Carter's 2008-'09 NBA Season Preview: Houston Rockets

In the deep end of the pool that is the Western Conference, the Rockets have spent the last few seasons doing little more than treading water. Not anymore. Houston made a huge splash in the offseason by trading for Ron Artest. Before that move, the Rockets were good but could hardly be considered legitimate contenders for the Western Conference crown. The flip side was that they were not anywhere near bad enough to fall completely out of the picture and get a jolt of young talent from the Lottery. With the addition of Artest, which cost them next to nothing, the Rockets are right there with the Lakers, New Orleans, Utah, and San Antonio as title contenders.   Frontcourt The simplified scouting report on Yao Ming entering the 2002 NBA Draft was pretty simple to digest—“the Chinese Bill Walton.” That thumbnail sketch referred to Yao’s incredible all-around skill set, which included shooting, rebounding, and passing—and included in the latter talent was a ... (link)