The mission of the Houston Rockets is clear: The reigning champion from Oakland is to be knocked off the throne as soon as possible. However, the team around MVP James Harden has to cope with important departures after the offseason 2018. After all, the foundation stone for the future was laid at the same time.
The summer in Houston was all about hunting the Golden State Warriors. After the close failure in the Conference Finals against those same Dubs, those responsible planned the next attempt at the throne – this time with Carmelo Anthony.
The 34-year-old is the most important newcomer to the rockets. After his trade from the Thunder to the Hawks and the subsequent buyout, Melo joined his good friend Chris Paul for a year as a veteran minimum. He, in turn, extended his working paper with the Rockets by four years for almost 160 million dollars.
The till also rang at Clint Capela. After lengthy negotiations, both sides agreed on a new deal that will earn the center 90 million dollars over the next five years. Gerald Green also remained in Houston (1 year/2.7 million). There was also good news from a German perspective: Isaiah Hartenstein signed a three-year contract (3.7 million) and will fight for seasonal championship contenders in the coming season.
For General Manager Daryl Morey, who is known to be quite busy, this was far from over. First Houston filled the squad with Michael Carter-Williams (1 year/1.7 million), James Ennis III (2 years/3.5 million) and Bruno Caboclo (1 year/1.6 million) and only at the end of August the Rockets Ryan Anderson and No. 46 Pick De’Anthony Melton join the Phoenix Suns. In return, Brandon Knight and Marquese Chriss will strengthen the team in the future.
Besides Anderson, Trevor Ariza (Suns, 1 year/15 million), Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (Clippers, 1 year/4.3 million) and Joe Johnson (unknown) left MVP James Harden’s team.
The task in Houston is clear: Bring on the championship! Too bad that with the Warriors a team full of superstars stands in the way – and probably for a few more years. Nevertheless, the Rockets did not have much more options than to continue investing in the squad – or to keep the existing player material together. This was achieved in the form of contract renewals for CP3 and Capela – but Ariza and Mbah a Moute backfired.
This is partly due to the tense salary cap situation of the Texans. Although Morey got rid of the Anderson Treaty, Houston is still about $32 million above the salary ceiling in 2018/19. In view of this precarious situation, the squad could only be supplemented selectively. The rest of the ramp landed on Morey’s note.
The list of new additions is accordingly unspectacular. A situation the Rockets fans should be prepared for in the future as well. The cap situation in Houston is likely to remain tense for the next four years.
After the departure of Ariza and Mbah a Moute, the wing of the Rockets lacks both quality and depth. Ariza in particular will be greatly missed in Houston. The noble defender with the hot hand (not to mention game 7 against the Warriors) fits into the system of rockets like the much quoted fist to the eye. Also in the person of Mbah a Moute the Rockets lose a good defender.
The big problem: Both veterans could not be adequately replaced, besides the undisputedly strong backcourt and Capela as anchor in the middle a hole gapes on the wing. A hole that neither Melo nor any other newcomer can fill defensively. With regard to a possible play-off duel with the Dubs, these are not good conditions.
The sixth-best defense of the past season will therefore take a significant step back. There are also a few question marks behind the new additions. Many of the newcomers (see MCW or Caboclo) will probably not get beyond their role as bench handles – their impact on the rockets will be correspondingly manageable.
Brandon Knight is also a risk after the Point Guard suffered a cruciate ligament rupture last summer. There is a lot of untapped potential in the person of Chriss that head coach Mike D’Antoni still has to get out of the young Big Man.
Whether the Rockets can become dangerous for the Warriors in the next season depends primarily on Harden and Paul’s performance. But if the Texans want to beat the reigning champion, they need a Carmelo Anthony in top form. However, this has been rarely seen lately.
It remains to be seen to what extent he will contribute to the team structure. According to reports, D’Antoni plans to use the ex-Thunder player as sixth man. As you know, OKC had similar plans, the result should be known. However, should Anthony take on the role and experience his second NBA spring as a scorer from the bank, the commitment would be a real steal.
In the worst case, however, Melo has long since passed his zenith and his achievements seamlessly follow those of recent years. Then Anthony wouldn’t be too much help on the way to snatching the NBA crown from the Warriors.
From Rockets’ point of view the offseason 2018 offered a lot of light, but also some shadows. On the credit side are the important contract extensions of Paul and Capela. The core of the team around Harden, CP3 and the center is thus bound to Houston until 2021. So Houston has nothing to worry about in the near future.
And yet the coming season will probably see a weaker team in the Toyota Center than in 2017/18, with Ariza and Mbah a Moute retiring too painfully for the Rockets to leave the summer really happy. The new commitments cannot adequately fill the gaps left behind. And yet the talent should be enough for a deep playoff run. Just to shake the Warriors throne, it takes more than that.
The grade: 3
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