The offseason for the Houston Rockets: Lose Chandler Parsons to free agency and trade away Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik. Then, miss out on both Chris Bosh and Carmelo Anthony but acquire Trevor Ariza. With this offseason, the Rockets were predicted to take a MAJOR fall in the Western Conference standings. After being the 4 seed in the playoffs last year, some people actually had the Rockets being the odd man out in the stacked Western Conference. But with five games into the season, the Rockets are 5-0 and playing at a very efficient rate. If they’re able to keep up this play, this could easily be a top five team in the league.
Trevor Ariza was a great pickup for the Rockets this offseason. Ariza had already played in Houston before, so he was comfortable here. When you talk about Trevor Ariza, you instantly think of him as one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. He knows how to get under the skin of players and can put a handle on some of the league’s best scorers. Mainly known for his defensive game, Ariza has shown great improvement on the offensive side of the ball. We saw Trevor knock down the three ball at a very efficient rate last year with the Washington Wizards. But last year was a contract year for him, so a drop-off was expected this season. Turns out that he is picking up right where he left off. Actually, he’s playing better than he was last year. In the long run, I think Ariza will be a better fit for the Rockets than Chandler Parsons was. Parsons demanded the ball more, while Ariza is okay with being more of a spot up shooter. This makes life a little easier for James Harden and Dwight Howard.
Of course, you can’t talk about the Houston Rockets without talking about James Harden and Dwight Howard. Both players seem to be playing with chips on their shoulders, looking to avenge the heartbreaking end to their season last year. In the first five games, Harden has scored at will, especially from the free throw line. Complain about the calls he gets all you want, but he works for those calls. Harden has also been very unselfish, averaging around seven assists per game. And for Dwight Howard, it seems that the little argument with Kobe Bryant is fueling him for this season. After constantly being attacked for how he handles situations, Howard is very comfortable with Houston going into his second year with the team. He seems to be healthier, and that is scary news for the rest of the league. If Dwight is able to keep this up, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in the MVP and DPOY conversation.
DEFENSE?!?!?! Yes, the Houston Rockets are finally starting to play defense. And that all starts with the acquisition of Trevor Ariza. With Ariza and Beverley on the court together, Houston’s defense has been remarkably better. In the first five games, the Rockets have been able to hold all opponents to under 95 points, and that is a huge step for the team. With Dwight Howard fully healthy, we will finally be able to see the three time DPOY show his magic. And hopefully we don’t see too many vines of James Harden not playing defense.
The Rockets look ready for the challenge. Being labeled as the villains of the league by some, they will embrace it as they look the avenge their loss from last year.
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