Houston Rockets Can't Afford to Leave Major Hole Behind Dwight Howard

The Houston Rockets swung for the fences this offseason by clearing cap room for a major star. While it didn't work out, the Rockets are still in position to acquire a third star at some point with their multiple young assets, cap space and future draft picks.

The issue isn't that the Rockets appear destined to have only two stars, James Harden and Dwight Howard, for the long term. The issue is that the moves made to create that space and flexibility have left the depth up front far too shallow to reasonably contend for a title.

Last season, even if he was unhappy in his reduced role, Omer Asik was one of the best backup centers in the league. While Asik played less than 1,000 total minutes, the Rockets could have faith that defense wouldn't dip much, if at all, when Howard went out of the game.

Here's Kevin Sanchez for HoopsHabit.com:

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Omer Asik’s mere presence will be missed a lot more than some people would like to believe. Trading Asik to the New Orleans Pelicans for a first round pick last month wasn’t a major deal; the team still had time to go out and get some defense elsewhere. It’s because they haven’t gotten anybody noteworthy is why they will likely miss Omer Asik more than they realize. And even though he was a bit of a head case last year due to Howard starting over him, he was still a valuable piece of Houston’s potential championship puzzle.

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That's a luxury the Rockets may not have this season, granted they stay put in terms of roster additions. Asik could do just about everything defensively, as his mobility paired with his massive frame allowed him to defend the pick-and-roll, contest shots at the rim and defend players in the post.

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Asik will now do his thing for the New Orleans Pelicans in a starting role, while a group of journeymen will try to replace his production behind Howard.

Here's Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle:

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Leaving aside the demands of those still pining for a third star, which remains their long-term goal and a different subject, the Rockets’ backups inside are Joey Dorsey, Jeff Adrien, Donatas Motiejunas and Josh Powell.

Dorsey is a veteran of sorts, but his successful experience is in Europe, not in his time in the NBA, and he remains a question until he does it in the NBA. Motiejunas is moving into his third season and should be able to reliably contribute, but is far from proven. Adrien is probably the most predictable after his impressive 28 games with the Bucks in his fourth NBA season, but also most clearly limited.

It would seem that the same logic that indicated that the Rockets could use a veteran with Isaiah Canaan, Troy Daniels and Nick Johnson would indicate they could use a veteran with Dorsey, Motiejunas and Adrien.

That’s where it gets more complicated, and not only because with 16 guaranteed contracts, they already have one more than they can bring into the season.

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Dorsey has the ability to be an elite rebounder with his wide frame and energy level, but he's not a rim protector, and he's more limited offensively than Asik, which is really saying something.

Adrien is another guy who is more of a 4, and while he'll grind and play strong defense and clean the glass, again, his lack of length and size won't help him protect the rim.

Motiejunas has shown some nice offensive skill both in the post and floating around the perimeter, but you're in a world of hurt if he's anchoring your defense up front.

Powell is solid but not spectacular, and it's hard to imagine the Rockets would roll with so many power forwards on the roster.

One of the main problems here is that this Rockets group will have so little time to gel and figure out their roles on the team. Head coach Kevin McHale really won't have much time to figure it all out, as every regular-season game in a brutal Western Conference can end up making a huge difference.

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Here's what McHale told Feigen about the losses this offseason:

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“Well, I mean, hey I understand kind of why we did it,” McHale said. “I know they’re talking about flexibility. I like Chandler. He’s a big part of what we did and what we do. I’m going to miss having him, but that’s part of the business I guess. We got to replace not only Chandler, but we have to replace (Omer) Asik and we have to replace Jeremy (Lin) so we have a lot of work to do. ...

“We’ll have four or five guys in our rotation that weren’t in it last year, but I guess that’s part of it,” McHale said. “I think everybody would want continuity. Continuity helps everything, but you play the hand you’re dealt. Right now, we’re not going to have the continuity we’d like.”

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Even though the Rockets are already over the 15-player limit for their roster, if the goal is to win a championship this year, it would be prudent to go out and find a reliable backup center like Timofey Mozgov or Kosta Koufos on the trade market.

Free agency has pretty much dried up, and although Howard seems fully recovered from back injuries, you'd like to buy him as much resting time throughout the season as possible. Joey Dorsey probably doesn't provide that.

Will the Rockets be willing to forfeit any substantial future assets for depth behind Howard, though? Maybe not. The answer would probably be different if a third star was present on the roster, but that's not the case.

The Rockets may instead be hoping that their patchwork frontcourt depth can hold up and produce right away, however unlikely that may seem.

There certainly appears to be a big hole behind Dwight Howard, but until it's proven that the depth behind him is insufficient, the Rockets might not budge. That's awfully risky, but you can understand the hesitation to put the cart before the horse.