Words by Jason Cordner
The Houston general manager swung a huge deal this offseason to bring in superstar point guard Chris Paul. He needed to sacrifice a handful of key pieces like Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, Sam Dekker, and Montrezl Harrell in a sign-and-trade with the Clippers, but it was a small price to pay to get a player of CP3’s caliber.
Meanwhile, Morey also helped make the Rockets better-equipped to face the Warriors by adding PJ Tucker and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. With those two joining Trevor Ariza, the Rockets now have a trio of versatile and capable defenders to throw at the Warriors’ talented wings in a potential playoff series.
Player To Watch:Â Chris PaulÂ
It’s not as if Paul is incapable of adjusting and playing more off the ball. He’s a terrific shooter and should be able to knock down a fair share of open shots playing next to Harden, who can shred defenses with his drive-and-kick ability.
The question is whether Paul will be willing to give up control of a team for the first time in his career. Even though his legacy is somewhat at stake, it’s still not a surefire lock that he buys in.
Regardless of what happens, though, the Rockets will be one of the more fascinating teams to watch in the league because of that whole dynamic between Paul and Harden.
PredictionÂ
James Harden had the second highest usage rate in the NBA last season and the Rockets just added the best true point guard of his generation in Chris Paul. Can they share the ball? And the Rockets were already the NBA’s No. 2 offense, so isn’t it more likely that this uncertainty will mess up a good thing than make it better? Look for the Rockets to battle it out with OKC and the Warriors for top billing in the Western Conference
