Garnett. Nowitzki. Duncan. The Midwest Division has its share of superstars, but the Rockets feel they have a couple of their own in Yao Ming and Steve Francis. With a new coach, new system and new overall philosophy, there is plenty of optimism in Rocketsville as Houston appears ready to compete with the Mavs, Spurs and T'Wolves for divisional supremacy. How much of a splash will the Rockets make this season? Rockets.com breaks down and analyzes how Houston matches up with each of its divisional foes. DALLAS Inside the Mavs: Dirk Nowitzki, Michael Finley and Steve Nash are back for another season with the Dallas Mavericks, although the high-scoring Mavs did have to part with one of their key contributors in an effort to upgrade their frontcourt. Dallas traded away guard Nick Van Exel, who carried the Mavs during the 2003 playoffs. In return, Dallas received the talented Antawn Jamison from the Golden State Warriors. Jamison will slide into the small forward spot while Finley returns to his natural shooting guard position. Danny Fortson, who also came to Dallas in the trade with the Warriors, will reportedly start at center for the Mavs. Fortson, who stands in at just 6-8, is a rebounding machine when he can stay on the floor. While Nowitzki, Finley, Nash and Jamison will be a feared foursome on the offensive end, Dallas must continue to improve defensively to remain one of the top teams in the West. It will be interesting to see how the Mavs rotate their starting five with returnees Eduardo Najera, Raef LaFrentz and 6-7 rookie Chris Howard. Nowitzki is one of the top players in the league and Finley is the heart and soul of the Mavericks. Although minutes will be scarce, Travis Best and Jiri Welsch will battle for the backup point guard position behind Nash. Yao Rockets vs. Mavs: Dallas served the Rockets four devastating defeats last season, all in blowout fashion. If Houston has hopes of avenging those losses the Rockets must make an early statement with tough, physical play on the defensive end. If Fortson does start for the Mavs in the middle, Yao Ming will have a serious advantage with his 7-6 frame although Dallas will likely opt to counter with its own big man, 7-6 Shawn Bradley. With a year under his belt, however, Yao may prove to be too much for anyone the Mavs put up against him. DENVER Inside the Nuggets: The Denver Nuggets will be looking to improve on their 17-65 record. The Nuggets tied the Cleveland Cavaliers for the worst record in the NBA but came away with a great prize for their misfortune. Denver grabbed rookie Carmelo Anthony with the third pick in this year’s draft and will likely insert him directly into the starting lineup at small forward. Anthony, who led Syracuse University to the NCAA basketball championship in April, certainly should make Denver a better team immediately. Joining Anthony in the Nuggets frontcourt will be second-year forward Nenê and veteran Marcus Camby. The 6-11 Nenê had a solid rookie campaign last season, starting 53 games for the Nuggets. Camby, who has battled numerous injuries over his seven-year career, played in only 29 games last year. If healthy, Camby should see extensive minutes at the center position for the Nuggets. The Nuggets also upgraded their point guard position by signing restricted free agent Andre Miller. Despite a disappointing 2002-03 season with the L.A. Clippers, Miller remains one of the better playmakers in the league and also has the talent to put up big scoring numbers. The 6-2 guard averaged 16.5 points and 10.9 assists with Cleveland two seasons ago, but his numbers dropped off considerably (13.6 ppg, 6.7 apg) in L.A. last season. Backing up Miller will be 5-5 Earl Boykins, who came to Denver via free agency from the Golden State Warriors. Francis Rockets vs. Nuggets: The Rockets came away victorious in all four games against the Nuggets last season. With Anthony and Miller, Denver should be a bit more formidable this season. Steve Francis and Miller always seem to go at each other hard and this year should be no exception. Francis and the Rockets will waste no time putting the upstart Nuggets to the test. Denver and Houston square off in an opening night matchup on October 30 in the brand new Toyota Center. HOUSTON Inside the Rockets: After missing the playoffs for four consecutive seasons, new Houston Rockets Head Coach Jeff Van Gundy will try to get the Rockets back where they belong. Van Gundy inherits a talented group of players, but the play of Steve Francis and Yao Ming will ultimately determine the Rockets’ success. Francis is one of the most dynamic young guards in the NBA. He can score, dish out assists, and may be the best rebounding point guard in the league. With Yao much improved