Blog

Sans CP3, Rockets Attempt to Complete Weekend Sweep in L.A.

The Rockets look to build on their first win of the season as they attempt to go 2-0 at Staples Center over the weekend. It won’t be easy, as Chris Paul is out tonight due to his suspension from last night’s Lakers skirmish, and as we saw last season, the Rockets are not the same force, on both ends of the court, without their All-Star floor leader. The Clippers played the Rockets well last season, splitting the season series with Houston 2-2. The Clips have many former Rockets who will no doubt be looking to put in an extra special performance against their former team. Patrick Beverley, still sorely missed and adored in Houston, doesn’t take any seconds off on the court, and along with P.J. Tucker, is one of the best hustle players, and pressure-exerting perimeter defenders in the NBA. The Clippers also sport former Rockets Montrezl Harrell and Luc Mbah a Moute, who was key piece of the Rockets rotation last season, especially on the defensive end. This will be a tough challenge for the Rockets without Chris Paul, and still trying to fit their new pieces into Coach D’Antoni’s system, but they are the better team, with or without Paul. Look for Eric Gordon, starting in place of CP3, to have a big night along with Harden and co.

 

Staples Center – Los Angeles, California

8 PM CT – NBA TV, ATT Sportsnet

Rockets Fight Their Way To First Victory of Season In Glitzy Road Opener Marred By Brawl, Costly Ejections

 

It certainly wasn’t pretty, but the Rockets finally got their first win of the season. But it came at a cost. They lost Chris Paul, and he will certainly be suspended at least one game, possibly up to three. He didn’t deserve the suspension, but when two of the NBA’s smartest players go at each other, someone is bound to get unlucky, and Paul was the unfortunate recipient of this bad luck. He didn’t start the fight. Rondo didn’t even start it, although his spittle was the act that sent everyone over the edge into brawl-mode. This all began after Ingram got beat by Harden to the basket and was rightfully called for a foul, the correct call. Ingram, for some reason, didn’t take kindly to the officials’ correct call and pushed Harden unnecessarily out of frustration, which led to the biggest on-court fight the NBA’s seen in some time. Chris Paul, Rajon Rondo, and Brandon Ingram were all ejected shortly after a lengthy officiating review. The Rockets managed to survive without Chris Paul and escaped The King’s home debut with a victory. Harden bounced back and was the better of the MVP hopefuls tonight as he finished with 36 points, twice as many as he had in the opener. Hopefully the brawl woke up a Rockets team that had seemed to be sleepwalking through the initial part of this season. They’re back at it tomorrow night, same place, different vibe, against the hated Clippers, who always seem to play well against Houston. Chris Paul likely won’t be available due to a suspension the NBA will probably issue tomorrow, so the Beard and the rest of the squad will have to step up and bring more to the table if the Rockets can escape Staples Center with a sweep this weekend.

Rockets Try to Bounce Back from Opener, Spoil LeBron’s Debut at Staples

 

In their first road game of the season, the Rockets will try and be better than their first game where they got stomped at Toyota Center by the Pelicans. The setting this time around will be very different, as LeBron James will play in front of the Staples Center crowd in Los Angeles for the very first time in what should be an electric atmosphere. Coming off a close opening night loss in Portland, LeBron James will no doubt have his squad ready to go as he looks to avoid a rare 0-2 start to this season. This will be a great early season test for the Rockets as the fans in L.A. are hyped about King James coming to play for the Lakers. Last year’s MVP, James Harden, will face off against the pre-season favorite for the award, LeBron James, in what should be a statement game for both players as they continue the beginning of this NBA season trying to cement their stature as the best player in basketball at the moment. Other than LeBron, this Lakers team has seen a swoon of offseason changes that have revamped the roster. The Lakers have added a crew of seasoned veterans including Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and JaVale McGee to compliment James along with the young core that still exists as LeBron moves into the latter stage of his NBA career. Hopefully, the Rockets will put Opening Night in the past, and move forward with a W in what should be an environment similar to that of a playoff game.

