The Houston Rockets don't have many needs to address this offseason, but shoring up the defense should really be its top priority. The team completed the regular season 28th in points allowed, giving up on average 102.5 points per game. In the playoffs, the Rockets' defensive problems continued. They quit 105.8 points a to the Oklahoma City Thunder during their six-game series. That placed them 14th out of the 16 playoff groups in opposite points allowed. The hope this offseason is that the staff could make exactly the same large strides in growth that they made last summer. With a couple of major moves, this Rockets team was transformed by GM Daryl Morey from a lottery operation filled with prospects to a playoff contender. The high-risk signings of center Omer Asik and point guard Jeremy Lin worked out well. A double-double was averaged by asik in his first year as beginning, surrounding 10.1 factors and 11.7 rebounds an evening. In terms of Lin, he included 13.1 points and 6.1 allows a contest in his debut time in Houston while also averaging greater than a grab per night. The greatest move created by Morey in the past year was the offer that sent guard James Harden from Oklahoma City's table to Houston's starting lineup. The order of "The Beard" gave its first true superstar to the Rockets because the times of Tracy McGrady. Alas, there's more work to do. The team features a logjam of encouraging yet unproven leads at power forward. Novice Terrence Jones placed some potential late in the year, but didn't play in the remaining three games of the Thunder line. His averages of 5.5 factors and 3.4 rebounds per game during the regular season keep too much to be desired. Other rookie Thomas Robinson, acquired in a midseason trade with the Sacramento Kings, did not fare definitely better in the normal time (4.8 factors and 4.5 rebounds a game). The No. 5 total pick didn't actually play a second against Oklahoma City in the initial round. Donatas Motiejunas and Greg Smith round out the foursome at electricity forward, but neither did much to determine themselves as the long-term solution. The Rockets demonstrated that they can hang with the elite and revealed some center by extending their opening-round line with the top-seeded Thunder to six games. However, the staff can't continue steadily to wait on prospects to arise in order to stay competitive in the West. They need certainly to use the quite a bit of top house they will have come early july (they have only $38 million committed for next time) to lock down a proven veteran in they that can be helped by the frontcourt on the defensive end. There is an understandable clamoring for La Lakers heart and impending free-agent Dwight Howard to come calmly to Houston. Signing Howard and going Asik to the seat will give a powerful defensive presence inside to Houston. A possible exchange of Howard seems a lot more like a fantasy, whilst not impossible. More money can be offered by the Lakers and it is hard for a young man like Dwight to show down the brilliant lights of Hollywood. It is also maybe not the best shift for the Rockets. Asik might not be the all-around star that Howard is, but he gives some wonderful components to the table. He is a capable shot-blocker and he could possibly get after it on the glass. He also made a huge leap in 2013, from an on the Bulls' bench a year ago to a good beginner with the Rockets. The person Houston should target come july 1st is Atlanta Hawks energy forward Josh Smith. Like Howard, Smith is a wonderful defense. For his nine-year job, he averages 2.1 blocks and 1.3 steals per game, and in accordance with Synergy Sports, Smith held opponents to just under 38 percent from the field this year. As he's averaged at least seven rebounds per game in every but one of many last eight times, he may also support the Rockets on the boards. With Asik and Smith playing together, the Rockets may own the glass and give their dynamic offense lots of second-chance opportunities. Johnson would give stability at the ability forward location and would just take a number of the scoring pressure away from James Harden. He is an unbelievable athlete and doesn't have Howard's litany of incidents. With Smith in position, the staff will be less reliant on Jones and he can be provided additional time to build up. The staff can then use D-Mo and/or Robinson as deal chips to upgrade the areas such as for instance a backup shooting guard behind Harden. The search to improve Houston's defense does not end at Smith nevertheless. Another center could be used by the team behind Asik. A nice under-the-radar shift would be getting right back shot-blocker Samuel Dalembert to be Asik's basket. Dalembert didn't see a lot of playing time the 2009 year in Milwaukee, playing behind men like Larry Sanders and John Henson. However, he'd be considered a relatively cheap inclusion who can are available in, tournament photos and grab several rebounds. For his profession, the Seton Hall product has averaged ten rebounds per game over the last 11 periods. He doesn't offer much on the bad end, but the staff has enough scorers to compensate for Dalembert's inability to put the ball in the basket. The team can complete its defensive re-tooling with the addition of a perimeter defender in the Tony Allen form to backup James Harden. Harden and Lin are reasonable defenders and reserve Patrick Beverley is getting into his own. However, the group needs a Thabo Sefolosha-type stopper that may come off the table and clamp down on opponents. Denver's Corey Brewer is really a free agent come july 1st and he was on the list of top in the group in steal portion. The Rockets have the type of high-octane offense that could match everyone. To go far in the playoffs, nevertheless, they'll have to produce some stops. That offseason does not must be filled with big names, but the team would be benefited by it to incorporate a couple of men with a well-known defensive reputation. Josh Smith might shore up the team's weak position at strength forward while also giving quality safety. Samuel Dalembert would give another big man to the 2nd product that may protect the edge. The defense could be bolstered by a perimeter defender like Corey Brewer off the bench. Morey proved this year that rebuilding a group can be as much about since it is about knocking one out of the park (Harden) hitting a couple of doubles (Asik and Lin). The group should follow that strategy yet again this offseason to repair its leaky protection.
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