3. Will a backup wing step up? Ever since the Rockets traded for Harden, Morey has been searching for a backup to cut into his minutes and ease his load. This summer, he pursued Mike Dunleavy, J.R. Smith, Corey Brewer and others but ended up with a vast array of minimum-salary players that could fill that role.
Ronnie Brewer and Reggie Williams are still relatively young, but both struggled in a big way last season. Francisco Garcia stepped up with major playoff minutes, but he is 32 and it’s not clear what he has left in the tank. Obviously, the Rockets would love to see someone step up and take the backup wing spot by the horns, but it seems more likely that they will have to fill in the gap with some creative lineups.
Garcia will likely see the bulk of the backup minutes at the wing spots – at least initially – but McHale could also go small with Lin and Beverley playing together in the backcourt. That lineup would not only allow the Rockets to give the talented Beverley more minutes, but it would reduce Harden’s minutes and present matchup issues for opposing sides.
4. Will Houston get to watch its NBA team? The Rockets and Astros, who partnered to create regional sports network CSN Houston, are still waiting to reap the benefits of what many believed would be a lucrative TV deal. With poor planning in the principal stages, the network is carried in less than half of Houston households, and customers with DirecTV, U-Verse, and Suddenlink are all in the dark.
With so much excitement over the Howard signing, there was hope that a deal would be reached to put the Rockets on Houston television screens. But there has been little movement since. The carriers have held firm on their demands to put CSN Houston on a sports tier, and nobody seems willing to blink. With less than two months to go before the season begins, the clock is ticking. 
5. Can Dwight Howard be a team player? This is the essential question facing the Rockets. They signed Howard without a worry in the world because they know how dominant and destructive he can be when he is on his game. Even in an injury-marred campaign with the Lakers, Howard still led the league in rebounding and carried the Lakers down the stretch, pushing them into the playoffs.
With his back and shoulder stronger and with a new team around him, there is hope that Howard can help push the Rockets into title contention. However, for him to do that, he is first going to have to buy into the Rockets’ way of doing things.
If Howard agrees to run the plays as they are called, to not complain if he doesn’t get as many post touches as he likes and runs the floor consistently, there is no reason why he cannot have an incredible season. But in the last 18 months, we’ve far too often seen the bad side of Howard that gets irritated easily and mopes when he isn’t happy.
The sky is the limit for this roster, but so much of their hopes rest atop Howard’s herculean shoulders. He certainly has the talent to bring the Rockets to contention, but will he? The Rockets can only hope at this point.
Patrick Harrel is a student at Princeton University and the managing editor of The Dream Shake, the SB Nation site covering the Houston Rockets. You can follow him on Twitter @patrickharrel
@Patrick Harrel
Re: Your statement, “he ( Jeremy LIn) led the Rockets down the stretch” last season? Are you kidding? That is more than a “stretch” of truth….that is a stretch of imagination!!!!
Thats Why I Know U Know Nothing About Rockets Basketball Patrick Herrell…The Rockets Are Putting The Best Shooters N The NBA to Be Surrounded Around D12 Fransico,Reggie,Caspi,Covington,Cannon,Lin,Parsons, Which MT surpize Alot Of Ppl Looks Like Nothing But Talent Never Mind The PF Position Which Is Like The PG position To win The Ring U Really Dont Need Per Eric Pincus All We Need Is A little Action From The PF Position Some Plays.. Greg Smith Is The Truth Weather Anaylst Want to believe it or not He Will Start At PF POSITION or TJones
Patrick Harrell Is A Nobody In Houston Aka Dream Shake & Knows nothing Astros/Rockets Owners Have Put $ into CSN Houston and R Still Putting Money In this deal..Instead of Reapping Benefits 60% Of Ppl in Houston Dont Have The Rockets/LAstros Channel CSN Houston Per Mayor Of Houston..Theirs No Way Dmorey Will Ever Go after JR Smith RT I Guess DreamShake Aka Patrick Didnt Notice Rockets Characthers guys.. JRsmith Would Fit Great W/lin,Harden,Asik/D12,Parsons NEVER..Plus TJones &DMoe At PF what About Greg Smith Who Is The Most Underratted Player Per Espnnba..Who Is Projected Starting PF..This Anaylst Knows nothing
Greg Smith will not be starting at PF. The problem with him is the same one with Asik, he can’t space the floor at all. If you’re willing to sacrifice spacing, you would go with the much better player in Asik and at least have a more talented defender on the floor.
Whats Funny Is Greg Smith Shot Above 50% Last Year Plus A Great Rebounder..W/Both DMoe & T Jones To Immature Sky s The Limit Even Though I Think TJones Is A Diamond In The Rough High Expectations The Only PF Who Makes Sense Is Greg Smith..Asik Is Good At Defense Not Offensive Both Greg Smith & TJones Are Better At Both Offensive &Defensive..Asik&D12 Will Be Good For Matchups like Zbo/marc ,Gasol/Kaman,Hibbert/West,Duncan/Splitter..But Those Statements Are For Asik To feel Comfortable Rockets Dont Want To Loose the Leader In Rebounds Last Year..Greg Smith Is The Best Fit At PF No ?
Just because you capitalize every word of every sentence it doesn’t make your statement right.