Houston Rockets 2009-10 Season Preview: Two Views On 12 Q's

By Denton Ramsey and Taylor Smith, Houston Rockets Featured Columnists

With the 2009-10 NBA season tipping off on Tuesday night, two of the three Houston Rockets Featured Columnists decided to debate 12 burning questions regarding this year’s team. [Unfortunately, Vikram Dimba (the third Rockets Featured Columnist) has been sick and was unable to post answers to the questions by Wednesday afternoon.]

1. Beyond the season-ending loss of Yao Ming and temporary loss of Tracy McGrady, what do you think will be the biggest challenge facing the Rockets this season?

Denton Ramsey: It’s obviously going to be tough when you begin your season without your two superstars.

However, I believe that the 2009-10 Houston Rockets can still have a very successful season, despite their shortcomings.

Personally, I believe the Rockets biggest challenge will be defense. The Rockets have a rather small team and are going to have to play smart basketball by boxing out and hustling on every possession.

Taylor Smith: I think the Rockets’ biggest challenge this season will be to find a way to score without a true go-to guy. Yao is out and McGrady won’t be back for a while, the Rockets are going to need to find somebody to score when they need a bucket in a close game.

This has been a problem over the past few seasons when they’ve been forced to play without Yao inside. The Rockets end up going long periods of time without being able to score, and it’s cost them some games in the past.

Aaron Brooks and Luis Scola will most likely be the team’s leading scorers, but neither of them has had to be “the guy” on an NBA team before.

Solid defense and an up-tempo style that creates easy scoring opportunities are what the Rockets are going to have to bank on in order to compete at a high level.


2. With Yao out, who do you believe Rick Adelman will start at center on a regular basis?

Ramsey: This one is debatable, but I doubt Adelman will be going with newcomer David Anderson on a daily basis.

Chuck Hayes, though smaller than Anderson, has experience and will likely begin the year as Houston’s starter.

But don’t be surprised to see Adelman start Anderson on occasion, and depending on how he progresses he may get more playing time later in the season.

Smith: I think the starting center at first will be 6’6" Chuck Hayes.

Hayes, though undersized in terms of height, is exceptionally strong, and is one of the league’s premier defenders in the low post.

Unfortunately, Hayes doesn’t give you much on offense, which just so happens to be the area the team will struggle the most.

I wouldn’t be surprised if 29-year-old rookie David Andersen becomes the starter later in the year. He’s 6’11", and, while he’s not the defensive presence that Hayes is, certainly makes up for it with a solid offensive game.

Andersen can shoot with range, and can score on the low block. He’ll be the closest thing the Rockets will have to Yao Ming this year, and I think his minutes will gradually increase as the year progresses.

Don’t be surprised if Andersen is the starting center later in the year, similarly to how Scola became the starting power forward midway through his rookie year two years back.


3. In your opinion, who is the leader of the Houston Rockets?

Ramsey: This is a no brainer. Shane Battier, without a doubt, is the backbone and leader of the Houston Rockets basketball team.

From his mere presence in the locker room, to his humble words and attitude, to his remarkable defense against some of the best players in the league. Battier is truly the leader of this team.

In my opinion, Lois Scola and Aaron Brooks are also going to step-up this season as co-leaders of the Rockets behind Battier.

Smith: Shane Battier is absolutely the leader of this team.

Battier was the primary leader even with Yao, McGrady, and Ron Artest on board. He’s one of the smarter players in the league, and knows exactly what it takes to win.

However, the Rockets are going to need other players to step up and become leaders this season in order to be successful. This is a role that I feel Aaron Brooks can step into and excel in.

He’s going to have to be the heartbeat of the Rockets this season, as their success will depend largely on how he plays.

In just his third year, he’s already been given a huge responsibility, and I think he’ll respond very well to it.


4. When T-Mac makes his return, how do you think he’ll mold with the team?

Ramsey: This is tough and all I can really say for now is that we’ll have to wait and see how this works out. Personally, I think T-Mac will learn to mix in well with the new group and will truly flourish.

T-Mac is also in his final year of contract with the Rockets and, in my opinion, is bound to have a big year.

Will he be the superstar of the past? Maybe not; but I guarantee you fans will still see flashes of greatness from T-Mac.

McGrady is still an MVP-caliber player, and he will hopefully still make a positive impact offensively for the Rockets when he returns.

Smith: This is a tricky question because there’s no way of knowing at this point which version of McGrady the Rockets are going to get.

Last year before having surgery, T-Mac looked largely disinterested lots of the time, and his play reflected it. However, he still showed signs of being a go-to offensive force from time-to-time.

Will he be the player he was three years ago? Unfortunately, I don’t think that’s possible given his lengthy injury history in recent years.

