Still can’t believe the Houston Rockets got Elmo.
Last Seasons Record 65-17 (1st)
This Seasons Record 55-27
Talk about a makeover. Last season, the Rockets were so close to bringing down the Warriors. A Chris Paul injury and missing 27 straight 3 pointers in a row are the reasons, the Houston Rockets were not the 2018 NBA Champions. Even writing that out, the Warriors got so incredibly lucky last year, that Rockets team was built in order to take out the Warriors. Daryl Morey is a wise man, and he knew what he was doing, but does he know what he’s doing this year?
Key Additions and Subtractions
Probably the busiest team in the offseason? The Rockets are not the same team, not even close that they were last season. They added Carmelo Anthony, and I’m going fully on board with the notion that both CP3 and James Harden are going to kill him by seasons end. They added forming rookie of the year Michael Carter Willaims, I love saying that because it’s true, he really won that award. The human body bag, Brandon Knight and young gun Marquese Chriss. But no signing was bigger than BRUNO baby! That’s right Bruno Caboclo who is now 1 year away from being 1 year away has found a new home in Houston and I’m actually so happy for him (I’m a Raptors fan). They gained a lot of new faces, but what they lost is a big deal. Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute are both gone, as well as Ryan Anderson. Sorry, I forget the corpse of Joe Johnson has also departed Houston. Luc and Trevor were the defensive pillars of this team for stretches of the season, and that was a big part of their identity. How will all these new pieces work and will it be enough to be the best in the West?
Year Long Question – Are we sure Carmelo is still good?
Carmelo Anthony, a future Hall of Famer (I think), but he is not the Melo of old. He hasn’t been the Melo of old in quite some time. In fact, the last few Melo seasons have been really sad to watch. Remember how I just talked about the defensive loss, well now they have Melo sliding into that role. So take that however you want, but Melo just isn’t going to be the missing piece on a championship team. The window is closing for Chris Paul, and adding Melo is just not the answer in beating the Warriors, In fact, they should have looked at getting so many other guys in order to do just that. Melo refuses to come off the bench and he’s just a poor sport. This marriage might not last all year.
Fan Mindset.
Houston, I’m sorry to tell you. You’re going to have a bad time this year. You’ll have a great regular season no doubt, you have a ton of talent but unlike last year (the good trip) in this scene. You’ll be clinging onto last year, and we all know, you have to move forward when it comes to the NBA. Fans are going to be tripping balls because they were so close at reaching the NBA Finals. Now they have to deal with Melo and his hoodies, and he’s basically a child. I honestly don’t think they will make it out of the first round of the playoffs. This year’s fans will be hanging onto their memories of that sweet playoff run in 2018. Houston is going to turn on Melo faster than Rick Pitino in an Italian restaurant.
Bold Predictions, Sponsored By Nate – The Rockets will make a blockbuster trade
This whole thing has been about Carmelo Anthony because he is the key to their success this year. If he can FINALLY buy in and realize that he isn’t 25 anymore and decides he can come off the bench and take a lesser role. Maybe the Rockets will be in good shape, but if he is losing them games and becomes such a liability on the defensive end of the floor, they have enough pieces to make one big trade to right this ship. Daryl Morey wants a ring just as bad as Chris Paul, and they are both running out of time. Look for them to shake things up come All-Star break if things aren’t going according to plan.
