Free-agent needs long, as are odds to fill
‘Help wanted’ sign likely to go unheeded as stars fly elsewhere
Destination city. Remember that? Carmelo Anthony stealing Jeremy Lin’s number and taking over the Toyota Center marquee. Chris Bosh almost signing a new lease to officially become a proud Houstonian. Dwight Howard deciding there was no better NBA city in the country than the one we live in.
At least Howard got one thing right during his largely unfulfilling three-year stay in Rockets red.
What I’m about to say obviously isn’t Houston’s fault. We’re hosting the Super Bowl, NCAA men’s Final Four and Copa America in one year, so
this is clearly much more about them than us.
The Rockets are no longer a destination team. No flashy, elite free-agent face is one maximum contract away from rebranding James Harden’s arena. And when you consider that the semi-rebuilding Rockets couldn’t even steal an invite to Kevin Durant’s five-team summer party this weekend in the Hamptons, there’s no better time than now to take a big step backward and reflect on where things stand in Les Alexander Land.
The Rockets have major cash to burn — about $46 million if Howard flies away for good — possess one of the sharpest offensive players in the NBA and are only two years removed from trying to overnight Melo out of New York.
July 2014 also feels like a long, long time ago. I’m still not sure everyone wants to play with Harden when he’s a primary alpha dog who sometimes ball-hogs. And as fun as free agency always is — endless rumors, sudden breaking news, gazillions in guaranteed money! — the two-year pursuit that once defined everything the Rockets did is starting to be replaced by a new, murky two-year plan with no clear road ahead.
Wish list grows
Just the idea that some have tried to link Lin back to the team that gave away his number says it all. As does the fact the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Clippers received fancy Durant cards in the mail while one of the teams that spent all last season wanting him and has a famous ex-teammate already in uniform — you guessed it: Harden’s Rockets — apparently has as good a shot at winning the 2016-17 NBA Finals as it does clinking Cristal glasses with Oklahoma City’s finest export.
That has to hurt Alexander’s ego a little, right?
Golden State, the best team in the West two years running, comes a few minutes away from being back-to-back NBA champs, then is second in line to pitch its next screenplay to Durant.
The Rockets have free dough, ample cap room and the league’s thirdleading scorer yet can’t even get a green light.
It has poured black rain during free agency before, and Daryl Morey has come out just fine. Remember when (overrated) Chandler Parsons (foolishly) thought Dallas was better than Houston two Julys ago and it felt like the Rockets’ world had ended via a weird breakup text message? Morey’s squad took a game from the Warriors in the Western Conference finals 10 months later and pulled off its best year in almost two decades.
The Rockets still had Howard then, though. Which is why this iffy free-agent class is so critical for whatever it is Mike D’Antoni is about to create.
Entering last July, the Rockets needed an upgrade at point guard, real 3-point shooters (not guys who just shoot them) and a stretch power forward, among other wish-list items. A year later, they still need all those toys and more — and they’re one big Howard decision away from being significantly worse on paper until the new names arrive.
What are the Rockets as is? Be honest — no hometown discount.
A .500-ish team with a highly talented, fairly polarizing, defensively challenged “leader.”
Until Al Horford, Mike Conley, Ryan Anderson or Dwyane Wade signs up for a membership at the Harden-D’Antoni club, there’s no way this is anything close to a top-four team in the deadly West. Even if the Rockets convince a couple second-tier guys that Houston really is a special place to live, the new crew must buy into what D’Antoni’s selling, figure out how to play on both ends with Harden, and somehow be better than the Warriors, Spurs, Thunder, Clippers, etc.
Yeesh. Thank goodness I get to write for a living and don’t have to put a fractured 41-41 team back together.
Any magic left, Morey?
All eyes turn to Morey now. Alexander picked his man. It’s the GM’s time to find D’Antoni the right players who fit and create Suns 2.0 in H-Town.
Crazier money than ever before is about to be carelessly tossed around — max deals are almost meaningless now. The Rockets are expected to watch, make it rain, watch some more, then carefully pull out Alexander’s checkbook again.
Harden needs on-court help and floor-leader guidance. We all know that.
The Rockets simply need to get better. No instant superstar fixes — unless Morey suddenly discovers magic again. Just smart moves, a deeper roster and enough postseason-level talent to cover up the hole that Superman’s pending departure creates.
That’s how you start to fix everything that was broken last year.
That’s how the Rockets turn their home back into a destination instead of a place you leave.