The Wild, Wild West: A Team-By-Team Preview Of The NBA Western Conference
By Matt Packer
Houston Rockets (Southwest Division)
Last year’s result: Regular Season (54-28), Lost in Western Conference Quarterfinals to Portland Trail Blazers in 6 games.
Significant players added: Trevor Ariza
Significant players lost: Chandler Parsons, Jeremy Lin, Omer Asik
Projected starting lineup: Patrick Beverely, James Harden, Trevor Ariza, Terrence Jones, Dwight Howard
Analysis: To say this has been a rough offseason would be a bit of an understatement. First, they heavily courted Carmelo Anthony, even displaying a large billboard of Melo in a Rockets jersey with the #7, aka Jeremy Lin’s number. That didn’t go over well with Lin, who was ultimately sent to the Lakers alongside a 2015 first and second rounder for European center Sergei Lishchuk. While this takes Lin’s $15 million off their books, it hurts them in the short-term. Next, the Rockets swung hard and missed on Chris Bosh, after they offered him the max contract of 4 year, $88M. They also lost Omer Asik in a trade to the Pelicans for a 2015 1st rounder.
This off-season saw the Rockets lose tremendous depth and arguably a downgrade at the small forward position, replacing Parsons with Ariza.
Grade: D