For the third consecutive season, the Houston Rockets are going to miss the playoffs.
Perhaps this season that might be a positive outcome for the team because they now have the potential to land three first-round draft picks. Those picks will certainly help Houston turn things around next season.
But until that happens, the Rockets will be on the outside looking in once again and there are several reasons to blame for this unceremonious season, from injuries and nixed trades to the inability to escape from mediocrity.
Here are five reasons why the Houston Rockets will not be playing in this year's playoffs.Â
Yao Ming Retirement
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After missing the entire 2009-10 season and playing in just five games in 2010-11, Yao Ming decided to call it quits this past summer.
Houston's absence from the 2010 and 2011 playoffs can be attributed to Yao's injuries and the Rockets inaction in terms of acquiring a solid, healthy center to take the place of the injury prone Chinese superstar.
General Manager Daryl Morey never even considered addressing the lack of depth at the center position until Yao actually retired and the Rockets suffered because of it.
Unable to get big down low, the Rockets acquired the aging Marcus Camby at the trading deadline but it proved to be too little, too late.Â
Nixed Pau Gasol Trade
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The Houston Rockets actually almost got an elite big right before the season as part of the Chris Paul trade.
The New Orleans Hornets were to send Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers and the Lakers were then going to send Pau Gasol to the Rockets.
Unfortunately for Houston, commissioner David Stern nixed the deal, thus keeping Gasol in a Lakers uniform and the Rockets without a dependable big man.Â
Pau Gasol's athleticism down low and finesse mid-range game would have made the Rockets a tougher team to play against. He would've thrived playing with a high-profile point guard like Kyle Lowry. There's no doubt that the Rockets would've made the playoffs with Gasol.Â
New Coach, Condensed Schedule
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Although every team in the NBA experienced a condensed schedule, not every team had a new coach to work with.Â
This was Kevin McHale's second stint as a head coach and because of the shortened training camp and extremely limited preparation time, the Houston Rockets failed to hone their game as the season went on.
They failed to close games, they were inconsistent throughout the season, and they failed to establish any sort of momentum.Â
If McHale had more time to work with his team and there was more chemistry between the coach and his players, perhaps the Rockets would've been more confident in their abilities late in games and during downturns during the season.Â
Season Marred by Mediocrity
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If there is one thing that the Houston Rockets excelled mightily in during the 2011-12 season was being mediocre.
It's fitting that the team has a chance of finishing 33-33 during the season.Â
First of all, the team doesn't have a single star. At the same time, they have a bunch of hard working guys that know how to play and contribute. They're essentially a bunch of B-minus or C-plus players. In other words, they're mediocre on paper.
This notion was demonstrated by their play on the court.
Long winning streak were followed by lengthy losing skids. The team failed to find rhythm.
They were a middle of the pack team in almost every important statistical category. The team was No. 9 in points scored, No. 16 in rebounding, No. 13 in field goal percentage, No. 10 in three-point shooting, No. 17 in steals, No. 19 in points allowed, and No. 24 in opponents' field goal percentage.
Their offense was a bit superior to their defense, but nothing was excellent and nothing was poor. Everything was average.
And quite frankly, average is not good enough in the Western Conference.Â
Decline of Kevin Martin
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Last season, Kevin Martin averaged over 23 points per game, shot 38 percent from downtown, and 43 percent from the field.
He was slowly turning into the team's best offensive option and the Houston Rockets were ready to build their future around him.
This season, Martin took a major step back and regressed mightily. He only averaged 17 points per game, and his three-point and field goal shooting percentages both dropped. His player efficiency rating hovered just above 16, which is pretty much average.
Martin was later injured in the middle of March and has yet to play since then.
It's never okay for a team's best player to be "just average." The Rockets relied on Martin to lead the team and set the tone, but he failed to rise to the occasion and now the Rockets must look at different options for the future.
Now they did get some solid contributions from Goran Dragic, Courtney Lee, and Chandler Parsons, but at the end of the day, Martin failed to stay healthy and live up to his expectations in order to lead the Rockets to the playoffs.Â
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