The Houston Rockets better hope that 24-year old point guard Jeremy Lin is the real deal, because they gave him a lot of cash over the summer. Lin played in 35 games (25 starts) for the Rockets last year and he averaged 26.9 minutes, 14.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He has now played in 64 games (25 starts) in his first two years in the NBA and he is averaging 19.1 minutes, 9.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game. 26-year old Toney Douglas and 26-year old Shaun Livingston are going to duke it out for the backup job in training camp. Douglas played in 38 games (9 starts) for the Knicks last year and he averaged 17.3 minutes, 6.2 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. He has now played in 175 games (30 starts) in his first three years in the NBA and he is averaging 21.2 minutes, 9.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. Livingston played in 58 games (27 starts) for the Bucks last year and he averaged 18.8 minutes, 5.5 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. He has now played in 324 games (106 starts) in his first seven years in the NBA and he is averaging 22.6 minutes, 6.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. 24-year old Courtney Fortson is going to have a hard time making the Rockets’ roster in 2012-13. He played in 10 games (0 starts) for the Rockets and Clippers last year in which he averaged 9.5 minutes, 3.5 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE POINT GUARDS IN 2012-13: B-

The Rockets have signed 29-year old small forward Carlos Delfino. Delfino played in 54 games (53 starts) for the Bucks last year and he averaged 28.5 minutes, 9.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He has now played in 440 games (165 starts) in his first seven years in the NBA and he is averaging 22.5 minutes, 7.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. This was a great signing for the Rockets as Delfino will give all of the kids a good role model and he’s still a solid player.