Ulrich, no where did I say "it doesn't matter who else is on the roster." That's ridiculous.
I understand you are in the "wait and see" camp before calling the Rockets contenders. That's fine. The problem with that stance is that you don't know what any team will look like, not just the Rockets. You don't know how guys coming off injuries will look, like Westbrook. So should OKC not be considered a contender until we see him on the court? Not to mention their lack of scoring off the bench. And you don't know how players like Manu and Duncan will age. Time catches all people. Is SA not a contender until we see how those guys look and how many minutes they can handle? Was Miami "not a contender" 3 years ago when they first put that group together?
Houston was 10th in points/possession last year when Asik was on the court. Now he's being replaced by one of the best defensive players in the league, and Asik will hold down the second team defense. Plus Howard is vastly better than Asik offensively, and the Rockets already have a very good offense. So yes, I have no problem calling them contenders, but never did I say the roster as a whole doesn't matter.
