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NBA's rising middle class
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Everybody's optimistic in the offseason. Fans think their teams will improve, general managers think their rosters will gel, players think they're ready to take the next step, coaches ... well, coaches are probably still paranoid about things that might go wrong. But let's talk about players. Or, rather, one player in particular: Patrick Beverley of the Houston Rockets.
Beverley and the Rockets endured a difficult, bordering on disastrous season last year. After reaching the Western Conference finals the year before, they went 41-41 and barely qualified for the playoffs.