{"id":34638,"date":"2020-11-10T09:00:53","date_gmt":"2020-11-10T14:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=34638"},"modified":"2020-11-09T20:11:53","modified_gmt":"2020-11-10T01:11:53","slug":"houston-rockets-free-agents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2020\/11\/10\/houston-rockets-free-agents\/","title":{"rendered":"Houston Rockets: 3 Big Men Targets to Upgrade Roster"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The 2020 Free Agency period will be of utmost importance for the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/category\/rockets\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Houston Rockets<\/a>. Armed with superstars <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hardeja01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">James Harden<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/w\/westbru01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Russell Westbrook<\/a>, the club will look to upgrade its roster for one final push toward a championship. Owner Tilman Fertitta doubled-down on this sentiment in an interview with CNBC.<\/p>\n<p><em>Houston Chronicle<\/em>&#8216;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.houstonchronicle.com\/author\/jonathan-feigen\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jonathan Feigen<\/a> covered the story.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">No reason to &quot;blow up&quot; Rockets roster, Tilman Fertitta says <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/LkwrVFkbHL\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/LkwrVFkbHL<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Jonathan_Feigen\/status\/1318634897808961539?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 20, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Now, Fertitta isn&#8217;t exactly known for his honesty nor matching what he says with what he does. Whatever the millionaire mogul says must be taken with a grain of salt.<\/p>\n<p>This aside, the Rockets also have new faces in the front office. Houston promoted Rafael Stone to takeover from Daryl Morey while the Rockets also promoted Eli Wiltus to be Stone&#8217;s Assistant GM.\u00a0 There is a considerable amount of pressure on these two to surround Houston&#8217;s stars with pieces. The problem is they have no cap and next to no assets to work with.<\/p>\n<p>They will need to be smart, cunning, and savvy to pull-off some moves to improve the roster.<\/p>\n<h2>Houston Rockets: 3 Big Men targets to Upgrade Roster<\/h2>\n<h3>Nerlens Noel<\/h3>\n<p>When Houston traded <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/capelca01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Clint Capela<\/a> at the deadline last season, it took away two things &#8211; a lob threat at the rim and rim protection from the weakside. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/n\/noelne01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nerlens Noel<\/a> restores both of these things if the Rockets are able to snag the big man in free agency.<\/p>\n<p>Noel has spent the last two years in <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/category\/thunder\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Oklahoma City<\/a> coming off the bench behind <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/a\/adamsst01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Steven Adams<\/a>. In 69 games last season, Noel averaged 7.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks on 69.4 percent shooting and 75.5 percent from the line in 18.5 minutes per contest.<\/p>\n<p>The 26-year-old is a tremendous athlete with superb athletic ability. He is the definition of a rim runner, possessing the ability to catch high lobs and throw it down over players once he spots the pass. Noel is also an excellent shot blocker with excellent timing, regularly meeting opponents at the summit or coming from the weak side.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Nerlens Noel has 20 straight games with a block. That&#39;s the longest active streak in NBA.<\/p>\n<p>Quality Fact brewed by <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/budweiserusa?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@budweiserusa<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ec9ensPMVc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/ec9ensPMVc<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/okcthunder\/status\/1082758938532212736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">January 8, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>His greatest skill though is his ability to guard the perimeter, move his feet, and use active hands to steal the ball. Noel is a wiry-built player with next to no bulk so he struggles to guard genuine bigs on the block. Luckily in today&#8217;s game, there are only a handful of big men who play in the paint. He isn&#8217;t the most cerebral defender and does foul at a high rate but his style would complement the Rockets perfectly.<\/p>\n<p>With Houston&#8217;s lack of cap space, would the allure of starters playing time be enough to bring him to Houston? A starting Unit of Westbrook, Harden, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/covinro01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Robert Covington<\/a>, PJ Tucker, and Noel is salivating and offers the Rockets an upgrade overall.<\/p>\n<h4>Meyers Leonard<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/l\/leoname01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Meyers Leonard<\/a> was a part of the Miami Heat run to the NBA Finals but barely saw any game time. Now, the 27-year-old is looking for a regular spot in a team&#8217;s rotation over money according to<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sun-sentinel.com\/soflanews-ira-winderman-20130507-staff.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> Ira Winderman<\/a> of The <em>Sun Sentinel<\/em>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">For those with tracking maps, Meyers Leonard now in north Florida on the way to tonight&#39;s destination of Nashville. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Zf73FAIDxA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/Zf73FAIDxA<\/a> Meanwhile, in basketball news, Leonard cites playing time and &quot;an important role&quot; as key to free-agency decision.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/IraHeatBeat\/status\/1321934784965300224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">October 29, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Houston could certainly offer him a full-time job as the starting center. In 59 games last season, Leonard averaged 6.1 points and 5.1 rebounds in 20.3 minutes. His shooting splits were excellent, converting on 50.9 percent of his shots and 41.4 percent from three. Leonard&#8217;s style of play would certainly suit the Rockets and adding a big man to stretch the floor would be ideal.<\/p>\n<p>The big man isn&#8217;t exactly a defensive specialist so pairing him with defensive-minded forwards in Covington and Tucker is important He showed in Miami that he is a capable team defender in an organized system and could come to Houston on a cheap deal.<\/p>\n<h4>Ed Davis<\/h4>\n<p>When the Brooklyn Nets elected against re-signing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/davised01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ed Davis<\/a>, it was met with a small degree of pushback given his respected presence in the locker room. The 29-year-old signed with the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/category\/jazz\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Utah Jazz<\/a> under the assumption of playing time and championship aspirations.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The Jazz made their plans perfectly clear when they met with Ed Davis, and wanted him to be a part of it. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/03KogPLmGU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/03KogPLmGU<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; SLC Dunk (@slcdunk) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/slcdunk\/status\/1150400034816421889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">July 14, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>However, his role completely diminished. In just 10.8 minutes per game, the 29-year-old averaged just 1.8 points and 3.8 rebounds. Stuck behind <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/goberru01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rudy Gobert<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bradlto01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tony Bradley<\/a> in the rotation, one wonders if Davis remains interested in staying in Salt Lake City.<\/p>\n<p>The big man is a high energy role player who brings hustle and defensive intensity to the floor. He possesses a good nose for the ball and competes ferociously for boards against bigger opponents. Tucker, Covington, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/greenje02.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jeff Green<\/a> were forced to defend legitimate big men and were simply overpowered. Davis isn&#8217;t a big name but his game fills obvious holes.<\/p>\n<p>Houston has some big decisions to make with very little wiggle room. One thing is for certain, the return of a big man is imminent<\/p>\n<p>Main Image: <a id=\"EweEQObgTzNvugRFMV42Pg\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1174484362\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'EweEQObgTzNvugRFMV42Pg',sig:'p7MzDLgn9W8DIhxpks3w2z03R_KA10jpTpAE7NxV2rM=',w:'594px',h:'419px',items:'1174484362',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 2020 Free Agency period will be of utmost importance for the Houston Rockets. Armed with superstars James Harden and Russell Westbrook, the club will look to upgrade its roster for one final push toward a championship. Owner Tilman Fertitta doubled-down on this sentiment in an interview with CNBC. Houston Chronicle&#8216;s Jonathan Feigen covered the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3477,"featured_media":34671,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,31,62],"tags":[1284,333,944,45],"class_list":["post-34638","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-rockets","category-nba","tag-ed-davis","tag-houston-rockets","tag-meyers-leonard","tag-nerlens-noel"],"modified_by":"David Ward, Associate Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34638","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3477"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34638"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34638\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34671"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34638"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34638"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34638"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}