 

Staples Center – Los Angeles, California

9:30 PM CT – ESPN, ATT Sportsnet

Pelicans Blast Rockets, Embarrass Harden and Co. on Opening Night

Well at least that’s over with. And by that I mean the New Orleans Pelicans beat-down of the Houston Rockets on Opening Night in Toyota Center. They cruised to a 131-112 victory in a game that was never competitive. The final score actually makes it seem like the Rockets were within reach, but for most of the game it seemed as thought they trailed by 30. Harden came out like I feared he might, lazy, unfocused, his mind still on last season and the MVP award he was handed before the game from Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta. The Pelicans came out like gangbusters, intent on proving last year’s sweep was no fluke. Anthony Davis had a monster opening game in his quest to prove he belongs in among the NBA’s elite and should be one of the frontrunners for the MVP award this season. The Rockets knew what to expect from the Brow. One could even say they “contained” him. However, it was the other “bigs” they had no answer for, specifically Nikola Mirotic, who shot lights out from beyond the arc and finished with 30 points and 10 rebounds, and Julius Randle, who came off the bench to supply 25 points in 24 minutes to go along with 8 rebounds. The Rockets were manhandled on the glass, something the squad hopes to improve on, and quick, as the season moves along. Even though Harden finished 1 assist shy of a triple-double, his performance was underwhelming to say the least. He looked like he was still in offseason mode. The only real bright spots were P.J. Tucker, who was fantastic as usual on both ends of the floor, finishing with 19 points, but had little help from teammates on the defensive end. Eric Gordon did what he does and provided a spark off the bench, leading the team in scoring with 21 points. It was evident from the start that the Rockets communication on defense would be a major problem. The Pelicans screened and cut to the basket for open layups all night. Hopefully these are just growing pains that accompany teams as they adjust from one season to the next with new pieces, but the Rockets lost their most valuable defensive communicator besides PJ in Trevor Ariza. James Ennis looked hesitant, like he didn’t want to step on anyone’s toes. The same with Carmelo Anthony, who despite hitting one of his first shots, looked confused as to what his role on the team will be moving forward. I’m counting on CP3 as the team’s vocal leader to help Melo’s transition, but if Melo becomes a liability on defense like he was last night, he won’t be getting many minutes in crunch time. Hopefully this was just one of those games you forget about, and is not consistent with the rest of the season. The Rockets look to turn things around on Saturday, where the lights will be shining even brighter in LeBron James’ Lakers home debut.

Rockets Look to Start Season Strong Against Improved Western Foe

The Rockets have won 11 of their last 14 games against the Pelicans, including 13 of the their last 14 between the two teams at Toyota Center. That recent history should mean little, as this is a revamped and much-improved Pelicans team from a year ago. This new-look Pelicans squad that flourished at the end of last season after All-Star DeMarcus Cousins’ was lost to a season-ending injury has seen several key changes. They let Cousins go in free agency, giving arguably the league’s best player when healthy, Anthony Davis, more freedom to operate as he played more efficiently after Cousins suffered an injury. This comes as no surprise, considering the Pelcians’ strong finish after his injury and their sweep of the Portland Trailblazers in the first round of the Western Conference last year that was the biggest shocker of the entire playoffs. They also lost starting veteran point guard Rajon Rondo to the Los Angeles lakers and added Elfrid Payton from the Orlando Magic, who has shown signs of competency in  spurts but is more recognizable for sporting the most unique hairstyle in the NBA, something that hopefully won’t distract the Rockets’ backcourt depth they added in the offseason. The Pelicans also added Wesley Johnson from the Clippers, whose ankles Harden “broke” for everyone to witness on national television last season in one of the Beard’s deadliest displays of his patent step-back crossover. Jrue Holiday is one of the most underrated point guards in the NBA right now and shut down the Blazers star guard Damian Lillard in their sweep of the Blazers last season. He will provide an instant early test for the Rockets’ newest additions to their backcourt, and his solid defense will keep the backcourt focused, hopefully preventing the slow start for new acquisitions to the team, as they will have to prove themselves in the first game of the season to avoid being shown up by the underrated Holiday. Anthony Davis may be the best big man in the NBA, but Clint Capela is ready for any challenge this season as he looks to become an All-Star for the first time in his career. This game is the perfect statement game for the Rockets big man to start the season off strong. It should be a good one, AD usually plays well against us, and this season will be no different, unless he suffers an unfortunate season-ending injury at Toyota Center, which happened to his ex-fellow teammate and All-Star DeMarcus Cousins the last time these teams met at Toyota Center. Also, James Harden will receive his MVP award from Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta before the game. An award he’s been worthy of for at years. Let’s just hope he doesn’t treat it like a “ring night” and come out lackadaisical. Tip-off is at 7 PM CT. Catch the game locally on ATT Sportsnet, nationally on ESPN, or better yet, come check out all the excitement of opening night in person at Toyota Center. The Liftoff party outside the arena starts at 4:30. Doors to the arena open at 5:30. The first 3K fans will receive a James Harden MVP bobblehead, one of the more unique ones I’ve seen. Get ready for the start to what should an epic season of Rockets basketball.

