HoopAngle: Rockets Edition » Forecasts

Rockets Forecast: March 8

Sean Kenealy — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:00:49 +0000

The Rockets had a 2-2 record last week with what should have been a 4-0 week. The backcourt duo of Kevin Martin and Aaron Brooks has flourished even the rookie Jordan Hill got the playing time that we had lobbied for—especially in the game against Detroit. He put together some solid numbers as he accumulated 12 points and 9 rebounds in just 22 minutes of playing time. Now if he can continue to play like that things should look bright next season.

As far as the weekly forecast goes, the Rockets again have an easy schedule. They only play two games and both games are against two of the worst teams in the Association. If the Rockets have any intentions of trying to reach the playoffs, they cannot afford to lose either of these games this week. With Tony Parker out for the season, and the Grizzlies struggling, the Rockets have a chance to seize a playoff spot.

March 9th @ Washington Wizards (21-39)

The Washington Wizards are a mess. They traded Caron Butler, Brendan Heywood, and Antawn Jamison. They did pick up some decent players in Al Thorton and Josh Howard, but this season is a loss for the Wizards. Even still, they are a quality team and are able to beat good teams as they demonstrated yesterday as they just about took down the Celtics in Boston. Andray Blatche and Al Thornton had big games yesterday and along with Randy Foye these bunch figures to be the new ‘Big Three’ for the Wizards as they look to rebuild. With a young, athletic frontcourt of JaVale McGee and Andray Blatche, this game appears perfect for some extended minutes for Jordan Hill. His continued development is not only critical for the future of this team but presumably so for the playoffs should the Rockets be able to climb the ladder.

March 13th vs New Jersey Nets (7-55)

Need I say a more? I mean it’s the Nets. Their record speaks for itself. How can NBA teams get this bad in a matter of two years? When you trade away your best three players in Jason Kidd, Richard Jefferson, and Vince Carter for ‘prospects and picks,’ it’s easy to fall victim to that slippery slope of mediocrity in the NBA. The Nets have clearly been motivated by money and nothing else as these moves have all been cost-cutting. As the Nets prepare to move to Brooklyn, they will be under new ownership and hope to have a fresh start. The Rockets should win this game going away but don’t overlook this team too much. They have a bona fide one-two punch in Harris and Lopez. Furthermore, when you add in developing youth Yi Jianlian, Terrence Williams, Chris Douglas-Roberts, plus two max-players from this summer, a filthy rich new owner, and quite possibly John Wall, the Rockets should take this win and appreciate it because the Nets are going to be a force to be reckoned with next year and for many thereafter.

Prediction: 2-0

If the Rockets can’t take care of business on the road and at home against two very bad teams then it’s time to call it a season. Pack the bags, look forward to next season and see what you have and what your needs are. This will be the week that could make this season a wrap for the Rockets. Let’s hope it isn’t.

Rockets Forecast: March 1

Sean Kenealy — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 07:54:38 +0000

The Rockets struggles continue. Last week the Rockets went 1-2 and both losses were blow-outs. As the playoff race for the Western Conference continues to tighten up, things aren’t looking good for the Rockets. Things need to change soon or the Rockets are going to find themselves as a lottery team, which isn’t all bad, but they would much rather make the playoffs. This coming week things get a little easier as far as the Rockets’ schedule goes. They play a total of four games—three of which are against teams which are also projected to miss the playoffs.

March 1, 2010 vs Toronto Raptors (31-27)

One thing that has been hanging over the Raptors all season is whether Chris Bosh will opt out of his contract to become a free agent. Things like that can prove to be extremely distracting for teams. The Raptors had a nice turn around in the middle of the season but have struggled the last few games with Bosh being out. He has missed the last five and of those, the Raptors have dropped their past three straight games. As Kevin Martin continues to learn the Rockets system it’s looking like things are starting to look better and better as far as his play goes. There’s no question he’s a dynamic scorer, the million-dollar question still remains can he lead these Rockets to the playoffs?

