In August of 2017, former Cleveland Cavaliers talent Dahntay Jones stated that Steph Curry wasn’t a top 10 NBA player. Colin Cowherd, would comment on this matter on his FS1 show The Herd. Cowherd proceded to compare Jones logic to his former high school classmates attempts at being masculine. He reminisced on how his high school classmates would attempt to flaunt their masculinity by attempting to work on their cars. They would change their oil, with the hot oil spilling on their hands feeling good about their self-esteem.
Cowherd thought this rationale was perplexing, baffled on why they wouldn't just pay 11.99 for an oil change at Jiffy Lube like he does. This would bring discord between himself and his classmates, as they assumed he thought that he was “better than them.” Cowherd would just say no, he just operated smarter than them.
Right now, no team will benefit more from working smarter, not harder, than the Houston Rockets. The first way to start? By targeting Anthony Davis via a trade.
Rockets guards Chris Paul and James Harden are more than capable of leading them to an NBA title. The two spearheaded Mike D'Antoni's high shot percentage attack, leading the Rockets to 65 wins. But it's only so much hope the Rockets can put into Paul and his health. Paul's injury to his hamstring prevented them arguably from advancing to the NBA Finals last season. Currently, Paul will be out for a few weeks with another hamstring injury, putting the workload squarely on Harden.
This is where Cowherd's high school meathead analogy comes into play. Traditionally, NBA fans get wrapped up into star players being the de facto leader of the team. Fans yearn for star players to lead their respective teams to NBA titles as the alpha dog. But beginning with LeBron James, and Kevin Durant later enhancing the idea, players began learning of the dividends paid to team-up with other stars. James and Durant added rings to their fingers, and years to their careers by joining other stars.
The Rockets took this approach by trading for Paul in the summer of 2017, hoping Paul would alleviate pressure from Harden. But Paul's injuries and the Rockets lukewarm start this season (18-15) should push the Rockets to add another star. To match the Warriors in wit and at least somewhat with talent, aiming to trade for Anthony Davis could be the ideal move.
But if they decided to go after Davis, the Rockets must be willing to trade away valuable assets on the roster and in the future. They have Brandon Knight, Michael Carter-Williams and Austin Rivers on their roster. While this back-court depth is a plus, they hasn't covered their need of for defense/additional talent, so they could be considered easy trade bait.
Another option for the Rockets would be to center their trade around Clint Capela and future draft picks. Capela would develop into Harden and Paul' alley-oop option on offense while assisting Houston to a top-ranked defense last season. Capela for the Rockets system is great. But his skill set is limited, and it's unlikely he will grow to a player who can extend his range beyond the paint.
Circumstances must align perfectly for a big game for Capela. In Davis case, they do not need to align at all. If Davis joined the Rockets, the pressure to deliver on both ends would turn obsolete. A dominant offensive game and a subpar defensive game could lead to a win, and vice versa. The Rockets could have a 6'10 unicorn who can handle the rock, pass, stretch the floor on offense and defend on defense. This parlays to the pressure to deliver for Harden and Paul to decrease. The Rockets will be operating from a smarter space, not working harder.
As of now, though, Davis is caught up in a will-he-stay-or-will-he-go dilemma with the Pelicans. Some factors for Davis to consider: he has no ring on his finger and the New Orleans Pelicans have no star players to complement him. While he is putting up phenomenal numbers (28 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game on 50% shooting,) the Pelicans are 15-20. For someone with such immense talent and barely in his prime, it's difficult to imagine Davis not picturing himself playing elsewhere.
While LeBron James and the Lakers sounds enticing in theory, the Rockets should be the destination he sure aspires to be traded t0. Yes, playing with two other Hall of Fame players will make Anthony Davis no longer a focal point. But he will trade attention for championship opportunities. The possibility of rings for the attitude of being the de facto leader. The Warriors have pulled this off, convincing Kevin Durant that the notion of winning is greater than individual accolades. The Rockets could have a possibility to do this, too-only if they are willing.
The Warriors have become the poster child of working smarter, and not harder. Cowherd is right: why try to impress others when you can just go to Jiffy Lube for 11.99? If Daryl Morey wants to keep the Rockets engine churning, it's best to cough up the 12 dollars and change, than to have his car working harder than it needs to.
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