With training camp around the corner, it'll be very interesting to see who emerges from the ashes of what I'm sure will be a very competitive Houston Rocket's camp. If you go to Houston's Player Page you can see that the Rocket's have a staggering 22 players, including 11 guards:
Rafer Alston
Aaron Brooks
Steve Francis
Luther Head
Mike James
John Lucas III
Tracy McGrady
Brad Newley
Kirk Snyder
Bob Sura
Bonzi Wells
Many of these are point guards as well. So obviously there's increasing pressure on the borderline players like Luther Head, Kirk Snyder, Rafer Alston etc. I'm going to try and make the list include 3 players from every position, though that's not always how teams see it. Usually that 3rd player in every position is rarely used, and thus not a big part of what the team is doing. Now in order to whittle this list down we have to identify the players that will most likely be cut/shipped off. First off, Brad Newley will most likely go back to his home country, Australia, which is probably a good thing seeing as he's not ready for the NBA yet, let alone a team like Houston with such a thick guard glut. Next we can cut Bob Sura, as it's been apparent that he won't be making any sort of impact due to his unfortunate injuries, and will probably retire or be traded. Rockets management has made it clear that John Lucas III will probably be shipped out, as their newly acquired Aaron Brooks has a much higher ceiling and is basically the same type of player. These cuts bring our list to 8:
Rafer Alston
Aaron Brooks
Steve Francis
Luther Head
Mike James
Tracy McGrady*
Kirk Snyder*
Bonzi Wells*
I've taken the liberty of staring the guards that can also slide over to the 3 spot and back up Shane Battier. Now unfortunately, every player above those starred guards is either undersized or a point guard. However, all of them are very skilled, so it should be very competitive. In my opinion, it looks like Steve Francis is the popular choice to start at PG. Obviously, Mike James would back him up from there. The problem is, Rafer Alston and Aaron Brooks are pure point guards, and this doesn't leave much room for them. I believe Rafer would have to take the 3rd spot, which would probably send Brooks out. At the 2 spot we obviously have Tracy McGrady starting, as that's where he spend all his time last year. Behind him I'm have to put Luther Head, as the Rockets just picked up the 4th year option on him, and obviously have him in their plans. Kirk Snyder would probably go behind him, and I'd put Bonzi behind Battier, however the 3 isn't really the natural position for bonzi, and probably wouldn't be utilizing him as well as the Rockets could. This brings this depth chart to this:
PG: Steve Francis/Mike James/Rafer Alston
SG: Tracy McGrady/Luther Head/Kirk Snyder
SF: Shane Battier/Bonzi Wells/Mike Harris?
Still, this roster doesn't sit well with me. So I'm proposing a different approach. I believe the Rockets should slide McGrady over to the 3 again, which would put Battier on the bench, and move Francis over to the 2, opening up the PG position. This could allow a player like Aaron Brooks to be included on the Roster. With all the appropriate changes being made, the roster then looks like this.
PG: Mike James/Rafer Alston/Aaron Brooks*
SG: Steve Francis/Bonzi Wells/Luther Head
SF: Tracy McGrady/Shane Battier/Kirk Snyder*
PF: Luis Scola/Chuck Hayes/Steve Novak
C: Yao Ming/Dekembe Mutombo/Jakie Butler*
Obviously I've included the remainder of the the frontcourt, thus completing the roster. I've starred the players that I believe will be on the "Inactive List" with Aaron Brooks probably going down to the D-League. I've also given the starting nod to Scola, because I believe he gives us needed size down there and brings a competitive fire and poise that Hayes just can't provide. Hayes still holds a very key role as he proved last year he could be a legitimate starter in the NBA. I also put Novak on the top 12, as I believe his hard work this summer and his play style should be very appealing to a coach like Rick Adelman.
This list leaves out some players like Carl Laundry, Justin Reed, Mike Harris, Brad Newley and Jake Tsakalidis. Carl Laundry was a second round pick for a reason. Justin Reed doesn't have a place on this roster, especially considering his recent trouble with the law. Mike Harris is a borderline NBA player anyway, and will crack the roster only if something significant happens to a player like Kirk Snyder. Brad Newley already said that he wants to go back to Australia, and Jake Tsakalidis became a free agent.
