NBA Free Agents 2011: Houston Rockets Game Plan If No Nene

It is clear that Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey's wish list is topped with center Nene Hilario but there are a lot of reasons not get your hopes up too much. 

Given the depth (or lack there of) of free agent talent at the center position, it would not surprise me one bit if some team gets desperate and breaks the bank to land Nene. 

What I would hate to see is Houston being the team that does that.

Nene is attractive because of his size and ability to play the post; something Houston has been needing after a long, painful affair with Yao Ming.

However, max contracts are for players like LeBrand James and Dwight Howard. 

Let's face it, Nene will probably top out at around 16 points and around 8-9 rebounds per game. 

He is a very good player but is not enough to push Houston over the hump. 

When you have a player like Dwight Howard going into free agency next offseason, it does not make sense to waste money on Nene. 

For Houston, it is very important to not force anything this offseason. This free agency crop is not very good as there are very few impact players.

The first thing Houston will look at after the Nene talks fall through is resigning Chuck Hayes. 

Houston is in danger of losing their little-engine-that-could center and he is going to garner a lot of attention.  

Hayes was the only person to get first place votes for Defensive Player of the Year not named Dwight Howard. 

Hayes has been an amazing "value" center with his small and manageable $2 million contract.

However, he will want a good amount more this offseason.

If he gets a mid-level, $5 million per year deal somewhere else, I think Houston will (and should) let him go because he just is not worth that kind of money.  

A lot teams should be interested in him, especially the Celtics, so his price tag might get to be too steep. 

Houston needs to ensure that they do not lock up more long-term dollars in another glorified role player. 

Houston might also look to try and pry away restricted free agent players like Marc Gasol (Memphis Grizzlies) and DeAndre Jordan (Los Angeles Clippers) but it is doubtful that their teams will not be able to match whatever Houston offers.  

Realistically, Houston will probably have to look at players like Kwame Brown, Joel Przybilla and Jeff Foster to fill the void in the middle for the shortened season. 

These players are not going to make Houston a playoff team.

However, they will be very serviceable options. They are all solid NBA rebounders and defenders around the basket.

And, most importantly, they will be cheap, veteran-minimum type contracts that will not hurt the Rockets chances of landing a true, impact player in the future.