In what might be the most insightful and accurate piece I’ve read all year, Rob Mahoney of the Point Forward makes the case for the Rockets as contenders for the title this June.

Normally when I use articles for the Daily, I try to find the one paragraph that sums up what you, the reader, need to know.  But with this one there is just too much good information to cut and paste.  I practically need to rip the whole article.  Any red-blooded Rockets fan should really click the link and soak up what Mahoney has to say.  But for those that just want the CliffsNotes, allow me to try.

Once reframed in that light, the Rockets are ninth in defense this season and sixth since Jan. 1 — a stark difference from Houston’s No. 19 ranking in points allowed per game. The Rockets’ contagious style encourages opponents to fuel the game’s pace, but Houston has managed to keep things in check by playing the best transition defense in the league, according to Synergy Sports. The Rockets have maintained the impossible balance of attacking the offensive glass while still getting back to defend. Beverley, forward Chandler Parsons and guard Jeremy Lin, in particular, have a great sense of when to retreat. It also doesn’t hurt that Howard and Asik — two of the NBA’s better offensive rebounders — can hang around to compete for boards on their own, an act that can delay or prevent a fast break. (…)

That approach has created the illusion of three-point reliance. In reality, however, Houston has the inside-out balance to rival that of any team. Along with leading the NBA in three-point attempts, the Rockets rank third in the percentage of points drawn from free throws. Behind Harden’s drives and Howard’s finishes, they are fourth in percentage of points scored in the paint. In tandem, that means “easy points” account for the greatest cut (68.4 percent) among prospective playoff teams. In that framing, the Rockets’ three-point gunning is simply a way to pitch an already effective unit over the top.

There’s really little I can add to what Mahoney has to say as to why the Rockets are true contenders.  They have the stars and statistical resume required historically to win a title.  And I realize fans are a little down after another loss to the Clippers (who just became more daunting), which only proved that the Rockets desperately need to keep winning and make the three-seed their own so as to avoid a first-round match-up with Los Angeles.  That will not be easy in the minefield that is the next month.  March will be the Rockets toughest month of the season in regards to top-flight talent, with games against the Pacers, Blazers, Thunder, Bulls, Clippers and two against the Heat.  [read more…]

“This is an absolute disaster for the Rockets who now, after having gone all in, are left with some pissed off players.  The dream of a Gasol/Nene frontcourt is now gone and we’re back to the drawing board.

Worst of all is that Les won’t let this team tank.”

-  Rahat Huq, December 10, 2011.

It may be less than two and a half years since that December day, when a trade that was supposed to send Chris Paul to the Lakers, Pau Gasol to the Rockets, and Luis Scola, Kevin Martin, and some nobody backup point guard named Goran Dragic to the New Orleans was cancelled by the NBA, but the “basketball reasons” trade both then and in hindsight is one of the most important moments in NBA history.  Only LeBron’s Decision and the Shaq/Kobe feud really have a claim to be even more important in this century.

But so much of the discussion about the trade is about what it meant to the Lakers.  The Lakers could have gotten Chris Paul while still keeping Andrew Bynum, the trade chip which they would use to grab Dwight Howard.  With Paul and Howard, the Lakers would transition straight from the Kobe-Pau years to another era of championships without the slightest bump – or that is how the story is told from Los Angeles’s perspective.  But what did “basketball reasons” mean to Houston?  Before it all happened, in the aftermath of the trade’s announcement, and then after when the news of it being cancelled were announced?

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Enter the Chan-Chan man(?!) - While ESPN Insiders David Thorpe and Henry Abbott could use some help in the nickname-ing department, they do have the right idea on Chandler Parsons (Video below).  And as they did when Thorpe compared James Harden to Carmelo Anthony, the guys got together to discuss Thorpe’s breakdown of the rise of Chandler Parsons (Insiders only).

Now factor in Parsons’ driving and slashing ability. The NBA.com stats page lists “drives” as any time a player starts at least 20 feet away from the basket and ends up with a shot inside 10 feet. Parsons ranks third in scoring on that list behind Durant and James among players 6-8 or taller. Every other player who has scored more than Parsons on drives is a point guard, shooting guard or primary ball handler. Ty Lawson and John Wall are perhaps the league’s fastest guards with the ball in their hands. Only that pair, along with Durant and James, have a higher field goal percentage on drives than Parsons (52.7 percent).

Throw in Parsons’ low turnover rate (9.8) and we get a clear picture of a wing slasher with great size and the athleticism to produce an excellent finishing rate. He also can effectively deliver the ball to shooters or scorers when defenses cut him off. Carmelo Anthony and Luol Deng are the only small forwards who score more than 17.0 PPG with a lower turnover rate than Parsons.  [read more…]

Hours before the trade deadline struck, I said that Daryl Morey needed to come out from that day with a viable backup swingman.  In watching Jordan Hamilton in his first two games as a Houston Rocket, it appears the Rockets’ GM was successful on that goal.  The biggest surprises thus far aren’t that Hamilton can play but 1) that he is playing and 2) that he is knocking down his 3’s.

I and a few others predicted that it would be some time before Hamilton got burn, with the thinking that Kevin McHale would not want to tinker with a winning formula.  But backups Francisco Garcia and Omri Casspi have both been so egregiously horrible of late that Hamilton has been thrust almost immediately into the fire.  On Tuesday against the Kings, Hamilton hit 4-7 from the field, including 2-3 from deep, en route to 12 points off the bench.  He followed that up last night by dropping in 16, with 4-8 accuracy on 3’s.

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