The Houston Rockets lost a lot of big pieces this summer and received very little in return. They added Jeremy Lin but lost Goran Dragic and Kyle Lowry.
Samuel Dalembert and Marcus Camby are no longer with the team, and gone also is Luis Scola, arguably the best player on the team.
The roster is young and full of potential, but the question is whether that translates to wins this season.
October/November List of Games
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October 31: @ Detroit Pistons
November 2: @ Atlanta Hawks
November 3: vs. Portland Trail Blazers Â
November 7: vs. Denver Nuggets Â
November 9: @Â Memphis Grizzlies Â
November 10: vs. Detroit Pistons Â
November 12: vs. Miami Heat Â
November 14: vs. New Orleans Hornets Â
November 16: @Â Portland Trail Blazers Â
November 18: @Â Los Angeles Lakers
November 19: @Â Utah Jazz Â
November 21: vs. Chicago Bulls Â
November 23: vs. New York Knicks Â
November 27: vs. Toronto Raptors Â
November 28: @ Oklahoma City Thunder Â
Key Games and Prediction
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
November 14 vs. New Orleans Hornets
Former teammates Terrence Jones and Anthony Davis square off after winning the national title just this past year. This should add some drama to an otherwise unexciting showdown.
November 23 vs. New York Knicks
Jeremy Lin faces his former team in front of his new fans. The Knicks are a legitimate playoff team, while the Rockets are coming off a lottery year, which just adds to an already intriguing game for the fans.
Final Record: 5-10
Wins: Trail Blazers, Nuggets, Hornets, Jazz, Raptors
Losses: Pistons (2), Hawks, Grizzlies, Heat, Trail Blazers, Lakers, Bulls, Knicks, Thunder.
Interesting Storylines
Bob Levey/Getty Images
Best One-On-One Matchup
Jeremy Lin against Steve Nash. Why? Well, last season Lin went off for 38 against the Lakers, and this time he will have Nash guarding him. The fans in LA will be going wild, and Nash should also put Lin's defense to the test, making sure he won't be too energized on offense.
Best-Case Scenario for October/November
They upset some playoff teams. Whether it's LA, New York, OKC, or Memphis doesn't matter. If they can steal a few wins away, they will have a good start.
Worst-Case Scenario for October/November
They show their inexperience away from home. Playing away is always tougher than playing in front of a friendly crowd, and since the Rockets are such a young team, playing away won't be easy. Should they lose more than four games away, they are going to have a terrible month.
This is a very young and unproven team, and their first month will be rough but will be a strong indicator of how the rest of the year should go.
December List of Games
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December 1: vs. Utah Jazz Â
December 4: vs. Los Angeles Lakers Â
December 7: @Â San Antonio Spurs Â
December 8: vs. Dallas Mavericks Â
December 10: vs. San Antonio Spurs Â
December 12: vs. Washington Wizards Â
December 14: vs. Boston Celtics Â
December 16: @ Toronto Raptors
December 17: @ New York Knicks
December 19: vs. Philadelphia 7th6ers Â
December 22: vs. Memphis Grizzlies Â
December 25: @ Chicago Bulls
December 26: @ Minnesota Timberwolves Â
December 28: @Â San Antonio Spurs Â
December 29: vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Â
December 31: vs. Atlanta HawksÂ
Key Games and Prediction
Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
December 17 @ New York Knicks
Linsanity is returning to New York. There is a chance that the crowd will be largely pro Houston here just because of Jeremy Lin. The Rockets have a chance at the upset here if they can take advantage of the crowd.
December 25 @ Chicago Bulls
Christmas Day games are always a nice opportunity to get the team some attention. If the Rockets have a good showing, they could see better TV ratings, which only helps the team.
Final Record: 6-10
Wins: Jazz, Lakers, Wizards, Knicks, Grizzlies, Bulls.
Losses: Spurs (3), Mavericks, Celtics, Raptors, Sixers, Timberwolves, Thunder, Hawks.
Interesting Storylines
Chris Trotman/Getty Images
Best One-On-One Matchup
Jeremy Lin and Jason Kidd. This is more for the drama than the actual skills. Kidd came to New York to mentor Lin, and now Lin is playing somewhere completely different. Look for Lin to have a big game against his former team in his former arena.
