Dwight Howard torn between Lakers and Houston Rockets
Howard has a history of being indecisive and is torn between the two teams
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Report: Dwight Howard Favors Rockets or Mavericks, Plans to Take His Time Deciding Whether to Stay With Lakers
Dwight Howard has said he doesn’t want a big, circus-like atmosphere surrounding his free agency decision this summer. But a small circus may do.
While the Lakers reportedly want to figure out quickly whether Howard will return, Howard “has privately indicated he plans to give strong consideration to multiple teams,” Ken Berger of CBSSports.com reports league sources as saying. “Howard re-signing with the Lakers is far from a done deal,” Berger says.
The Lakers’ ability to bring Howard back is hampered by the amount of money they have available — not for him as much as for his supporting cast. While Howard can get a larger contract by staying in Los Angeles, which can offer him a max deal, the Lakers may not be able to get other key players due to the large contracts the team has already handed out.
A couple of other teams, however, already have good pieces in place if they want to add Howard. Berger says Howard is most interested in the Rockets, who have a good core as well as Kevi…
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Report: Dwight Howard interested in joining Rockets
Daryl Morey’s master plan may be coming together after all.
According to a CBS report, free agent center Dwight Howard is no lock to re-sign with the Los Angeles Lakers and is most intrigued by playing in Houston, where All-Star guard James Harden led the league’s youngest team to the playoffs, where it was eliminated in six games by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“With six weeks to go before Howard becomes an unrestricted free agent, the team that is said to intrigue him the most is theHouston Rockets, according to multiple people briefed on internal conversations surrounding Howard’s free-agent decision,” CBS reported. “The Rockets have a young star,James Harden, who has proved himself worthy of playing the leading role for the franchise; a budding 3-point shooting threat inChandler Parsons; a defensive-minded coach in Kevin McHale; andOmer Asik, the kind of 7-footer Howard is believed to want next to him in the frontcourt.”
If this is true, it gets the Rockets’ roster a
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Creating the Perfect Offseason Plan for the Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets have the payroll flexibility to make big moves this offseason, but there are certain moves that should be made and others that should most definitely be avoided. General manager Daryl Morey has the money to work with—all he has to do is put the best product on the court.
After a surprising season that led to the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference playoffs, Houston is in a great position. The sky is the limit for a team with a budding superstar in James Harden, a do-it-all player in Chandler Parsons and a hard-working big man in Omer Asik.
Throw in the fact that they have nearly $15 million available this offseason (h/t HoopsHype.com), and the Rockets have the resources to acquire even more talent to play alongside them.
There a currently a ton of rumors out there surrounding this offseason. There are plenty of big-name free agents available, and expect the Rockets to be in the mix for nearly all of them given their cap room. Some are better fits than others, though.
The Rockets are in great position, but they can maximize their chances to win by making these moves this offseason.
The Draft
Houston owns just one pick in the NBA draft (No. 34 overall), so the strategy should be to draft the best player and hope that he pans out. It has worked for the team in the past, as Parsons was selected No. 38 overall in the 2011 draft.
The best pick for Houston would be forward C.J. Leslie, however. Several mock drafts (like the one from DraftExpress.com) predict that they will select a point guard. That would be simply ridiculous. Jeremy Lin, Patrick Beverley and Aaron Brooks are all under contract for at least next season. A point guard would be a waste of a pick.
Leslie provides the team with two things—athleticism and perimeter defense.
Leslie does much of his scoring in the paint, but Draft Express’ scouting report reminds us that he’s not exactly the most polished player down low. He gets by because of his freakish athleticism and ability to jump out of the gym.
He’s also displayed the potential necessary to become a strong perimeter defender. He moves his feet quickly and has the length to wreck havoc on the opposition. This length and athleticism also helps him with his help defense, an area that he has excelled in.
Leslie fits the team’s scheme of using athletic players and also addresses a need for defense. While he may not play much right away, Leslie would be a great player to develop in the system. His versatility to play either forward position also helps quite a lot.
Free Agency/Trades
Rumors of Dwight Howard and Chris Paul aside, Morey should focus nearly all of his assets and attention to locking up power forward Josh Smith to a four-year contract.
Smith fits the team’s style of play and won’t require a max contract (he’ll likely command around $14 million per season). This would make signing anybody else difficult, but there are already reports that Francisco Garcia’s team option will not be picked up.
Should Morey decide to decline the options on both Carlos Delfino and Aaron Brooks as well, that could clear up nearly another $12 million. This would make signing a capable replacement for both Delfino and Garcia much easier.
