NBA Trade Rumors: Can Chris Kaman Vault the Houston Rockets into Contention?

Since the New Orleans Hornets placed center Chris Kaman on the trade block, several teams have inquired about his acquiring his services.

Cleveland, Philadelphia, San Antonio and Indiana seem to be taking a back seat to the Houston Rockets, though, as they have emerged as the front-runners to land Kaman.

New Orleans has made it known they are looking for young players and draft picks in return for the former All-Star center.

The Sporting News reported that talks with the Hornets have included center Hasheem Thabeet and power forward Jordan Hill. Houston also owns the New York Knicks' 2012 first-round pick, which could be attractive in what promises to be a deep draft.

If Houston pulls off the deal, they get a quality big (with an expiring contract) who's averaged 11.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game throughout his career.

What they would do with Kaman down they road probably would depend on what impact he could bring to the Rockets this season.

Make no mistake about it, he could make a huge difference and could vault the Rockets into contention in the Western Conference.

Houston already has a very productive backcourt with Kyle Lowry and Kevin Martin; what they need is another productive big.

Offensively, Kaman can contribute and open things up even more for Houston's guards. He's still someone you have to respect when he gets the ball in the paint. He has a very good face-up game and as long as he doesn't have to handle the ball much, he could still rack up some numbers.

He just makes an already good team better at the offensive end.

The Rockets are already the fourth-best scoring and rebounding team in the NBA without him.

Kaman's biggest impact could come on the defensive end of the floor where the Rockets are currently 24th in the league in points allowed.

Kaman is a guy with great footwork at both ends of the floor, and he understands the concept of playing defense as a team. With a few more stops per night, the Rockets are likely much better than a 12-9 team.

When the Rockets really need a stop and have to face bigger teams, possibly playing Samuel Dalembert with Kaman could become a luxury.

There's also the consideration that playing for one of the best big men in NBA history in Kevin McHale could bring out something even more in Kaman's game.

It's a move the Rockets need to make.

Kaman won't make the Rockets contenders single-handedly, but he could play a big role in doing so.