Houston Rockets: Current Player Profiles

Houston Rockets: Lineup

From superstar Tracy McGrady to rookies on the rise Carl Landry and Luis Scola, the Houston Rockets basketball team has one of the most talented lineups and deepest benches in the NBA. After adjusting to head coach Rick Adelman’s new offense, struggling with injuries to Tracy McGrady in the beginning of the 2007-08 season, and suffering from shooting woes during the middle of the season, the Houston Rockets managed to reel off a record-setting 22-game win streak to pull the Houston Rockets out of the Western-Conference cellars and back into the thick of the Western Conference Playoff race. Now, fans in the city of Houston are buzzing about the return to Clutch City while waiting for their chance to order Houston Rockets playoff tickets once again.  

Houston Rockets: Guards

The Houston Rockets basketball team signed a bevy of guards in the off season, including first-round draft pick Aaron Brooks as well as former Houston Rockets players Steve Francis and Mike James to join superstar Tracy McGrady, Rafer Alston, Luther Head, and Bonzi Wells in the backcourt rotation. After a mid-season trade, the Houston Rockets sent Bonzi Wells and seldom-used Mike James to the New Orleans Hornets in exchange for veteran point guard Bobby Jackson. The Houston Rockets team captain and superstar Tracy McGrady – also known as T-Mac – has made the playoffs in six of his 10 NBA seasons but has yet to advance past the first round of the playoffs. Making the playoffs in a stacked Western Conference is the first hurdle for the Houston Rockets, since the first seed and the eighth seed are separated by just a few games. Shouldering the offensive load without the injured Yao Ming has been another hurdle for Tracy McGrady, but Houston Rockets basketball fans know that Tracy McGrady is out to silence and prove sports writers and critics wrong in 2008 when he leads the Houston Rockets to second-round success and beyond. Point guard Rafer Alston – also known as Skip to My Lou – has made four trips to the playoffs, advancing to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals with the Miami Heat before falling to the Indiana Pacers in six games. Bobby “Action” Jackson has had seven trips to the playoffs, making it to the 2002-03 Western Conference Finals but losing in seven games to the Los Angeles Lakers. In eight seasons in the NBA, Steve Francis – out with an injury – has one year of playoff experience, which was with the Houston Rockets back in 2003-2004 when the Houston Rockets fell to Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers in Round 1.

Houston Rockets: Forwards

The Houston Rockets basketball team strengthened their frontcourt during the off season adding more prolific scoring, with rookies Luis Scola and Carl Landry joining the more defensive-minded Chuck Hayes and Shane Battier and sharp-shooter Steve Novak on the Houston Rockets roster. The Houston Rockets frontcourt will be under the microscope during the 2008 playoffs since the Houston Rockets’ biggest weakness (without Yao Ming) is lack of size and dominant big men. Shane Battier has made four trips to the playoffs – three times with the Memphis Grizzlies and once with the Houston Rockets – but has not advanced past the first round of the playoffs, and neither has Chuck Hayes.

Houston Rockets: Centers

Before suffering a season-ending foot injury during the midst of the record-setting win streak, Yao Ming was on pace to an MVP-caliber year, averaging 22 points, nearly 11 rebounds, two blocks, and an 85 percent free-throw percentage. While critics left the Houston Rockets basketball team for dead after losing Yao Ming, the Houston Rockets turned to defensive enforcer, Dikembe Mutombo, to help dominate in the middle. Dikembe Mutombo, set to retire after the 2008 season, is in his 17th season with 11 trips to the playoffs under his belt. Dikembe Mutombo definitely has the most NBA Playoff experience, making it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals with the Philadelphia 76ers before losing in five games to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Houston Rockets: Coach

In his first season as head coach of the Houston Rockets, Rick Adelman brought his motion offense, utilizing two of the NBA’s biggest superstars – Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming. Even with Yao Ming out for the season, the Houston Rockets have learned Rick Adelman’s system well enough to score another 50-plus win season and hopefully advance past the first round of the playoffs. Since 1988, Coach Rick Adelman has taken his team to the playoffs 14 times – six times with the Portland Trailblazers and eight times with the Sacramento Kings. In total, Rick Adelman has coached 138 playoff games for an overall 70-68 playoff record.

Houston Rockets: Playoffs

Houston Rockets tickets are flying out of the box office as the Houston Rockets schedule winds down. As the 2007-2008 Houston Rockets basketball team heads toward the playoffs, Clutch City fans won’t want to miss out on owning Houston Rockets playoff tickets. Whether the Houston Rockets get home-court advantage inside the Houston Rockets arena – Toyota Center – or start their Round 1 series on the road, there won’t be a shortage of excitement thanks to a formidable Houston Rockets lineup of players.