Toyota Center – Houston, Texas

7 PM CT ESPN, ATT Sportsnet

Rockets Will Try and Run It Back, This Time… All the Way

The national media have too many teams to follow, they don’t have enough time to give the attention and focus that is required to recognize the Rockets’ true potential. This year’s team is going to be special.  ESPN, TNT, the internet… they all really don’t understand the potential of this year’s Houston Rockets squad, which as I will explain, should be one of the best in the franchise’s storied history. As NBA history has proven in the past (sadly the most recent), the best teams don’t need home-court advantage in the playoffs to advance. Maintaining the health of our key contributors is the most important factor to winning a championship and taking home the title of NBA Champions back to Houston for the first time in 24 seasons. Everyone (even the national media who seem to think this year’s team is worse than last year’s) agree that if CP3 didn’t suffer an injury at the end of Game 5 in the Western Conference Finals, we would have beaten the Warriors, and gone all the way to win the title. Chris Paul’s leadership was sorely missed in Game 6 and 7 of the WCF and not surprisingly so, as the Rockets were 50-8 in games Chris Paul played last season. The playoff injury bug came back to haunt us (similar to what happened to T-Mac and Yao against those Kobe-led Laker championship teams, series we happened to lead until one of our key performers suffered an injury). I’m not trying to make excuses, but if the Rockets can stay healthy, this team is ready for a championship, THIS SEASON. A major stat that really backs up the proven chemistry of this team’s core is the fact that when James Harden, Chris Paul, and Clint Capela all played together last season the Rockets were a dominant 50-5. The national media is severely underestimating the impact James Ennis III will have filling in for Trevor Ariza as the starting small forward. A defensive stalwart and increasingly improving 3-point shooter, Ennis will fit seamlessly in a Rockets offense that revolves around spacing and the 3-point shot. The Rockets went 42-4 last season when they made 15 or more 3’s in a game, proving that when they’re on from deep, they’re tough to beat. Michael Carter-Williams (MCW) should provide much-needed backcourt depth for Houston, along with Gray Clark (if he continues his impressive play in from the preseason). And then there’s the most “glamorous” offseason acquisition for the Rockets, 10-time NBA All Star Carmelo Anthony. Melo is nowhere near the Melo he used to be in his prime but he can still be an effective player when plugged into the right system. Carmelo says he is buying into his role coming off the bench with the second unit. From the looks of his preseason play, it seems that Melo is more than willing to fit into a Mike D’Antoni system that has the personnel required to win a title, a contrast to when the two were in New York with a terrible front office who couldn’t put serviceable players to compliment Anthony in D’Antoni’s system. Carmelo realizes he’s not the first, second, or even third option anymore (that goes deservedly to Capela). Clint Capela has been slept on his entire career and his improvement with each passing season is eye boggling (he should have been awarded Most Improved Player last season in my opinion). I expect him to put up All-Star caliber numbers this season and finally get some respect from the national media. His importance cannot be overstated: The Rockets went 24-2 last season in games that Capela posted at least 15 points, and they went 7-0 in games that the squad recorded 7 or more blocks, the majority of those being attributed to Capela. A bench unit consisting of Melo, Eric Gordon (who has slimmed down over the offseason and looks leaner, quicker, and spryer than ever), and Gerald Green (instant energy off the bench) will provide enough offense, energy, and experience