Sometimes you need to take risks in the search for glory, and that’s exactly what the Houston Rockets did when they parted ways with Chandler Parsons, Jeremy Lin and Omir Asik. While they did manage to sign the likes of Trevor Ariza and Jason Terry, they failed to secure the signature of that big name that they were clearing all that cap space for. As the season came around, there was no questioning that Houston had talent, but did they have the depth? Well as it turns out, patience is what they needed.
Despite the absence of Dwight Howard, Patrick Beverley and Terrence Jones throughout the season, the Houston Rockets have managed to find themselves sitting third in the Western Conference, due mainly to the incredible efforts of James Harden. But as we know, the NBA season is an 82 game slog and then there are the Playoffs. Surely James Harden wouldn’t be able to continue carrying the team over that period of time. Well unfortunately for opposition teams and much to the delight of the Rockets organisation, Houston have added depth as well as a former NBA All-Star to their already competitive team.
You can hardly blame NBA fans for almost allowing the trade to go unnoticed, but as Rajon Rondo was packing his bags for Dallas, the Rockets were quietly going about adding that much needed firepower off the bench. In a deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Philadelphia 76ers, the Rockets managed to secure the services of Corey Brewer and Alexey Shved. While it didn’t have the bright lights of the Rajon Rondo trade, you can’t underestimate the importance of this transaction in the grand scheme of things. Brewer is more than capable of filling the score sheet and Shved proved that he was a capable PG in the absence of Ricky Rubio last season in his stint at the Timberwolves. While Houston did part ways with Troy Daniels, they have added this experience to the bench, all while allowing the rest of the team to remain relatively untouched. But as they say in infomercials, “WAIT, THERE’S MORE!”
[image src=’http://fnx.network/fnxnetwork/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/10355705346_71e87fbd9e_z.jpg’ width=‘320’ height=’490′ title=‘Source:Erik Drost,Flickr’ align=’left’]It was no secret that Detroit were looking to offload Josh Smith, but it came as a pretty big shock to NBA fans the world over when the Pistons simply parted ways with the former NBA All-Star. No trade, simply waived from the Detroit Pistons. For the Rockets, this allowed them to sign that big name which they were after only a few months earlier. The signing also allows Smith to move back to the PF position. A position which he became so well known for in Atlanta, but was unable to play in Detroit due to likes of Monroe and Drummond being on the same team. Now there is no guarantee of which “Josh Smith” we will see in Houston, but if the past is anything to go by, then the Rockets could have a very exciting future on their hands. With names such as James Harden, Dwight Howard and Josh Smith combined with their new found depth, the potential of this team is sky high. Not bad for a team that seemed to “miss out” over the NBA offseason.
Be sure to check out our upcoming episode of Big Ballers Podcast right here on the FNX Network as we talk about Josh Smith’s move to Houston, as well as the latest results and stories in the NBA.
Banner Image Credit: Michael Tipton, Flickr
Story Image Credit: Erik Drost, Flickr