Rockets GM Daryl Morey on why he desired to go after Westbrook during the offseason
Speaking on “The Lowe Post,” Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey elaborated on what was the thought process entering the 2019 offseason. While Morey acknowledged that Chris Paul and James Harden were a great duo, he believes that Russell Westbrook is the player that would add all the components that would boost his team enough to make them a title contender.
“We just felt like you can’t win unless you’ve got a peak level that’s very high,” Morey told Lowe. “And we thought with Chris (Paul) and James (Harden) we were an extremely good team, and in fact in 2018, you could argue the best team. I think Golden State, to be fair, was probably the best (in 2018), but we were right there with them.
“And we felt like the team we had with Chris and James was extremely good but was going to come up short of the title. And we thought that adding Russ, who unquestionably has this peak level of play that not many guys have reached, was the right move.”
Even if they are heading to the playoffs, the absence of a big man in the center seems to turn out to be a big issue for the Rockets. Was it worth trading Clint Capela? According to reports, yes he is out with plantar fasciitis, but he is rehabbing and he is getting closer to his return to the court. Should they wait instead of rushing to make a move? Now it doesn’t matter. Capela is with Hawks and the Rockets will take an ultra-small small-ball lineup to the playoffs and will take this challenge and what that ensues.
The Rockets, with record 40–24 sit in the sixth seed in the Western Conference standings and with arguably one of the best duos in the league right now, with two leaders, James Harden and Russell Westbrook, aspire to make a long run in the upcoming postseason. Harden is currently averaging 34.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 7.4 assists, while Russell Westbrook is putting up 27.5 markers, 8.1 boards and 7.0 assists. Can they lead Houston to its third championship?
The last time the Rockets won the title was back in 1995, in back-to-back titles (1994–1995) when led by Hakeem Olajuwon, the Rockets dominated the 1993–94 season and won the franchise’s first championship against Patrick Ewing and the New York Knicks. During the following season, reinforced by another All-Star, Clyde Drexler, the Rockets defended their title with a four-game sweep over the Orlando Magic, who were led by a young Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway. Houston, which finished the season with a 47–35 record and was seeded sixth in the Western Conference during the 1995 playoffs, became the lowest-seeded team in NBA history to win the title.
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