Houston Rockets End Season on High Note, Look for Smart Offseason
The end of the Houston Rockets’ season saw the emergence of Patrick Patterson as a bright young power forward, Chase Budinger as a maturing wing player, and Kyle Lowry as a tough, hard-nosed, playmaking point guard.
I believe this team has the talent to be something special. This roster features many players that complement each other very well.
However, in order to win in the NBA, you need a superstar, a “go-to” man for late in the fourth. All the elite teams have at least one. The Lakers have Kobe Bryant, the Oklahoma City Thunder have Kevin Durant, the San Antonio Spurs have Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan, etc.
The Rockets lack the final punch to put their opponents away late in the game.
I can remember at least three times this year were I saw Brad Miller taking the final shot for the Rockets to either win or tie the game.
I am not a basketball strategist, but my instincts tell me he is not the man you want to take that shot.
When Aaron Brooks and Shane Battier were shipped off, roles within the rotation were solidified and the team made a late playoff push that fell short.
Toward the end of the year, Kevin Martin showed us flashes of what he can do as the “go-to” guy. With roles set, Kevin Martin got significant chances to be the game closer.
Early in the season, Martin frustrated many Rockets fans with his fourth quarter performances. However, late in the season, he embraced the role of the scorer and played exceptional late in the season.
He scored 13 in the fourth quarter in the win against the Atlanta Hawks, nine points in overtime against the San Antonio Spurs, and 12 points in the fourth against the Utah Jazz.
The Rockets went 16-8 after the all-star break. They made a good push for the final playoff spot late in the year. But they came up short.
For Daryl Morey, the question is do you want Martin to be the guy to lead this team for the future given the fact that you have three of the top 40 picks in the draft and if not, do you trade up to get a guy like Kyrie Irving, or do they use them as trade bait to bring a superstar to Houston?
He needs to be smart. There will be a tendency to want to overspend, or make a move for the sake of making a move.
If Morey decides to trade up in the draft, there will be some snags in the plan.
The first concern is that this draft is not a very deep draft by any stretch of the imagination. Is this draft deep enough to convince a team with a top pick to want to trade down for extra picks?
An even better question: is there anyone at the top that the Rockets want? Sullinger is staying at Ohio State, Perry Jones is staying at Baylor and now word is Harrison Barnes is staying at North Carolina.
I am a big Kemba Walker fan, but with Lowry on the team, I do not see him as a viable option for Morey.
No, not Jimmer Fredette. Can you say Adam Morrison?
The only other player who Morey may consider is a bit out of the mainstream but is starting to make some splashes. Bismack Biyombo is a 6’9” forward out of Congo with a 7’7” wingspan, according to NBAdraft.net.
The risk here is that you would be drafting a project, someone with excellent raw talent that will need to adjust to NBA play. But if he does, he can be a force.
The other option is packaging the draft picks with additional pieces for a proven star. But the issue is this: are the picks attractive enough for a team to want to trade for them? Probably not but Morey has a way of getting a lot for nothing (see the Tracy McGrady trade).
This is also assuming there is anyone available that Morey will want. Morey does not seem to be a general manager who makes a move for the sake of making a move. Right now, it is too early to be speculating names that the Rockets could pursue.
If the Rockets want to win, they will need to figure out the fourth quarter. There are plenty of games this season were the Rockets could not hold on to leads late or could not stay with elite teams in the fourth quarter.
While Martin was impressive late in the year, I do not think anyone can say that he is the long-term “go-to” man. His season long performance makes me nervous about him as a No. 1.
The way his defense is, it is like playing five-on-four. His defense is just that bad.
Often late, he looks to draw fouls rather than make a basketball play and score. He had a tendency to take bad shots and struggled with turning the ball over. He did not show me that he can be a consistent, everyday top offensive option.
We cannot forget the way he struggled late in games earlier in the season. He seems to be good enough to get his team into the playoffs but I doubt he can take a team deeper than a conference semifinals.
If Morey is unable to find someone else, I feel Martin is a good plan B, but is not what you want going into a new season.
In either free agency or the draft, the Rockets would also benefit from an upgrade defensively. They ranked ninth worst in the NBA in points allowed and was eighth worst in the league in opponents’ field goal percentage.
A guy that I would like to see the Rockets get but hopefully not overspend for is Tyson Chandler. He would provide the defensive presence to take the pressure off of Chuck Hayes down low and add much-needed height for the post.
A big-man rotation of Chandler, Hayes, Luis Scola and Patterson would be a very formidable rotation with enough size and offensive skill to compete in the Western Conference.
