Playoff basketball is back in Houston! After the blockbuster trade that landed All-Star shooting guard James Harden, the Rockets emerged as the surprise package in the stacked Western Conference — finishing the season 45-37, which was good enough for the eighth seed. In the playoffs, they met Harden’s old team: the Oklahoma City Thunder. A resilient effort saw the Thunder go through in six games. Despite the defeat, there was much to build on. The future looks bright in H-Town. What should the Rockets do in the offseason to build on this?
Dwight Howard would change the defensive culture of the Rockets. (Photo by Howard Cheng/Wikimedia Commons)
Try and land Dwight Howard
As good as Omer Asik has been since his arrival, landing a free agent like Dwight Howard would propel the Rockets into championship contention. Houston — like the Lakers — has a rich history of good centers (Hakeem Olajuwon and Yao Ming spring to mind) and Dwight could continue that trend. He is a legitimate superstar; one of the top 10 players in the NBA. Whenever there is a chance you can land such a player, you do so. In an instant.
Imagine how good the Houston Rockets would be if they signed Dwight Howard this summer.
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) May 2, 2013
If Dwight doesn’t sign, go after Josh Smith (in other words: steer clear of Andrew Bynum)
If Houston is high on Asik and feel Dwight Howard would only clog up the roster, or Dwight rejects them, Josh Smith could be the way to go. If Smith was deployed at the 4, Houston’s lineup becomes one that could compete with most teams in the NBA: Lin, Harden, Parsons, Smith, Asik. They do need to steer well clear of Andrew Bynum though. As Philly found out, you can’t rely on this guy.
Try to find some solid rotation players via free agency
An interesting free agent target that the Rockets should be approaching is Tiago Splitter. They showed last year that they are crafty when backloading their restricted free-agent contracts, so expect them to do the same with Splitter. He is a skilled big man that has been a big part of the San Antonio Spurs’ success this season. Tony Allen is another player that the Rockets could target; his perimeter defense could be big in clutch situations — something that James Harden struggles with. They also need backup at the small forward position, so expect them to enter the market for Kyle Korver — a knockdown shooter.
Kyle Korver would provide solid depth at the 2 and 3. (Photo by Mark Runyon a.k.a. Basketball Schedule/Flickr.com)
Continue to look for trades
After winning the James Harden trade, it is imperative the Rockets continue to ring around and try and acquire great talent via trades — general manager Daryl Morey has shown he has the moxie and ability to do so. Perhaps a sign-and-trade could be used to land a free agent like D12 or CP3?
Overall, this is a big offseason for Houston. They are in a great position for the future: Harden, Asik and Parsons is a simply fantastic young core to build on. It is now surrounding them with other pieces and creating a winning mentality. Coach Kevin McHale knows how to win. Keep him in charge, build around your stars and it won’t be long before we see Houston competing for an NBA championship sometime soon. Them making the playoffs wasn’t a fluke.