at the 3. Nwaba will prob be backup 3. Holes at the backup 1 and 4 unless they use 3 man rotation with boogie wood and tuck. Sign IT!!

 

Don't sleep on the Blazers. They were decent last year and got stronger in the last 2 weeks. They'll have Nurkic and Rodney Hood for the full year (hopefully) and added RoCo and Harry Giles (who's still only 22 and improving). They're a well-coached team.

That said, I don't expect to see Melo and Kanter on the floor at the same time.

 

If Stone wanted Harden gone he would be gone by now. As McMahon and many other insiders are saying it’s the Rockets who are kissing his ass at every turn and begging him to stay. Unless a god father offer arrives he is not getting traded.

 

Are we just pretending that Harden and Westbrook never asked to be traded?

I've not seen anything about them changing their minds; I don't see a reason to assume that they will.

That being the case, who knows where we stack up; it all depends on how we trade them.

 

I think Tuck would show out regardless if he was playing for a contract or not. That's who Tuck is, he is an incredibly good professional that knows his limitations and has maximized his strengths to become an incredibly good role player in this league. My concern is his age and the amount of minutes he has played under Mike the last few years. I wonder how much is left in the tank.

 

A lot can change. The scenario where we start out a lot better than the Nets isn't at all far fetched. If that happens it seems like Harden's perspective may change quite a bit, though that also could cause the Nets to panic and give us all their future draft assets.

 

Stone is smart enough not to take some low ball offer. But the right one will come, and he’ll be gone. They are playing nice right now because they couldn’t find a deal.

 

Maybe, that’s not where I’m putting my money though.

 

I'd bet on him getting traded before the deadline, but I wouldn't need that great of odds to take the other side of it.