Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey is feeling bullish about his team’s chances to contend for an NBA title this season, and he cited the reigning champions as a reason why.
Morey wants to use the Golden State Warriors’ run to the title as a blueprint for this year’s Rockets team, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle:
“You go back a year and look at Golden State,” Morey said. “They pretty much brought their same group back, plus a point guard, Shaun Livingston. They weren’t the favorites of a lot of people. They came together quickly. They had a great season. A lot of their improvement was just in everyone being together for another year.
“That plus (the addition of) Ty (Lawson) and good health are the main areas for us.”
“This is the first time I feel like, without any changes, we’re good enough to win it,” he said.
Morey is clearly feeling bullish about Houston’s chances, and he’s banking on improved health and cohesion to make it happen. He obviously thinks a big part of Golden State’s run was the familiarity and chemistry their players had from playing together for a while, and thinks his team is in position to replicate that this season. The Rockets brought in a lot of players before last season, but as Morey says, Lawson is their only major addition this year. Houston won’t have to worry about bedding in a bunch of new players. They’ll also hope for fewer injuries as well.
The Rockets certainly have a lot of talent, led by James Harden and Dwight Howard, and there’s no doubt they have the tools to make a deep run. That said, in a conference that includes the champion Warriors, the San Antonio Spurs, a healthy Oklahoma City Thunder team, and the Los Angeles Clippers, even getting out of the West is a very big task.
H/T CBS Sports
