Houston Rockets' Offseason To-Do List: 3 Moves GM Daryl Morey Must Make

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/28/sports/basketball/28morey.html

Daryl Morey made magic happen for the Rockets at the trade deadline last year—trading Tracy McGrady's corpse and a bag of chips for Kevin Martin, Jordan Hill and Knicks draft picks.

The Houston Rockets GM also forced a draft pick out of Phoenix in the Aaron Brooks-Goran Dragic deal.

Further, who can forget about all the late-round gems he found in the draft? Aaron Brooks, Carl Landry, Chase Budinger, Ish Smith and Luis Scola.

Morey is certainly a man with a good resume, but what are some offseason moves he needs to make to ensure a playoff berth—and possibly more—in the future?

Sign a Legit Center This Offseason

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The Rockets are starting 6'6" Chuck Hayes at center. While he is one of the better post defenders in the league, it's hard to be incredibly effective at that height.

Luckily for Houston, plenty of quality free-agent centers will be available this offseason.

Marc Gasol is my favorite option and the Grizz are going to have to decide between him and Zach Randolph. They'll probably choose Gasol, but if Memphis chooses Randolph, Gasol would fit in magically with Houston.

Standing at 7'1", Gasol would make an immediate impact defensively to go along with solid offensive and rebounding skills.

DeAndre Jordan is another option; he is young, a great shot blocker and extremely athletic. He is a terrible free-throw shooter but it's more than than likely he'll be available depending on the Clippers' interest in re-signing him. But I don't think it is on the top of their to-do list.

Tyson Chandler will more than likely be re-signed by Dallas, but if he isn't, Houston would be knocking at his door the moment the clock strikes midnight and free agents can be negotiated with.

Samuel Dalmbert would be an inexpensive option and I wouldn't be surprised if the Rockets end up signing him. He is a very good defensive center, and like I said, he will not be very expensive.

Nene Hilario's decision on his player option is also pending. If he goes the free-agent route, you can rest assured Houston will be in contact, as they previously tried to swing a deal for Nene at the trade deadline. It's obvious the Rockets have interest in him. 

Sign a New Small Forward

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Chase Budinger isn't bad, but he's not nearly as good—especially at the defensive end—as these possibilities. He's much better suited for a bench role than the starting lineup.

Wilson Chandler is a restricted free agent and if the Nuggets don't retain him, the Rockets would love to have him. He can score the ball, rebound well and even defend very effectively.

I'm not sure what the Mavs' plans for Caron Butler are, but if they don't plan on re-signing him, the Rockets will have interest. If you'll remember, they tried to get him at the trade deadline last season and instead ended up with Kevin Martin.

In addition, Thaddeus Young is a young small forward with plenty of upside. Young is currently Philly's sixth man and I'm not sure the 76ers have enough money to re-sign him.

If the Oppurtunity Presents Itself, Acquire a Superstar

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There have been some "talks" that Chris Bosh might get traded from Miami this offseason.

If there is any truth to those rumors, the Rockets should jump on that.

They have been chasing Bosh since last offseason and he is a better scorer and defender than Luis Scola. Bosh would be the perfect fit for Houston.

The other rumor is that Steve Nash could possibly be shipped out of Phoenix during the draft. As great as Kyle Lowry is, the Rockets would absolutely love to have Nash.

Conclusion

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If the Rockets are able to complete these three tasks, they will be title contenders.

With guys like Scola, Dragic, Patterson and Budinger on top of an array of other prospects and draft picks, the Rockets have the assets to perform these trades and it wouldn't take long to put up an attractive package.

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