However, I do think he’ll be quite capable of giving the Rockets an offensive spark that they’ll sorely need.

Whether he’s 100 percent or not, he’ll still be the most talented offensive player on the Rockets’ roster. He was born to score, and, if he comes in with a positive attitude, I think he can have a very positive influence on these Rockets upon his return.

McGrady’s return is also very important to him, personally. He’s in the final year of his contract, and he’ll be playing to show that he’s still capable of being a top player in the NBA.

I think the Rockets will get the best that McGrady can offer once he comes back, but I do wonder what he’ll be capable of and what his limitations will be.


5. Which Rockets player(s) do you believe are set to have a breakout season?

Ramsey: Aaron Brooks and Luis Scola, as I am fairly sure my colleagues will say as well. You also very well could include Trevor Ariza in that mix, though it could also be argued that he had a breakout season just last year with the Lakers.

My top two guys to keep an eye on this year remain Brooks and Scola, though. They have both proven themselves in the past with Houston and are heading towards remarkable numbers this season.

Smith: I suppose Brooks and Scola would fall under this category, as they’ll be thrust into the spotlight whether they like it or not.

Both players will be counted on to score more than they’ve been used to in their two years of NBA experience, and I think they’ll be up to it.

Scola showed last year that he’s capable of big-time rebounding numbers, and I do think that he’ll average a double-double this season.

Brooks is a natural scoring point guard, but he’s going to have to improve his distribution in order for the rest of the Rockets to flourish.

I think both players will average over 15 points per game, and Brooks could be closer to 20.

Brooks could be a candidate for the NBA’s Most Improved Player award.


6. How many games do you think the Rockets will win this season? Will that be enough to get them into the playoffs?

Ramsey : My guess would be somewhere between 41-50 games. I say 41 because I am hoping the Rockets can at least end the season at .500 are better.

We’ll see how things progress, but I really believe the Rockets could easily sneak into the playoffs as an No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.

Smith: I think, barring further injuries, that the Rockets are capable of winning between 40 and 45 games this season, and they’ll be on the borderline of a playoff berth.

The last few spots in the playoffs look like they could be up for grabs, and I don’t see any reason the Rockets wouldn’t be able to hang with teams like Phoenix and New Orleans.

Again, much of the Rockets’ success depends on how consistently they’re going to be able to score.

They’ll be able to shut teams down, but if they can’t score, it won’t do them any good.

I’ll say the Rockets will win 44 games and nab the eighth spot in the Western Conference playoffs.

That could mean a rematch series against the Lakers, with our old friend, Ron Artest.


7. Who will be this year’s Rockets Rookie of the Year?

Ramsey: My guess would be Chase Budinger, but if you asked me who I believe will be newcomer of the year I’d say Pops Mensah-Bonsu (currently with two years of NBA experience).

Budinger looked good in the preseason, and if he can learn to play solid defense in addition to making open shots, he’s bound to be ROY for the Rockets this season.

Jermaine Taylor and David Anderson will also hopefully have an impact on the team this year as rookies, but look for Budinger to truly shine out of that trio.

Smith: I think swingman Chase Budinger will have a stellar rookie season, with solid competition from David Andersen and Jermaine Taylor.

Budinger was phenomenal during the summer league, and followed it up with a consistently solid preseason showing.

He’s shown that he can shoot the lights out, and should help the Rockets in terms of the perimeter scoring that they will need in a big way.

While I think someone like Blake Griffin or Tyreke Evans will probably win the league’s ROY award, Budinger’s efforts certainly won’t go unnoticed.

I think he has a solid future ahead of him, and looks as though he could’ve been a huge steal in the second round of the draft.


8. What is the biggest reason to be optimistic about this season’s Rockets team?

Ramsey: There are many reasons to be optimistic about the Rockets this season, at least in my opinion.

First, the Rockets have a great coach in Rick Adelman.

Second, Houston has one of the best (if not THE best) leaders in the league in Shane Battier.

Third, the Rockets are entering the season with very minimal hype, which is going to be a good thing for this year’s Houston team.

I believe the Rockets are going to surprise a lot of people this season and will absolutely be making a run in the West.

Smith: I think the biggest reason to be optimistic about these Rockets is the simple fact that they’ve shown they can overcome major injuries time and time again.

It seems as though every time Yao or T-Mac went down over the past few seasons, the Rockets have responded by making a huge run.

A similar version of this team beat the eventual-champion Lakers twice at the end of their playoff series last season.

The Rockets really have the “nobody believes in us” factor going for them, and this team is one that excels in that role.

Hardly anybody is expecting much from them, which is why I think they’ll be one of the surprises of the season.

