According to Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated, the Houston Rockets have emerged as the early favorites to land the newly available Chris Kaman from the New Orleans Hornets, as the team looks to add more size in hopes of making an extensive playoff push.
The Rockets are one of the season’s early surprises, as they have essentially already played themselves out of the lottery. Even without Kaman, Houston looks like a playoff caliber team, and his added presence would only further the team’s ability to make some postseason noise. But does it make the Rockets title contenders?
The short answer is no, and the longer, drawn out answer is also no.
Houston has impressed thus far, but this squad is nowhere near contending for a title, with or without Kaman. The Rockets’ roster, while surprisingly effective at times, is also extremely volatile.
Kevin Martin, while the team’s leading scorer, has proven to be inconsistent, Courtney Lee has struggled to establish an identity amidst an unstable role and Houston doesn’t really know what it has just yet in Jordan Hill, Chandler Parsons, Goran Dragic, Chase Budinger and Patrick Patterson.
Acquiring Kaman will come at a minimal cost to the Rockets, but it isn’t going to make much of a difference in the outcome of the season, at least no this year. Samuel Dalembert, while overrated, provides a veteran anchor in the low post alongside Luis Scola, and Kaman is not going to fair much better should he land in Houston. The team’s biggest question marks are on the perimeter, where only Kyle Lowry’s production has proven to be guaranteed.
The Rockets’ youngsters are extremely impressive, but remain incredibly raw. Whatever prospects remain post Kaman trade will likely pay Houston large dividends. Eventually.
The reality for the Rockets is they are rebuilding. Their record doesn’t reflect it, but their core is still developing and the team is still attempting to figure out how to balance out its offensive attack. That cannot be fixed overnight, Kaman or not.
Trading for Kaman helps shore up the middle even further for Houston, but it doesn’t make them title contenders. What will put the Rockets in contention? Patience.
As incredible as Houston has played as of late, the truth is that the Rockets are a work-in-progress, feigning the role of an established contender. And Kaman’s presence isn’t going to change that, at least not right now.
Dan Favale is an avid basketball analyst and firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His work can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com. Follow @danfavale on Twitter for his latest posts and all things NBA.
