Western Conference Sleeper: HOUSTON ROCKETS Forget about Yao Ming. Houston would be a lock to improve on last season's 28-54 mark simply because of the return of Glen Rice and Maurice Taylor from season-ending injuries a year ago. With those two veterans back in the mix, as well as All-Star Steve Francis, sidekick Cuttino Mobley and rising star Eddie Griffin, the Rockets have the pieces to bounce back strong in the West. Plus, coach Rudy Tomjanovich is a proven manager of talent. If Ming, the Rockets' 7-foot-5 rookie center, can contribute at all, Houston could soar to as high as No. 5 in the conference. http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news/cnnsi/20021028/crystalball.html
I like #5. I say 52-30 barring that injury bug... Same record as New Jersey last year, I wouldn't mind that at all.
Thats a reach..even in San Antonio fans will hardly believe that,BACK TO THE ROCKETS= 5th is o.k. 4th is better. 52=30 sounds good,,,,
i'll stick with the 6th seed but that was a very good summary of the rockets. people forget that the rockets very much expected to make the playoffs with or without yao. of course we pulled the impossible out and landed him so it's an even better shot.
When Burns says that Ming isn't going to be much of an impact in the Rockets improving, I think the guy is on crack He mentions that it is going to be Rice and Taylor helping out the Rockets. BULLSH!T!! Well, I guess he's forgetting about the 5 position and how we have a big A$$ gaping hole there where everyone just drives right on through...
I think the writer's point is a HEALTHY rockets team should contend for a playoff spot ... even without Yoa Ming. I agree with that assessment. I also agree that whatever YM adds to the mix should only see our playoff seeding improve. I recognize the sensitive nature of YMites, but i find no disrespect in the above posted piece.
It is good to see that my expectation for top 4 in the west is not that far off, and that is before a game is played.
My summer prediction over the summer was that the Rockets fall somewhere between 5-8 seed in the playoffs. Consider that Lakers, Sactown, San Antonio, and Dallas are the only 4 dominant in the West. The other contenders are Utah, Seattle, Clippers, Minnesota, and Portland which the Rox have a good chance at besting any of those guys.
The Suns went from 28 wins in '88 to 55 wins in the following year. We had 28 wins last year. Anyone think we can take the record for best turnaround?
