NBA 2013-2014 season preview: Houston Rockets

Dwight Howard (R) with Rockets Owner Leslie Alexander

Last Season: 45-37 (Finished 8^th in the Western Conference)

Prediction: 55-27

Key Losses: SF Carlos Delfino

Notable Free Agent Signings: C Dwight Howard, SF Omri Casspi, GF Francisco Garcia, and G Aaron Brooks (re-signed by Houston)

The Houston Rockets are in close competition with the Brooklyn Nets on who made the biggest splash in free agency this year. The Rockets walked away with the biggest prize in Dwight Howard, but the Nets might have gathered the most talent. Regardless, today, we’re previewing the Rockets and not the Nets. In my mind, Houston will be one of the top three teams in the Western conference this year (the other two being the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs).

The Rockets’s major weakness last season was their defence. They posted the second worst defence by allowing 102.5 points per game. Signing Howard changes all that. Before he went through a back surgery, the self-proclaimed “superman” was the best defensive player in the league. In the season before his back injury, Howard averaged 22.9 points, 14.1 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game. His supernatural athleticism brings elite rim protection and he alters so many shots just by being on the court.

Even while playing injured for the Los Angeles Lakers last season, Howard still put up impressive numbers, scoring 17.1 points a game while grabbing 12.4 boards per contest. With hall-of-fame big man Kevin McHale as the Rockets’s coach, Howard has the tools to return to his former self. In addition to that, Howard is paired with scoring machine James Harden, a smart facilitator who can run the pick-and-roll to perfection. Dwight will certainly thrive in Houston this year as he is in a much better environment than the previous season.

The signings of guard/forwards Omri Casspi and Francisco Garcia will have a positive impact on the Rocket’s bench this season. Both players are elite three-point shooters, and McHale will have the option of surrounding Howard with shooters while he’s on the floor to create space for him to operate in the paint. Casspi is also an excellent rim finisher, so he should be able to post smaller defenders up, as well take the ball to the rack when defenders rush out to contest a possible three-point shot. Casspi and Garcia will keep defenders honest, and Howard thrives in situations where he can take his man one-on-one without worrying about help defence.

I’ve always been a huge fan of Aaron Brooks (except for when he shredded the always smaller and slower Lakers point guards). However, since he left to play in China during the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season, he hasn’t been himself. Despite his inability to get back into the swing of NBA play, we already know what he is capable of from his previous stints with the Rockets.

At 6’0, Brooks is a lighting-quick guard who can score in a hurry. A liability on defence, Brooks more than makes up for it with his ability to weave in and out of the defence and create shots for his team-mates. I thought Brooks should have been an all-star in 2009-10, when he averaged 19.6 points and 5.3 assists per game, while shooting close to 40% from beyond the arc. At $2.4 million a year, Brooks only has upside and is an excellent gamble for Houston.

I haven’t been this hopeful for Houston since the Yao Ming/Tracy McGrady days. They have the personnel to cause severe match-up problems for every team in the West, as well as the coaching to take them far in the post season. Did I mention how excited I am for the season to start?