The perfect candidate for the job would be Dorell Wright. Wright can shoot lights-out from deep (36.7 percent for his career) and can play above-average defense on the perimeter. He doesn’t pile up the steals or blocks, but he makes it difficult for his opponents to score. For $4 million per season, I’d say Wright is worth it.
If the revolving door of Greg Smith, Tim Olbrecht and Donatas Motiejunas proved anything last season, it’s that Houston needs a defensive-minded player to play behind Asik at center. All three struggle defensively and don’t help much on the offensive end either.
Jermaine O’Neal can be had cheap (likely for the veteran’s minimum) and on a one-year contract. O’Neal is a great post defender and can even hold his own offensively at age 34.
It’s hard to predict what trades Morey will make (if any). Morey has proven himself to be a very unpredictable GM, albeit a very good one. If anything, I see him potentially looking to deal guys to pick up draft picks for later seasons.
Terrence Jones flashed some potential late last season. Pure speculation on my part, but maybe Morey could look to deal Jones to a team in exchange for a low first-round/early second-round draft pick. The acquisition of Thomas Robinson last season makes this trade much more realistic than it would have been in January.
Coaching Strategy
Head coach Kevin McHale received a ton of flack this past season for his handling of Harden and Lin. Many believed Lin should handle the ball more because, well, he is the point guard. Others argued Harden, as the team’s star, should control the ball.
In the end, McHale chose Harden. Harden played iso-basketball a vast majority of his touches, and while he certainly scored his points, it can be argued that it hurt the team. Toward the end of the shot clock, Harden often couldn’t find a shot and quickly dished the ball to teammates with equally as poor opportunities to score.
This resulted in a ton of bad shots by both Harden and his teammates (though not to the fault of his teammates).
On the flip side, Lin has his downfalls has the main ball-handler. Harden is a far superior ball-handler, even if he doesn’t play the role of distributor nearly as much as Lin would. Lin also turns the ball over a whole lot (3.2 per game).
I don’t necessarily think Lin should have the ball more than Harden, but I do think Lin needs to assert himself more on offense. The league’s best point guards (Tony Parker, Steve Nash, Chris Paul) all are their respective teams’ leaders and top orchestrators on offense. With a clear-cut offensive leader, Houston could make strides.
Other than this, I like the way McHale runs the offense. They run very few set plays, which results in natural basketball by the players. As an athletic team, Houston is capable of playing this way.
Conclusion
Like I said, the Rockets have a ton of options given their payroll flexibility. By taking the routes I’ve suggested, however, the team could improve both offensively and defensively—both now and in the future.
Smith would obviously be the biggest acquisition for Houston heading into next season. A starting five of Lin (or Beverley, perhaps?), Harden, Parsons, Smith and Asik would likely be good enough for at least the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
Throw in a bench that has above-average shooters and a few strong defenders (Leslie, Wright and O’Neal) and you’ve got yourself a team that could push for the Western Conference Finals.
Houston has tons of potential and is in a great position to continue to get better. Morey just needs to play his cards right this offseason.
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How Houston Rockets Can Advance Further in Next Year’s Playoffs
As the Houston Rockets‘ season ended in defeat, it was one that has to be looked at as a success.
Every year, the Rockets should look to improve on the last, limiting the mistakes and inching closer to the ultimate goal—an NBA championship.
After missing the playoffs in each of the previous three seasons, the youngest team in the NBA proved that they are no longer “rebuilding.” As the No. 8 seed, they managed two wins against the No. 1-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder before packing up their lockers and heading home.
This year’s experience will work wonders for the future of the team, but there are some adjustments that must be made for the Rockets to take the next step.
Control the Ball
Turnovers can make or break a game. The Rockets had trouble controlling the ball all season, leading the league in turnover ratio at 14.9.
That’s in large part due to the backcourt. James Harden led the league in total turnovers (295) and was second in turnovers per game (3.8), behind only Rajon Rondo (3.9) who played 40 fewer games than Harden. Jeremy Lin, on the other hand, was 10th in the league with 236 giveaways.
To get better in this area, the Rockets players must learn to trust each other. Their speed and fast-paced offense contributes to the turnover woes, but trusting each other and slowing the pace across half-court can help reduce the rate of turnovers.
If the run-and-gun offense had more structure, the turnovers wouldn’t be forced.
Structure the Offense
In Kevin McHale’s system, there was no structured offense. He gave his team the freedom to shoot, but there was a lot of standing around the perimeter and in the corner.
