Daryl Morey: Rockets Already Have Makings Of Championship Team

[Fallen Angel]

Daryl Morey is confident in the Houston Rockets' title chances this season after keeping most of their core in tact and adding Ty Lawson.

"If you look historically, championship teams have two or three elite-level players, and they're usually together for a bit," Morey said. "I expect this group to be together for a while.

"If this year we don't make it as far as we want, which is all the way to the LOB (Larry O'Brien trophy), I would expect to bring most of this group back, because the group we assembled is good enough to win. We have to prove that on the court, but I don't think you look at it and say there are obvious things that need to be changed for us to be a championship team."

The Rockets' title chances begin with James Harden and Dwight Howard.

"Let's be clear: There's a lot of execution to go from here to there," Morey said. "We have what we think is the top player at two positions (Harden and Howard), and we have very, very solid pieces to work around them all the way to players eight through 10.

"A lot of teams that look good on paper, like I think we do, don't finish it. But we have all the components."

[MiseryCityTexas]

Rockets are one power forward away.

[Fallen Angel]

Rockets are one power forward away.

The only way we can improve our PF spot is by acquiring an All-Star. D-Mo is a really good inside-out offensive player that can pass and play defense. T-Jones is a developing shooter who can handle the ball like a SF and can protect the rim with his shot blocking ability.

D-Mo is probably on the verge of getting himself a fat contract this coming summer when he becomes a Free Agent.

[G-train]

The Rockets have a big problem, and that is Dwight Howard.
Until he becomes more competitive, they won't win the West.
Not sure if a brain transplant is possible this far into his career.

[dhsilv]

The rockets are certainly at that level. My question for them is who is the "brains" of the offense? I just feel like 2 minutes to go in a close game that decision making on this team can be iffy. If they can get past that, they're a legit contender.

[Fallen Angel]

The rockets are certainly at that level. My question for them is who is the "brains" of the offense? I just feel like 2 minutes to go in a close game that decision making on this team can be iffy. If they can get past that, they're a legit contender.

The addition of Ty Lawson will really help their crunch-time play calling. We were already have the league leader in total points in clutch time so I'd assume we'd improve in that area in terms of our play calling. I also hope to see D-Mo be involved more since he's our best low post player, how many PFs in the league have the size to cover a coordinated seven foot low post scorer.

[bdreason]

Team is scary on paper. That Lawson trade could be a game changer. Team has no weakness, outside of a questionable mental fortitude.

[I<3NBA]

well, their leader disappears when he is needed the most

[GIF REACTION]

Dwight will always be the weakness

Cleveland be like: "We got a Lebron."

[Thorpesaurous]

I think Lawson helps a lot. He forces tempo and that can help keep Dwight engaged. It can also help them get easier looks for Harden and a few of their role players which can make them look better.

I also like Terrance Jones and DoMo more than most people. The depth will look better with some of the young defensive wings they have, and especially with Beverly as a backup. And I don't think the offense will stall as much with Harden out so long as they stagger Lawson's minutes with him, because Lawson can create enough on his own. I can even envision stretches with Lawson and Beverly together where Lawson can play all the catch and PnR stuff. I think Sam Dekker may play a bigger role than expected because they'll need more shooting from the off side wing spot when Ariza is down. They've already got guys who can help defensively out there, but the shooting is tougher to replace.

It's a nice roster. I'm not sure I'd consider a complete contender, but more like a team that could swing it with a break here or there.

[JellyBean]

Oh yeah. On paper, the Rockets are a great team with the making of a title team. However the games are not played thru the paper but on the court. They lack chemistry, mental toughness, and leadership.

[Thorpesaurous]

Oh yeah. On paper, the Rockets are a great team with the making of a title team. However the games are not played thru the paper but on the court. They lack chemistry, mental toughness, and leadership.

Absolutely. And a ton of this is going to hinge on how well Harden and Lawson can co-exist. They do so much similar stuff as far as needing to have the ball in their hands. And as much as the Harden trade from OKC gets hammered, and OKC did screw up it's assets, there was definitely an element of how were they going to fit those three pieces together, and Harden is the least fittable of the pieces.

[Real Men Wear Green]

I would agree if Dwight Howard was playing at the level he did in Orlando. Unfortunately he's playing on par with Mutombo's peak offensively. Still a very good player overall but he has to find a way to contribute more as a scorer. He's not the great big he should be especially considering that a lot of teams don't even use real centers so he should have mismatches he can abuse.

[Fallen Angel]

Chemistry isn't an issue with the Rockets. We have no ego driven players, guys know how to sacrifice on this team.

Our star SG voluntarily sat out the forth quarter of an elimination game on the road in the playoffs because we had a lineup on the floor that was getting the job done.

Our star C accepted a reduced his role from a go-to option to a P&R big with limited touches on the block.

Our newest PG is ready to sacrifice guaranteed money for next season to embrace his new found role on this team.

Our guys have checked their egos at the door because that's the culture instilled in this team. Look at guys like Josh Smith and Corey Brewer who both came to the scene midseason with reduced roles and embraced it.

[UK2K]

Oh yeah. On paper, the Rockets are a great team with the making of a title team. However the games are not played thru the paper but on the court. They lack chemistry, mental toughness, and leadership.

That's basically what the article is about.