Landing former league MVP and star point guard Russell Westbrook? Check. Impressing NBA commentator Chris Broussard? Not quite for the Houston Rockets.
On FS1's sports talk show program “Undisputed” on Friday, Broussard told co-hosts Skip Bayless, Shannon Sharpe and Jenny Taft that he'd still pick the Denver Nuggets and Utah Jazz over the Rockets.
The Rockets made a big splash this offseason by trading 34-year-old point guard Chris Paul for Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Russell Westbrook. However, based on last season and the summer's events unfolding, the Jazz and Nuggets are still above Houston, according to Broussard.
"I like Denver and Utah better than Houston. Utah beat OKC in 5 games with Paul George and Westbrook, who I think are a better fit than Harden and Westbrook." — @Chris_Broussard pic.twitter.com/oDc4vTrBNs
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) July 12, 2019
Last season, Denver finished second in the Western Conference — only behind Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors. With Durant leaving the west and Klay Thompson sidelined with an ACL tear, the west appears to be wide open. The Nuggets won 54 games during the 2018-19 season and look to improve with the addition of Jerami Grant.
The Jazz finished behind the Rockets last season by three whole games and lost to Houston in a decisive five-game first-round series in the NBA playoffs.
Utah went through a major makeover this offseason, however. First, the Salt Lake City franchise traded for Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley before signing the likes of Bojan Bogdanovic, Ed Davis, Jeff Green and Emmanuel Mudiay in free agency.
With the addition of Russell Westbrook, however, the Rockets have their sights higher than just competing against the Jazz and Nuggets — they're looking at a Finals berth or bust.
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