Despite not having much star power, there’s plenty of talent on the roster, and I think it will translate into some decent success.


9. Where, in your opinion, will T-Mac go after the season?

Ramsey: As I am sure my colleagues will say, it really depends on how he plays when he returns from his injury.

McGrady isn’t getting any younger, and he knows that.

Where he will go after this season is really hard to say, but look for T-Mac to be like some of the other older stars you’ve seen in the league in terms of where he goes next.

T-Mac will likely look at his options this next offseason and find a team that he believes will give him the best chance at winning a title.

Smith: Obviously, this depends largely on how he performs once he comes back. That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if he signed for less money with a team that can contend for a championship.

If there’s a team on the verge of contention that is in need of a guy that can come in in a smaller role and help them with perimeter scoring, I think McGrady would be a nice fit.

There’s also a chance that he shows enough upon his return that the Rockets will be interested in bringing him back. I don’t think there’s any way he’ll get anything close to a max contract, and if the Rockets can bring him back at a cheap price, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them do so.

However, there’s also a chance that the Rockets could trade his huge expiring contract and get some very good value in return.


10. Do you believe the Rockets are in a good position with Rick Adelman as their coach? If you don’t like Adelman at the helm, why not, and who do you think should lead the team?

Ramsey: I love Rick Adelman and think he’s a great fit for the Houston Rockets.

Hopefully, Adelman can return Houston’s hoops team to the glory days of the past and the success they had under Rudy T.

Adelman is a wonderful coach and really knows how to communicate with professional basketball players.

And I think he’s the answer for the Rockets in terms of their search to bring back a title to Houston. It may not be immediate, but Adelman has Houston heading in the right direction.

Smith: I think Rick Adelman is the perfect coach for this team, and they got a huge steal when they were able to hire him a couple of years ago.

He came in wanting to push the Rockets into an up-tempo style of play, but they didn’t have the personnel for it.

Now, without Yao clogging the paint, the Rockets are going to have to run, which suits them and their coach perfectly.

He’s always been one of the more underrated coaches in the league, likely because he’s yet to coach a team to a championship.

I’ve always liked what Adelman has done with the Rockets, and I think this season could be his finest as a coach in the league.


11. Who will be the Rockets toughest opponent this season and why?

Ramsey: I’ll go with the Spurs or Mavericks, though I am sure an argument could be made for just about any Western Conference foe.

Obviously, the L.A. Lakers will be a challenge for just about anybody they face, but the intra-state rivals in San Antonio and Dallas have always given the Rockets problems in the past.

And those games will likely be nail-biters again this season. My hope is that Houston can learn to both win and dominate their Texas rivals this year.

Smith: I’m going to go with a Western Conference team here, just because they’ll be matched up more than twice.

This comes as no surprise, but the Lakers will be the toughest matchup for the Rockets.

Houston’s lack of size will make it extremely difficult for them to be able to guard Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, and Lamar Odom, as we saw after Yao and Dikembe Mutombo went down in the playoffs last season.

Shane Battier defends Kobe Bryant as well as anybody in the league, but Kobe is obviously still quite capable of rising above it and winning games by himself, as we’ve seen before.

The Rockets do match up well with Los Angeles at point guard, as Brooks and Kyle Lowry made Derek Fisher look horrendous during the playoffs.

However, the Lakers have too much size, and are probably too talented for the Rockets to be able to handle.


12. What is your overall impression of the 2009-10 Houston Rockets?

Ramsey: I have a fantastic overall impression of this year’s team to be perfectly honest.

Despite the lack of true superstars, the Rockets will be hitting the hardwood this season with a solid group of NBA talent.

I believe it’s going to be hard at times, and yes there will be some growing pains, but I also believe the Rockets will sneak into the postseason.

Houston may even do more than that by advancing, but let’s just get this season underway. I’m ready to watch some Houston Rockets basketball. …

Smith: I think the 2009-10 Rockets will be a lot of fun to watch, and I’m eager to see how they’ll adapt to their new style of play.

I think they’re going to surprise lots of people, because their team is made up of guys that want to win and know how to win.

GM Daryl Morey has done a superb job assembling this team, and it’s been quite evident based on the quick development of some of the players he’s brought in.
These Rockets won’t be dominant by any means, but they will certainly compete as hard as anybody.

New acquisition Trevor Ariza, while he won’t be the absolute answer to their scoring problems on the wing, is a perfect fit for what they’re trying to do.

The Rockets are going to win with suffocating defense and up-tempo offense, but will ultimately be hurt by their lack of a go-to scoring option.


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Denton Ramsey may be reached directly through Bleacher Report by sending him a message on his profile page or via email at [e-mail]

Taylor Smith may be reached directly through Bleacher Report by sending him a message on his profile page