Rockets Report
Rockets shrug off setbacks behind Harden's continued dominance
Jan 21, 2019, 3:25 am
Kevin C. Cox
If the Rockets' finger wasn't making contact the panic button last week, it was at the very least hovering just above. After losing star center Clint Capela Sunday night to a thumb injury that looks to keep the pick-and-roll maestro out for at least a month, Houston was tasked with filling an almost unfillable hole on both ends of the court. Luck continued to eschew the Rockets later in the week, as contract negotiations with G-League gem Danuel House failed to reach a resolution in time. House returned to the G-league as a result, only playing in one game this past week. At this point most teams missing their starting point guard, starting center, and spark plug sixth man would likely be headed for trouble.
Most teams don't have a James Harden.
The Beard continued adding brushstrokes to what is becoming a generationally unique masterpiece of a season, as he posted 57, 58, and 48-point games consecutively, en route to a 2-1 record for the week. The Rockets are now 26-19, first in the Southwest Division, and fifth in the Western Conference
Two wins, one loss
Houston had very little turnaround time to formulate a new offensive game plan before taking on the Memphis Grizzlies hours after learning that Capela would not be available for the next 4-6 weeks. Harden did everything he could to give Coach Mike D'Antoni time to think, as he exploded for a franchise record 36 points in the first half. Houston would once again ride a brilliant Harden performance to an easy victory.
Wednesday the Rockets took on the Brooklyn Nets for the second time this season. Houston fell to the Nets in their previous meeting, and their win prospects were only further dimmed after learning that House would not be suiting up that evening. Harden was once again carrying the team to what looked to be a victory when Nets point guard Spencer Dinwiddie exploded for 25 points in the fourth quarter to force overtime. Despite a season high 58 points from Harden, Houston was unable to curtail Brooklyn's momentum and the Rockets fell 145-142.
After an extended rest, Houston was back at it Saturday night against the Los Angeles Lakers. The matchup lived up to its nationally televised billing despite both teams missing key players. The LeBron-less Lakers fired out of the gate behind forward Kyle Kuzma's 20-point first quarter and seemed to put the game out of reach early. Trailing by as much as 21 points, Harden and guard Eric Gordon went to work chipping away at the lead. In a last second desperation attempt, Gordon caught the final in bounds pass of regulation and sent an improbable, off balanced, 3-pointer through the net to force overtime. This time it would be the Rockets that succeeded in extra time as a clutch offensive rebound from Harden would seal the win. Harden extended his streak of 30+ point games to 19.
Reinforcements Incoming
The Rockets are expected to sign center Kenneth Faried after he clears waivers Monday afternoon. Faried began the season with the Brooklyn Nets, but failed to find a productive role in their scheme. If you're looking for a hustle guy, look no further than the guy nicknamed "Manimal." Despite being undersized, Faried excels in rebounding, defense, and pick and roll offense. That description sounds oddly familiar to a certain injured center already on the roster. Faried should provide an instant upgrade to a practically unstaffed position for the Rockets.
Looking ahead
The Rockets will start a four game week Monday night at Philadelphia, followed by a Wednesday match up against the New York Knicks. The Rockets will return to Houston to host the Toronto Raptors Friday night before finishing the week with a Sunday home game against the Orlando Magic.
Chris Paul has shown progress but still looks to be about a week out from a return. Clint Capela remains 4-6 weeks out.
Harden has shown zero signs of slowing down, and Faried should slow down the amount of easy buckets around the rim once he suits up. If the Rockets can reliably count on repeat performances from Eric Gordon like the version we saw Saturday night and Faried performs as predicted, Houston should continue to remain a playoff contender.
I see the Rockets splitting the week, with wins against New York and Orlando and losses against Philadelphia and Toronto.
Rockets tweet(s) of the week:
James Harden is now averaging an absurd 35.7 PPG (23.5 FGA) with only 37 games remaining. He would still be avera… https://t.co/KGNYcLw7Xd— NBA NERD (@NBA NERD) 1547963761.0
james harden is going out there every night with himself, a mcdonald's 2 for $5 deal, the mcd's cashier, & a couple… https://t.co/HlUq0pX7ML— CHANDLER (@CHANDLER) 1548005201.0
How latest reports abruptly shift Houston Astros rotation x-factors
Mar 18, 2024, 7:23 pm
Bruce Bochy doesn’t ever want the Texas Rangers to let go of those memories of their first World Series title.
“We just don’t want to lean on them,” said Bochy, whose first season with the Rangers ended with the first World Series championship for the 63-year-old franchise, and his fourth as a big league manager.
While Texas has the opportunity to be the first team in a quarter-century to win back-to-back world championships — the New York Yankees were the last, with three in a row from 1998-2000 — the Rangers aren’t even defending champs in their own division.
And they aren’t favored to win the AL West this season.
