Houston Rockets Red Glare Stirs Excitement, Fades into Offseason

(Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

"We have to get bigger," Alexander said. "Losing Dikembe for this series was vital. I think if we would've had Dikembe, we had a real good chance of beating the Lakers. And he's not coming back because he's retiring, so we have to get bigger. These guys tried as hard as they could, but obviously we need more scoring at certain points of the game."

Which buttons the Rockets' brass push is uncertain, but something is bound to change.

"We hoped to accomplish more this year, so we're not satisfied, but we also feel there's a lot of things that happened this year that we can build on," Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said. "We're very optimistic going forward."

Houston doesn't have a pick in next month's draft after trading the rights to its first and second round picks away to Sacramento and San Antonio, which means if the team is to make significant upgrades, it might have to come through trade or free agency.

Or from in-house enhancements.

"Obviously, there's additions you always want to improve your team," coach Rick Adelman said. "We'll just have to see how that comes together. You'd like to have more shooting and passing. Those are the two areas that would really help us.

"The biggest thing I think is going to be the step up the young people make. That's usually where your team improves."

An offseason awaits as optimism and anticipation grow.

Houston Rockets Postseason History

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