to compete with and outplay any second unit in the NBA. Carmelo Anthony has gotten the most attention of all the new additions, and I expect him to thrive in Houston, but the most important new addition will be James Ennis. Trevor Ariza will be missed, but Ariza is on the downside of his career, while Ennis, a gritty, hard-nosed defender who doesn’t mind doing the dirty work is entering the prime of his career. His 3-point shooting has improved and his addition to this Rockets team is the absolute perfect fit. It’s no surprise Coach Mike D’Antoni decided to insert him into the starting lineup. Look for Ennis to provide great hustle, defense, and a lot of intangibles similar to P.J. Tucker (whose value to this team as the ultimate hustle player doesn’t always show up in the box score, but true Rocket fans know how much he means to this team). When Mike D’Antoni says PJ Tucker is one of the best TWO WAY players in the NBA, he’s not kidding. Tucker is by far the best hustle player in the league and he brings so many winning intangibles to this Rockets team. The Rockets began last season starting Ryan Anderson at the power forward, and despite him being a major defensive liability in today’s perimeter-oriented NBA game, the Rockets sprinted out of the gate and started the season 25-4. As the playoffs loomed closer and Tucker’s defense and hustle earned him more minutes, the Rockets decided to insert him for Anderson in the starting lineup. The result? The Rockets went 29-4 in games P.J. Tucker started last season. There’s a reason Daryl Morey didn’t want to include Tucker in a possible deal for disgruntled Minnesota Timberwolves star and Tomball native, Jimmy Butler. Keep an eye on Marquesse Chriss, the long forward’s athletic prowess should be an integral fit in the Rockets’ system. It may take a few days for him to get fully integrated into the Rockets unique system, but expect Chriss to be on the receiving end of many lobs and alley-oops as the season progresses, and don’t be surprised if he wows you with some crazy dunks that make SportsCenter’s Top 10. Gary Clark outperformed what was expected of him in the preseason and earned a roster spot to provide further depth for Houston in the backcourt. The most interesting aspect of this season will be how the Rockets head coach, and reigning NBA Coach of the Year, decides to play and experiment with his rotation. It will also be interesting to see how the defense keeps up without Rockets defensive “coordinator” Jeff Bzdelik, who announced his retirement only days ago. Most people point to the offense when they look at the Rockets 65-win season last year and their run to being one win away from the NBA Finals. However, it was the defense that stepped up in the most pressure situations that took the club as far as it went last year. Scoring for the Rockets comes naturally, it’s only when this team commits on the defensive end that they truly show the entire league that they are not only “in the race”, but a serious contender for the Championship. When the Rockets held their opponents below 100 points they went a stellar 32-3 last year. Hopefully that defensive intensity carries over into this season, despite the losses of Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute. As last season proved, with the right pieces in place, D’Antoni’s system is a formula that, when executed properly, can result in a Championship. The pieces are all in place for the ultimate run this year. All the squad has to do is Run As One and it’s going to be a season for the ages. So whether you’re watching at home or catching the action in person at Toyota Center, get ready for the beginning of what is going to be a VERY special season for Red Nation. LET’S GO ROCKETS!!!

Roster Moves:

Offseason Additions:

James Ennis III, Carmelo Anthony, Michael Carter-Williams, Marquesse Chriss, Gary Clark, Vincent Edwards

Offseason Losses:

Trevor Ariza, Luc Mbah Moute, Ryan Anderson