Will Rockets learn anything from joke of season?

Do not mourn for this Houston Rockets season. The season was already over for months, and it does not deserve your tears.

Houston was eliminated in five games by the Golden State Warriors Wednesday night. The Warriors had Stephen Curry for exactly two halves spread across the five games. Golden State was missing its best player, the reigning and presumptive MVP, and they went 4-1. They lost one game without Curry. That’s it. That speaks to Golden State’s resolve and skill, to their chemistry and ability. It also illustrates how spectacularly pitiful Houston is. The Rockets didn’t just lose to the Warriors, they were blown out by 66 points over 202 minutes with Curry on the bench in this series. That’s a 15.7-point loss per 48 minutes with Curry unable to play.

The way the Rockets — a team that was projected as a Western Conference contender after their Conference Finals run last year — spiraled downhill wasn’t stunning to anyone. In fact, no one was surprised things ended this way. You could see this coming. The Rockets, after all, lost to the Warriors on New Year’s Eve — without Curry. But the problems went back much further.

Houston wasn’t right from start. Much of the Rockets’ season has been made into a referendum on analytics, given the team’s construction under Daryl Morey. That’s patently absurd, given the role that analytics play in almost every team, from Boston to San Antonio to Golden State to Dallas. However, the problems with Houston this year weren’t things that could be solved from plus-minus or effective field goal percentage.

To be sure, the Rockets’ supporting cast slid back this season, then slid further, and then off a cliff. Corey Brewer shot 38 percent from the field, 27 percent from 3-point range. The Rockets sent a first-round pick to Denver for Ty Lawson, who shot 39 percent in just 53 games for Houston before being bought out. Trevor Ariza 42 percent, and Patrick Beverley 43 percent.

Ariza and Beverley didn’t make as much of an individual impact defensively. Brewer struggled in transition, ranking in the 49th percentile in an area that has always been his strength. Dwight Howard never found a role on offense or defense. The Rockets’ supporting cast got worse this year on the court. Of that, there can be no question.

The problem, though, was much worse.

In November, after the Rockets dropped to 4-4 …

continue reading in source www.cbssports.com