The Houston Rockets are one of the few teams that have a real shot to challenge for an NBA title this year. With a 25-15 record, they are currently fifth in the West, but are within shouting distance of the 2-seed. Evidently, Houston seems to have gotten its roster just about right.
The Rockets have a phenomenal young core with Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, and Jabari Smith Jr. They’re one of the best defensive teams in the league, and they rebound the hell out of the ball. Houston already pushed all their chips into the middle this past summer, trading for Kevin Durant.
But then, injuries have played such a major role in shaping the race for the Larry O’Brien trophy. We saw it last year when Jayson Tatum blew out his Achilles in the playoffs, and then Tyrese Haliburton suffered the same injury in Game 7 of the Finals. The Rockets caught the injury bug, too, as Fred VanVleet tore his ACL just before the season started.
It was a huge blow, but this is a deep team that has recovered well. Reed Sheppard has been streaky but effective, and Houston’s depth has carried them through. Still, it would be nice to have another point guard to help them in their pursuit of a title.
Dwyane Wade proffered an answer during Amazon Prime’s telecast this weekend. He suggested that the Rockets should go after Chris Paul, who currently doesn’t have a team after being unceremoniously let go by the Clippers.
“They need an organizer. They need a quarterback, they need a conductor. They need a guy who can get guys in their spots, they need a guy who can play with bigs — they got Sengun, they got Adams,” Wade said of the Rockets. “Chris Paul [is] out there. They need a veteran. They need a guy who doesn’t need to score… These are all the things that Chris Paul does very well.”
On today’s episode of No Fouls Given, Danny Green and Paul Pierce debated the merits of bringing Paul to Houston. “I don’t dislike it,” Green said, even though he called it “a banana boat push.” Green was referring to the infamous banana boat group that included Paul, Wade, LeBron James, and Carmelo Anthony.
“CP is a good, high-intelligence player,” Green continued. “For any group, I think he can help and be a veteran. I don’t think it’s a bad move, I don’t think he needs to play major minutes.”
Pierce was open to the move, but he doubts whether it could be a real difference maker. “I don’t think it hurts them,” he said.
“But is it the missing piece? It doesn’t put them over the top to say, ‘Oh, you got CP now, I think you can compete with the Thunder, the Nuggets, and the Spurs,’ it doesn’t do that. But I think it helps them,” added Pierce.
The Rockets will only make that move if they really feel that Paul can be a positive influence on the team. They would be all the more careful, looking at the weird way in which Paul’s tenure with the Clippers ended. No one knows the truth of it or who’s really at fault. But Paul reportedly clashed with coaches over accountability and leadership style.
As things stand, the Rockets have a good thing going and wouldn’t want to risk that. Paul would be a low-cost option if they went that route, but with the trade deadline approaching, they could also make a bigger move for a point guard.
They also might just stand pat and trust that Sheppard and Thompson can continue to grow. They could also be hoping that VanVleet might make it back for the playoffs.
The post “Doesn’t Put Them Over the Top”: Paul Pierce Gives His Two Cents on Chris Paul to Rockets Chatter appeared first on The SportsRush.
