Rockets Playoff Picture

     The Rockets have finished the season with a record of 54-28 and because of that, they have earned the 4th seed in the Western Conference. They will be playing the Blazers in the first round of the playoffs. We were 3-1 against the Blazers this season, so I'm hoping that we can keep winning against them. I
f we win that series than we would most likely be playing the Spurs. We're one of the few teams that can play the Spurs really well because we play at a way faster tempo then them, so we can get easy buckets in transition against them which is a good thing. If we win that, then we would be playing either the Thunder or the Clippers. I would rather them play the Thunder because of how bad we play the Clippers. It would be a very tough series either way. If we somehow win that series, then we would most likely play the Heat or the Pacers. We went 1-1 against both of them, so I actually think we have a higher chance of winning this series than the Thunder/Clippers one.
       Against the Blazers, Lin, Beverley, and Howard will have to play some BIG D. If the Rockets can shut down Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Aldridge, than we can definitely win this series. We cannot just play James Harden basketball and win, we have to play great team basketball to win. I'm hoping that Jeremy Lin can finally play well in the playoffs and stay healthy. The last two years, he's been hurt, so he needs to make up for it by playing very aggresive, not turning the ball over, and play great defense.
      I think that this is finally the year that the Rockets will make a big run in the playoffs. We have all of the pieces, just we have to put it all together.

My Trade Deadline Thoughts

     Once again, Daryl Morrey made a move right before the trade deadline. This time, it wasn't very major. Here are my thoughts about 3 trades on trade deadline day.
     1. Warriors trade Kent Bazemore and Marshon Brooks for Steve Blake from the Lakers. I thought it was a good deal for both teams.  The Warriors needed a backup point guard which they got in Steve Blake and the Lakers needed more help at guard after Kobe Bryant went down, which they got in Kent Bazemore and Marshon Brooks. If I were to give them a letter grade for how smart their deal was, I'd give the Warriors a B and the Lakers a B+.
     2. Pacers trade Danny Granger and a future second round pick for Evan Turner from the 76ers. I thought it was a good deal for the Pacers because they needed more depth at guard, which they got in Evan Turner. The Sixers made a horrible deal in trading for Granger. They ended up buying out his contract because Granger didn't want to play for them and they wanted to save some cap room.  Still, I don't know why they would trade one of their best players for nothing. I would give the Pacers an A- and the 76ers a D.

     3. Rockets trade Aaron Brooks for Jordan Hamilton from the Nuggets. I thought it was a good deal for the Nuggets because Ty Lawson is out and they just traded their backup, so they needed help at point guard. Aaron Brooks is very underrated, so the Nuggets made a good move in trading for him. I thought that it was a good move for the Rockets too. I've been a big Aaron Brooks fan since the first day he put on a Rockets uniform, so I was mad when I heard that we traded him. Jordan Hamilton has put up 12 and 16 points in his first two games with the Rockets, so we'll see if he can keep putting up these type of numbers. I would give both teams a B+.
     It was another interesting trade deadline with lots of interesting trades. Hopefully, Jordan Hamilton turns out to be good for the Rockets.

My Suggestions For Kevin McHale

     Last night, the Rockets beat the Blazers 126-113. We played well and all, but I have some suggestions for Kevin McHale going forward.

     For Kevin McHale, I think that he should try to make the Rockets into a more defensive minded team. We've been giving up 102 points per game which is 22nd in the league. When we get steals, we get to run in transition which is our specialty just we haven't been able to do it as much this year. We are a good enough offensive team that if we hold a team under 90 points, we will most likely win. On offense, we need Dwight Howard and Terrence Jones to score more consistently. When they are both on their games, we win most of the time because we are already a pretty good outside team and when Jones and Howard play well, they give us the inside presence that we need. So on offense, we need to work the ball inside more often and overall, we need to be more of a defensive minded team.

     To sum it up, I think we've been playing great team basketball lately. Hopefully, Kevin McHale can use my suggestions to make the Rockets a better team and that we can continue playing well.

   

Meeting my Favorite Rockets Players at the Rockets Game

     I had the most incredible time at the Rockets game last Saturday night. We got group tickets as a reunion with some of our family friends. The Yuhans from California and the Jungs from Houston. We went to the game early before the doors opened to try to get some autographs and see the players warm up. Right as the doors opened, we went straight to the bottom of the court and right when we got there we surprisingly saw Chandler Parsons, Aaron Brooks, James Harden, and Dwight Howard warming up. When they started leaving the court, I got Chandler Parsons's autograph and even got a fist bump from Aaron Brooks! Then we went to check out the store, got some food, and then went to our seats that we would be watching the game from.