Best-Case Scenario for December
They can win the majority of their 10 home games. The Rockets should try to defend their arena just so the fans continue to show up and support them. If they start losing, fans will lose interest, and that makes the future home games tougher.
Worst-Case Scenario for December
They can't get an upset. There are a lot of powerhouse teams on the schedule in December, including three games against the Spurs. If Houston can't pull off some big wins, then this is going to be a very long month.
Not an easy month, and I guarantee you that no team wants to play the Spurs three times with two being away.
January List of Games
Chris Chambers/Getty Images
January 2: vs. New Orleans Hornets Â
January 4: @ Milwaukee Bucks Â
January 5: @ Cleveland Cavaliers
January 8: vs. Los Angeles Lakers Â
January 9: @ New Orleans Hornets Â
January 11: @ Boston Celtics
January 12: @ Philadelphia 7th6ers
January 15: vs. Los Angeles Clippers Â
January 16: @Â Dallas Mavericks Â
January 18: @ Indiana Pacers Â
January 19: @ Minnesota Timberwolves Â
January 21: @ Charlotte Bobcats
January 23: vs. Denver Nuggets
January 25: @ New Orleans Hornets Â
January 26: vs. Brooklyn Nets Â
January 28: @ Utah Jazz Â
January 30: @ Denver Nuggets Â
Key Games and Prediction
January 8 vs. Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers come to Houston, and the Rockets will look for an upset. Lin will be presented as a Laker killer, and the expectation will be that they can get the surprise win.
January 21 @ Charlotte Bobcats
It's a division game, and it's against the Bobcats. This should be an easy win and should tell just how good (or how bad) this Houston team is.
Final Record: 8-9
Wins: Hornets (3), Bucks, Cavaliers, Sixers, Bobcats, Nets.
Losses: Lakers, Celtics, Clippers, Mavericks, Pacers, Timberwolves, Nuggets (2), Nets.
Interesting Storylines
Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
Best One-On-One Matchup
Kobe Bryant and Kevin Martin are two great scorers, and chances are whoever wins this matchup wins the game. Martin has had some health problems in his career and because of this has gone under many people's radar. He is a top scorer when healthy, and this should be a better matchup than most expect.
Best-Case Scenario for January
They get through their 12 games away. This month will be a won on the road, and if they drop most of their games away, they drop the month.
Worst-Case Scenario for January
Drop games against lottery teams. This month is not that tough when it comes to the level of the opponents. Bobcats, Cavs, Bucks and Hornets are teams that need to be beat.
This will be a better month, and I see the Rockets getting some nice wins and not dropping the easy games.
February List of Games
Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
February 2: vs. Charlotte Bobcats
February 5: vs. Golden State Warriors
February 6: @ Miami Heat
February 8: vs. Portland Trail Blazers
February 10: @ Sacramento Kings Â
February 12: @ Golden State Warriors Â
February 13: @Â Los Angeles Clippers
February 20: vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Â
February 22: @ Brooklyn Nets
February 23: @ Washington Wizards Â
February 27: vs. Milwaukee Bucks Â
Key Games and Prediction
Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
February 6 @ Miami Heat
February is an important month for contenders, and Miami should be around the first seed at this point. One thing Miami does not want is a loss to the Rockets, and count on the Rockets going for the upset here.
February 20 vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
OKC is coming in fully expecting a win in Houston, but don't count on the Rockets being polite enough to provide it. This is a young group built for the future, and this will be their chance to show just how good they can be.
Finals Record: 5-6
Wins: Bobcats, Warriors, Nets, Wizards, Bucks.
Losses: Heat, Trailblazers, Kings, Warriors, Clippers, Thunder.
Interesting Storylines
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
Best One-On-One Matchup
Jeremy Lin is said to be overrated by some and the next great point guard by others. He will take on Chris Paul this month and will have a chance to show just how good he is. The Clippers will be looking to improve their seed, and Paul should be playing his best ball here.
Best-Case Scenario for February
They upset some contenders. Playoffs are a month and a half away, so it is possible they can steal one or two games this month considering how short it is.
