Bringing Back Novak

After a slightly extended off-season summer of heartbreak-recovery after the Lakers series, we're finally ready to resume posting. And if you're thinking that it didn't take this long for us to get emotionally ready to post again instead we just got lazy and realized that we should probably starting writing again since our season's started, you're damn right. And, per the usual, when I say "we" I really mean "me," so just try and keep that in mind. I had a lengthy season preview planned out in which I would reference the lyrics to Beatles songs and talk about how they related to our season, but, again, that's a lot of work. I had actually gotten about halfway through when I realized it was much more effort than Billy or I were capabale of putting in, so instead of an articulate, well-prepared preview you're going to get whatever I can think of in the next 15 minutes.

I guess it actually is kind of fitting that I'm not writing a researched preview of the Rockets this year because, as every sportswriter who talks about the Rockets will be quick to point out, all bets are off for this season. And if you manage to overlook my flismy justification for not writing a worthwhile article, you'll see that what I just said actually makes sense. On one hand you have nearly everyone writing us off before the year starts, (get it, writing is a pun because they're writers) but on the other hand, you and I and anyone else who's watched this team knows to never, ever, ever count us out, regardless of the situation, regardless of how stacked against us the odds might seem, and, most importantly, regardless of how overmatched the twelve guys we're putting on the floor every night might look on paper. If there's one thing about this team that we know, it's that we will fight. We'll also be undersized, undermanned and under-talented most of the nights that we're doing the aforementioned fighting, but we'll be fighting nonetheless.

We still have Luis Scola, a double-double machine when he's the third option on a team and 20-10 threat since he's now our go-to guy. We still have Aaron Brooks, who, despite his limitations as a pure point guard, can beat anyone off the dribble and score with the best of them (Pictured:them). We've still got Battier, we've still got Landry and we've still got Hayes. Deke is still with us in spirit, and, the man that makes this team the slightly dangerous and even more interesting, Tracy Mcgrady, is reportedly coming along as planned and will hopefully be ready to resume practicing by Sunday. In case anyone's forotten, Mcgrady is one of the best players in the NBA when healthy and is entirely capable of putting a team on his back for a year. Granted, his back will probably spasm on and off over the course of that year and he'll probably require some sort of offseason surgery afterwards, but that's irrevelant. [In an entirely unrelated note, while I was looking for that Top Ten article I saw something about the WNBA Finals currently going on. I don't know what it says about you when people find out about your league's championships while searching through blog archives, but I'm sure it says something.] Anyways, we also have an NBA-ready rookie in Chase Budinger who's only going to improve as the season goes along. And, lest anyone forget, we are still blessed with Joey "Tarzan" Dorsey, who I've become quite the fan of after he autographed my shirt. So I guess that brings the Joey "Tarzan" Dorsey Fan Count up to one.

I'm not saying we're going to win our division and I'm not saying we're going to the playoffs, I'm just saying we're not going to roll over this year and wish May would hurry up and arrive. I've watched the Grizzlies and Clippers play last year and I can promise you that will not be the Houston Rockets. There will never be nights when we look like we don't want to play basketball, there will never be games in which we don't pour our collective hearts out for 48 minutes, there will never be moments in which as fans we aren't proud-as-hell of this team. I've seen the Rockets overcome adversity before, and I'm sure I'll see them do it again. I know better than to count this team out, and while I'm not getting my hopes up, I'm definitely not hopeless. All I ask of you is to give this team a chance. Cheer for them like you would if Yao and T-Mac were healthy to start the year, follow them like you think we're winning it all, if nothing else just because you damn well know that we deserve it. I'm looking forward to another year of writing and following the Rockets and I hope that you guys are too.

And if you're feeling a little more than slightly unsatisfied by this poor excuse for a preview, we are going to be doing a "Meet Your Rockets" series after the final roster comes out. I'm not promising that it'll be any good, I'm just promising that it'll be there.

Finally, as always, go Rockets.