Houston Rockets: The 2018 NBA offseason summary and recap
Looking back at what the Houston Rockets did right and wrong during the 2018 NBA offseason, including free agency and the draft
The Houston Rockets must have been playing the “what if” game for much of the summer. Falling one game short of knocking off the Golden State Warriors and possibly winning an NBA Championship is not something that you simply forget overnight.
In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if James Harden and company are still losing sleep over what happened in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals.
Chris Paul, though, might be feeling the worst of it all. Had it not been for his injury in Game 5, which forced him to miss Games 6 and 7, Houston likely doesn’t turn in the Game 7 performance that they did.
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But that’s enough of that game.
Heading into the offseason, the Rockets had the opportunity to carry last year’s momentum into a year in which many might expect them to take the next step, and beat the Warriors in the Conference Finals.
However, after losing Trevor Ariza during free agency and adding Carmelo Anthony after he was bought out, many are now down on the Rockets’ chances this upcoming season.
Houston didn’t exactly strike out this summer, though, and re-signing Clint Capela was clearly the priority for this team this offseason. Accomplishing that is no small feat. The team also added depth to their point guard position, inking Michael Carter-Williams to a deal in free agency.
After losing Ariza, veteran wing player James Ennis was brought in to help cushion the blow. And even though he won’t entirely fill the void that losing Ariza will leave, he will certainly help.
The big question for the Houston Rockets heading into the new season is how will they get Carmelo Anthony to buy into the new role that he’s expected to take with the team.
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Even though Melo didn’t work in Oklahoma City as a third option, there’s hope that they can make it work in Houston.