     The game was awesome! We were playing against the Pelicans. It was close all the way until the end when the Rockets started pulling away. Jeremy Lin and James Harden both made huge shots at the end which got me on my feet. It was a very exciting game and fun to watch.

     After the game, my dad's friend, Uncle Peter worked it out with Josh Fan (Jeremy Lin's trainer) to get us guest passes to go down to the court. Right when we got there, we saw Darryl Morey, the Rockets GM. We said hi to him and my two brothers and I took a picture with him. After waiting there for about twenty minutes longer, we saw Jeremy Lin! Luckily, Uncle Peter is friends with him so he came right over to us. There were a lot of other people waiting in line and he wanted to see us, so he took us a few steps inside of the tunnel. We talked for a little bit and then my brothers and I took another picture, but this time with Jeremy Lin.

     I had the time of my life at the Rockets game! I'd like to give a big thank you to Josh Fan for making this happen.

Omer Asik Trade Rumors

     Just one day after getting a huge road win against the Spurs handing them their first home loss of the season, the Rockets lost to the now 4-13 Jazz. One rumor that has been going around is that Omer Asik is unhappy with his role and wants to be traded. From what I've seen, the price that the Rockets have for Omer Asik is too high for other teams and he will be making $15 million next season, so it will be a tough to deal him. Here are my 2 best scenarios for the Rockets and Asik:
     First, we should try to acquire a defensive small forward and play Parsons at the 4. We are dead last in the NBA for forced turnovers and we need another defensive forward. A forward would be best because Patrick Beverley is a great defender at point guard, James Harden and Dwight Howard have already solidified their spots, and Chandler Parsons can do it all. Terrence Jones is good, but we need more depth at forward.
     Second, we should try to trade Asik and someone else for a lottery pick. This year's draft class will probably end up being the best draft class this decade. Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, and Julius Randle can all be centerpieces for a franchise. If the Rockets could land one of them, I think we would be the best team in the league.
     Hopefully, the Rockets can do something good with this situation they have with Asik right now. They could acquire some good players in return for him and I hope the Rockets can make the right decision on what to do with him.

Linsanity Part 2

     Linsanity is back! Jeremy Lin has been playing great for the past five games and I'm really excited that he finally got his touch back. Before, he would normally have to defer to James Harden and Dwight Howard, but now since he's coming off the bench, he can do his thing and not have to defer so much. I like to watch the Rockets when everyone contributes and makes plays. I think coming off the bench is a great role for Jeremy Lin because he has more opportunities to score. Unlike other bench players, he's actually been playing more minutes than the starter. He's been averaging 33 minutes played per game this season compared to Patrick Beverley's 28 minutes per game.  In the last five games, Lin's been averaging 22 points, and has been shooting 44% of 3 pointers. The 44% of

3 pointers has been a big improvement from last season in which he only shot 34%.
     Jeremy Lin has been lighting it up and I hope he can keep his great play up! The Rockets play the Mavericks tonight, hoping to make their record 9-4 on the season.

Great Week Of Basketball

     This week has been a great week of basketball for me! First, I got a chance to FaceTime with Jeremy Lin  again on Sunday night. My dad randomly told me to come to the phone, so I did and I saw his friend, Uncle Peter on the screen. Then, Jeremy Lin came to the phone and I was so surprised! Thankfully, I was actually awake this time and I had more to say. I told him that we went all the way to Gathersburg to go watch the new documentary about him called "Linsanity." Then, I asked him how many pairs of shoes he has and he told me that he has 200 pairs of shoes and Nike sent him almost all of them! I knew that he would probably have a lot, maybe 30, but I was caught off guard when he said 200. It was great talking to him again and special thanks to Uncle Peter for making this happen. 

     Secondly, today is the Rockets season opener vs. the Bobcats! I've been looking forward to this day for a while and I can't wait to watch it! Since Jeremy Lin is now officially starting on the bench, I hope that he can provide instant offense when he comes in. I hope we can have a great inside-out game today and that James Harden and Dwight Howard both have dominant games which is key to our success. 

     I am hoping for a big, fat W to start out the year and I hope this is the start to a successful season.