The Time Has Come To Blow Up The Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets have had a disastrous season leading up to the NBA All-Star break, and after 55 games have somehow descended to new lows.

The Houston Rockets were expected to contend for the Western Conference title this season, but instead have been a mess of epic proportions. After a 4-7 start, head coach Kevin McHale was fired and replaced by assistant J.B. Bickerstaff on an interim basis, and things haven’t gone a whole lot better since.

The Rockets are now 27-28 after getting blown out in horrific fashion by the Portland Trail Blazers for the second time in three games on Thursday, and have fallen into the ninth seed in the West.

The Rockets’ locker room finally revealed its cracks following the loss to the Blazers in ways that come as no surprise to fans and observers, but it’s definitely an indication that the team has hit its boiling point.

The chemistry issue has been a concern with this team since the very early stages of the season, and things haven’t gotten any better in the locker room or on the floor with moves such as trading for Josh Smith.

A season ago, when the Rockets took the second seed in the ultra-tough Western Conference and fought their way to the conference finals, the squad’s hallmark was chemistry, defense and effort.

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Not one of those elements have been in place for more than a couple of games at a time this season, and it’s hard to spot exactly why that is considering the fact that aside from the addition of Ty Lawson, the group is largely the same as it was in 2014-15.

The Rockets have tried different coaches, different starting lineups and rotations, removing prize acquisition Ty Lawson from the starting lineup and outright benching him several times. They made the desperation Hail Mary move of bringing Josh Smith back to Houston, and nothing has worked.

In spite of all the lineup configurations, the only two Rockets getting regular minutes who have positive net ratings are Clint Capela, (+1.4 points per 100 possessions in 21 minutes per game), and Jason Terry (+2.3 in 17 minutes per game).

Dwight Howard has a net rating of -1.3, James Harden has a net rating of -2.0, Trevor Ariza has a net rating of -2.3, and Corey Brewer has a net rating of -3.2 Those are stellar numbers in comparison to Ty Lawson, who has a net rating of -6.7, and Josh Smith has the smoldering wreckage of a net rating of -11.2 points per 100 possessions attached to his resume.

In the disappointing loss to the Blazers on Wednesday, Smith and Lawson managed to demonstrate the dismal performance they’ve put forth this season. As Rockets’ beat writer Jonathan Feigen describes it:

"Josh Smith played in one six-minute stint, took three 3-pointers and did not return to the game, the third consecutive game in which he did not play in the second half. Ty Lawson played nine minutes, also without scoring or getting an assist."

The bottom line is that this team as it stands right now simply will not work. They have assets that other teams will want, some more than others, and the time has come to make moves.

The tricky thing is that it’s going to be hard to get much value out of the main trade chip the Rockets have, in the form of Dwight Howard and his expiring contract. Howard has a player option after this season which he plans on opting out of to become a free agent and capitalize on the exploding salary cap that will be kicking in next season.

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The Rockets don’t plan on sitting around and losing him for nothing, but it’s hard to find a team that needs an aging big man (Howard is 30 years old) with back issues in an era where teams are getting smaller and more versatile, and has the assets to acquire him and make a deal worth Houston’s time.

It’s safe to assume that everybody will be on the trade market with the exception of James Harden, and there may be suitors for players like Trevor Ariza, Corey Brewer and Patrick Beverley.

On the other side of the coin, however, the Rockets will probably have to eat the season on both Ty Lawson and Josh Smith. Lawson has played his value right into the ground, and Josh Smith has already found himself essentially dumped three times in the past 13 months, including once by the Rockets when they didn’t re-sign him this past offseason.

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This Rockets team in its current configuration cannot return to the floor for their next game as it currently stands, as the trade deadline looms on Feb. 18, the day before the NBA gets back in action. It’s hard to say whether this team will be buyers or sellers, and that is likely going to be dictated by what the haul is for Dwight Howard.