The Rockets just wrapped up a four game trip, so we figured that now would be as good a time as any to kind of take an inventory on the season. A State of Rick Adelman's Union, if you will.
After finishing 1-3 and the quick roadie, the Rockets are now 23-28, five games under .500, but more importantly, four games behind the Portland Trail Blazers for the eighth spot in the Western Conference. Hardly an enviable position, but not one that should cause the fans, or the Rockets themselves, to panic. At least that's what Adelman thinks, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.
"I don't see how you can do that as a team if you are trying to accomplish something," Adelman said. "There's 30 games to go. You need to get on a winning streak. The only way to do that is to go out and play. You can't start bemoaning the fact that you lost some games.
"We knew this was going to be a tough trip, and we lost two (games) we were right in."
There are currently three teams that separate the Rockets from the final spot in the playoffs and all of them have faults. It will be difficult to pass Phoenix, Memphis and ultimately Portland, but none of those teams are good enough to write off a playoff appearance for the Rockets. They just need to get back to their winning ways now that they are back home.
Something that will help that chase significantly is if they can get healthy; Yao Ming notwithstanding. Jordan Hill suffered an ankle injury on Tuesday and Feigen is reporting that he will re-evaluated on Friday. Brad Miller has missed the last 14 days with a sore right knee. The athletic trainer is saying that he is day-to-day, but a target return date has not been set. Which says to me that it could still be a while before we see him back on the court.