So there you have it, my projected 15 players that make the cut. Man, that second squad could take on some of the lower tier teams by themselves! The Rockets look deep this year, and the preseason should help us all sort out just how deep they are.
Rafer Alston
Aaron Brooks
Steve Francis
Luther Head
Mike James
John Lucas III
Tracy McGrady
Brad Newley
Kirk Snyder
Bob Sura
Bonzi Wells
Many of these are point guards as well. So obviously there's increasing pressure on the borderline players like Luther Head, Kirk Snyder, Rafer Alston etc. I'm going to try and make the list include 3 players from every position, though that's not always how teams see it. Usually that 3rd player in every position is rarely used, and thus not a big part of what the team is doing. Now in order to whittle this list down we have to identify the players that will most likely be cut/shipped off. First off, Brad Newley will most likely go back to his home country, Australia, which is probably a good thing seeing as he's not ready for the NBA yet, let alone a team like Houston with such a thick guard glut. Next we can cut Bob Sura, as it's been apparent that he won't be making any sort of impact due to his unfortunate injuries, and will probably retire or be traded. Rockets management has made it clear that John Lucas III will probably be shipped out, as their newly acquired Aaron Brooks has a much higher ceiling and is basically the same type of player. These cuts bring our list to 8:
Rafer Alston
Aaron Brooks
Steve Francis
Luther Head
Mike James
Tracy McGrady*
Kirk Snyder*
Bonzi Wells*
I've taken the liberty of staring the guards that can also slide over to the 3 spot and back up Shane Battier. Now unfortunately, every player above those starred guards is either undersized or a point guard. However, all of them are very skilled, so it should be very competitive. In my opinion, it looks like Steve Francis is the popular choice to start at PG. Obviously, Mike James would back him up from there. The problem is, Rafer Alston and Aaron Brooks are pure point guards, and this doesn't leave much room for them. I believe Rafer would have to take the 3rd spot, which would probably send Brooks out. At the 2 spot we obviously have Tracy McGrady starting, as that's where he spend all his time last year. Behind him I'm have to put Luther Head, as the Rockets just picked up the 4th year option on him, and obviously have him in their plans. Kirk Snyder would probably go behind him, and I'd put Bonzi behind Battier, however the 3 isn't really the natural position for bonzi, and probably wouldn't be utilizing him as well as the Rockets could. This brings this depth chart to this:
PG: Steve Francis/Mike James/Rafer Alston
SG: Tracy McGrady/Luther Head/Kirk Snyder
SF: Shane Battier/Bonzi Wells/Mike Harris?
Still, this roster doesn't sit well with me. So I'm proposing a different approach. I believe the Rockets should slide McGrady over to the 3 again, which would put Battier on the bench, and move Francis over to the 2, opening up the PG position. This could allow a player like Aaron Brooks to be included on the Roster. With all the appropriate changes being made, the roster then looks like this.
PG: Mike James/Rafer Alston/Aaron Brooks*
SG: Steve Francis/Bonzi Wells/Luther Head
SF: Tracy McGrady/Shane Battier/Kirk Snyder*
PF: Luis Scola/Chuck Hayes/Steve Novak
C: Yao Ming/Dekembe Mutombo/Jakie Butler*
Obviously I've included the remainder of the the frontcourt, thus completing the roster. I've starred the players that I believe will be on the "Inactive List" with Aaron Brooks probably going down to the D-League. I've also given the starting nod to Scola, because I believe he gives us needed size down there and brings a competitive fire and poise that Hayes just can't provide. Hayes still holds a very key role as he proved last year he could be a legitimate starter in the NBA. I also put Novak on the top 12, as I believe his hard work this summer and his play style should be very appealing to a coach like Rick Adelman.
This list leaves out some players like Carl Laundry, Justin Reed, Mike Harris, Brad Newley and Jake Tsakalidis. Carl Laundry was a second round pick for a reason. Justin Reed doesn't have a place on this roster, especially considering his recent trouble with the law. Mike Harris is a borderline NBA player anyway, and will crack the roster only if something significant happens to a player like Kirk Snyder. Brad Newley already said that he wants to go back to Australia, and Jake Tsakalidis became a free agent.
So there you have it, my projected 15 players that make the cut. Man, that second squad could take on some of the lower tier teams by themselves! The Rockets look deep this year, and the preseason should help us all sort out just how deep they are.
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