Is This The End Of The Current Houston Rockets Team?
The Houston Rockets are on the brink of elimination by the Golden State Warriors in their first-round playoff series, which could spell the end for the current Rockets team.
The Houston Rockets trail the defending champion Golden State Warriors 3-1 in their first-round playoff series. With Stephen Curry set to miss time due to a MCL sprain, they may not be out of this series yet, but with the series heading to back to the Bay Area, it will be tough to overcome the series deficit.
Regardless of what happens in the rest of this series, or even this postseason, each team will face different offseason challenges; one will be building for a championship and one will be building for a repeat. The Rockets may have a new makeup when their offseason begins.
For Houston, their offseason will likely result in a head coaching search. Rockets’ general manager Daryl Morey fired head coach Kevin McHale on Nov. 19 after a 4-7 start to the regular season. J.B. Bickerstaff became the team’s interim head coach and led them to a 37-34 record through the end of the regular season, which got them the eighth seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
If Rockets owner Leslie Alexander wants a clean slate to start over, now is the best time to do it. While Bickerstaff is deserving of consideration for the head coaching position, Alexander has options. He can clean house, fire Morey and rebuild the front office with a new GM and head coach.
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The Rockets will have $21.1 million coming off the books this offseason, according to HoopsHype.com. That total more than doubles if center Dwight Howard decides to decline his $23.2 million player option and becomes a free agent. With the NBA’s salary cap expected to rise this summer, the Rockets could have more than $24.7 million to spend in free agency or in trades.
Houston, We Have A Rebuild
Although Tom Thibodeau and Scott Brooks are no longer free agents in the coaching realm, there are several strong candidates available. That could easily mean the end for Morey and Bickerstaff, beginning a Rockets rebuild … or retool, if you prefer.
James Harden is one of the best scorers in the NBA and is a good player to build a franchise around. He averaged a career-high 29.0 points, 7.5 assists and 6.1 rebounds per game this season. He shot 43.9 percent from the field and 35.9 percent from three-point range. His defense has been suspect, considering he has 10.6 offensive win shares to just 2.6 defensive win shares.
Nonetheless, he’s a cornerstone player to build around.
Trevor Ariza, Corey Brewer and Patrick Beverley are three key players that have guaranteed contracts for next season. Ariza averaged 12.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game this season. Brewer struggled this season, averaging a career-low 7.2 points and 2.4 rebounds per game coming off the bench.
Beverley is averaging 9.2 points, 3.1 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game over his four-year career.
Where the Rockets go from here is completely wide open. They can elect to bring players back, such as Terrance Jones and Donatas Motiejunas, or move on and completely change the makeup of their roster.
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Kevin Durant headlines this summer’s free agent class, but there are some young guys that the Rockets may be better suited to go after. With Beverley and Ariza returning to the starting lineup next season, the Rockets need to focus on the power forward and center positions, especially if they lose Howard in free agency.
Some options in the frontcourt are Ryan Anderson, Pau Gasol, Al Horford, Hassan Whiteside and Al Jefferson, among others. The free agent class isn’t a star-filled class, but there is plenty of great options to fill out a starting lineup and a rotation.
The direction the Rockets decide to go in will depend on who is in their front office and their head coaching staff. This, ultimately, will determine what the Rockets want to do in free agency with the cap space that they have. Without an unclear direction, it’s tough to predict what will happen. However, the Rockets will have plenty of options to rebuild their roster.
Finishing The Playoffs
Houston trails the Warriors 3-1 in their first-round playoff series. The Rockets could keep this series going with Curry out. Nobody should rule the Rockets out, due to Harden’s scoring and playmaking abilities. As everyone has seen, the Warriors are still a great team and backup point guard Shaun Livingston brings a different element to the lineup.
Livingston had nine points, nine assists and five rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench in relief of Curry in Game 4 on Sunday. Livingston is capable of moving the ball and allowing shooting guard Klay Thompson to be the star of the offense, thanks to Livingston’s playmaking abilities. Livingston will be ready for the moment when he gets the nod as the starter in Game 5.
The Rockets may still be outmanned when it comes to depth, so their starters will have to carry the team through victory. Expect the ball to be in Harden’s hands a lot, whether it’s taking shots or distributing the ball. Houston needs to go through Harden and have support players hit shots. This will also allow the paint to be freed up for Howard to get touches and easy looks at the basket.
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Houston traded its first-round pick for 2016 to the Denver Nuggets in the ill-fated Ty Lawson trade last July and would have to trade to get back into the top 30 selections. The Rockets only hold two second-round picks, so free agency and trades will be the key to rebuilding.
There are interesting times ahead for the Rockets, as their team could be heading towards drastic changes from the top to the bottom.