March 3, 2010 vs Sacramento Kings (20-39)

This will be Kevin Martins first game against his former team since the deadline deal. Don’t be surprised if Kevin Martin goes off on some sort of scoring tear. A game against a below .500 team is exactly what the Rockets need at the beginning of March. The thing about it is, games like this are the most dangerous. Teams like the Kings who aren’t playing for much at this point of the season love to knock down teams in the midst of a playoff race. Some say they have nothing to play for; I would reply, they’ve got nothing to lose. This mentality is what got them the win over the Jazz last week. Watch out Rockets, don’t sleep on those Kings……

March 5, 2010 @ Minnesota Timberwolves (14-47)

For a number of years now the T-Wolves continue to be a bit of a disappointment. Having a solid core of young players as well as Al Jefferson who is an extremely good player, the Wolves seem to never be going anywhere. With Kurt Rambis taking over as the head coach this season, the team just hasn’t seemed to respond to his attempt to implement the infamous triangle offense. The Wolves have spent much of the season trying to decide whether to play Jonny Flynn or free agent pick-up Ramon Sessions. Rambis has all the talent in the world at his disposal but still seems to be struggling to find any sort of consistent rotation nor does he know who to give the minutes to. He seems to do a lot of riding the hot hand and as a result inconsistent minutes are being dealt to these young players. When you are losing games and headed for the lottery, winning is clearly not your goal but merely icing on the cake. It seems as if Rambis is more concerned about winning and less concerned about developing the talent he has on the team. It’s a shame but you can’t necessarily blame considering the short fuses that the NBA has had for head coaches as of late. This game should be a walk in the park for the Rockets. It can’t get much better than playing a team that is currently fighting the New Jersey Nets for the ‘bottom-of-the-barrel’ distinction.

March 7, 2010 @ Detroit Pistons (21-38)

Another lottery-bound team with front-office issues—it seems as if these are a dime a dozen these days. The Pistons haven’t been the same since the traded Chauncey Billups. They got some nice free agents over the summer but neither has worked well given the personnel already in place in the Motor City. To make matters worse, the Pistons have had their fair share of injuries throughout this season. With guys being in and out of the line-up in addition to redundant skill-sets (i.e. shoot first point-guards Ben Gordon/Rodney Stuckey or long SF/PF with decent offense Tayshaun Prince/Charlie Villanueva), the Pistons have understandably struggled mightily this season. This maybe another tough game for the Rockets but sure enough Aaron Brooks and company will surely give the Pistons more than they can handle.

Prediction 3-1

Only playing one team that is above .500 team this week, the Rockets could use this week to close back in on being the 8th seed in the West. If the Rockets struggle at all, this week could end up proving to be a make-it-or-break-it like week. The Rockets can either propel themselves back into the playoff picture or dig themselves into a hole not even Kevin Martin could help dig them out of.

Rockets Forecast: February 22

Sean Kenealy — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:00:47 +0000

The Rockets are in for a tough week and are going to need newly-acquired guard Kevin Martin to come up big for them this week. With the backcourt line-up of Kevin Martin and Aaron Brooks, the new-look Rockets are going to have to get big time production from them in their hopes of making a playoff push.

February 24, 2010 vs Orlando Magic (38-19)

Facing one of the Eastern Conference contenders is never easy. This game will be a tough one for the Rockets. They are going to need Chuck Hayes to play big against a very tough assignment in Dwight Howard. Now sitting as the 10th seed in a very tough Western Conference, the Rockets need every win and a win against a very good team like the Magic would be huge. It seems as if all these Eastern Conference contenders are stacked these days which could be a big disadvantage in the long-term. Big name players need their touches and this can disrupt ball movement and shorten the competitive gap when playing a team of inferior talent such as the Rockets. While they don’t have the most talent, as they’ve demonstrated time and time again this season, they play hard and as a team and that has worked terrifically for them.

February 26, 2010 vs San Antonio Spurs (31-22)

This will be another tough home game for the Rockets. Things aren’t going to get any easier here either. The Spurs failed to make any big moves at the trade deadline and still pretty much have the same team. Playing against an older team the Rockets will take advantage of this aging Spurs team, Tony Parker will likely not be playing in this game due to a hip injury. It’s always good to see two Southwest Division rivals play against each other. The Spurs had a really rough week last week and just seem uninspired as of late. They went 1-2 losing to both Detroit and Philadelphia last week (two the league’s worst teams). I realize the Spurs are historically a good team, but they have been less-than-impressive this year and I think this will be a victory for the Rockets.

February 27, 2010 @ Utah Jazz (35-19)

As of late the Jazz are one of the hottest teams in the NBA. The Jazz however did trade away a solid player in Ronnie Brewer which could prove to be a huge setback for them. The Rockets will have some tough match-ups in the back court as well as in the frontcourt. Deron Williams is always a handful and is arguably one of the best point guards in the game today. Aaron Brooks will be at a disadvantage being a smaller guard so look for Kyle Lowry to get more minutes strictly because he is better at the defensive end of the court and is a more logical match-up pound-for-pound. With Jordan Hill and Hilton Armstrong joining the big man ranks of the Rockets, I look for the Rockets to be more competitive in the frontcourt than past contests between these two clubs.

