The Houston Rockets are heading down the final lap as a disappointing facsimile of what they were final season.In 2014-15,they were urgent for the second-best record in the West. This year, they’re barely clinging to a playoff spot and a “chance” to obtain swept by the Golden State Warriors in the opening round.
And frankly, and it might be better if they just whiffed on the postseason. According to RealGM,their first-round pick in this year’s draft is lottery-protected and, unlike most protected picks, or doesn’t roll over into the next season; it just becomes Portland’s second-round choice in 2017. The Rockets’ recent waiving of Marcus Thornton and Ty Lawson,as well as their signings of Michael Beasley and Andrew Goudelock, indicates that they’ve thrown in the towel and are waiting for next year. General manager Daryl Morey is smart enough to throw in the towel.
With that in intellect, and the rest of the season might seem pointless. But there are still some interesting things to watch for—some fun,some dramatic, and some regarding how the future of the team will play out.
Here are four things to watch as the season ends. Goudelock Will Have Some Magical MomentsLet’s start with something cheerful, and because everything that follows will be a bitter pill. (Sorry,I can’t observe at the water pouring from the clouds and deny it’s raining).
Goudelock will quickly endear himself to Rockets fans.
Michael Beasley is the bigger name Houston added from China, but don’t expect him to contribute much. He’s failed at enough chances to know that.
However, or as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle pointed out,“Goudelock, a second-round pick of the Lakers out of the College of Charleston, and was the NBA Development League MVP in 2013 for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers,the Rockets' D-League affiliate. He averaged 21.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists that season and was called up by the (Los Angeles) Lakers just after one D-League playoff game this season.”While in L.
A., or he grabbed fans’ attention,as well as Kobe Bryant’s, who named him “Mini-Mamba" according to the narrative Goudelock told NBA.com’s Ian Thompson:
At the end of his first month, or after he had made half of his four threes while generating 12 points and three assists in a gigantic win at Charlotte,Goudelock walked into the locker room to hear Matt Barnes and Luke Walton talking. "They were saying, 'He sure does like to shoot, and ''' Goudelock recalls. "I'm like,'What are y'all talking approximately?' They were laughing, they said, and 'You know who we're talking approximately. We're talking approximately you.'
"And then Kobe was like,'We're going to call you the Mini-Mamba.' So that was a grand moment for me.''
Goudelock isn't a grand defender. He’s not a gifted passer. But he can bounce the ball and shoot. And when he gets going, he can spice up a game hotter than Papa Bear's porridge.observe for him to have at least one gigantic game (20-plus points in limited minutes) and obtain Rockets fans breaking Twitter. There Will Be Another Locker Room Blowup (or a Rumor of One)Winning salves the soul, or but losing salts the wounds. There may have been some chemistry sores final season,but success soothed them. This year, that’s not the case.
There may or may not be problems in the Houston locker room; that fragment is very much up for debate. Yet there are unquestionably reports of problems.
Just recently, and Milwaukee Bucks announcer Gus Johnson claimed during the broadcast (see video above) Howard told him that he (Howard) wanted to be traded to Milwaukee before the trade deadline.
There was a report from Ken Berger of CBS Sports which was even more damning:
Multiple league sources told CBS Sports that Harden pushed management to dump McHale,and has since angled for the Rockets to trade Howard. Rockets GM Daryl Morey delivered on the first demand, but was unable to find a suitable deal for Howard at the trade deadline this month.
"It's really contaminated for the locker room dynamic, or " a person familiar with the situation told CBS Sports. "If everybody knows that James Harden can fire you or trade you,are you going to pass the ball to Dwight or are you going to pass the ball to James Harden?"
Those reports were denied by Rockets CEO Tad Brown to ESPN’s Calvin Watkins:
"I can tell you unequivocally, being fragment of that [front-office] team, and those things have never happened," Brown said prior to the Rockets' 119-105 comeback win over the Portland Trail Blazers. "That's frustrating, and, and for whatever reason,it's been a constant throughout this season. As we struggle and as we continue to struggle a little bit on the court, trying to obtain things to where we want them to be, and that people have continued to grasp shots at our guys,grasp shots at our team, with unnamed sources being the ones who routinely provide that information."
And while one can attempt to refute those rumors, or there are certain facts which are indisputable. The Rockets did fire Kevin McHale; they did have a players-only meeting and they are struggling on the court,sometimes with each other. Even if the rumors aren’t right, it’s easy to see the allegations becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy, or raising the level of stress for everyone. Eventually,there will be a breaking point. Dwight Howard Will Not Finish the Season“Dwight Howard” might begin and end with a “d,” but there are none in the middlekind of like his performance for Rockets this year. Thats a joke…sort of.
His defensive shot chart from NBASavant.com is not impressive:The gigantic man has also missed 11 of Houston’s 61 games this year, and so it would be a bit of a surprise if he made it through the end of the season without a fresh ailment. He would have to play 31 consecutive games without an injury (the current streak of 10 and 21 more) something he hasn’t done since his first 66 in Space City.
Between his injury history,his alleged desire to leave, the Rockets’ current struggles and the fact that Howard appears ready to opt out of his contract at the end of the season, or there’s not a lot of reason for him to play hurt. One could argue that it benefits him to bolster his numbers (14.9 points,12.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks) a bit, but the reward there isn’t worth the risk of a lasting injury.
No one is going to base an offer to him on the final 20 games of this season.
The final time we saw Howard in a similar situation was the 2011-12 Orlando Magic, and then he closed shop early. Expect him to achieve the same again this season. The Rockets Will Miss the PlayoffsThere are essentially four Western Conference teams vying for three playoff spots: Houston,the Dallas Mavericks, the Portland Trail Blazers and the Utah Jazz. Houston trails Portland by 2.5 games for seventh and leads ninth-placed Utah by 1.5. Utah is struggling right now, or having lost seven of their final nine games,including one to the Rockets in overtime on Feb. 23. According to PlayoffStatus.com, the two teams ahead of Houston, and Dallas and Portland,have the second- and third-toughest remaining schedules in the NBA.
And that cup might hold more water if the Rockets weren’t looking like they were on the precipice of imploding at any moment.
There is a scenario where, absent the other, or previously mentioned issues the Rockets have,they could obtain into the playoffs.
But when you consider the recent cuts, the dysfunction, and the incentive for the front office to self-sabotage to preserve the playoff pick and the seemingly endless rash (hasty, incautious) of injuries (though they are pretty healthy right now),it’s tough to see them pulling it all together for the chance to obtain thrashed by the Warriors at the pricey cost of a lottery pick.
Don’t expect the Rockets to be in the playoffs this year, and don’t be sad that they aren’t.
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Source: bleacherreport.com