Mike D'Antoni: Rockets 'Playing Like Crap' Amid Slow Start

Head coach Mike D'Antoni stated the obvious Tuesday night.

"Right now, we're playing like crap," D'Antoni told reporters after the Rockets' 104-85 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. "We're just not playing well. You know, I don't have a whole lot of answers for you now. We'll look, and we'll fight it."

D'Antoni didn't stop there. 

"We've lost our swagger and we're on our heels," he said, per ESPN.com's Tim MacMahon. 

The Rockets sit 1-5 and turned in a listless home performance in which they shot just 32.3 percent from the floor. Carmelo Anthony shot 2-of-12 from the floor, and his acquisition is at the very least a slow work in progress if not an outright bust.

The Rockets have lost their last two games without James Harden by a combined 39 points. Chris Paul has shot a disappointing 9-of-32 in those contests, his first since returning from a two-game suspension.

"It's very easy for the negativity to start seeping into the room," Anthony said. "For me, I'm just here to make sure that that doesn't happen. We don't need that right now, especially not in this locker room. You don't kick a dog when it's down. We're all we've got right now, and we can figure this out."

Houston went an NBA-best 65-17 last season and took the Golden State Warriors to Game 7 in the Western Conference Finals. Changes in role players have resulted in the most marked change, with Anthony and Michael Carter-Williams performing poorly. The Rockets had a far deeper bench last season and players who fit better defensively, particularly Luc Mbah a Moute and Trevor Ariza.

Any team missing the reigning MVP is going to hurt a bit, but it's a surprise to see the Rockets completely fall apart. Paul is still among the NBA's best point guards and was a legitimate force for most of last season. He hasn't looked capable of being the best player on a winning team so far this year.

D'Antoni and his coaching staff—and perhaps their front office—have some work to do turning this around.