Worst-Case Scenario for February
They lose the majority of their home games. They have five home games, and if they drop more than two this is not a good month. They play beatable teams and should be able to win four out of five.
Another pretty good month for the Rockets here. Their schedule has a lot of big breaks in it and some lottery teams to boost the win total.
March List of Games
Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
March 1: @ Orlando Magic Â
March 3: vs. Dallas Mavericks Â
March 6: @ Dallas Mavericks Â
March 8: @ Golden State Warriors
March 9: @ Phoenix Suns Â
March 13: vs. Phoenix Suns Â
March 15: vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
March 17: vs. Golden State Warriors Â
March 20: vs. Utah Jazz Â
March 22: vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Â
March 24: vs. San Antonio Spurs Â
March 27: vs. Indiana Pacers Â
March 29: @ Memphis Grizzlies Â
March 30: vs. Los Angeles Clippers Â
Key Games and Prediction
Christian Petersen/Getty Images
March 13 vs. Phoenix Suns
The Suns have Scola and Dragic on their roster this year and at this point might be aiming at the eighth seed. The fans could be nasty for this game, wanting to hurt the playoff chances of Dragic and Scola.Â
Final Record: 2-12
Wins: Magic, Cavaliers.
Losses: Mavericks (2), Warriors (2), Suns (2), Timberwolves, Jazz, Spurs, Pacers, Grizzlies, Clippers.
Interesting Storylines
Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Best One-On-One Matchup
Goran Dragic and Jeremy Lin square off twice this month. Who was the better point guard for Houston? Well, there is only one way to prove that, and both of these guys will make strong cases.
Best-Case Scenario for March
Beat Phoenix and Golden State. That's four wins right there against two below-average teams. They play half of the games at home, so this could be easier than it looks.
Worst-Case Scenario for March
They can't take advantage of their six game home stand. Six games in a row played at homeâ€"if they can't close at home, then this month will be very ugly.
This is going to be a very rough month. They play a lot of contenders looking for a better playoff position, and they won't be able to hold their own.
April List of Games
Harry How/Getty Images
April 1: vs. Orlando Magic Â
April 3: @ Sacramento Kings Â
April 5: @ Portland Trail Blazers Â
April 6: @ Denver Nuggets Â
April 9: vs. Phoenix Suns Â
April 12: vs. Memphis Grizzlies Â
April 14: vs. Sacramento Kings Â
April 15: @ Phoenix Suns Â
April 17: @ Los Angeles Lakers Â
Key Games and Prediction
Christian Petersen/Getty Images
April 12 vs. Memphis Grizzlies
The only goal the Rockets should have in April is play spoiler. Exactly what they are going to be doing here.
April 15 @ Phoenix Suns
Playing spoiler to a team that has some of your players on it is even better. They are also playing in Phoenix, which only makes this game more important.
Final Record: 4-5
Wins: Magic, Kings, Nuggets, Lakers.
Losses: Trail Blazers, Suns (2), Grizzlies, Kings.
Interesting Storylines
Bob Levey/Getty Images
Best One-On-One Matchup
Jeremy Lin and Goran Dragic in the penultimate game of the season. Two good point guards, one trying to make the playoffs, and the other trying to tally just a few more wins.
Best-Case Scenario for April
They hurt some of the lower-seeded teams. Chances are the Nuggets, Grizzlies and Suns are going to be hanging around the lower seeds in the West. Here is Houston's opportunity to knock one of them out of the playoffs.
Worst-Case Scenario for April
They start losing at the very end. The last few games of the season are very winnable. The Suns are not a great team, the Lakers will most likely rest their starters, and the Kings are a lottery team. This could easily be a three-game winning streak to end the season.
Okay ending to an otherwise very disappointing year.
Final Analysis
Bob Levey/Getty Images
Final Record: 30-52
The Rockets are going to have a rough year, but not bad enough that the fans lose hope. They will win some games and won't hit the very bottom.
This roster is very promising, and while this will be a year to forget, Houston can only go up from here.
Thank you for reading, and follow me on Twitter for sports talk!
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