Keeping up with Jeff Clark’s NBA carousel of team previews, here is the Houston Rockets breakdown by….
2. What are the team’s biggest strengths?
From a position perspective the team’s biggest strength is the power forward slot. Few, if any teams in the NBA can boast a 3 deep rotation of starter quality players at any position. The Rockets have Luis Scola, Carl Landry and Chuck Hayes. Each brings something different to the table with Scola being the most complete player. He is likely to be the Rockets biggest star this season. My prediction is that he will earn a spot on the All Star team this year, but won’t actually get in. I also predict that he will be listed as the number one snub by every respectable writer around. If Carl Landry can continue to add some shooting touch from beyond 12 feet he will take a huge step forward in his career. At 26 years old, this is the season where he will define who he is as a player.
From a team perspective defense will keep the Rockets in games that their scoring will say they have no business being in….(check it out and see)
2) What are the team’s biggest strengths?
One word: Defense. Even without Yao’s presence in the paint, this is going to be a formidable defensive team. They’ve got two of the best wing defenders in the league (Ariza and Shane Battier), a great defensive point guard (Kyle Lowry), and a trio of strong (if undersized) defensive post players (Chuck Hayes, Luis Scola and Carl Landry). They won’t block a ton of shots or force a bunch of turnovers, but they give up nothing easy.
