Well, that sure has changed. I've watched more NBA games this season than I ever have, and have seen nearly every game played by the Rockets this season. As for my fanhood, I'm a fan of the hometown boys, LeBron and the Heatles, and several individual players throughout the league (Chris Paul, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry, to name a few). With the trade deadline recently having passed, and the most exciting part of the NBA season looming on the near horizon, I figured I'd break down some thoughts on the new and (hopefully) improved Houston Rockets.
First, I like Rick Adelman. He's got a good demeanor on the court with the pacing and instructing his players. He seems to fight for his players with the referees without ever going postal and trying to make himself the focal point of the game. In the post-game press conferences and interviews, he seems to have good perspective and makes it easy for the media members to glean quotes from him for their articles and pieces. He's not the best coach in the league, but he only adds to this team and takes nothing away.
Secondly, I'll discuss GM Daryl Morey and the new arrivals/departures from the recent trades. Morey, from everything I've read and heard, seems to be a pioneer in the NBA landscape. He's very statistically-driven (even co-chairing the MIT Sloan Sports Conference, a Mensa-meeting-type feel of sports stats nuts) and seems to never accept the Rockets in their current state. It's that drive to always strive for more that I think will make the team competitive each year for as long as he's here. Will he make some mistakes? Sure, he might trade/release a guy who goes on to have a revitalized career or sign someone who was only a flash in the pan. However, the overall feel of his managerial style shows that he's got a great feel for what Adelman needs as far as tools to make this team win, and his trade moves reflect that.
For instance, trading fan-favorite Shane Battier along with Ish Smith for Hasheem Thabeet and Demarre Carroll and a first-round pick is a very pro-active move that will hopefully serve to give some worthy bench guys some minutes. Battier is an excellent player and a good team guy, but his contract is expiring and I at least would rather move him too soon than too late. Thabeet (who looks like a character straight out of Avatar - don't lie, you see it too!) is still very young, and he could be a serviceable center in the league. I mean, look at what we did with 6'6'' Chuck Hayes! Also, call me crazy but I watched Carroll in college (at Mizzou), and he's not a bad player at all. Think Patrick Patterson but a little more pass-heavy, like Pistons rookie Greg Monroe.
The other Rockets trade sent point guard Aaron Brooks to the Suns for their Slovenian backup Goran Dragic and a pick. Brooks really didn't do a whole lot for me as a fan, but that's probably because I didn't get to see him in his excellence last year and only in his conflict-ridden season this year (storming off the court and receiving a suspension for it). Dragic set the world on fire with an excellent playoff series against the Spurs in 2010, and ever since then I have been a fan of his. He has an excellent motor, isn't afraid to mix it up (as evidenced by a verbal tussle with Sasha Vujacic in last year's playoffs...but seriously Vujacic had it coming. The dude's a whimp.), and loves to drive to the lane and kick it out to a thankful 3-point shooter. Brooks will be missed, but I like the move and what it brings to starter Kyle Lowry.
I'm sorry, did someone say Kyle Lowry?! Well then, I'd love to put my two cents in. I've watched Kyle Lowry snag (and then firmly put his stamp on) the starting point guard job. He's lighting it up from 3, and brings a junkyard-dog feel to the team that I love. For all of Kevin Martin's whiny acting jobs, Lowry matches those performances with a hard and-1 to the basket or an open-court steal and bucket on the break. He has quickly become my favorite Rocket.
Other bright spots obviously include Martin, who was NBA player of the week last week, rookie Patrick Patterson who has been playing like a veteran, and severely-undersized Chuck Hayes (or The Chuckwagon, as FSN announcers Matt Bullard and Bill Worrell affectionately call him) who consistently turns out double-doubles and guards some of the toughest power forwards in the league. I love Luis Scola's offensive game, and he has recently stepped it up with some charge-taking performances on the defensive end too. Courtney Lee quite possibly is the most athletic Rocket, and I love his game on both ends. I've actually had a soft-spot in my heart for him ever since his dagger 3 in the first round of the NCAA tournament a few years ago with Western Kentucky - even though he screwed over my bracket.
Brad Miller has had better times than he's playing right now, and I wish that he'd bring some toughness along with his height to the second-team. I'm not too high on Kevin Martin actually, but like every long-time Laker fan will tell you about Kobe, you don't complain about results.
Where do I see the Rockets going? I hope they can get a playoff spot, and I think it's very possible. However, barring a crazy run or some meteoric collapses from the bottom-half of the playoff brackets I don't foresee the Rockets moving out of the first round. However, the future looks bright for this team, and I will definitely be watching intently to see how the season plays out.
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