Did the Denver Nuggets do the right thing in trading away Ty Lawson in the offseason? Is Emmanuel Mudiay indeed the next best thing for the Nuggets?

Those are among the questions that could very well be answered when the Denver Nuggets face the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center.

The Rockets are slightly favored over the Nuggets, mainly because of the manpower they carry. The Rockets are led no less by James Harden, a leading contender in last year's MVP race, and Dwight Howard. The two alone are a deadly combo which the Nuggets will have to deal with in that matchup.

Aside from those two, it remains to be seen if the Rockets got better (or not) with Lawson. Lawson played for the Nuggets last season but everyone knows the problems he faced while he was in Denver.

That included a driving under the influence (DUI) charge which has already reportedly been addressed. Lawson's entry should plug in the hole the Rockets had last season and as long as he keeps his mind into the game, the Rockets should look pretty good.

On the other end, all eyes will be on Mudiay. The kid has gotten rave reviews and has been praised in the offseason but the real deal starts now.

But the veterans in the Denver fold need to do their thing as well. There's Randy Foye, Danilo Gallinari, and Kenneth Faried, among others. Can Mudiay hold this team together? If not, Jameer Nelson could be called in to take over.

The Nuggets don't have a bad lineup seeing, Wilson Chandler, Darrell Arthur, and J.J. Hickson on the roster. But the thing is, this is the Rockets they find themselves against — a team favored this year.

Whatever happens will be seen today when the Rockets play host to the Nuggets at the Toyota Center starting at 8 p.m. EST. A live stream for the game can be found here.