Rockets Control Their Own Destiny
By Duncan Smith
As the end of the 2015-16 regular season draws near, the Houston Rockets find themselves in a surprisingly favorable position.
The Houston Rockets have not had a season to be especially proud of. They traded for Ty Lawson in the offseason, acquiring him from the Denver Nuggets for spare parts (including Pablo Prigioni, who the Rockets would probably like to have back), only to waive him shortly after the trade deadline.
Lawson was a truly unmitigated disaster and was removed from the starting lineup just 12 games into the season. He was benched multiple times, receiving DNP-CDs twice and playing nine minutes or less seven times, including his final four games as a Rocket.
By the time he was sent packing on March 1, he was averaging just 5.8 points and 3.4 assists per game and shot 38.7 percent from the floor. The only saving grace in the Lawson situation is that he was persuaded to make next year’s salary unguaranteed, meaning that when the Rockets waived him, they were off the hook from paying the $12.4 million he was due next season.
The Rockets started the season 4-7 after losing their first three games by exactly 20 points and that start is unacceptable for a team that was expected to compete for the Western Conference title. That poor start led to the ousting of head coach Kevin McHale, who was replaced on an interim basis by assistant coach J.B. Bickerstaff.
Related Story: 25 Best Players To Play For The Houston Rockets
Bickerstaff led the Rockets to a 36-34 record, but by all accounts appears to not be ready to coach at the NBA level. The Rockets hve been disorganized almost constantly on defense, with transition defense that could make your eyes bleed.
The offense has been predicated all season on giving James Harden the ball and clearing out, and while that might be exactly the way Harden wants to operate, there’s no doubt that it’s also a convenient crutch for an overmatched coach.
They also re-acquired Josh Smith and brought Chinese Basketball Association MVP Michael Beasley back to the NBA. If those aren’t the moves of a lost and desperate team, you tell me what is.
The only saving grace for the Rockets has been James Harden. Often derided for his Vine-worthy defensive gaffes, he remains one of the elite scorers and offensive forces in the NBA.
He has set career highs in every counting stat this season, averaging 28.9 points per game, 6.1 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game, and is leading the NBA with 38.3 minutes per game He’s also set career highs in field goal attempts, averaging 19.9 per game while hitting 43.8 percent from the floor.
Harden also has solid efficiency numbers, with an effective field goal rate of 51.1 percent, and a true shooting percentage of 59.8 percent. The eFG percent factors in three-pointers as more valuable, and the TS includes free throws, so that high rate indicates how effective he is at getting to the line and converting.
Thanks to Harden, and in spite of all the atrocities the Rockets have performed on the spirits of their fans, the team has found itself in a position to control their own destiny.
On the strength of two blowout wins against the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves, all the Rockets need to do to clinch the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference is beat the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday. The Kings plan to rest just about everybody they can in the season finale, so the Rockets will be facing a skeleton crew in essence.
Next: The Greatest Player In Every Franchise's History
Holding the tiebreaker against the Utah Jazz, currently in ninth, a win and they’re in, or a Utah loss and the Rockets are in. The Jazz will face the Lakers at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, where Kobe Bryant will play his final game. The Lakers are terrible, but the unstable element of Kobe in his last appearance could provide the Jazz with some unpleasant surprises.
In the end, we will most likely get the matchup many people expected at the beginning of the season between the Rockets and the Golden State Warriors after all. However, instead of meeting in the Western Conference finals or semifinals, it will be in a one-vs-eight matchup in the first round.