GM Morey eyes championship, compares Rockets' timeline to Warriors'

The 2013-14 Golden State Warriors lost in the first round of the playoffs, opted to make very few changes to the roster, and won the NBA championship a season later.

The Houston Rockets hope they're on a similar path, eschewing major roster changes for the first time in several years and betting on continuity and health to help propel them forward. A Western Conference finalist last year, the Rockets added point guard Ty Lawson but didn't change much else.

General manager Daryl Morey sees some parallels between the 2015 champs and this year's Rockets.

"You go back a year and look at Golden State," Morey told the Houston Chronicle this weekend. "They pretty much brought their same group back, plus a point guard, Shaun Livingston. They weren't the favorites of a lot of people. They came together quickly. They had a great season. A lot of their improvement was just in everyone being together for another year."

Morey sees the current instalment of the Rockets as the first one he truly believes can win a championship.

"This is the first time I feel like, without any changes, we're good enough to win it," the GM said.

Morey has notoriously maintained flexibility year after year in hopes of making a big-name addition, but the Rockets will return their top six players in minutes played and eight of their top nine. The team will need to acclimate Lawson but otherwise should be able to hit the ground running

The Warriors, it's worth noting, made a change behind the bench, whereas the Rockets have held steady with Kevin McHale. That's not to say they haven't done enough - again, the Rockets made it to the third round last season - but things are never as simple as maintaining continuity and hoping for better luck on the injury front. The West is set to be ridiculously competitive once again, and Morey's proclivity for trades will keep the Rockets in the rumor mill if any star becomes available.

For what it's worth, the Rockets have a 16-to-1 shot to win the championship according to several oddsmakers. That would make them the sixth-leading favorite in the league but still just fifth in the West.