Dec 13, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden (13) celebrates after a three point basket against the Golden State Warriors during the fourth quarter at Oracle Arena. The Houston Rockets defeated the Golden State Warriors 116-112. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Houston Rockets
Last Year’s Outcome: 56-26, L, Western Conference Finals
Best-Case Scenario: NBA Champions
Why: After shocking the Los Angeles Clippers last season during the playoffs, the Houston Rockets are looking to build off last season’s success. Armed with a deeper and more healthy roster, the Rockets are feeling supremely confident heading into the 2015-16 season; as well they should be. Patrick Beverley returns healthy and the addition of Ty Lawson will give the Rockets some much needed depth.
The best-case scenario for the Rockets would include James Harden replicating his MVP-caliber season, Dwight Howard remains healthy and a force down low and Ty Lawson gets over his past and becomes a top-10 point guard in the West. The bench (which was bad last year, minus the explosion against LA in the playoffs) will be a deep one if the injury bug doesn’t strike. If you add all this up and the Rockets escape the marathon that is the Western Conference, then they could very well end up being the next NBA Champion.
Worst-Case Scenario: First Round Playoff Exit
Why: James Harden and his motley crew of support players last year were the 2nd seed in the West and made the Western Conference Finals. It is hard to imagine with their current roster that they will fall off too much. There are some variables that could cause the Rockets to tumble in the standings. Say for instance, the Lawson experiment is a complete disaster. If the injury bug bites (which it always seems to do), then that could completely damper the outlook for Houston. With an aging Dwight Howard and players like Patrick Beverley and Donatas Motiejunas returning from injuries, there is no guarantee they will remain healthy. If that does happen and Harden’s impact declines slightly, Houston could have a problem (had to get one Apollo 13 joke in there).
What Will Probably Happen: Second Round Playoff Exit
Why: It is always difficult to drop a team’s expected result when they excelled last season. Plus they are healthy and improved, as of now. The top-tier of the Western Conference has gotten even more difficult with the LA Clippers, San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors all improving. Minus the fluke bench flurry of Corey Brewer and Josh Smith last season, should the Rockets have made it as far as they did?
That is debatable because you could also chalk it up to another Clippers collapse. For now, the safe bet is the Rockets finish as a top-4 seed in the West and get ousted by a higher seed (San Antonio or Golden State).
Next: Indiana Pacers