Getty Carmelo Anthony gets smothered by the defense.
The Houston Rockets fell to the Portland Trailblazers on Tuesday night, their fifth loss of the season and their third in a row. It’s a dismal start for the team, and a stunning one–they were one of the highest-rated teams coming into the season and would have probably made it to last year’s NBA Finals were it not for the superpowered Golden State Warriors.
Tonight’s loss puts them among only three other teams in the league that have as bad of a record or worse: The Washington Wizards, the Phoenix Suns, and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The difference with the Rockets is that they were expected to be at the top.
The Rockets scored 85 points tonight, their fewest in a home game under Mike D’Antoni. Houston is 0-4 at home after finishing tied for the best home record in the league last season (34-7).
So what is going wrong, and why have the Rockets lost by a combined 50-or-so points in their last three games? Here are a few things that could be the culprit.
James Harden and Chris Paul Have Missed Games
GettyChris Paul was suspended for two games after a fight that erupted during their game against the Lakers on October 20th.
This one’s obvious. James Harden missed Friday’s loss against the Clippers and remained on the bench tonight. Chris Paul was suspended for two games–against the Clippers and then the Jazz–both of which ended in losses for the Rockets.
After the Lakers fight, CP3’s character was also called into question by Rajon Rondo, who said, “Everyone wants to believe Chris Paul is a good guy. They don’t know he’s a horrible teammate. They don’t know how he treats people.” Rondo was backed up by a few other players, and things got personal.
Having his character publicly lambasted could be affecting Chris Paul on the floor post-suspension. But Houston has a deep roster, and the Clippers game was the only one where both star players were missing. So what’s to account for the rest?
The Carmelo Anthony Curse
GettyCarmelo Anthony’s tenure with OKC was less successful than expected.
After Carmelo Anthony’s disappointing stint with the Oklahoma City Thunder last year, many were rightly skeptical of how effective he’d be for the Rockets. Thus far in the season he’s averaging 14.1 points per game–usually spotting up for the three and acting as a sharpshooter–but the Rockets’ record suggests that there may be something to the “Carmelo Anthony curse.”
He’s not playing poorly, and he’s certainly an asset on paper, but this Rockets start is reminiscent of the Thunder’s start last year: they were stacked with stars, but struggled to find a rhythm early on.
Waiting on Jimmy Butler
The Rockets have recently made their way into the center of the Jimmy Butler trade drama, and it’s rumored that the Timberwolves will want four future-first-round picks–and shooting guard Eric Gordon.
Gordon was a 6th Man of the Year Award nominee last season and averaged close to 20 points per game off the bench for the Rockets. Not all players are affected by being in the conversation about potential trades mid-season, but maybe Eric Gordon has been. He’s had a few great games so far–he scored 21 against both the Pelicans and the Clippers–but his numbers haven’t yet reached last year’s standard.
Besides Gordon, the entire team could be affected by the possibility of Butler joining the team. It’s no excuse–NBA teams and the professional basketball players on them should be prepared for something like this at all times.
But regardless, they seem out of rhythm. Maybe they’re wondering where Butler would fit in.
Missing Trevor Ariza and Incorporating New Guys
GettyTrevor Ariza played for the Rockets last year.
Two key pieces of the defense are missing from last year: Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute. The two also contributed points on a consistent basis for the Rockets–Ariza averaged nearly 12 per game, Mbah a Moute nearly 8.
Sharpshooter Ryan Andersen is also playing for the Suns now after spending last year as a key piece of the Houston offense, and the Rockets seem to be struggling to fit the new guys into the gaps. Players like Michael Carter-Williams and Carmelo Anthony seem to be hard-pressed to find a flow in both the offense and the defense–the “team” at this point looks more like a hodgepodge of random players.
What Can Be Done?
Despite the rough start, the Rockets are still an immensely talented team with serious chances of going to The Finals. The main underlying issue could simply be chemistry–and once that comes, it’ll be tough to stop them.
But if they let the current issues implode them there is a possibility, however small, that they don’t bounce back. And that would be tragic for the would-be champions who are doing their best to capitalize on Chris Paul’s receding prime.
First, they have to get Harden and Paul on the floor together consistently. It’ll be hard to build team chemistry without being able to incorporate those two vital pieces on a nightly basis.
Second, they need to ride it out and not panic. It’s more likely than not that this talented team will iron out the kinks sooner rather than later, and Harden will be back by next week. From there they’ll be able to finally start building their season from the ground up.
If they let things get to them, though, there may be an open spot in the upper echelons of the Western Conference.
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Why Can’t the Rockets Win?