Down, up, down, up, and back again.  It was a season of peaks and valleys for the Houston Rockets, filled with stirring triumphs and crushing disappointments.  Through it all, the Rockets persevered, finishing with a winning record: 42-40.

Houston closed out the season winning eight of their last 11 games, but finished with a loss at home to the sub-.500 New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday.  It was a fitting end for a team that proved wildly unpredictable from game to game.  The Hornets hit 63.7 percent of their shots, 67.5 percent in the second half, highlighting a lack of defense that will no doubt occupy Elston Turner, Jack Sikma, and the rest of the Rockets’ coaching staff during the offseason.

After the game, Rick Adelman discussed the difficulty in putting together a functional defensive scheme in the midst of great roster upheaval all season.  Only four players remain on the team from Feb. 2009. Twenty-two different players made an appearance on Adelman’s roster this year.

"Defensively, we've had so many changes in the past year," Adelman said.  "You need repetition. You need guys playing together on the court. We didn't have that. We were all over the place. It's not an excuse. We just couldn't practice it.”

Though the Rockets struggled defensively down the stretch, the team’s offense improved nicely, even without the Great Wall on the low block.  Aaron Brooks raised his game enough to warrant consideration as the NBA’s most improved player, and Luis Scola proved himself capable of consistently scoring on players larger and faster than himself.  Adding Kevin Martin at the trade deadline made the Rockets a more complete team offensively, moving Trevor Ariza to his more natural position at small forward. 

Despite Houston’s lack of all-stars and defensive consistency, the team appears well-suited to making the playoffs next season.  The return of Yao Ming, even in a limited role, will bring immediate improve the Rockets’ interior defense and half-court offense.  Houston is stocked with tradable assets of all kinds, including expiring contracts (Jared Jeffries), veteran leadership (Shane Battier), promising youngsters (Chase Budinger), and draft picks to complete a sign-and-trade deal for an all-star like Chris Bosh or Amar'e Stoudemire in the offseason.  2010 was a developmental year for Houston’s talented cast of role players.  The next step will be acquiring a superstar able to help carry the team deep into the post-season.

October can’t come soon enough.