Weekly Prediction: 1-2

The Rockets are still trying to get things figured out and are on the outside looking in for the playoffs. With new players come new roles for people. It seems likely that this will be a long week for the Rockets as they continue to try and work out the kinks and acclimate their new personnel. The question is no longer are they good enough but rather, will they get it together in time to make a legitimate run?…only time will tell.

Rockets Forecast: February 15

Sean Kenealy — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 09:00:08 +0000

The Rockets should have enjoyed their nice long All-Star break because every game from here on out matters. It’s that time of year that every team that is in playoff contention is going go be playing harder, making some trades to improve, or just letting go of this current season and begin to prepare for the future. This is what we call the time period when you separate the contenders from the pretenders. The Rockets are currently two games behind Portland for the eighth and final seed for the Western Conference’s bracket of the playoffs. So it should be interesting to see what they can do. The Rockets have 4 games this week so let’s go ahead and get started with our weekly forecast.

February 16, 2010 vs Utah Jazz (32-19)

Heading into the All-Star break the Jazz were one of the hottest teams in the NBA. Having won nine of their last ten games, they will look to continue to stay on that pace. So the Rockets will likely have their hands full. I really like the match-up of Deron Williams and Aaron Brooks. Both of these guys are critical to their respective team’s success and whoever plays better between these two will likely lead their team to victory,

February 17, 2010 @ Milwaukee Bucks (24-27)

This will be a very important game for both teams simply because they are both trying to make a playoff push in their conferences. Milwaukee needs Brandon Jennings to step up and play like he did at the beginning of the season in order for them to make a legitimate run. While the point guards will undoubtedly heavily influence this game, the big men will be the deciding factor. Landry and Scola have been very effective in scoring and out-working their opponents. Nevertheless, Andrew Bogut has been playing beastly of late. In the month of January the Aussie put up averages of 17.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks. Containing Bogut will be crucial in seeing to it that the Rockets escape Milwaukee with a solid victory in their back pocket.

February 20, 2010 vs Indiana Pacers (18-34)

The Pacers continue to struggle and fail to get Danny Granger any real help to make a playoff push. This team has some nice pieces but they struggle as a unit. The Rockets need to take full advantage of this one and I assure you they will. It’s little games like this that mean so much because they teach you things and they make your team better. It will be interesting to see how Trevor Ariza and Danny Granger match-up.

February 21, 2010 @ New Orleans (28-25)

Not only is this a Southwest divisional rival but both teams looking to make the playoffs. What’s not to like? It’s probably going to be the toughest game of the week for the Rockets but Chris Paul is out with injury and in all likelihood, the Hornets will start to fade away from the playoff picture. Nonetheless this Hornets team is not to be overlooked. They still have David West and Emeka Okafor down low and youngsters Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton have played tremendously in CP3’s absence.

Weekly Prediction: 3-1

I’m thinking this will be a nice week for the Rockets and get them on the right track to begin their playoff push. The only game I believe that they will lose is against a very hot Jazz team. But all in all, Rockets fans, this will be a good week for the Rockets and who knows we might see T-Mac traded too.

Rockets Forecast: February 8

Sean Kenealy — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:00:20 +0000

After beating Golden State and Memphis the Rockets were looking to continue to roll but took a step back after a tough loss to the 76ers. This week should once again prove to be a very useful one because the Rockets only have one game this week and will have a chance to rest up and get back to 100% health. Although they don’t have anyone currently on the injured list, the Rockets still have their fair share of bumps and bruises a light week combined with the All-Star break could do wonders for this team.

February 9, 2010 @ Miami Heat (24-27)

The Heat are looking very lost lately and are on a five game losing streak. They continue to struggle against good teams and at this point Dwyane Wade might be looking to jump ship with an early termination option. The Rockets will have the advantage with their scrappy defense and all-out hustle. Given the Heat’s lack of defense from the point guard position, Aaron Brooks should have a field day tomorrow.

Prediction: 1-0

As the Heat continue to struggle there is no doubt in my mind that tomorrow will result in a win in the Rockets book. Although undersized against most teams in the league, Chuck Hayes will dominate Jemaine O’neal in the post on defense and make him really work for everything. O’neal has really been a non-factor for the Heat all season as their productivity has started and stopped with one Dwyane Wade. The fact of the matter is, if the Heat have any intentions of D-Wade wearing the Black and Red next season, they need to get some help to south beach, pronto.