As assistant coach Kelvin Sampson admitted to Zach Lowe of Grantland earlier this season:
We don’t have to stop practice and say, ‘OK, now let’s go over our plays.’ We don’t have any plays. During the flow of the game, very rarely do we run an actual play.
The offense consists of isolation, the fast break and pick-and-rolls.
Understandably, the offense is centered around Harden. The point guard, whether Lin or Patrick Beverley, would take the ball up the court, dish to Harden and let him make plays.
When defenses started to pick up on Harden’s isolation-type offense, he began to heave cross-court passes—and it worked. Harden’s ability to read the defense enabled him to find the open man (often in the corner) for a spot-up three or in a position to drive to the basket.
That type of offense is seen here:
Though this style tended to be effective, a more structured set should be implemented into the offense this summer. That would lead to more quality looks and less turnovers from dangerous passes.
The Rockets need more movement without the ball, getting in position for a rebound or setting off-ball screens to free up a teammate.
Working on set plays and less isolation style will make the Rockets a more solidified team come playoff time. There needs to be less standing around and watching Harden.
Establish Post Game
Despite the shooting prowess of the young Rockets, there are going to be times when the shots don’t fall.
The majority of games, Harden was the leading scorer. When he shot under 35 percent from the floor, the Rockets were in trouble. In those 19 games, Houston was 4-15.
For those times when the scorers go cold from the field, the Rockets need a post player on offense to take some of the pressure off the outside shooters.
Asik is better at the pick-and-roll than he is posting up and Chandler Parsons would excel as a small forward, as he is often out-sized at the 4.
Without a first-round selection in June’s draft, the Rockets should look to sign a player who excels at the post game. Having the cap space to sign a top-tier free agent, one player that sticks out is Utah Jazz forward Al Jefferson.
Granted a small sample size, you can see the type of dynamic inside and post player Jefferson is in the clip below. Watch him post up and get to the rim against the physical Carlos Boozer at the 2:42 mark.
Though Jefferson is primarily a center, he and Asik could clog the middle. Plus, he is a scoring threat on the inside, averaging 16.4 points throughout a nine-year career, and a defensive presence on the boards, with a career mark of nine rebounds per game.
His most productive years came with the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2007-2010, under then Vice President of Basketball Operations Kevin McHale (check out this blast from the past). With their experiences together, and Jefferson’s commitment to his craft, he could be the player to get Houston past the first round.
The post play is the one area for Houston that needs a personnel adjustment.
Improve Perimeter Defense
When you look at the offensive success the Rockets had this past season (106 points per game), they ranked 28th in the NBA in points allowed, with 102.5.
Asik has done very well defensively, becoming a presence in the middle with over one block and 11.7 rebounds per game, but that hasn’t been enough to yield great defensive results.
Tied for 16th in the league in defensive efficiency and 23rd in defensive plays rate, the Rockets need to improve the defense around the perimeter with the likes of Harden and Lin. Opponents had a true shooting percentage of 54 this past season.
To be more effective, the Rockets backcourt needs to fight through screens and contest open looks. With some success defending one-on-one isolation plays, it was the screens that were giving the Rockets trouble.
Improving this area simply takes practice and good coaching. Harden is plenty capable of becoming a respectable defender, as is Lin, they just have to devote the time in the gym.
Getting lateral quickness and being able to play tight, rather than a few steps off the ball to avoid getting beat on the first step, is what Harden and Lin have to work on.
If there’s one thing the Rockets guards need to focus on this offseason, it’s defending the perimeter and not allowing high-percentage, uncontested shots.
No matter how dynamic the scoring attack, if you don’t play defense, you don’t win games in late April.
Work on Team Chemistry
Everything starts with chemistry. This team has been taken apart and sewn back together in recent years. Chandler Parsons is the only player remaining from two years ago, and if you take that into consideration, the chemistry this past season was great, but there’s still room to grow.
The leader of the team, James Harden, told David Barron of The Houston Chronicle:
We have the summertime to get better. We need to hang out with each other, work out with each other, and just get better, We have the offseason to actually get to know each other and actually get to hang out and build from this.
Learning each other’s style of play is a crucial aspect to team success. A full offseason of getting better acquainted will lead to better results on both ends of the floor.
The Rockets are a young team that will grow up together. For them, perhaps the most important part of success is finding the right chemistry.
If all these areas are addressed, with chemistry being the key, Houston will gain a step in their championship quest. They will be a team poised to make it back to the postseason and advance past the first round.
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Analyzing Houston Rockets’ Biggest Draft Needs
The Houston Rockets most certainly have needs after an early exit from the first round of the NBA playoffs, but using the draft will likely leave them in a similar position as they are in right now.
