Houston Rockets Season Preview – NBA Predictions
The Houston Rockets made as a big of a splash in the free agent market this season as anyone. There were several bidders in the Dwight Howard free agency contest, but the Rockets ended up winning out. Houston put up a nice fight in last year’s playoffs, and expectations are now much higher for this year’s team.
Houston Rockets
Western Conference
2012-2013 Record: 45-37
Odds to win Title: 12/1 from Bovada
Odds to win Conference: 4/1 from Bovada
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Houston Rockets
Key Losses
Houston let Thomas Robinson go after he has been considered a big letdown by his first couple NBA teams. The Rockets also lost James Anderson and outside shooter Carlos Delfino.
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On the whole though, the Rockets were able to hold onto most of their talent from last season’s team.
Top Newcomers
How can you not start with Dwight Howard? Howard has been the best center in the NBA for the past several years, and he is a game changer. His defensive skills are second-to-none, and he can absolutely dominate on the boards as well. He had a down year in Los Angeles last year, but most expect him to be better again this season. Omri Casspi and Reggie Williams are scorers who could contribute to the team right away. Isaiah Canaan was a nice value pick with the 34th selection in the NBA Draft.
Top Players
James Harden- Harden has really broken out in the last two years. This is a guy who is capable of beating you off the dribble or knocking down the long-range three. He often facilitates this offense from the shooting guard position. He’ll benefit in a big way from Howard being here.
Dwight Howard- Howard will instantly make this team much better on the defensive end, and he should get lots of open looks near the basket thanks to the team’s talented backcourt.
Jeremy Lin- Lin disappointed quite a few people last year, but he should be much better this season with Howard to feed the ball to inside. Lin is a great passer, and now he has a big man underneath to look for every time.
Chandler Parsons- Parsons is an underrated player who can do a lot of different things very well. He is also a nice value for the Rockets. [ad-6571516]
Strengths
Houston has plenty of star power. The Rockets arguably have two of the top ten players in the NBA right now. Anytime you have two superstars, the team should be very good. Backcourt depth is another real strength for the Rockets. There are plenty of guys in this backcourt who can contribute.
Weaknesses
How will the team chemistry be? It’s always a question mark when you throw stars together, and Howard has had his fair share of problems the last few years with team chemistry. Can the Rockets play team basketball and keep everyone happy? It will be a big test.
Prediction:
Houston will be good this year no matter what, but to be elite they’ll need to have solid team chemistry. The Rockets are going to overpower a lot of teams in the regular season, but it remains to be seen if this team will be able to win games in the postseason. I think the Rockets will be a good team, but not quite as good as the oddsmakers believe.