Rockets Forecast: February 1

Sean Kenealy — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:00:54 +0000

After a long and tough month for the Rockets they look to rejuvenate themselves here in February and starting out against some decent to below average teams should help. As All-Star weekend nears, the need for the Rockets to either improve from within or via trade has become devastatingly obvious. The week ahead has three games total in store (including a back-to-back).

February 2nd, Tuesday vs the Golden State Warriors (13-33)

The Warriors have a lot of injuries and thus far have been a very bad team. They do have a few bright spots on the roster—one of those includes rookie Stephen Curry. He was an excellent player and in college and hasn’t looked like he has hit the rookie wall yet. Although many critics questioned whether his skills would translate to the pro-level he has down an impressive job to silence the critics and prove his value in this league during his rookie campaign. Although the Warriors are twenty games below .500 they have proven to be a tough team so this will be no walk in the park. Look for a high scoring, run and gun type of offense from both squads. Trevor Ariza will be a major key to this game should the Rockets win.

February 5th, Friday @ the Memphis Grizzlies (25-21)

The Grizzlies have started to come into their own this season and the move to get Zach Randolph has proven to be one the best moves in recent history for the Grizzlies. He made the All-Star team and better yet he was voted in by the coaches. This game will be yet another tough test for the Rockets. I really like the match-up of either Luis Scola or Chuck Hayes guarding Zach Randolph. It’s always good to see a good match-up of offense and defense, but it’s even better to watch a scoring machine go up against a really good low post defender. This will be the toughest game of the week for the Rockets.

February 6th, Saturday vs the Philadelphia 76ers (16-31)

This year has proven to be a tough year for the 76ers. Sitting on bad contracts and no point guard have really hurt the 76ers. Brand has yet to prove his value of the contract he signed two years ago and has often been injury ridden. Coming off a tough game on the road , look for the Rockets to take full advantage of an aging guard in Allen Iverson and a weak back court. The 76ers haven’t been the same since they let go of Andre Miller and will continue to struggle as the season goes on.

Prediction (2-1)

The Rockets will be taking advantage of some bad teams this week and have one really tough road game against a playoff caliber team. So I’d like to think that the Rockets can go 3-0 this week but with the tough road game it’s not likely. Escaping the week 2-1 is more realistic and probably what will ultimately ensue this week.

Rockets Forecast: January 25

Sean Kenealy — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 12:00:13 +0000

So this week the Rockets have four games. It’s going to be a long and tough week for the Rockets. With them still lacking a go-to player, this week could show us just how good they really are. All games are at home this week so that should afford them a little bit more margin of error.

January 25th, Monday vs the Atlanta Hawks (28-14)

Coming off a loss to the Chicago Bulls the Rockets are looking to come up big against another title contender in the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks are a tough Eastern Conference contender whose depth has carried them thus far this season. The lack of size in this game could really hurt the Rockets as Al Horford continues his maturation with an exceptional learning curve. Jamal Crawford was already considered by many to be the runaway favorite for the NBA’s Sixth Man Award but with his late-game heroics of late, the Hawks will stand to be that much more of fierce opponent tonight. With this being the second contest of a six-game home stand, look for the Rockets to come out firing and playing hard like they have been all year.

January 27th, Wednesday vs the Denver Nuggets (29-14)

The Denver Nuggets are on a nice six-game winning streak and have won nine of their last eleven. This game should be just as tough for the Rockets as the Hawks game on Monday. With their full line-up healthy and starting to roll this could be a defining game for the Rockets. If the Rockets can beat the Nuggets it will prove two key things: (1) despite lacking identity, they can still hang with some of the best in the West, (2) this game could be a nice measuring stick to see what they need to be looking for as the trade deadline continues to rapidly approach.

January 29th, Friday vs the Portland Trailblazers (27-18)

Talk about a team truly bitten by the injury bug, the Trailblazers are still extremely banged up but like the Rockets, are fighting through the season to make it to the playoffs. Not having Greg Oden or Joel Przybilla, the Blazers are lacking the size at center. Needless to say, their frontcourt is struggling to produce much less give the Blazers an advantage. The guard match-up of Andre Miller and Aaron Brooks could be a very interesting one. Coming of two tough games in a row this one should prove to be no different. Banged up and all, the Blazers’ depth has really been able to shine through and consequently they remain a very tough team.