General manager Daryl Morey will only have one pick at his disposal, a pick that will have little value. With the No. 4 pick of the second round, Morey will have a difficult time addressing the team’s needs. He’ll likely just choose the best player available.
Draftexpress.com predicts that Houston will take point guard Lorenzo Brown from North Carolina State with said pick. I’m not so sure that’s a choice that makes much sense, however.
The last thing Houston needs is another point guard with Jeremy Lin, Patrick Beverley and Aaron Brooks already on the roster. Brown may end up being the best player available, but even that strategy should be trumped by the excess of point guards already in place.
Even though it’ll be difficult to address needs through the draft, that does not diminish the fact that this team does have legitimate needs. The defense is a cause for concern, as is the fact that there’s no clear cut power forward on the roster.
Thomas Robinson, Terrence Jones and Donatas Motiejunas were all first-year players last season, so it’s natural that they each experienced growing pains. The team is likely hoping that either Robinson or Jones can establish himself as the starter during the offseason. Both exhibit exemplary athletic ability and would fit well with the run-and-gun mentality.
With this being the case, drafting defense should be exactly where Morey looks.
C.J. Leslie is a player that Morey could look at, and Draft Express has him going just one pick earlier in the second round to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Leslie is a forward by definition, with the height and offensive potential to play the four but the shooting ability and perimeter defense to play the three.
This is where Leslie would be useful for Houston. Leslie’s scouting report sites his length and athleticism as defensive strengths along the perimeter. He has quick feet and profiles as a solid help defender. Chandler Parsons is obviously the unquestioned starter at small forward, but minutes off the bench could be available for Leslie.
Houston could also further improve its defense in the low post by drafting center Mike Muscala to play behind Omer Asik. Motiejunas displayed potential last season, but he is not physical enough to be a top defender.
Muscala, a senior from Bucknell, is a solid post defender who blocked 2.3 shots per game during his senior season. He’s great at blocking shots because of his tenacity and propensity to stay in front of his man. His scouting reports suggests that he has plenty of room for growth (physically), so he’s definitely a player that Morey should take a look at.
The Rockets had a ton of first-year players last season, and adding more inexperience to the roster is not exactly optimal. Thankfully, Morey has just one pick in the upcoming draft.
If Morey addresses defense with his lone pick, then the Rockets will be in good shape moving forward. Throw in the experience gain last season’s rookies will undoubtedly have, and Houston has plenty to look forward to next season.
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How to Fix Houston Rockets’ Defensive Struggles Next Season
The Houston Rockets don’t have many needs to address this offseason, but shoring up the defense should be its top priority. The team finished the regular season 28th in points allowed, giving up an average of 102.5 points per game.
In the playoffs, the Rockets’ defensive struggles continued. They gave up 105.8 points a night to the Oklahoma City Thunder during their six-game series. That placed them 14th out of the 16 playoff teams in opposing points allowed.
The hope this offseason is that the team can make the same huge strides in development that they made last summer. With a couple of big moves, GM Daryl Morey transformed this Rockets team from a lottery franchise filled with prospects to a playoff contender.
The risky signings of center Omer Asik and point guard Jeremy Lin worked out well. Asik averaged a double-double in his first season as starter, contributing 10.1 points and 11.7 rebounds a night.
As for Lin, he added 13.1 points and 6.1 assists a contest in his debut season in Houston while also averaging more than a steal per night.
The biggest move made by Morey in the past year was the deal that sent guard James Harden from Oklahoma City’s bench to Houston’s starting lineup. The acquisition of “The Beard” gave the Rockets its first true superstar since the days of Tracy McGrady.
Alas, there is more work to do.
The team has a logjam of promising yet unproven prospects at power forward. Rookie Terrence Jones flashed some potential late in the season, but didn’t play in the final three games of the Thunder series.
His averages of 5.5 points and 3.4 rebounds per game during the regular season leave a lot to be desired.
Fellow rookie Thomas Robinson, acquired in a midseason trade with the Sacramento Kings, didn’t fare much better in the regular season (4.8 points and 4.5 rebounds a game). The No. 5 overall pick didn’t even play a second against Oklahoma City in the first round.
Donatas Motiejunas and Greg Smith round out the foursome at power forward, but neither did much to establish themselves as the long-term answer.
The Rockets proved that they can hang with the elite and showed some heart by stretching their opening-round series with the top-seeded Thunder to six games. However, the team can’t continue to wait on prospects to emerge in order to stay competitive in the West.
