Southwest Preview Series: Houston Rockets

What’s up everyone? With the season drawing near, it is time to start previewing what is in store for your Dallas Mavericks. We are going to begin by previewing the Southwest division. Our first preview will be of the Houston Rockets.

Who better to bring in to catch us up with the happenings of the Rockets than Fanball’s own Houston Rockets correspondent Brian Cashiola? You can read Brian’s fine work at RocketDunks.com.

MavsBall: Tell us about the offseason activity that the Rockets were involved in. Any big splashes in free agency, the trade market and/or the draft?

BRIAN: You could say there was a lot of off-season activity, but for the most part it wasn’t the kind you would hope for as a Rockets fan. The biggest news of the off-season was obviously losing Yao, second biggest was losing Artest. We brought in some guys who will be decent, but they in no way off-set our losses.

MavsBall: What role do you expect the new additions to play with team? Are we looking at role players or major contributors?

BRIAN: Well Ariza is best suited as a role player but with the line-up in its current state he will be forced to be a major contributor this year, which has to make myself and other Rocket fans uneasy. David Andersen is a marginal role player at best. Jermaine Taylor and Chase Budinger have impressed in camp so far but will that carry over? As 2nd round picks I am not expecting much out of them this year, but the potential is there, especially with Taylor. Most Rockets fans are more confident in Budinger, but I’m really excited about the potential Taylor has, I don’t care what school you play for, scoring 27 a game on a solid percentage is impressive.

MavsBall: It looks like the Rockets will have to manage to make through the season without the services of Yao Ming. How big of a blow is this for the squad?

BRIAN: It is a huge loss for us, Yao was the unquestioned leader/best player of the team on the court even when Tracy was healthy. You can’t replace Yao, the Rockets will have to change their style of play greatly with him out in order to compensate for our lack of size.

MavsBall: Also, assess the center situation as a whole sans Yao. Will a certain guy step up and attempt to fill Yao’s shoes or will it be more of a center by committee situation?

BRIAN: I would say by committee, I think Scola will get the first crack, with Landry being pretty solid at PF, then Andersen will back up Scola. We will be running a very fast paced, Phoenix Suns type offense so if we run it well, Scola could be adequate at center on offense. Now defense is another story, it’s not looking too promising on defense in the post.

MavsBall: Do we have any reason to believe that Tracy McGrady can stay healthy for an entire season or are we looking at another 45 game campaign for the All Star?

BRIAN: If I were a betting man, (which I am) I would take the under and feel pretty safe. Tracy’s people are saying he will return November 23rd but I’ll believe it when I see it. I’m sorry I just can’t believe Tracy is the first player to fully recover from microfracture surgery in 8 months. Tracy is known in Houston for announcing “T-Mac is back, I feel great, I feel like the old me” one day, and then a few days later, “Well, I really just need to take it easy and not rush anything.”

MavsBall: Ron Artest and Trevor Ariza were essentially traded for each other. Which player is a better fit in Houston? Will Artest be missed or will Ariza make Rockets fans forget him?

BRIAN: If Yao and McGrady were healthy, then the answer would be Artest easily, but they aren’t. For this team, Ariza just makes a lot more sense for us. Why have an aging Ron Artest on a team that just isn’t healthy enough to make a legitimate run this year, when you can get a young guy with solid potential who can gain a lot of valuable experience in this already injury plagued season.

MavsBall: What kind of a season do you think this team is capable of? Do we have a playoff team on our hands? What are realistic expectations for this year’s squad?

BRIAN: Some Rockets fans say I am a pessimist but I think I’m just being honest with myself, this is not a playoff team without Yao. Now, if Tracy returns on Nov. 23 and is the Tracy we all know and love, then maybe that can change. Because when he is healthy he is that good, he can carry a team. But like I said, I am skeptical, this year is a transition year for us, I think we will set ourself up for next summer with a decent lottery pick, and a lot of money to throw around with Tracy coming off the books. My record prediction for the Rockets is 36-46.

Good stuff Mr. Cashiola. Hope everyone enjoyed. We’ll be back soon with another preview interview.

Until next time…

Peace. Be good.

Tags: Carl Landry, Chase Budinger, Dallas Mavericks, David Andersen, Houston Rockets, Jermaine Taylor, Luis Scola, Ron Artest, Tracy McGrady, Trevor Ariza, Yao Ming