The Palillog
Despite nice win over Lakers, no end in sight for Rockets title drought
Feb 7, 2020, 6:16 am
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General Manager Daryl Morey's preseason assertion that the Rockets were the favorites in the Western Conference was dubious when he said it, and in hindsight, ridiculous. The Rockets confirmed as much with the trade that shipped Clint Capela and a first round draft pick to Atlanta with the Rockets netting Robert Covington and the already ex-Rocket Jordan Bell. The Lakers and Clippers are not shaking in their sneakers, despite Russell Westbrook's brilliance leading the Rockets to a doozy of a win over the Lakers in L.A. Thursday night.
The Rockets had, and have, a good team, but not a great one, and certainly not one to take seriously as an NBA title contender. They weren't going to win the West with what they had, so they roll the dice with super small ball, which in all likelihood won't be good enough to do the job either. They'll continue to jack up three point shots like no other team, too bad they've not acquired one close to elite three point shooter. The Rockets were a bad rebounding team with Capela's nearly 14 boards per game. It should be a worse rebounding team without him. The Rockets now have zero legit shot blocking or rim production. Their mediocre defense likely remains, mediocre.
It's also obvious that Morey had marching orders from owner Tilman Fertitta to dump some salary going forward and avoid the luxury tax this season. No one likes to pay taxes they can avoid. And remember, Morey's moral but for business moronic China tweet is costing Fertitta millions of dollars.Capela has more than 50 million guaranteed dollars guaranteed left on his contract after this season. Covington has about 25 million. Nene and Gerald Green outgoing, simply salary dumps.
Two seasons in a row the Rockets have passed on using their mid-level exception. Two seasons in a row the Rockets have had a below average bench. In the coming weeks they will shop the buyout market from which last year they added Kenneth Faried and Iman Shumpert. Yippee.
This June will mark the 25 year anniversary of the Rockets having last played in the NBA Finals. Who next plays for their sport's championship first: the Rockets or the Texans?
Seems a good time to note the Astros open spring training next week.
Another body
In what amounts to a meaningless swap the Rockets traded Jordan Bell to Memphis for Bruno Caboclo, who has shown basically nothing to suggest he's an NBA player. When the Toronto Raptors drafted Caboclo in the first round ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla had the great line "he's two years away from being two years away." Fraschilla said that over five and a half years ago.
XFL, part deaux
The second version of the XFL launches Saturday, including the Houston Roughnecks playing the Los Angeles Wildcats. An eight team, 10 game late winter-early spring football league can be of only limited interest, but the Roughnecks will not arrogantly and/or absurdly have a closed roof for any of their home games. They'll play at UH's stadium. The XFL is trying some interesting rules. Among them, offenses can throw two forward passes on the same play provided both passes are made behind the line of scrimmage. There will be no kicks for points after touchdowns. The scoring team can go for one point from the two yard line, two points from the five yard line, or three points from the ten yard line.
Chiefs set the standard
So the Texans had a 24-nothing lead over the eventual Super Bowl Champions. Hail to the Chiefs for snapping Kansas City's 50 year drought between Super Bowl victories. Next season, Houston will probably make it 0 for 50 in pursuit of winning a Super Bowl. Probably 0 for 50 in getting to a Super Bowl. The Oilers were 0 for 31. The Texans are 0 for 18.And counting. Only three other existing franchises have failed to reach a Super Bowl: the Browns, Lions, and Jaguars.
Or just maybe next season, the Texans produce a little football miracle. Hey, the 49ers went from 4-12 last season to the Big Game the just concluded season. For your planning purposes, Super Bowl LV will be played in Tampa.
Watt vs. The Emperor
Which is funnier: J.J. Watt's Saturday Night Live host performance, or the idea of Bill O'Brien coaching a Super Bowl winner? J.J. was okay in the comedy realm. O'Brien delivering a Super Bowl seems more the science fiction realm. However, keep in mind It took Andy Reid 21 seasons as a head coach to finally clutch a Lombardi Trophy. Bill O'Brien has 14 seasons left to beat that! Of course, Emperor O for eternity is more likely.
Buzzer beaters
1. Maybe the Roughnecks win the XFL championship this spring! 2. Good in town hoops doubleheader Sunday: UH-Wichita St at 2, Rockets-Jazz at 6. 3. Worst tasting vegetables: Bronze-kale Silver-peas Gold-lima beans
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Lance McCullers Jr. gave the Astros a much-needed boost Tuesday night with his first win since 2022 — a feel-good moment for a pitcher who's battled through years of setbacks. But while it’s a step in the right direction, expectations should remain measured. The most anyone can realistically hope for is a return to something close to his 2021 form, when he posted a 13-5 record over a career-high 28 starts — the only time he’s cleared 25. It’s taken six outings just to notch his first win this year, making another double-digit victory season feel unlikely. And as encouraging as McCullers’ presence is, one healthy arm won’t be enough to fix a team still searching for consistency.
That’s especially true when the Astros’ current rotation issues have already begun to place an unsustainable load on the bullpen. Ryan Gusto and Colton Gordon have done an admirable job, but they've struggled to provide length with most of their outings, averaging just 4-5 innings.
However, manager Joe Espada remains hesitant to go with an opener strategy. “We’re not there yet,” he said recently to The Athletic's Chander Rome. He likes what he’s seen from the middle-inning relievers, but even he knows the current formula has an expiration date. The Astros’ bullpen — a strength all season — can’t continue carrying the weight without eventually cracking.
Pitching isn’t the only concern
The offense continues to sputter, and it’s now reached a point where even a soft schedule doesn’t offer much comfort. In Wednesday’s loss to the Pirates, the Astros were shut out. And for the sixth straight game, Houston has scored three runs or fewer. Christian Walker, the hero just one night prior with a go-ahead home run off Paul Skenes, followed up with two strikeouts and a double-play ball. One step forward, two steps back.
Outside of Jeremy Peña, the rest of the lineup looks stuck. Over the last seven days, Houston ranks 26th in OPS, 23rd in slugging, and 27th in runs scored. Somehow, they still managed to go 3-3 in that stretch, a testament to their pitching depth, but hardly a sustainable formula.
In the big picture, the inconsistency is what hurts most. Some weeks, the Astros look like a top-five offense. Other times, they can’t seem to scratch out a single run. That’s how you end up 14th in OPS for the season — squarely in the middle — and 18th in total runs scored.
If Yainer Diaz and Christian Walker don’t find their stride soon, this team’s ceiling starts to look a lot lower. The starting pitching probably won’t be much better than what it’s already shown. Which means the offense, as flawed as it’s been, is going to have to do the heavy lifting.
McCullers may finally be back, but unless others start stepping up soon, Houston’s climb back into World Series contention will only get harder. Fortunately, the AL West isn’t exactly a powerhouse — a reality that gives the Astros some breathing room. Still, fans in Houston expect more than just winning a weak division. They’re used to chasing banners, not just playoff spots.
There's so much more to cover! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday!
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