Top 2016 Offseason Priorities for the Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets had a catastrophic season in which they lost even when they won. Now with a chance to rebuild around one of the NBA’s best scorers in James Harden, they can rebound.

They’ll have to do that without a first-round pick, though. They lost that when they won the chance to get their teeth kicked in by the Golden State Warriors.

General manager Daryl Morey is one of the shrewdest in the business, and he has plenty of work to do this offseason, inlcuding a coaching vacancy and potentially tons of cap money to spend.

But there is a path back to contender status if he makes the right moves.

 

Call Frank Vogel…Now

If Morey hasn’t already called Frank Vogel, he’s not doing his job right. The Indiana Pacers decided not to re-sign Vogel, per Mike Wells of ESPN.com, immediately making him the best coach on the market.

It wouldn’t be his first Rockets interview, either, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle:

Morey has thought highly of Vogel since they were with the Celtics together more than 10 years ago.

Vogel went through the Rockets interview process when he was the Pacers interim coach. He had no assurances that he would keep the job in Indianapolis, but there was an expectation was that he would eventually get the offer to remain with the Pacers. He had been the Pacers interim coach after replacing Jim O’Brien, going 20-18 that season.

While in limbo, Vogel had dinner with Rockets owner Leslie Alexander and met with Rockets general manager for seven hours the next day. Vogel officially became the Pacers coach about a month after the Rockets chose Kevin McHale.

The Rockets need help on defense, and Vogel is a defensive guru.

Over the five full years he was the coach of the Pacers, they tied the San Antonio Spurs for the best defensive rating in the NBA at 101.6, according to Basketball-Reference.com. And he’s maintained that consistency in spite of the fact that the only player with him the whole time, Paul George, missed virtually an entire season with a broken leg.

Vogel is a top-10—maybe even top-five—coach. Plus, he can spin a basketball on the end of a toothbrush while brushing his teeth. Talent like that is hard to find.

If that doesn’t pan out, then Jeff Van Gundy is a decent signing, but the game has changed a lot since he last coached. Assistant coach Sam Cassell is also in the running, according to Feigen. 

 

Let Dwight Howard Go

Whether Dwight Howard wants to stay in Houston or not (it doesn’t look like he does), Morey needs to let this one go.

Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com described the situation:

It’s no big surprise since this has often been a season of dysfunction. It starts with Harden and Howard, the team’s two stars. They have tried to be friends — Harden picked up Howard’s tab for dinner in New York on his birthday. During dinner in Phoenix at the All-Star break, the two discussed their on-court issues.

But ultimately, the chemistry between the two hasn’t been there. One team source said: “It’s cordially bad.” 

Frankly, so are the numbers. Here’s Mika Honkasalo of Hoops Hype: 

In his best seasons in Orlando, you’d …

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