The Houston Rockets are heading into a very important season for the immediate future of the franchise, as Dwight Howard signed this offseason and the team feels that it is ready for a championship and one reason is due to the depth on the roster.
The team signed Marcus Camby in the offseason as well as Omri Casspi and with Omer Asik already on the roster after starting all 82 games last season, the team looks very strong in the front. According to Pro Basketball Talk, the team has high expectations for the tandem of Asik and Howard, while Camby will be used as more of a mentor and bench player, with coach Kevin McHale saying to Camby, who told the Houston Chronicle that he likely won't be playing every night so that he can stay healthy and ready through the season.
The Rockets are planning on a deep playoff run and if they do that, Camby will likely play an important part as one of the most experienced bench players the team has. Last season Camby played in just 24 games and the Rockets know that, so to keep him healthy and to keep his legs fresh, they will keep him on the bench in some games while playing him in limited minutes in other games. At age 39 he has plenty of experience and with the team also looking to play Asik and Howard together, they also can use Camby in different ways to maximize his talent and rebounding abilities.
McHale spoke to Camby about how he will be used this season and GM Daryl Morey added that they feel Camby is an integral player to the lineup and that he could help contribute to the team winning a championship. While he didn't play much last season, the Rockets feel that there is plenty more left in the tank for Camby and they also praised his basketball knowledge and how he can help the younger players on the team.
Last season the team won 45 games and ranked second in the league in scoring with 106 points per game, while the defense was pretty bad, allowing over 102 per game, ranked 28th in the league. Adding Howard and Camby and keeping Asik will definitely help that improve.
