2015-16 Finish: 46-36

Season Highlight:

GM Spudspace just took a team with the 2^nd worst record in 2014, only 19 wins, and took them to the playoffs just 1 year later.  Adding 27 wins and giving this fan base hope for the future was no easy task, but Spud delivered and probably should have garnered more votes for GMOY.  It was a great turnaround, but this is only the beginning for the Rockets.

Season Lowlight:

Alas, the season had to come to an end, with a 4-1 drubbing in the 1^st round by the #2 seed, Dallas. But even this lowlight comes with the silver lining that was the Rockets MAKING the playoffs, so chin up Houston!

Best Trade:

The Houston Rockets send Festus Ezeli to the LA Clippers. The LA Clippers send Hassan Whiteside to the Houston Rockets. 
The Houston Rockets send a 1st-Rounder (Por) to the LA Clippers.

Ezeli is a decent starter in the NLL, but Whiteside has the potential to be a breakout star.    He could be one of the top 5 big men next year.

Worst Trade:

The Chicago Bulls send Mirza Teletovic to the Houston Rockets. The Houston Rockets send Thabo Sefolosha to the Chicago Bulls.

Mirza never really made any type of valuable impact and is a poor defender, while Thabo was/is a top notch wing defender.

Other Notable Trades:

The Houston Rockets send Kobe Bryant, Donatas Motiejunas and Lavoy Allen to the Toronto Raptors. The Toronto Raptors send Thabo Sefolosha, Arron Afflalo and Enes Kanter to the Houston Rockets.

Spud moves the legend, Kobe, who was injured half the season and retired, along with another oft injured guy in D-Mo, and a reserve in Allen.  He got back 2 starters and a solid defender.  Kanter has improved over the season and Afflalo is still a great 3 and D wing.

The Houston Rockets send Tiago Splitter and Evan Fournier to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Indiana Pacers sendZoran Dragic to the Houston Rockets. The Milwaukee Bucks send Festus Ezeli to the Houston Rockets. The Oklahoma City Thunder send Ian Mahinmi and Anthony Bennett to the Houston Rockets. The Houston Rockets send a2nd-Rounder (Hou) to the Milwaukee Bucks. 
The Houston Rockets trade -4 GM points.The Indiana Pacers receive 4 GM points.

-Ezeli ended up being moved for Whiteside, so Splitter, Fournier, Ezeli and a 1^st rounder still sound like a good deal for Whiteside, if he reaches his real life potential.  Oh and he still got Mahinmi and Bennett, who was trade fodder too.

The Houston Rockets send Jose Barea to the Portland Trail Blazers. The Portland Trail Blazers send Shabazz Napierto the Houston Rockets. 
The Houston Rockets send a 1st-Rounder (Hou) to the Portland Trail Blazers. The Portland Trail Blazers send a 2nd-Rounder (Por) and 1st-Rounder (Por) to the Houston Rockets.

-Barea isn’t the PG from years ago, Napier still could become something down the road.  Houston’s picks will likely be later in the draft than Portland’s will over the next 3 years too.

The Houston Rockets send Carmelo Anthony and Donald Sloan to the Washington Wizards. The Washington Wizards send Gordon Hayward and Isaiah Thomas to the Houston Rockets. 
The Washington Wizards send a 1st-Rounder (Was) to the Houston Rockets.

-If I told you that Houston traded away 1 All-Star and got 2 back, along with a 1^st rounder, who do you think would have gotten the better end of the deal?  Well, how about after I told you that the 1 player Houston traded away scored 10 less points per game in Washington and the 2 players Houston got back raised their PPG by a combined 10 points. Overall, Houston traded Melo to Washington, who dropped to 18ppg.  Thomas and Hayward combined for over 45 PPG for Houston.  This was a close 2^nd to the best trade of the season for Houston.

The Chicago Bulls send Leandro Barbosa to the Houston Rockets. 
The Houston Rockets send a 2nd-Rounder (Hou) to the Chicago Bulls. 
The Houston Rockets use their trade exception over $ 2,500,000. 
The Chicago Bulls receive 3 GM points. The Houston Rockets trade -3 GM points.

-Good cheap reserve guard (that can contribute in the NLL) for a 2^nd.  I’ll take that deal most nights.