and returning for his sophomore season, Francis and the Rockets will have to turn to their 7-6 center more consistently in order to open up opportunities for his teammates. Van Gundy reportedly wants to work the ball from the inside out. In order to do this, returning sharpshooter Cuttino Mobley and free agent signee Eric Piatkowski will need to knock down the long range shot when Yao draws the double team. Yao, who was the third-leading scorer for Houston last season, should see a solid increase in both his point and rebound totals this year. Houston also picked up solid veterans Jim Jackson and Adrian Griffin. Both should share minutes at the small forward spot, but don’t be surprised to see Bostjan Nachbar get a few minutes of action as well. Eddie Griffin and Maurice Taylor are the Rockets power forward options. Griffin, who is the Rockets weakside shotblocker, will be looking to improve his game after two subpar seasons. Taylor will need to become a better rebounder, but does bring instant offense when he is in the game. If preseason play is any indication, Houston may also periodically insert reserve center Kelvin Cato at power forward. Van Gundy has been impressed with Cato’s work ethic and attitude throughout the preseason. Van Gundy Outlook: With this new group falling into place and playing hard, the Rockets have an excellent chance to make the postseason and compete in the Midwest Division. Look for the Rockets to improve in every category, especially assists. Yao will be more aggressive. Francis will do his best to spread the ball and take over when needed. And if Van Gundy can find the right hard-nosed players to complement his star duo, the Rockets will be well on their way to a successful 2003-04 campaign. MEMPHIS Inside the Grizzlies: Memphis will put a real young and athletic team on the floor this year. The Grizzlies top gun is Pau Gasol, who is an underrated forward with serious talent. The former NBA Rookie of the Year poured in 19.0 ppg to go along with 8.8 rpg last season. Alongside Gasol will be former Rocket James Posey at small forward, and either Stromile Swift or Lorenzen Wright in the middle. Posey, who will be asked to become the defensive stopper in Memphis, is capable of shutting down some of the top guards and forwards around the league. The six-year swingman can fill the lane and always gives maximum effort and hustle on the court. With Gasol drawing much of the attention, Posey and starting guards Mike Miller and Jason Williams will have to knock down the outside shot. Williams averaged 8.3 assists for the Grizzlies last year and has considerably harnessed his once-erratic play. Miller is one of the rising young shooters in the league and may erupt for a breakout year in his first full season in Memphis. Shane Battier and Bo Outlaw will be key figures off the bench for this much-improved Grizzlies squad. Rockets vs. Grizzlies: The Rockets claimed victories in three of the four meetings with the Grizzlies in 2002-03. Memphis played hard, but simply couldn’t match up with Houston’s firepower. With a young athletic squad this year, no team should take Memphis lightly. The Grizzlies should be much better this season, but hopefully the Rockets will have enough to keep the Grizzlies grounded. MINNESOTA Inside the T'Wolves: The Minnesota Timberwolves have an entirely new look for the 2003-04 season. After once again exiting in the first round of last season's NBA playoffs, the Wolves made it a top priority to make a few changes to their roster. Perennial All-Star Kevin Garnett will be joined by newcomers Latrell Sprewell, Sam Cassell and Michael Olowokandi. Sprewell comes to Minnesota after spending the last five seasons with the New York Knicks. The 6-5 swingman has averaged 19.1 points over an 11-year career. Cassell spent the last several years in Milwaukee as the Bucks starting point guard. Cassell averaged 19.7 points last season, but should have more of a playmaking role in Minnesota. Olowokandi signed with the Wolves as a free agent and will serve as the replacement for Rasho Nesterovic. The former first overall pick of the 1998 NBA Draft spent the last five seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers. Olowokandi is one of the most coveted young big men in the league coming off the best season of his young career. The 7-0 center's game should elevate even more playing alongside Garnett. Garnett, who was runner-up to Tim Duncan for league MVP last season, is arguably the best all-around player in the game. Points, rebounds and assists, K.G. brings it night in and night out. Now that he is surrounded by Cassell and Sprewell, the Wolves have to be careful that their star player’s game does not change. All three scorers will have