Rockets improve, but still trail Warriors
Sorting through the aftershocks of the Chris Paul deal:
Pairing Paul with James Harden doesn’t scare the Warriors. The Houston Rockets don’t have enough complementary pieces to stake a claim for the Finals. But when coach Mike D’Antoni says, “We have the two best playmakers in the league” — a legitimate argument — he floats the implications. The Western Conference finals are well within reach.
How it works: Paul is as cool as Kevin Durant when it comes to joining a new team and maintaining harmony. Harden is as gracious as Stephen Curry in the realm of sacrifice. And with Paul so adept at the mid-range shot, the Rockets abandon the absurd (and ultimately fatal) theory that there’s nothing in between three-point shots and hard drives to the basket.
How it doesn’t: Paul’s deliberate, grind-it-out style hampers the team’s desire to run wild. He’s an angry, confrontational brand of leader, an attitude that wore on his Clippers teammates. And when it comes down to a crucial halfcourt set in the playoffs, who takes the big shot? Can the Rockets move the ball Golden State-style or will they revert to isolation?
Important to know: In insisting on a trade, Paul forestall- ed his free agency until next summer. At that point, he can walk away from Houston and see what fellow free agent LeBron James has in mind.
A big plus for Harden, who foolishly played through a wrist injury, never got proper rest and was a ghost of himself by the end of the San Antonio series: He’ll get some breathers now. There won’t be a minute when the Rockets don’t have an elite point guard on the floor.
Defense is any team’s key to beating the Warriors, and the Rockets — already terrible in this regard — lost ferocious guard Patrick Beverley in the trade. Paul attacks the defensive end, but he can’t stay with Curry.
The Rockets are targeting Paul George and Carmelo Anthony for more help. Doesn’t seem likely. Anthony had a bitter feud with D’Antoni when he coached the Knicks, and the Rockets probably don’t have enough assets to acquire George.
Jerry West signed a two-year deal to become a Clippers consultant. Does he favor a complete teardown, with Blake Griffin moving on? Griffin won’t be a big factor against the Warriors as long as Draymond Green is around, and West knows that. But if Griffin heads off to Boston, Miami or Oklahoma City, West faces a charred landscape and not much time to make a difference.