They need to use the considerable amount of cap space they’ll have this summer (they have only $38 million committed for next season) to lock down a proven veteran in the frontcourt that can help them on the defensive end.
There is an understandable clamoring for Los Angeles Lakers center and pending free-agent Dwight Howard to come to Houston. Signing Howard and moving Asik to the bench would give Houston a formidable defensive presence inside.
While not impossible, a potential acquisition of Howard seems more like a pipe dream. The Lakers can offer more money and it is hard for a young guy like Dwight to turn down the bright lights of Hollywood.
It’s also not the right move for the Rockets. Asik may not be the all-around star that Howard is, but he brings some nice elements to the table. He’s a capable shot-blocker and he can get after it on the glass.
He also made a big leap this season, from an afterthought on the Bulls‘ bench last year to a solid starter with the Rockets.
The guy Houston should target this summer is Atlanta Hawks power forward Josh Smith.
Like Howard, Smith is an excellent defender. For his nine-year career, he averages 2.1 blocks and 1.3 steals per game, and according to Synergy Sports, Smith held opponents to just under 38 percent from the field this season.
He also can help the Rockets on the boards, as he’s averaged at least eight rebounds per game in all but one of the last seven seasons. With Asik and Smith playing together, the Rockets can own the glass and give their dynamic offense plenty of second-chance opportunities.
Smith would provide stability at the power forward spot and would take some of the scoring pressure off of James Harden. He is an incredible athlete and doesn’t come with Howard’s litany of injuries.
With Smith in place, the team would be less reliant on Jones and he can be afforded more time to develop. The team could then use D-Mo and/or Robinson as trade chips to upgrade other areas such as a backup shooting guard behind Harden.
The quest to improve Houston’s defense doesn’t end at Smith though. The team could use another center behind Asik.
A nice under-the-radar move would be bringing back shot-blocker Samuel Dalembert to be Asik‘s caddy. Dalembert didn’t see a ton of playing time this past season in Milwaukee, playing behind guys like Larry Sanders and John Henson.
Still, he would be a relatively cheap addition who can come in, contest shots and grab a few rebounds. For his career, the Seton Hall product has averaged eight rebounds per game over the last 11 seasons.
He doesn’t offer much on the offensive end, but the team has enough scorers to compensate for Dalembert’s inability to put the ball in the basket.
The team could finish off its defensive re-tooling by adding a perimeter defender in the Tony Allen mold to backup James Harden. Lin and Harden are decent defenders and reserve Patrick Beverley is coming into his own.
Still, the team needs a Thabo Sefolosha-type stopper that can come off the bench and clamp down on opponents. Denver‘s Corey Brewer is a free agent this summer and he was among the top 10 in the league in steal percentage.
The Rockets have the kind of high-octane offense that can keep up with anybody. To go far in the playoffs, however, they will need to generate some stops.
This offseason doesn’t need to be filled with big names, but it would benefit the team to add a few guys with a well-known defensive reputation.
Josh Smith would shore up the team’s weak spot at power forward while also providing quality defense. Samuel Dalembert would give the second unit another big man that can protect the rim. A perimeter defender like Corey Brewer could bolster the defense off the bench.
Morey proved this season that rebuilding a team is as much about hitting a few doubles (Asik and Lin) as it is about knocking one out of the park (Harden). The team should follow that strategy once again this offseason to fix its leaky defense.
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James Harden vows to help the Houston Rockets recruit free agents
The Houston Rockets have found the face of their franchise. Despite not being able to take advantage of the weaker-than-usual Oklahoma City Thunder in the playoffs, the Rockets feel that they are a team on the rise.
Last off-season, the initial thought was that Jeremy Lin was imported to Texas to give the Rockets a brand to anchor their logo on.
That did not exactly work out as James Harden rode into town and took over both on and off the court.
Harden’s combo platter of charisma and skill have rendered him a big time player.
As Houston moves on to seek new pieces to their puzzle, Harden says that he is ready to recruit free agents to help their cause.
Please click here to read this story and watch a dramatic James Harden video.
The post James Harden vows to help the Houston Rockets recruit free agents appeared first on Players View.
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Martin steps up as Thunder eliminate Rockets
The Thunder will advance to the second round and face the Memphis Grizzlies.
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Thunder beat Rockets 103-94 to advance (Yahoo! Sports)
HOUSTON (AP) — Kevin Durant texted Kevin Martin after his terrible performance in Game 5 to send words of encouragement, and tell him he knew Martin would bounce back on Friday night.
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