The Houston Rockets team is being tailor-made to defeat the Golden State Warriors. As stated many times by general manager Daryl Morey, they are hunting down the Warriors and always building towards a way of defeating the dynastic unit. This season, Houston’s efforts came so close to paying off.
In the Western Conference Finals, the Warriors and Rockets went all the way to Game 7 An unprecedented collapse of going 0-for-27 on three-pointers saw them tumble behind the Warriors. But, Houston was without one of its star players, Chris Paul, for the final two games of the series – both of which the Warriors won.
Having come tantalizingly close to achieving their goal, the Houston Rockets are expected to go big in this offseason to significantly close the gap between them and the Warriors. If their grab of Chris Paul last season is anything to go by, the Rockets are set to be explosive this summer.
Houston’s efforts haven’t gone unnoticed
With the Boston Celtics taking the Cleveland Cavaliers – or rather, LeBron James and co. – to Game 7 and the Rockets doing the same with the Warriors, people are viewing the 2018 NBA Playoffs as a sign of a new era ushering in. But, easily the most impressive outing was that of the Rockets.
Houston clocked in a league-leading 65 wins in the regular season – seven more than the Warriors – thanks in part to James Harden’s MVP-calibre play, the sure-hand of Chris Paul, and the breakout of Clint Capela. Then, coming wincingly close to toppling the super-team has the whole league taking notice.
Even though the Rockets will most likely meet the Warriors in the Conference Finals next season, they come in as the joint-second favorites to take their crown. At +400 in the NBA Betting, the Houston Rockets and Philadelphia 76ers are rated as the Warriors’ toughest opposition in 2019. It should come as no surprise that these odds coincide with two of the favored clubs to snap up the biggest free agent of the summer.
Will Morey go all-in on James?
Daryl Morey has earned a reputation for being obsessed with defeating the Golden State Warriors. Coming so close last season will only fuel his hunger. Now, it looks as though one of the most prized assets in the league – let alone any free agency – could come between Morey’s crosshairs.
LeBron James, the megastar that carried the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals, is set to hit the free agency and, as you would expect, the bullish Morey already has the Rockets in the running to sign him. LeBron James is a close friend of Chris Paul and would love nothing more than to defeat the Warriors once again after so much heartache in Cleveland.
James’ maximum contract may be somewhat of a problem for the Houston Rockets, especially as they have some top players to re-sign themselves. But, if Morey sees James as the key to victory, he may be willing to shed some non-superstar contracts to enable the fit. Of course, there is the issue of James’ monster salary or the assets required to trade for him, should he opt-in and extend.
The Houston Rockets are expected to chase LeBron James in the summer, as are many other potential championship contenders. With Daryl Morey determined to defy the odds and overcome the Warriors, an audacious deal for James doesn’t seem out of the question.
