Houston Rockets: Scola, Martin, Brooks Will Be Great for Adelman
The Houston Rockets are 0-3, but it's not time to panic. Players like Luis Scola, Kevin Martin, Aaron Brooks and Shane Battier are all supremely talented athletes.
It's early in the season, so an 0-3 start isn't the end of the world. Especially not for a team of this caliber. Rick Adelman is one of the great basketball minds that the NBA has to offer, and he has his team playing at an extremely high level on the offensive side of the ball.
Defense is something that usually rounds into form for teams, so it shouldn't scare Rocket fans that this team is allowing 117.0 PPG, one of the worst marks in the league.
Despite the bad numbers on defense, it's important to remember that this team has some of the best defenders in the league. Guys like Shane Battier and Chuck Hayes are considered world class defensively, and players like Courtney Lee and Chase Budinger have the size, quickness and athleticism to develop into good defenders, especially under the tutelage of their veteran teammates.
What should be encouraging to Rocket fans is the fact that Houston is scoring 110.7 PPG, and they're being led by a group of stars that make up an exciting and talented nucleus.
The Rockets' best player, by far, is PF Luis Scola. While he's been decent in years past, this season has Scola off to his best start ever. The Argentinian big man is averaging 27 points and 14 rebounds as he picks up the slack for a fragile Yao Ming. It may only be three games, but he just looks more dominant this year. He attacks the basket in the final minutes of games and has a closer's mentality.
It would be impossible to talk about the Rockets without mentioning their electric back court. Aaron Brooks and Kevin Martin may not look like NBA stars due to their small statures, but they certainly score like NBA stars.
Aaron Brooks' quickness and range make him one of the most exciting point guards in the league. He isn't much of a defender at only 6'0", 161 pounds, but Brooks makes up for it by distributing the ball to his teammates and filling it up from beyond the arc.
Kevin Martin is another long range shooter who can slash to the basket. At 6-7, he's long and athletic enough to make plays in traffic and hit off balance shots. He's off to a great start this year, averaging 25 PPG. The Rockets will be looking for this kind of production out of him all year long.
With a strong core of Scola, Brooks and Martin, the Rockets fill out the rest of their roster with a combination of promising young rookies and respected veteran players. One of their most important additions this offseason was Brad Miller. Miller knows Adelman from their time together in Sacramento, and he has experience in big-time games.
The Rockets, while struggling now, will turn it around and grab a two or three seed in the Western Conference. They have all the parts needed make a title run and challenge the Los Angeles Lakers for Western supremacy.
