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Houston Rockets: Are They Better Than The Pellies?

By Mauricio Putz

Apr 12, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard (12) and New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) jump for the ball during the game at the Toyota Center. The Rockets defeated the Pelicans 121-114. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 12, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard (12) and New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis (23) jump for the ball during the game at the Toyota Center. The Rockets defeated the Pelicans 121-114. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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After being on the PUP list for the better part of the summer, I’m back — and more importantly, I’m ready to tackle the most important matters surrounding your beloved Houston Rockets.

Earlier during the summer, once the 2014-15 season came to an end, I looked at how the Houston Rockets would fare against division rivals San Antonio Spurs, and Memphis Grizzlies. Now, with training camp — and basically, the season — just around the corner, it’s time to look at how the Rockets match up against Anthony Davis‘ New Orleans Pelicans, and if so, how.

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Judging by their overall 2014-15 performance, the Rockets are far better than the Pelicans. Yes, the Pelicans reached their first playoff berth in four years by riding a late-season rally — along with just the right amount of wins (three) against the Oklahoma City Thunder, including one by a buzzer-beating three-pointer from superstar Anthony Davis.

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Unfortunately, the Golden State Warriors eliminated them during the first round, whereas the Rockets reached the Western Conference Finals before eventually getting trounced by the far superior, and future NBA champion, Golden State Warriors.

Now, during the offseason, after skimming through much of it, Daryl Morey stunned the basketball world (again) by adding one Ty Lawson, of the most talented/troubled point guards in the league, by letting go of Joey Dorsey, Kostas Papanikolaou and the likes.

Whereas the Pelicans reinforced themselves by giving Anthony Davis one of the most lucrative deals in NBA history — five years, $145 million.

So far, the Houston Rockets seem to be ahead of the Pelicans by miles. And they are. One-on-one, the Pelicans are unable to match up against the Rockets’ high-octane offense. Yes, they led the Rockets by 1.2 in Offensive Rating during the 2014-15 season,. And yes, Dwight Howard is far from able to keep up with Anthony Davis on the court.

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    • Nevertheless, the Houston Rockets’ superiority in every other single position is their trump card against the Davis-Howard mismatch.

    For the 2015-16 season, at least on paper, the Houston Rockets have one of the league’s top offenses. And even if they don’t ever get 100 percent of Dwight Howard back, his mere presence below the rim is enough to scare off the most lethal of threats. We’re looking at you, Anthony Davis.

    So basically, the only way in which the Pelicans could become better than the Rockets during the upcoming season is: (1) if Anthony Davis were to build a consistent three-point shot, thus becoming the most dangerous offensive threat in the entire NBA; or, (2) … well, I can’t seem to think of any other reason by which they’d be an overall better team than the one that came in second in one of the most talented Western Conferences we’ve seen in a while.

    So far, after one of the most quiet starts to an offseason ever, the Houston Rockets seem to have done exactly what they needed during the offseason, which is reinforcing their backcourt by adding Ty Lawson. And if they’re able to keep him out of trouble off the court, look for them to be one of the most dangerous teams in the West, and probably the league.

    Yes, just like they did last year.

    Next: Better GM: Daryl Morey or Pat Riley?

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