The Rockets and Jazz played a game on Monday night, and it was disappointing considering the season both teams had last year. Houston looks like a shell of the team that took Golden State to Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals. As for Utah? They look like a one-hit wonder: a team that figured it out last season, but looks lost this time around.
Houston jumped out a a double-digit lead, then watched as Donovan Mitchell and the Jazz reduced that lead to two in the fourth quarter. James Harden, though, was unstoppable. He recorded his sixth 40-plus-point game of the season and hit a step-back three that buried the Jazz late in the game.
The game was entertaining, as are most games that come down to the wire in the fourth quarter, but it’s been disappointing to see both teams struggle so far into the season. If the playoffs started today, Houston would be on the outside looking in and Utah would be second-worst in the Western Conference.
Only three games separate seeds No. 6 and 14 out West, so both should still be in the playoff hunt. But these two teams need to pick it up, and soon.
Houston misses Trevor Ariza so much
But Trevor Ariza ain’t walking through that door. The Rockets should have just paid him. Instead they bet on offense, let him walk to Phoenix (and subsequently be traded to Washington), then replaced him and Luc Mbah a Moute with Carmelo Anthony and James Ennis on minimum contracts.
Now, Houston looks awful defensively. After ranking seventh last season with Ariza soaking up minutes on the wing, they’re tied for 26th this year, next to the lowly Atlanta Hawks. In a Western Conference where most teams have improved, the Rockets have not. They need to find an answer.
There may not be one out there for them, though, given their finances.
The Rockets need another three-and-D guy
Houston needs somebody like Ariza, or Mbah a Moute, or at least another P.J. Tucker. These players can defend multiple positions, knock down the wide open three, and preferably put the ball on the ground and make a play for a teammate.
The problem is that those guys are the most valuable in today’s NBA. That kind of player is a max guy in today’s NBA, a league where versatility is king, and the Rockets lack it at the worst possible time.
Houston also doesn’t have many tradeable players. The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported they would trade Brandon Knight and include a draft pick or two if the right player became available. But other teams won’t want Year 2 of Knight’s contract, paying a $15.6 million salary next season, not with the looming 2019 NBA free agency class. That’s one a reason why Brooklyn almost certainly wouldn’t entertain that deal if Houston called about DeMarre Carroll.
What else is out there?
- The Pelicans could use some backcourt help, especially with the injuries they’ve endured. A Brandon Knight-Solomon Hill swap might help both teams.
- One more option is a deal with the New York Knicks for forward Lance Thomas. The Rockets, though, would need to do some cap gymnastics and include a third team in this trade, because the Knicks are not taking back any 2019-20 cap space when they’re pursuing a max free agent next summer.
- How many positions can Iman Shumpert defend? Would Houston attach a protected or conditional first-round pick to Knight’s contract in a deal with Sacramento for Shumpert’s production on the wing? Will Sacramento trade Shumpert given its surprising position in the playoff chase?
You have to think the Rockets will get it together enough to at least make the playoffs, but that’s not their goal. How long until it’s too late to fix what ails them?
The Jazz ain’t it, chief
To build a torrid second half and a second-round playoff appearance, Utah drafted Grayson Allen over the summer. That’s it. They made no other significant roster moves until they traded Alec Burks to Cleveland for Kyle Korver.
Another wing playmaker is the glaring hole on this Jazz roster. It’s not enough, and they know it.
Donovan Mitchell is a special talent, but he’s not a secret or a surprise anymore to the league. Teams are game-planning for him as the only playmaker on this Jazz team, and his production has suffered.
Utah needs another playmaker
The Jazz need someone else on the wing who get a bucket and force the defense to help. It’s almost as if they need a guy who left them for Boston two summers ago. The roster is begging for a shot creator.
There are a few out there, though they might not be the sexiest options:
- The Jazz could trade for Carmelo Anthony. They have a defensive system in place that should help when he gets beat by his man. Melo didn’t look particularly good in Houston, but he wasn’t the reason the Rockets have played poorly to start the season
- They could go out on a limb and trade for Jabari Parker, and The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor reported there may be interest there. Parker has a two-year, $40 million contract, but it’s only guaranteed for $2 million next season. He’s also been removed from Chicago’s regular rotation, likely because he is a turnstile on defense. No, literally. He said he doesn’t get paid to play that end of the ball.
Utah, though, may be stuck in limbo this season. Derrick Favors, whose contract is non-guaranteed next season, may be their only trade chip. If Utah doesn’t make the playoffs, they can draft a player in the lottery who can grow at Donovan Mitchell’s pace.
The Jazz could also free up max salary-cap space next summer depending on what they do with the non-guaranteed contracts of Favors and Korver. Rudy Gobert also becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2021.
It’s time for Utah to start prioritizing the future over the present. This looks like a transition year.