3...2...1 Takeoff, Rockets Win 6 Straight

The first thing I noticed from Macklin's predictable selection of McGee/Wall about 3 rounds too early was the dunk by McGee.  Granted the dunk made it to YouTube, but what I noticed first was the scoreboard.  Wall and McGee can throw up highlight dunks all day and win 10 games this season.  However, the Rockets were the ones winning that game.  They were the ones that went on to win.

The Rockets have cranked out 6 straight wins with a team that is highly balanced with a surprise rookie starter and the resurgence of the highly efficient Samuel Dalembert.  (If you are one of the three people who actually read this blog, please ignore my Dalembert rant earlier this year.)  The good news for the Rockets are who has helped to hold this team up.

Kyle Lowry is currently 17th in the NBA in John Hollinger's PER stat for Player Efficiency.  He continues to lead the team with scoring, passing, and even rebounding.  As mentioned before, Samuel Dalembert has also contributed on the offensive end with a PER of 21.82, making him the 24th most efficient player in the NBA.  In case you are wondering who is right behind him?  Blake Griffen and Marc Gasol.  Pau Gasol is currently 50th.   Currently only 4 teams have 2 players in the top 25 of PER.  The best team in the west, OKC, actually has three.

The Rockets are also getting a big contribution from Chandler Parsons.  Parsons a 2nd round pick out of Florida has contributed in a similar way as Lowry.  He seems to touch every aspect of the stat sheet.  While he doesn't throw up huge numbers its his knowledge of the game that seems to be the most exciting part about the young player.  It doesn't hurt that he throws up the occasional highlight dunk.

Ultimately, the Rockets could start being a difficult team to handle if they can get the performance they are used to from both Scola and Martin.  Martin has been coming on lately and has a lot to do with the Rockets winning these past 6 games.  Scola on the other hand can't seem to piece it all together this year.  With a logjam at power forward for Houston and little defensive support from Scola, it might be time for the Rockets to consider moving Scola.  There are a number of teams that would be interested in adding a stretch 4 to the roster.  I think the Rockets could get a late 1st round pick for the addition.

If the Rockets can keep getting good support off the bench (not terribly surprising considering their stockpile of deep talent) and added improvement by Kevin Martin and Scola, it wouldn't be terribly surprising to see this team take as high as the 5th playoff spot.