Rockets’ management didn’t even want to chase after Dwight Howard when he decided to opt out of his contract. It was clear that both sides wanted a fresh start and this was probably the best solution. Dwight will get a fresh start in Atlanta while Clint Capela should be able to play just as good as Howard.
Houston decided to go with Mike D’Antoni as their head coach. Whether that was the right move for this squad or not, it’s too early to tell. But, it’s very well known that Rockets are not a great defensive team. And with D’Antoni, they will be even worse.
Their offense will be high-powered now with Ryan Anderson as a stretch four and James Harden at the Point Guard; he will be able to dish out assists and score at will this season. Rockets will score a lot of points, and they will push the ball up and down the court. As a result of that, their defense will suffer. They have some individuals like Trevor Ariza and Patrick Beverly who are good defenders, but still that won’t be enough.
Eric Gordon is now in town, and he will be a tremendous boost to this squad when attacking opponents basket. He is probably the main reason why James Harden will play at point guard. And the combination of these two will be a tough matchup for every defense. But, just like with these other players, Gordon won’t stop anybody on the defensive side of the ball.
We do have the same pattern with every single addition that Rockets made. It’s just all offense and no defense with Mike D’Antoni. And it looks like their best player James Harden fits in that scheme. It’s not that he doesn’t know how to play defense, but it seems like he just doesn’t care to play it on more than just a couple of occasions.
Harden will be in the running for MVP as he will post some beast numbers. With that being said, this team is not a title contending squad. They will make the Playoffs with the record of 45-37, but they are a first round exit. There is no doubt about that.
