San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Wood move helps inmultipleways
HOUSTON — The Rockets got what they wanted most, which is the goal of free agency. But there remained much that they need.
Assuming the objective is not to achieve social distancing in the locker room, there was still work to do after Houston landed its primary target, Pistons free agent center ChristianWood.
There was no debating that the priority was to addWood’s versatile offensive and defensive skills, bringing a 6-10 center with a 7-foot, 3-inch wingspan to a team with no one else needing to duck under doorways without sacrificing the skills and spacing that were valued in the smallball era.
The Rockets, however, have eight players under contract, not includingWood and the developmental players added since the draft. Along with second-round pick Kenyon Martin Jr. and undrafted free agent guards Mason Jones, Trevelin Queen and Broderic Thomas, on Saturday the Rockets picked up athletic 6-foot-7 G League power forward Kenny Wooten off waivers from the Knicks.
Those are additions to help fill out developmental depth. The key for the Rockets, having taking care of job one when they were able to fold the sign-and-trade forWood into the trade of Trevor Ariza to
the Pistons, is how they add NBA talent to the stockpile, rather than aspiring NBA talent.
More to the point of the consideration that drives nearly everything they attempt to accomplish since training camp opens next month is whetherWood and a few more roster additions will be enough for James Harden and RussellWestbrook to consider the Rockets to be contenders again.
That won’t be easy, and not only because the Rockets are — barring trades — limited to minimum contracts. It was made more difficult when center Jeff Green, who provided a much-needed boost off the Rockets bench last season, opted to take a minimum contract with
the Nets.
At least some of the Western Conference contenders, starting with the champion Lakers, seemed to have gotten better. The Lakers replaced Rajon Rondo, Danny Green and Dwight Howard with Dennis Schroder, Wesley Matthews and Montrezl Harrell, moves that should make them deeper.
The Mavericks, Pelicans, Trail Blazers, Jazz and Suns all added depth to their rotations. Even the Warriors, after losing Klay Thompson for the season, moved quickly to add Kelly Oubre to alleviate some of the damage.
Working with minimum contracts, the Rockets do not have to have answers for all that in the first days of free agent shopping. Usually, minimum deals can drag on far more slowly than the headline moves, though that timetable, as with everything else, is changed by the realities of 2020.
As is, Wood and the eight players they have back should make a strong rotation. If Harden and Westbrook considered the Rockets to be championship worthy when they had Clint Capela in the middle, they could feel that way with Wood.
More immediately, with elite production in pick-and-roll last season, Wood should benefit from time with star playmakers. Harden’s pick-and-roll lobs should be back. More important for the Rockets, Wood brings the range shooting they wanted in the small lineups to provide spacing for Westbrook.
ThoughWood’s rise from having to play his way onto the Pistons roster before the season to coveted free agent after made him a bit of a sudden sensation, Harden should knowhis game well. He andWood played together in Los Angeles pickup games this offseason.
Given the trials of the Rockets’ offseason like few others, landing the player they wanted was vital. Under the circumstances, for the Rockets small steps to come could be huge, too.