Expectations are high around the Rockets. They made big strides last season getting James Harden in the fold, playing an exciting up-tempo brand of basketball, winning 45 games and getting into the playoffs.
Then they went out and got Dwight Howard.
The talk in Houston is of a title — this team is a contender now. But team GM Darryl Morey tried to tamp down those expectations in a recent radio interview (as transcribed by CBSHouston, hat tip to Eye on Basketball).
Morey said the Rockets are not yet at the top of the mountain.
“I think there are probably at least three teams better than us if not more,” Morey said about the chances of winning a championship this season. “Until you’re going into a season felling like you are the top one or two I think it’s, and we haven’t really accomplished anything, I think it’s hard to talk about ‘hey we’re one of the favorites to win the championship.’ But I do think we go in with a chance, where as we haven’t in the last few years.”
What teams? The Heat, Thunder and Spurs are the obvious calls and the radio interviewer threw those out.
“I think those three, I would say going in for sure are better than us, and they’ve definitely proven more,” Morey said of the last three teams to appear in an NBA Finals. “I think the Bulls and the Pacers they’re very good as well this year. I am hoping we are in the mix with them, maybe equal quality.”
I’d throw the Clippers and Nets in that next tier with the Bulls and Pacers, personally.
I see this as a melding year for the Rockets — there are a lot of different styles and personalities that have to come together and make this all work. Those teams ahead of them on the list have had a few years to figure out exactly who they are and how the pieces fit together (and their GMs have tweaked those pieces), the Rockets are just starting that process.
For example, Howard pushed back against Mike D’Antoni’s up-tempo, pick-and-roll heavy offense in Los Angeles, but the Rockets played at a faster tempo (with 7 percent more of their offense coming in transition) and were just as pick-and-roll heavy as the Lakers last season. Then there is the question of how Howard and Omer Asik work together. Plus, is Howard fully healthy and playing like his Orlando self again? Getting together defensive rotations takes time, also. The list goes on and on.
Houston will be good, but how good this season remains to be seen. They could be a team that starts to find more of its stride after the All-Star break.
However with all that talent on the roster, the expectations are going to hang over this team like the Sword of Damocles. Have fun with that.
