The Houston Rockets went all in with 26-year old center Omer Asik, signing him to a huge contract over the summer. He will take over as the Rockets’ starting center from Day #1. He played in 66 games (2 starts) for the Bulls last year and he averaged 14.7 minutes, 3.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 1.0 blocked shot per game. Asik has now played in 148 games (2 starts) in his first two years in the NBA and he is averaging 13.2 minutes, 2.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. He is going to rebound and play defense really well for the Rockets this year, book it. 22-year old Donatas Motiejunas will be Asik’s top backup in 2012-13. He was a first round pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. He played in 51 games in Poland, VTB United League and Euroleague last year in which he averaged 27.3 minutes, 14.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.0 steal per game. He has a nice upside. 21-year old Greg Smith will be #3 in line at center for the Rockets if he makes the roster. He played in 8 games (0 starts) as a rookie for the Rockets last year and he averaged 8.6 minutes, 1.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CENTERS IN 2012-13: B

It appears that 23-year old Patrick Patterson will get his big shot to show what he can do in 2012-13. He played in 64 games (1 start) for the Rockets last year and he averaged 23.2 minutes, 7.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. Patterson has now played in 116 games (7 starts) in his first two years in the NBA and he is averaging 20.3 minutes, 7.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. 21-year old Royce White was a first round pick last June in the NBA Draft. He played in only one season for Iowa State in which he averaged 31.5 minutes, 13.4 points, 9.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.2 steals per game. White is afraid to fly, which will make his development fascinating to watch. He has a big time upside. 23-year old JaJuan Johnson, 25-year old Jon Brockman and 23-year old Marcus Morris will fight for P.T. behind Patterson and White. Johnson played in 36 games (0 starts) as a rookie for the Celtics last year and he averaged 8.3 minutes, 3.2 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game. Brockman played in 35 games (0 starts) for the Bucks last year and he averaged 6.8 minutes, 1.1 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. Brockman has now played in 150 games (10 starts) in his first three years in the NBA and he is averaging 10.5 minutes, 2.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. Marcus Moore was buried on the bench for the Rockets as a rookie last year. Moore played in 17 games (0 starts) for the Rockets last year and he averaged 7.4 minutes, 2.4 points, 0.9 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE POWER FORWARDS IN 2012-13: C

30-year old Carlos Delfino will likely be the starting small forward for the Houston Rockets when the 2012-13 season opens, but he will have to play well to keep the job. He 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. Delfino 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. 23-year old Chandler Parsons will likely be #2 in line at small forward for the Rockets in 2012-13. He played in 63 games (57 starts) for the Rockets as a rookie last year and he averaged 28.6 minutes, 9.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.2 steals per game. 20-year old rookie first round pick Terrence Jones will be the #3 small forward when this year begins, but he could be the starter at some point this year. Jones played in 76 games in his two years at Kentucky and he averaged 30.4 minutes, 14.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.8 blocked shots per game. He has a huge upside. 27-year old Gary Forbes is #4 in line at small forward for the Rockets. He played in 48 games (2 starts) for the Raptors last year and he averaged 14.9 minutes, 6.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Forbes has now played in 111 games (13 starts) in his first two years in the NBA and he is averaging 13.5 minutes, 5.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SMALL FORWARDS IN 2012-13: C-

29-year old Kevin Martin is going to have to hold off 20-year old, first round pick Jeremy Lamb for P.T. in 2012-13. Martin was in Kevin McHale’s Dog House quite a bit last season and that didn’t make much sense. Martin played in 40 games (all starts) for the Rockets last year and he averaged 31.6 minutes, 17.1 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He has now played in 475 games (387 starts) in his first 8 years in the NBA and he is averaging 31.3 minutes, 18.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. Jeremy Lamb played in 75 games in his two years at Connecticut and he averaged 32.1 minutes, 14.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.0 steal per game. Lamb has a high upside and he is going to push Martin for his starting job in training camp and during the season.