Houston is again the odds-on favorite in the division it has won each of the last six full MLB seasons since the Rangers finished on top in 2016. The Astros won their regular season finale last Oct. 1, matched Texas at 90-72 and won the AL West since they were 9-4 head-to-head.
The Astros have made the AL Championship Series the past seven seasons, even when not division champs in the 2020 season shortened to 60 games because of the pandemic. They made four trips to the Fall Classic and won two titles in that span.
Dusty Baker retired days after Houston lost ALCS Game 7 at home to the Rangers last fall, finishing with 2,183 wins over 26 seasons as a big league manager with five teams.
New Astros manager Joe Espada, their bench coach for six seasons, is certainly familiar with a lineup that has big hitters Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker, and a loaded starting rotation.
Espada isn't the division's only new manager. Ron Washington, who took the Rangers to their previous World Series in 2010 and 2011, was hired by the Angels, who still have Mike Trout but not two-way star Shohei Ohtani, now with the other team in Los Angeles.
Seattle again revamped its roster without big spending in free agency and hopes for a quicker return to the playoffs. The Mariners missed by one game last season, a year after its first postseason appearance since 2001.
And just like last year, the Athletics go into another season not knowing if it will be their last in Oakland.
HOW THEY PROJECT1. Houston Astros. Three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander, reacquired in a deadline trade last July, will start this season on the injured list. But the 41-year-old’s IL stint is expected to be a short one. The Astros still have lefty Framber Valdez (12-11, 2.45 ERA, 200 strikeouts and a no-hitter) and right-hander Cristian Javier. Eight-time All-Star second baseman Altuve signed a new $125 million, five-year contract that goes through 2029. But two-time All-Star third baseman Bregman, the only other position player to make all seven ALCS trips, is at the end of a $100 million deal.
2. Texas Rangers. After going from six losing seasons in a row to a World Series title, the Rangers should be playoff contenders again. They return ALCS MVP Adolis García and most of the lineup that hit 233 homers and scored an AL-high 5.4 runs per game. But World Series MVP and AL MVP runner-up shortstop Corey Seager (sports hernia), Gold Glove first baseman Nathaniel Lowe (oblique strain) and All-Star third baseman Josh Jung (calf) missed significant time in the spring. All-Star right-hander Nathan Eovaldi tops a rotation still missing injured multiple Cy Young Award winners Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom.
3. Seattle Mariners. The front office put together a roster that might be better than last year, but everybody has to stay healthy. Seattle should be better offensively with the additions of Mitch Garver, Mitch Haniger, Jorge Polanco and Luke Raley to go with young superstar Julio Rodriguez. If J.P. Crawford can replicate last season at the plate and Ty France returns to his 2021-22 form, the lineup will be deeper. Couple a better offense with one of the best rotations in baseball led by Luis Castillo, George Kirby and Logan Gilbert, the Mariners should once again contend in the division.
4. Los Angeles Angels. They feel like they’re starting over yet again and still haven't been to the playoffs since 2014. Ohtani left after six seasons for a record $700 million with the perennially contending Dodgers. The Halos added almost nothing in free agency, only revamping their bullpen again and taking low-cost flyers on Aaron Hicks and Miguel Sano. Trout and Anthony Rendon are back, and an open DH spot will allow them to rest their injury-prone bodies more regularly. Their rotation is last year’s group minus Ohtani. The 71-year-old Washington brings a unique blend of expertise and enthusiasm, which should benefit an exciting crop of young talent ready to break through in the majors.
5. Oakland Athletics. This could be the final season playing at the Coliseum with a lease set to expire. So the A's are still trying to figure out where they will play beyond this year with a new ballpark and move to Las Vegas scheduled for 2028. Manager Mark Kotsay has been committed to keeping his team focused on what it can do to be better on the field after two years with a combined 214 losses (112 last season). The A’s acquired Ross Stripling from the San Francisco Giants and added Alex Wood to the rotation.
OLD SKIPPERSWhen the 74-year-old Baker retired, Bochy became the oldest manager in the majors. That lasted only a few weeks until the Angels hired Washington. Bochy will turn 69 on April 16, just 13 days before Washington turns 72. Bochy, with 2,093 wins going into his 27th season, is one of six managers with four World Series titles, his first three coming in San Francisco (2010, 2012 and 2014). Washington won a franchise-record 664 games in eight seasons with Texas from 2007-14. He was on Atlanta's staff the past seven years, and part of the Braves' 2021 World Series title.
RELIEF HELPSeveral new relievers are in the AL West, including hard-throwing lefty Josh Hader with the Astros, veteran right-hander David Robertson and former All-Star closer Kirby Yates in Texas, Gregory Santos and Ryne Stanek in Seattle and Robert Stephenson with the Angels.
Hader's $95 million, five-year deal was the biggest after becoming a first-time free agent. The 29-year-old, once in the Astros' minor league system, turned down a $20,325,000 qualifying offer from San Diego.