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Ti’s Four-Point Play: Fighting For The Middle Of The NBA’s West

By Ti Windisch

Jan 13, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum (3) drives to the basket on Utah Jazz guard Rodney Hood (5) and center Rudy Gobert (27) during the first quarter of the NBA game at the Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 13, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum (3) drives to the basket on Utah Jazz guard Rodney Hood (5) and center Rudy Gobert (27) during the first quarter of the NBA game at the Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

Houston Rockets (21-20)

Any of the other three teams on this list would be thrilled to be where Houston is right now. Above .500, with a fairly tight grip on the playoffs in the Western Conference? That doesn’t sound like a bad place to be at all!

Unless you have a top five player on your team and you were projected to be one of the best two or three teams in the entire NBA. Then it stings a bit to be sitting in seventh seed, working hard to hold off the stumbling Utah Jazz.

Expectations hadn’t been this high in Houston since Hakeem Olajuwon was around. And the Rockets crash landed right out of the gate, starting 4-7 and getting head coach Kevin McHale fired just 11 games into their hyped up season.

The Rockets don’t just hope to make the playoffs–they need to. If Houston falters any further and drops out of the playoff race entirely, it’ll be an unmitigated disaster. GM Daryl Morey would be actively rebuilding his team, and outside of James Harden no player would be safe.

Speaking of Harden, his role on this team is the storyline to pay careful attention to. There have been concerns that Harden is more interested in being a celebrity than a leader to the Rockets. Many credit his lackluster attitude as a massive part of McHale getting fired earlier this year.

Will Harden ever turn it around and step up in Houston, or are the Rockets doomed to be an inconsistent mess as long as he’s calling the shots? Morey can’t exactly find another player who’s a better leader and as good of a player as James Harden clearly is, but this team might need a leadership injection to hold itself together going forward.

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