Houston, We Have A Problem
Posted by www.readingrocketsbasketball.com on
January 17, 2011
The Rockets are a darn good basketball franchise, excuse me for saying so. Perhaps it’s not the most humble approach for a fan to take, but as a fan base, we have been relatively spoiled by the team’s performance and resiliency in recent years. Since 2002-2003, the Rockets have had exactly one “down” season. No, the team hasn’t powered its way to playoff glory, or even to the playoffs in every case for that matter, but each season, save for 2005-2006, the Rockets have finished the season above .500 and at least in contention for a playoff spot, even in the hotly contested Western Conference. Bear in mind, the Atlanta Hawks actually made the playoffs with an under .500 record in the East just 3 years ago (and took the top seeded Celtics to 7 games), thus putting up a positive mark in the West cannot be casually dismissed. A year ago, with a Yao-less unit, a preseason subtraction no one in the organization had accounted for, the Rockets still mustered a 42-40 record, good for 9th in West (or 1 out of post-season play), finishing better than the 8th seeded Bulls (again, Eastern Conference). Read the rest of this entry »
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2010-2011 Season Preview
Posted by mrice on
September 9, 2010
A year ago, the Rockets came up just shy of the post-season in a very competitive Western Conference. Approximately 4 months removed from season’s close, have the Rockets done enough to improve their playoff posture headed into 2010-2011?Fortunately for the Rockets, the off-season didn’t necessarily have to include a home run newcomer in order for the team to expect improvement. With Yao at least contributing, though it remains to see exactly how many minutes and at what level as he returns from an extended absence, the Rockets automatically gain at least one key asset going forward. Furthermore, Yao has continued to play a valuable role over the course of his past 4 seasons played, despite missing significant chunks of time in 3 of those years due to injury. Though he has never attempted to come back from an injury in which he missed so much time, Yao has at least has success in rehabbing past ailments, and shown the ability to be a difference maker even in a limited capacity. Read the rest of this entry »
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What to Expect from Patrick Patterson
Posted by admin on
September 9, 2010
After playing with John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins last year at the University of Kentucky, at least Patrick Patterson should be at least acquainted with the media circus surrounding NBA basketball long before he ever sets foot on the court for the Rockets. If Patterson can make his regular season debut resemble anything close to his professional debut in Las Vegas Summer League competition, Rockets fans will be more than pleased. Patterson finished the game with a tidy 8 for 9 performance from the floor, tallying 18 points while playing turnover free basketball. Patterson continued to play solid throughout summer competition, though like all rookies he should face a major adjustment when he squares off against top NBA talent on a nightly basis. Read the rest of this entry »