Houston Rockets Will Contend For NBA Championship

We're a fourth of the way through the NBA season, and people are seemingly forgetting the Houston Rockets.

Why people aren't talking about the Rockets is baffling to me. They are leading (or at least sharing the lead) in one of the toughest divisions in basketball, and are doing so with an assortment of injuries.

Shane Battier, who is a vocal leader on the Rockets, missed significant time in the first part of the season which went basically unnoticed to those who did not pay attention. When he is back to full strength, he will give Ron Artest some much needed rest.

Tracy McGrady has been out since Nov 29, but the Rockets are still rolling. In fact, we beat San Antonio who had their big three all back and healthy (well, they played anyway) without T-Mac.  Even before he officially took the time off to get his knee healthy, it was apparent he was not 100 percent, and we were still winning games. 

Artest recently had an MRI that revealed a slight tear in ligaments in his ankle. He has been playing off and on with that ankle and still been producing decent numbers. Battier will be able to give him nights off here and there in order for him to get healthy. Ah, the luxury of having a deep bench.

Even with these injuries, the Rockets are 14-8, something no one in Houston expected.  Let’s go over the reasons why the Rockets have exceeded expectations.

Aaron Brooks has come into his own as an extremely viable option off the bench in terms of scoring and leading the offense.  He is averaging around 11 points per game in 20 minutes of action. 

But Brooks' best stat is shooting 40 percent from behind the arc, something the Rockets rely on very much.  Three-point shooting is a big part of the Rockets’ offense, and Brooks has met the challenge.

Carl Landry has been getting a solid 20 minutes per game, contributing with the hustle plays, and has the heart any fan would love from a bench player. He gets offensive rebounds, extends plays, gets steals, and runs the floor. While he is a questionable shot blocker, he is an excellent face-up defender, and is a vital part of this team. The effort he gives night in and night out is not shown on the stat sheet. 

Luis Scola has been playing well as the third or even fourth option. His scoring has been inconsistent this season, but that is mainly due to the fact that he does not get to shoot the ball as often because of Artest being the third guy. Scola still does the little things that every coach dreams of.

Combine these three overachieving role players with the Rockets stars getting healthy throughout the year (hopefully), and that spells contender in my book.  The biggest question surrounding the team coming into this season was their durability, but with the bench playing the way it is now, we can afford to give our stars rest while still competing in every game. 

Look out for the Rockets come April, barring any major setback.