Team Outlook

I guess that not many people know that we don't have a 1st rounder next season. Although I want to make the playoffs as much as anyone, imagine how good our team gonna be with another lottery talent. What a shame though.

http://www.msnbc.com/news/spt/nba/secondhalf2003/west.asp?p=houston

Houston Rockets
Record: 26-22; 5th Midwest Division.
Analysis on coach: If Rudy Tomjanovich could only speak fluent Chinese, he'd be the perfect coach for this team. As it stands now, he's near-perfect. A perennially underrated performer, Rudy T. now has a presence in the post in Yao Ming to raise the Rockets from a hard-nosed club to an elite one. It won't happen this year. Yao is still learning the league and the game, and figuring out his body clock in regard to endurance. But by the end of the season, the Rockets will be a team to be reckoned with, and Tomjanovich is a primary reason.

Make plans for a title if: The Rockets aren't there yet. They're still too young and inexperienced. But a championship on the horizon is visible. With Yao in the fold, and Steve Francis leading the way, the components are in place. This is a work in progress, but expect the progress to be swift.

Player to watch in second half: Yao Ming is the key to this entire franchise. Does he have the stamina to last through the NBA grind until April, where it will be important for him to get a second wind, play at his peak and carry the Rockets' hopes in the postseason? If he fades, so will the Rockets.

Trade rumor: The Rockets probably won't do anything before the deadline.

Predicted finish: Houston will be vying with the Lakers for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West. If they don't make the postseason, it won't be a tragedy, since they're not ready to contend yet anyway. They could use another lottery-level talent to make a more serious bid next season.