to adjust to each other, but if this trio works well together, they have the potential to make some noise in the Western Conference. Swingman Wally Szczerbiak is still in the fold but battling a foot injury. Szczerbiak and Troy Hudson, who is coming off his best season ever, will share time will Cassell in Minnesota’s backcourt. The Wolves also drafted Houston prep star Ndudi Ebi to fill their need for an athletic player on the wing. Ebi’s game is still raw, but he may get an opportunity to come off the bench for Head Coach Flip Saunders. Francis Rockets vs. T'Wolves: The Rockets finished with a 2-2 mark against Minnesota last season. Steve Francis had big nights in three of the four games, but Houston had no answer for Garnett. This season the Rockets will have to rely on their defense to not only slow down Garnett, but also all of the scoring threats that suddenly surround him. SAN ANTONIO Inside the Spurs: The defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs underwent a major facelift during the offseason. Center David Robinson retired, while free agent guards Stephen Jackson and Speedy Claxton signed on with Atlanta and Golden State, respectively. San Antonio actively pursued New Jersey Nets free agent guard Jason Kidd this summer, but the All-Star point guard decided to re-sign with the Eastern Conference champions. Left with a great deal of money to spend, the Spurs quickly put a backup plan into effect by adding veterans Rasho Nesterovic, Robert Horry, Hedo Turkoglu and Ron Mercer to their lineup. The Spurs will have one of the NBA’s deepest benches this season, but of course league MVP Tim Duncan will remain the focal point of the San Antonio franchise. Nesterovic will step into Robinson’s vacated center position, while rising young star Emanuel Ginobili should replace Jackson at shooting guard. Horry, Turkoglu and Mercer will come off the bench and serve as key members of San Antonio’s rotation. Incumbent point guard Tony Parker will run the show for the Spurs. Parker can make San Antonio forget all about Kidd by putting forth another solid and consistent season. With Claxton now in Golden State, free-agent Anthony Carter will be the Spurs backup point guard when Ginobili doesn’t slide over to the point. Defensive stopper Bruce Bowen should once again start for San Antonio at small forward Yao Rockets vs. Spurs: The Rockets dropped three of four contests to the Spurs last season. Houston simply had no answer for Duncan, but who actually does? To make matters worse, the Rockets perimeter shooters went stone cold against San Antonio. If the Rockets want to get over the hump and compete against the defending champs this season, Yao Ming will have to loom large in the middle. In Houston’s one victory over the Spurs last season, Yao broke out for 27 points and 18 rebounds. If the Rockets can get consistent performances like that from their big man, look for Houston to even the score against Duncan and crew. UTAH Inside the Jazz: With the departures of Karl Malone to the Los Angeles Lakers and John Stockton to retirement, it should be safe to say the Utah Jazz are in a rebuilding phase. The ball will fall into the hands of swingman Matt Harpring, who becomes the new go-to-guy in Utah. Harpring averaged 17.6 ppg last season, and those numbers should increase as Utah's No. 1 option. Assisting Harpring in the Utah attack will be forward Andrei Kirilenko, one of the league's rising stars who will move into the Jazz starting lineup. Kirilenko's numbers across the board will rise with the increased minutes this season. Utah also acquired forward Keon Clark from the Sacramento Kings. Similar to Kirilenko, Clark is another athletic forward with long arms. Kirilenko and Clark will provide the Jazz with a formidable shot-blocking tandem when on the court together. DeShawn Stevenson, Carlos Arroyo and Raja Bell will likely receive most of the minutes in the Jazz backcourt. With Stockton and Malone gone, it will be interesting to see if the Jazz stick with their infamous pick and roll plays, or open things up and let their athletes run the floor. Rockets vs. Jazz: Houston struggled against the Jazz last season, coming away with only one win in four outings. The Rockets should expect to do much better this time around against the rebuilding Jazz. On paper, the Rockets seem to have a significant advantage over Utah. However, if Houston has any thoughts of postseason play, the Jazz are one of the teams that the Rockets must keep in their rear view mirror.
Next year it will be even tougher: Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, New Orleans and Memphis. We lose the rebuilding Utah and Denver and gain the Hornets, who are maybe one of the best teams in the East...