January 31st, Sunday vs the Phoenix Suns (26-19)

The hot Suns have cooled off the winning since a nice start to the season. Meanwhile rumors surrounding them potentially trading Amar’e Stoudemire have done nothing but heat up. Nevertheless, the Suns will be looking to get back on track. Sitting at four and six in their last ten games, things are looking a bit shaky for the Suns. The benches will play key roles in the game. More specifically, the back-up point guard situation between Goran Dragic and Kyle Lowry is going to be one intrigue. Both of these young PGs have flourished in their off-the-bench roles and are two of the more efficient back-ups the Western Conference has to offer. The Suns are no stranger to the fastbreak and so a high scoring affair could be in store as the Rockets wrap up their week.

Prediction (2-2)

The Rockets are going to have two very tough games this week against Jamal Crawford and the Hawks as well as Chauncey Billups and the Nuggets. Should they happen to drop the first two, I believe they will most certainly bounce back with consecutive wins over the Blazers and Suns to close-out the week.

Rockets Forecast: January 18

Sean Kenealy — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 12:00:03 +0000

This last week proved to be much more difficult than previously anticipated. The Rockets have now dropped six of their last ten games and been bumped to third in the Southwest Division and the New Orleans Hornets are threatening to bump them further down the pecking order. With trading rumors buzzing around, there is no short of distractions for this Houston Rockets team. Nevertheless, they are professionals and as the old adage goes, “the show must go on”. The McGrady situation will work itself out in time, but the Rockets desperately need to refocus themselves on the task at hand—winning now. With Atlanta, Denver, Portland, and Phoenix all coming to town next week, the Rockets need to find a sense of urgency this week or they could risk going on an ugly streak of losses.

Monday, January 18, 2010, 2:00 PM vs. Milwaukee Bucks (16-22) FSH

The Bucks have won their past eight games at home but continue to struggle on the road. With Michael Redd done for the season and quite potentially his career, and the departure of Richard Jefferson (their leading scorer a year ago), the Bucks have struggled to find consistent scoring. Jennings looked brilliant early on and appeared to be in the driver’s seat to be the running-away favorite for Rookie of the Year, but in the wake of his double-nickel 55-point performance earlier in the season, he has hit the proverbial rookie wall the past few weeks. On the other hand, Andrew Bogut has really stepped it up as of late. So far in their eight January contests, Bogut has been extremely impressive. With the exception of a down game against the Lakers, Bogut has averaged 16.6 points, 12 rebounds, 2.43 blocks, and an impressive 71% from the charity stripe. The key to winning Monday’s matinee starts and ends with slowing down the Big Aussie.

Friday, January 22, 2010, 7:30 PM @ San Antonio Spurs (24-15) FSH, FSSW

After a nice three-day break, the Rockets will travel to San Antonio to take on the Spurs for the second time this season on Friday. This lone-star showdown ended with a notch in the win column for the Spurs last go around the Rockets will look even the season series on Friday. Despite being a mediocre road team this season, the Spurs have excelled at the AT&T Center this season with a mark of 17-6. The Spurs have really started to pick-up the pace as of late and the Rockets, will have their hands full with Tim Duncan. Duncan has been the one constant all season for the Spurs all season long. Parker, Ginobili, and newly-acquired Richard Jefferson have all had their fair share of ups and downs so far this season but through all the ebbs and flows, the Big Fundamental has not wavered. The long short of it—when Duncan’s productivity is limited, this Spurs team struggles mightily to win.

Saturday, January 23, 2010, 7:30 PM vs. Chicago Bulls (18-20) FSH

The Rockets come home Saturday to wrap up the week with a home game against the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls have won seven of their last ten heading into this week but have a putrid road record at 4-13. So while, it’s crystal clear that the Bulls are a different club on the road than at home, the Rockets mustn’t take anything for granted. The Bulls still have a wealth of talent, and a terrific young point guard that can come out on any given night and win a game single-handedly. Furthermore, you never know what kind of energy level you are going to be able or unable to muster up coming off a difficult back-to-back against a quality Spurs club. Nevertheless, it’s safe to say, if the boys come to play, this one should be in the bag.

Prediction: (2-1)

I think the Rockets will take care of business will win two of three games this week with the bad-egg being the San Antonio Spurs. They are playing great ball lately and are really starting to gel and gain chemistry with the new pieces they acquired this past off-season. Duncan is a great talent and will prove to be just too much for this undersized frontline to handle. Enjoy the light week ladies and gentleman because next week is going to be a doozy.