Sura was out the first 21 games of the season and 7 more coming out of the all-star break. Jon Barry wasn't with the team until the 27th game of the season. David Wesley wasn't with the team until the 29th game of the season. Mike James wasn't with the team until the 56th game of the season. In Mike James' 6th game as a Rocket, Bob Sura returned to the team following his post-all-star break back troubles, putting the final Rocket roster on the court at the same time, for the first time. Just three days and two games later, Juwan Howard went down for the season. So, the Rockets only played THREE games this entire season with the roster they have now, with all key players healthy. They won all three of those games, all on the road, including a 127-107 win at Phoenix, a 111-96 win at Sacramento, and a 97-94 win in the house of the suddenly very good Golden State Warriors. Despite all that, they still managed a 51-31 record, their best since 1996-97, and their second best road record in franchise history. Looking ahead to next season, given the roster they have now, their contract situations, off-season signings and draft possibilities, there is reason to believe they can win 60 games next season, barring any major injuries. I still can't believe that the Rockets current roster (Howard included) only managed to play 3 games together...and technically only 2.75 games, as Juwan was lost for the season in the 3rd quarter of the third game. Hopefully they can play closer to 82 games together next year, because I feel that they could have won 60 games this season with the same exact roster, if they had started and played the whole season together and relatively healthy. Bottom line is that this season was a success regardless of the playoff results, but it appears as though the best is definitely yet to come
I hadn't really thought of this before. Glad you brought it up, Sniper. It's certainly very heartwarming to think of the success we would have in the future, especially with new young talent about to come in in the form of our first round draft pick and Badiane and Spanoulis, who are both reported to be ready for the NBA. These three youngsters might come in, but there are also some guys who might go out. Padgett would likely opt out of his contract to earn bigger bucks after a strong season, and although it isn't unlikely he signs back with us, re-signing him to a larger contract would mean less flexibility free agent signing wise. Jon Barry and Mutombo are both free agents, and there is the possibility that they might both retire. So realisticlaly, I don't think we would continue having the same roster, but it's certainly correct to think we would enjoy greater success next season.
While we're all looking back I found an ESPN Power Ranking archive of the Rockets. It shows the rankings from Training Camp all the way to the last week. It's intersting to see how the Rockets started off being highly favored to being seen as the biggest dissapointment. Check It Out Houston Rockets Power Ranking Archive: 2004-2005 Season
Yeah I've thought about this also......it's amazing how well this team played with all the new pieces added.
Yes, this team has faced its share of adversity and has conquered it, to say the least...I'm impressed with the Rockets' resilience this season and how they have stayed strong and composed amidst all the injuries and roster turnover...They have begun jelling at just the right time and I think they'll honestly go far in the playoffs...
I think the rockets are playing close to the level we played at during the championship years, which is good to know. We overcame a lot to get here. The astros had big expectations last season, started real slow, then came one game away from a world series appearence. The rockets are having quiet a similar season, we didnt start off good, but it looks like we could go far into the playoffs.
Although most of us expects that the Rockets should have won more had they avoided the injuries, what they accomplished is already enough and something to be proud of. The Rockets had beaten almost all other NBA teams with the exception of the Pistons and the Bobcats who swept them during the time they were in limbo. Team chemistry brought the Rockets back to life. With each player accepting their roles and following Jeff Van Gundy's philosophy of the game. I believe that the Rockets will improve more through the years as long as they have players who brings out their best each time they were on the court.