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

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-

If the season started today, 24-year old Jordan Hill would be the Rockets’ starting lineup. Hill played in 72 games (11 starts) for the Rockets last year and he averaged 15.6 minutes, 5.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. He has now played in 119 games (11 starts) in his first two years in the NBA and he is averaging 14.7 minutes, 5.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. 24-year old Hasheem Thabeet was a top five pick just three years ago, so he has a nice upside. He played in 47 games (0 starts) for the Grizzlies & Rockets last year and he averaged 7.9 minutes, 1.1 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game. Thabeet has now played in 115 games (13 starts) in his first two years in the NBA and he is averaging 10.9 minutes, 2.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game. 24-year old Marcus Cousin is #3 in line for the Rockets at center right now. He played in 4 games (0 starts) as a rookie for the Utah Jazz last year and he averaged 4.5 minutes, 1.0 point and 0.8 rebounds per game. 21-year old rookie, first round pick Donatas Motiejunas is going to stay in Poland to play out the rest of his season.

31-year old Luis Scola remains one of the best players on the Rockets. He played in 74 games (all starts) for the Rockets last year and he averaged 32.6 minutes, 18.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. Scola has now played in 320 games (277 starts) in his first four years with the Rockets and he is averaging 30.0 minutes, 14.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. Scola is a very efficient offensive player as he has made 51.5% of his shots from the floor so far in his NBA career. 22-year old Patrick Patterson has a pretty nice upside for the Rockets. He played in 52 games (6 starts) as a rookie last year for the Rockets and he averaged 16.7 minutes, 6.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. 23-year old rookie Chandler Parsons will be likely #3 in line at power forward for the Rockets in 2011-12. He was a second round pick out of Florida in last June’s NBA Draft.

23-year old Chase Budinger moved into the starting lineup at small forward for the Rockets after they dealt Shane Battier to the Grizzlies at the trade deadline last year. He played decent ball and he’s going to have to keep it up to hold off first round pick Marcus Moore for P.T. Budinger played in 78 games (22 starts) for the Rockets last year and he averaged 22.3 minutes, 9.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. He has now played in 152 games (26 starts) in his first two years in the NBA and he is averaging 21.2 minutes, 9.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. 21-year old rookie Marcus Moore came to the Rockets in the 1st round of the NBA Draft last June. He has a really solid upside and he is going to be pushing Budinger for P.T. right away. 24-year old Terrence Williams has a lot of talent but the light has yet to go on over his head. Williams played in 21 games (0 starts) for the Nets & Rockets last year and he averaged 13.8 minutes, 5.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. He has now played in 99 games (9 starts) in his first two years in the NBA and he is averaging 20.7 minutes, 7.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. 28-year old Mike Harris is also around. He played in 4 games (0 starts) for the Rockets last year and he averaged 4.0 minutes, 2.0 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. Harris has now played in 34 games (0 starts) in his first three years in the NBA and he is averaging 8.0 minutes, 2.0 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.

The Rockets are going to get a lot of points from their shooting guards in 2011-12. 28-year old Kevin Martin is a pure offensive player. He played in 80 games (all starts) for the Rockets last year and he averaged 32.5 minutes, 23.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game. Martin has now played in 435 games (347 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 31.2 minutes, 18.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steal per game. Look for him to have another big year for the Rockets in 2011-12. 26-year old Courtney Lee is a very solid backup who can also fill in at small forward if needed. Lee played in 81 games (1 start) for the Rockets last year and he averaged 21.3 minutes, 8.3 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. He has now played in 229 games (109 starts) in his first three years in the NBA and he is averaging 26.4 minutes, 9.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 steal per game.

The Rockets boast a lot of quality depth at point guard, as they are three deep with potential starters. 25-year old Kyle Lowry will be the starter for the Rockets once again this year. He played in 75 games (71 starts) for the Rockets last year and he averaged 34.2 minutes, 13.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Lowry has now played in 312 games (101 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 26.1 minutes, 9.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He has a nice upside offensively and he’s a really good defensive player. 25-year old Goran Dragic is back for the Rockets. He played in 70 games (5 starts) for the Rockets & Suns last year and he averaged 17.6 minutes, 7.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. Dragic has now played in 205 games (8 starts) in his first three years in the NBA and he is averaging 16.6 minutes, 6.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. 22-year old Jonny Flynn played in 53 games (8 starts) for the Timberwolves last year and he averaged 18.5 minutes, 5.3 points, 1.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. He has now played in 134 games (89 starts) in his first two years in the NBA and he is averaging 24.8 minutes, 10.2 points, 2.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. The Rockets are absolutely loaded at the point for the 2011-12 season.