Houston Rockets
2015 Record: 56-26
W/L Prediction: 57-25
The Houston Rockets did get to the Western Conference Finals, but it never really seemed as though the team had much of a chance against the eventual-champion Golden State Warriors.
Houston got just one game in the series, and for the team to really ever have any chance of leapfrogging the Warriors it is going to need Dwight Howard to begin to expand his game closer back to what it was in Orlando.
Is that impossible, or too much to ask?
Superficially, James Harden is the league’s best 2-guard, and now he has another gunner in Ty Lawson sharing the backcourt with him. It might be best for Lawson to serve as a Sixth Man with Patrick Beverley continuing to start, but the argument could also be posed that Beverley could be an energy guy off the bench.
Trevor Ariza is still an elite defender at one-half the cost of Parsons, and Terrence Jones is better than Josh Smith without any of the headaches.
Donatas Motiejunas is a unique stretch-4/5 and Montrezl Harrell could be a real steal from this draft out of Louisville. He is an undersized 4 at just 6-foot-8, but he has great athleticism and strength and had a nice career as a Cardinal.
Former Florida Gator Corey Brewer is good to heat it up off the bench in a hurry, and Howard’s backup Clint Capela had his moments of shining in the postseason.
The Rockets are certainly jacked full of talent, but why does this team seem so much more made for regular season success? Is it that Harden’s game is that reliant on the whistle? Or is it that Howard underachieves too much and does not really command proper attention as a No. 2 option?
What is it about the Rockets that seems to indicate they will fall short again?
It seems in a best-case scenario this team gets the world from Lawson and becomes impossible to stop late in games. Lawson has the chance to really give the Rockets the missing perimeter threat it has sought.
Basically, this team wins a couple more games this year, but if it does more it will be because something new has developed with the former Tar Heel, giving Harden a few more breaths in each game.
Next: Grit N Grind