Chris Bosh Not Coming to the Houston Rockets: A Revised Offseason Outlook

With the news that Chris Bosh has given the Raptors a wish list of five teams, none of which are the Rockets, the Houston Rockets' offseason plans obviously have changed.

With the speculation mounting that Bosh would love to come to Houston because of a variety of reasons, the most prominent of which were a return to Texas and a chance to make a legacy as the "top dog" of a team, analysts began to identify the Rockets as a potential dark horse candidate for him.

The addition of Chris Bosh would've been a welcome injection of stardom into the somewhat star-deprived Rockets franchise, and he would have fit incredibly well with Yao Ming because of his ability to operate from the high post and his great size. 

However, with this news, all is not lost for the Rockets.

With all the assets the Rockets have amassed over the last year in preparation for the coming offseason in the form of young players, draft picks, and expiring contracts, they still seem poised to make some sort of splash this summer, whether it be in free agency or in the draft.

While they failed to move up in the draft via the lottery, they apparently are attempting to move up into the top four, according to Adrian Wojnarowski.

If they truly are trying to do so, the Timberwolves would appear to be the place to start.

With the way the chips fell in the draft lottery, the Timberwolves are in a bit of a quandary because they must either draft the best player available who is not necessarily a good fit (Derrick Favors or DeMarcus Cousins), or reach for a player who would be a good fit but who is not as highly touted a prospect (Wesley Johnson or Al-Farouq Aminu). 

Because of this position the Timberwolves are in, they would seem to be a team amenable to trade back.

With some sort of combination of Chase Budinger, Jordan Hill, and any of the upcoming draft picks the Rockets hold (#14 this year, the higher of the Knicks' and Rockets' pick next year, and the Knicks' and Rockets' picks in 2012), the Rockets could easily make a compelling case for the Timberwolves to move back so the Rockets could potentially grab the next star big man of the future.

Additionally, the assets the Rockets possess could be used in another sign-and-trade this summer so the Rockets could still make a splash in free agency.

While Chris Bosh is not the only free agent out there, he appeared to be the best fit for the team, but in his apparently lukewarm thoughts about moving to Houston, the Rockets must move on to other targets.

In Amare Stoudemire, the Rockets could find another star power forward who could flank Yao and provide a scoring punch.

Still, he is likely to stay in Phoenix after such an impressive playoff run and would have some pretty significant red flags surrounding him. He has major injury issues in his knee, does not play defense, and might struggle without Steve Nash dishing him the ball.

However, Daryl Morey clearly likes him, as he almost pulled the trigger on a deal that would have sent him to the Rockets for Shane Battier and Luis Scola. He seems to be a logical fit for a team that would love his consistent scoring and good midrange shot to play alongside Ming. 

As any diligent GM will do, Morey will obviously shoot for the stars and attempt to make a strong sales pitch to LeBron James and Dwayne Wade, but they will not be in Rockets jerseys next year.

While Chris Bosh may not be a Rocket, the future is still bright for a team that won 42 games last season and may be adding a star center to the team along with a lottery pick. A star power forward in Bosh would have helped, but in reality, most of the Rockets' success depends on Ming and how he performs coming off his injury.