After unexpectedly losing Chandler Parsons to free agency, the Houston Rockets were supposed to take a step back from a season ago. They also lost Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik for nothing in their attempt to free up cap space to sign Chris Bosh, which ultimately failed when the power forward re-signed with the Miami Heat.
The Rockets did manage to sign Trevor Ariza to replace Parsons, though, and that move has helped them stay undefeated through the first six games, making them the best team in the entire league. Ariza has been shooting lights out from beyond the arc so far (55 percent on 6.7 attempts!), James Harden has raised his level of play as the only true playmaker on the roster, and Dwight Howard is shooting a career-high 62.5 percent from the field.
Still, they’re not the only undefeated team in the league. The Memphis Grizzlies are also undefeated at 5-0 and are in the same division. In fact, the Southwest Division is filled with terrific teams vying for a playoff spot in the West, as listed by reporter Rachel Nichols:
Southwest Division: Rockets, Grizz, Mavs, Spurs & Pelicans
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) November 7, 2014
Nichols wasn’t necessarily trying to say that the Rockets are the best or will continue to be the best in the division. Rather, she simply listed the teams in the order of their current ranks, perhaps emphasizing how good the competition is. Rockets general manager Daryl Morey decided to take it a different way and assumed that Nichols was saying that the Rockets are the best of the bunch in their division.
@Rachel__Nichols agree
— Daryl Morey (@dmorey) November 7, 2014
Naturally.
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