Hello Readers,
Now, I am definitely concerned I won't finish before the season starts. oh, well. I will just keep plugging away.
HOUSTON ROCKETS
Key Additions: Basically the whole team, but Jeremy Lin (FA), Carlos Delfino (FA), Omer Asik (FA),
Royce White (rookie), Jeremy Lamb (rookie), Terrence Jones (rookie), Dontas Montiejunas (rookie), Shaun Livingston (FA)
Key Losses: Kyle Lowry, Luis Scola, Chase Budinger, Samuel Dalembert, Goran Dragic, Courtney Lee.
Projected Starting Lineup:
PG: Linsanity
SG: Kevin Martin
SF: Chandler Parsons
PF: Patrick Patterson
C: Omer Asik
Role Players: Livingston, Delfino, Marcus Morris, Montiejunas, White, Lamb, Jones
Comments: If there was a loser in the offseason, and there definitely was, it was the Houston Rockets. This team is so desperate for a center since Yao retired. They were convinced that they had the ability to get Dwight Howard if they just traded away their big contracts (even if the players they traded were actually good), stockpiled young players. Well, once it was clear that a package of Martin and rookies was not going to bring in Howard, they had to change course. But, they were stuck with all of their rookies. They didn't go after real free agents though, nooo, they used a loop hole in the free agency system to steal away two players who immediately went from underrated to way overpaid. The loophole is that a team can now offer a restricted free agent a back heavy contract where the salary can jump 10 mil a year after the second year of the contract. That is how the stole Lin from the Knicks and Asik from the Bulls. What they will find is that they will be paying Lin as much as Chris Paul in 3 years and Asik as much as Howard. In conclusion, this was a disaster offseason. Let's see what they have.
Everyone remembers the month of Jeremy Lin. He really was incredible in his opportunity, attacking the basket at will, throwing lobs to Tyson Chandler, and being really clutch. But, he only played 20 or so games, and teams never completely adjusted to his style. When they did, he was turnover prone, shot too much for a point guard, and was a huge liability on defense. This leads me to believe that Lin will be at best a solid backup point guard. I just don't see him producing consistently over the course of even a whole season let alone 5 years. He doesn't have a jump shot, and unfortunately, a Harvard education doesn't teach athleticism. Lin will have flashes to his 7 amazing games in a row, but people will slowly realize that he just isnt that good. Livingston is a sad story. He had so much promise as a young rookie. He is tall for a point guard, but still has really good ball skills. Then this happened. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1cc1c_shaun-livingston-broken-knee_sport. It is really impressive he is playing again, but he is not the same player.
Kevin Martin is a high quality offensive player. He has an awkward shooting motion, but it is really effective, and he is one of the best in the league at drawing fouls and making his free throws. Defense and inconsistency have prevented him from reaching the all-star caliber level, but I assure you, teams fear his ability to score in bunches. He will be relied on for a lot of the offense early on while the young players grow, but he will most likely be traded at midseason to a contender who needs that scoring ability. Carlos Delfino had a great Olympics for Argentina. He is a good shooter, and actually a solid defender as well. He will pick up a fair share of steals and blocks to go along with his 3-point range. I was surprised he wasn't signed earlier on, but he should provide much of the scoring to the young bench. Jeremy Lamb is another backup, and he will learn a lot from Martin as they are similar players. Once Martin is traded, and it will happen, Lamb will get his opportunity to play. Until then, he will sit back and learn.
Chandler Parsons was one of the more surprising rookies last season. At Florida, he was a guy who had a little offensive game, but was going to be a defensive hustle player. He showed that ability as a rookie, but also a scoring ability and a bit of a shooting touch. He took the starting job from Budinger and never looked back (and found his way on my fantasy team for a bit). My fear is that he has reached his ceiling already, and with the backups at forward who have more potential, Parsons could drift back to a supporting role. One of those rookies is Terrence Jones. At Kentucky, he was asked as the oldest player on the team, to take a backseat to Anthony Davis, MKG, and others, but Jones was always there for a clutch 3, or solid defense and rebounding. If he keeps improving his offensive game, he will find his way into the starting lineup. As with all the rookies on the Rockets, he will have ample playing time.
PF for the Rocekts is a revolving door of undersized forwards who are strong, but don't have quite enough offense in the post. Patrick Patterson has an OK jump shot, but in his time on the Rockets he has only proven himself to be a solid rebounder. Once Royce White is ready, I think he will be the starter. White has the most offensive potential of the bunch. He is strong and has some moves. He has an interesting fear of flying, which hopefully won't affect his ability to play road games. At 6'8, if he can use his strength to make up for a lack of height, his offense will make him one of the cornerstones to rebuild this franchise from. Marcus Morris is the last of the young group. At Kansas, he was much better than his brother Markieff, but in the pros he has been worse. One reason is Steve Nash playing with Markieff, but also, Marcus didn't have the shooting ability to play in the NBA. With bigger bodies than him, Marcus needs more ways to get his shot off than when he was at Kansas. I heard that he improved his game in the D-league, but we will see.
The team has an international Center platoon. Omer Asik is the starter. On the Bulls, he was part of their fantastic bench that would hustle 100% of the time, play ridiculous defense. Asik was a pro at blocking shots, and had a soft touch inside when he was able to receive passes from Rose or on offensive rebounds. On the Rockets he will need to show the consistency to play 30-35 minutes a game. I saw him as a hustle player who could come in for 6-8 minutes twice a game, but the Rockets see him as more. Montiejunas is a rookie, but drafted last year. He comes over from Europe this year, and I honestly don't know much about him. I don't think he will be much of a difference maker at least this year.
The Rockets will be very bad this year. They have no star power, although they think they do in Lin, and the pieces they have now have yet to grow. This will be a painful learning year for their young players, but I do have high hopes for White and Jones. Expect them to be near the bottom or at the bottom of the Western Conference.
Next Up, Philadelphia 76ers
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