Houston Rockets: Russell Westbrook could be Daryl Morey’s last stand
After hitting the eject button on Chris Paul and landing Russell Westbrook, this could be the last stand for Daryl Morey and the Houston Rockets
When it was announced that the Houston Rockets had landed Russell Westbrook via trade, in exchange for Chris Paul and a few draft picks, I couldn’t help but think that this could potentially be the last stand for Daryl Morey in Houston.
Since he acquired James Harden from the Oklahoma City Thunder a few years back, almost everything that Morey has done in Houston has either worked or led to another move to fix the original issue. He might be at the end of the road, though, should the duo of Westbrook and Harden not work.
There is no next move, especially with the contracts that both Harden and Westbrook are on. In fact, the latter contract is considered one of the worst in the league.
More from Sir Charles In Charge
- Dillon Brooks proved his value to Houston Rockets in the 2023 FIBA World Cup
- NBA Trade Rumors: 1 Player from each team most likely to be traded in-season
- Golden State Warriors: Buy or sell Chris Paul being a day 1 starter
- Does Christian Wood make the Los Angeles Lakers a legit contender?
- NBA Power Rankings: Tiering all 30 projected starting point guards for 2023-24
And with dwindling assets, Morey might’ve just put all his eggs on this duo working. The good news is that it probably has a better chance of excelling than what this team looked like a couple of days ago.
Chris Paul looks like a shell of his former self, is quickly aging and simply didn’t work next to Harden. While Westbrook and Paul might not be the ideal fit on paper, considering that both players are extremely high usage players (both in the top 10 in the league), there’s always the chance that elite players find a way to make it work.
We saw it with the not-so-ideal fit of Dwyane Wade and LeBron James for four years in Miami and could see the same between Westbrook and Harden.
Not to say that the current version of Westbrook and Harden are anything close to that original version of LeBron and Wade (because they’re not), but if they’re motivated enough I find it hard to believe that this duo won’t be able to, at the very least, coexist with one another.
Whether that equates to winning on the grandest stage is an entirely different story, however. You could make the case for Houston being the favorites in ranking Western Conference teams, but they won’t be the unanimous top team in the West heading into the 2019-20 season.
James Harden will be 30 by the time the new season starts. Westbrook will turn 31 shortly after the start of it. The Rockets are all-in on the next couple of seasons. Daryl Morey elected to go all-in on this duo. Will it pay off?
Next. Miami Heat: Don't Sleep On Tyler Herro. dark
Whether you believe in Morey’s plan or not, this appears to be his last stand with the Houston Rockets.