When making the playoffs is a bad thing
The Houston Rockets are currently sitting in 8th spot in the NBA’s Western Conference and could make the playoffs for the fourth straight season, but there is reason to believe that making the playoffs could be a worse result for the Rockets than missing them.
It is not a foregone conclusion that the Rockets will even make it to the post season, their current record of 36-38 is a half game ahead of the Dallas Mavericks who are 35-38, in what will be a very tight race for that final spot in the playoffs picture.
While it could be seen by most people as a positive, with all the turmoil surrounding this Rockets team, it may be a blessing to miss the post season. It would give them a reason to hit the reset button on a team that really isn’t going to be able to contend any time soon.
Six months ago, the idea of splitting the Rockets up and restarting – having just come off a Western Conference Finals trip (losing to eventual champions Golden State) – was seen as a vital time for their improvement, and perhaps may have even given them chance to win the Western Conference.
The Rockets reloaded, acquiring former first round pick Ty Lawson from the Denver Nuggets. The hype and positivity of a new teammate didn’t last long however, as a poor 4-7 start to the season saw head coach Kevin McHale fired.
Assistant Coach J.B Bickerstaff who took the reigns from McHale, had a promising start, but the blush of the new coach soon wore off. The same problems arose again, leading to Bickerstaff’s comments which described the team as broken: “We’re a broken team, and we all need to use this break to figure out how we’re going to impact change. If we don’t want to impact change, then we need to be made aware of that, too, and we’ll go in a different direction”.
Trying to adhere to these remarks, when off-season acquisition Ty Lawson did not work out, he was quickly bought out after the trade deadline. However, Lawson was not the Rockets’ only issue.
Team superstars Dwight Howard and James Harden both have had rocky seasons, and chemistry issues again arose this season at the trade deadline, where rumours were flying that they were both trying to get the other traded.
The Rockets took some calls on Howard but were unable to find a trade partner, ending in the decision to keep the center, in the hopes that things might improve, but to no such avail. While he is putting up reasonable numbers, he has been averaging just 14.3 points per game, his lowest since his rookie season in Orlando, which has done nothing for the quickly unravelling Rockets.
James Harden on the other hand, no matter the praise he was given on the back of last season, has regressed exponentially on his defence. Even his brilliance in offence has not been able to save him from becoming a Vine staple once again.
It’s clear that the pairing of Harden and Howard will not win a championship; the chemistry is not there and its time to hit the reset button. One of them have to go, and with Dwight Howard becoming a free agent at the end of the season, it may be best if they just let him go and use the extra cap space to sign some free agents that will be a better fit for the team rather than Howard. Kevin Durant is obviously the dream target, but they need to be more realistic with their choices, and should aim for the likes of Mike Conley, Jae Crowder or even Timofey Mozgov.
The problem is, if they do make the playoffs in their current state, it will be like applying a bandaid over the problem, and management may just want to try and reload again. Change is necessary for the ailing Houston team, so losing their first round pick in this year’s draft should not be an option.
Whatever they do it is time for change. Making the playoffs would likely mean being swept or losing in five to six games, as well as losing their first round pick. They won’t be able to go anywhere with their current group, so they need to work quickly before they get stuck in the NBA’s no mans land, not to mention how it would be a waste of three-to-four years of their superstar, James Harden’s prime.
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