FoxPerez
04-06-2011, 03:29 PM
From The Daily Six Shooter (http://bit.ly/e9N4nm) at PlaymakerOnline.com (http://www.playmakeronline.com/):
While the Houston Rockets haven’t been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, last night’s loss to the Sacramento Kings served as the unofficial nail in the coffin for Houston’s season.
Their 104-101 loss in Sacramento put them three games behind the Memphis Grizzlies and four behind tonight’s opponent, the New Orleans Hornets. Memphis has just four games left and New Orleans has five left. While the two teams play each other, neither has a very difficult schedule left.
Because of the way they’ve played and with two of their remaining games against the Rockets and Grizzlies, it seemed probable that Houston could catch the Hornets. But now it would take a near miracle for the Rockets to make the playoffs.
Now the question is whether Rick Adelman will be back next year and if GM Daryl Morey will field the same team that closed out the season at the beginning of next year or if he’ll use some trade chips to try and score a free agent. The thing about trying to score a free agent is… what hole would they fill?
The Rockets look like a solid team offensively with all the right pieces led by a point guard on the upswing in Kyle Lowry, a scorer in Kevin Martin, a savy vet post in Luis Scola, and young guys like Patrick Patterson, Chase Buddinger, and Chuck Hayes. What’s killed them down the stretch and kept them from being the hottest team in the league is their defensive discipline, but that’s a result of their inability to gel as a unit because the team, as it is, has only been together since the trade deadline.
Bring everyone back and Houston is a playoff team with potential to be a contender in the near future.
For more NBA coverage, check out PlaymakerOnline.com (http://www.playmakeronline.com/)
Playmaker Magazine: The Source for Sports in Texas
While the Houston Rockets haven’t been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, last night’s loss to the Sacramento Kings served as the unofficial nail in the coffin for Houston’s season.
Their 104-101 loss in Sacramento put them three games behind the Memphis Grizzlies and four behind tonight’s opponent, the New Orleans Hornets. Memphis has just four games left and New Orleans has five left. While the two teams play each other, neither has a very difficult schedule left.
Because of the way they’ve played and with two of their remaining games against the Rockets and Grizzlies, it seemed probable that Houston could catch the Hornets. But now it would take a near miracle for the Rockets to make the playoffs.
Now the question is whether Rick Adelman will be back next year and if GM Daryl Morey will field the same team that closed out the season at the beginning of next year or if he’ll use some trade chips to try and score a free agent. The thing about trying to score a free agent is… what hole would they fill?
The Rockets look like a solid team offensively with all the right pieces led by a point guard on the upswing in Kyle Lowry, a scorer in Kevin Martin, a savy vet post in Luis Scola, and young guys like Patrick Patterson, Chase Buddinger, and Chuck Hayes. What’s killed them down the stretch and kept them from being the hottest team in the league is their defensive discipline, but that’s a result of their inability to gel as a unit because the team, as it is, has only been together since the trade deadline.
Bring everyone back and Houston is a playoff team with potential to be a contender in the near future.
For more NBA coverage, check out PlaymakerOnline.com (http://www.playmakeronline.com/)
Playmaker Magazine: The Source for Sports in Texas