The Houston Rockets send Anthony Bennett to the Chicago Bulls. The LA Clippers send Kendall Marshall to the Orlando Magic. The Orlando Magic send Luke Babbitt to the Houston Rockets. The Orlando Magic send Archie Goodwin to the LA Clippers. 
The Houston Rockets trade -5 GM points.The LA Clippers trade -20 GM points.The Orlando Magic receive 25 GM points.

-Bennett for Babbitt… neither are that good.

The Detroit Pistons send Paul Pierce to the Houston Rockets. The Houston Rockets send Tony Snell and JaKarr Sampson to the Detroit Pistons. 
The Detroit Pistons send a 2nd-Rounder (NY) to the Houston Rockets. The Houston Rockets send a 2nd-Rounder (Por) to the Detroit Pistons. 
The Detroit Pistons receive 3 GM points. The Houston Rockets trade -3 GM points.

-Pierce was expected to be a playoff push piece, but he really didn’t deliver as expected.  He was still good depth, but Snell could still blossom.

The Washington Wizards send Wayne Ellington to the Houston Rockets. 
The Houston Rockets use their trade exception over $ 1,500,000. 
The Houston Rockets trade -15 GM points.The Washington Wizards receive 15 GM points.

-Another depth grab.  Ellington has all those ratings that everyone covets, but he can’t seem to consistently produce to those ratings.  However, getting a player that is available to play, when injuries could be a concern, is invaluable in the NLL.  15 points seems like the perfect price for a player of this nature.

Best FA Signing:

JJ Barea:  Later turned him into a younger player and 2 draft picks.


Worst FA Signing:

Ryan Hollins:  Guy can’t ever seem to stay on a team long term.

Star:

Gordon Hayward: After he was traded from Washington, Hayward improved in almost every statistical category, including a 5 PPG increase.  With Hayward on the floor, the Rockets had their go-to-guy, someone that could make the big shots when needed.  The nice thing about him is that he is the opposite of Melo, who he was swapped for, never needing to always demand the ball, but getting his points in the flow of the offense.

 
Surprise:

Hassan Whiteside:  This isn’t necessarily a good surprise.  Whiteside became a top notch NBA player the last 2 seasons, but has not been able to get that to translate to his NLL game.  If Hassan were to become the NLL star to his NBA equivalent, the Rockets would have no worry about making the playoffs this upcoming season.

Goat:

Enes Kanter:  For a player that has so many solid facets to his game, Kanter could not seem to get them to all come together for Houston.  For a player as offensive minded as Kanter, scoring less than 10 PPG seems like a huge disappointment.  Also, he was defensively absent, especially in the playoffs, where the big man didn’t record a single block in 5 games!



Draft Report Card:

When the draft settled and all the trading was done, the Rockets were left with Isaiah Cousins, a very late combo guard 2^nd rounder that could become a solid role player in Houston.  Keep in mind that their picks were traded away for players and future picks, so there really can’t be a realistic grade attached to this season. 

Looking to the Future:

Houston sounds like they are still not finished rebuilding, as they have dangled Kanter and/or Isaiah Thomas for trade.  Hayward and Whiteside seem to be the nucleus that Spud wants to build around, but aside from those 4 guys, there are only 2 others under contract and rumors are many of the pending free agents are not necessarily looking to stay.  The opening month of this NLL season will be crucial for Houston, as it will really set the tone for the rest of their year.  Free agency and trades will determine if Houston is trying to build something, or if they were just a one hitter quitter.


Upcoming Free Agents:

Hassan Whiteside:  He will resign, Spud will make sure of it.

Arron Afflalo:  Spud has stated that Afflalo is a top priority to resign, but it’s gonna be tough to get him to stay in Houston. 

Ian Mahinmi:  He’s a 3^rd string big nowadays, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s allowed to walk

Mirza Teletovic:  Spud traded for him, but his lackluster play could see him fielding other offers.

Leandro Barbosa:  He’s well past his prime, but if he wanted to come back, I think Houston would allow it.

Brandon Jennings:  Another player that seems to want to test Free Agency.  He’s a high value middle tier starting PG, but seemed to play well off the bench.

Lance Thomas:  Free agency fodder.

Wayne Ellington:  eh… he paid 15 GM for him, but I doubt he will spend much more to cajole him back to Houston.

Ryan Kelly:  I believe this guy could be an RFA, but at this time, no QO has been made on him.