Fansided

NBA Offseason: 5 biggest blunders

By Seth Partnow

Aug 26, 2014; Independence, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers player Kevin Love talks to the media at Cleveland Clinic Courts. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 26, 2014; Independence, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers player Kevin Love talks to the media at Cleveland Clinic Courts. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /
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February 12, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Houston Rockets point guard Jeremy Lin (7) talks to shooting guard James Harden (13, center) and small forward Chandler Parsons (25, right) during the second quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. The Rockets defeated the Warriors 116-107. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
February 12, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Houston Rockets point guard Jeremy Lin (7) talks to shooting guard James Harden (13, center) and small forward Chandler Parsons (25, right) during the second quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. The Rockets defeated the Warriors 116-107. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

The Rockets Third Star Debacle

Houston GM Daryl Morey has loudly and publicly stated his desire to assemble a team based around the “big three” concept.  With Dwight Howard and James Harden in place, Morey had assembled assets targeting this offseason or the 2015 trade deadline at the latest  as the time to acquire that third star. With this summer’s crop of free agents, two potential targets were identified, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh.

Anthony turned out to never be a real possibility. The lure of the $30 million or so more money the Knicks could as well as the continued opportunity to perform in the media hub that is New York City were simply too much to pass up. That didn’t stop the Rockets from engaging in some unseemly tactics to woo Anthony, even going so far as to photoshop Anthony into a No. 7 Rockets jersey, which is pretty standard fare. Except No. 7 was already taken on the Houston Roster by Jeremy Lin.

Aside from minor embarrassment, no real damage done there. When the time came to pursue Bosh, however, Houston jumped without a net. Trading Lin and a draft pick to the Lakers to clear cap space, while letting Chandler Parsons dangle in free agency put the Rockets in “Bosh or Bust” territory. As those moves were being made, it was widely assumed the Rockets had an agreement with Bosh more or less in place.

Unfortunately, no such deal had been struck. Bosh chose to re-sign with Miami, slamming shut the door LeBron’s departure had opened only hours earlier. Scrambling, Houston decided to let Parsons leave for Dallas and replace him with Trevor Ariza, betting on Ariza in free agency a second time. (Ariza’s first stint in Houston lasted only a year, as forced into too large an offensive role, he shot 39.4 percent as a Rocket.)

So in addition to not landing Bosh, Houston lost most of their attractive trade chips in terms of expiring contracts, future picks and young productive players on cheap deals, all while getting worse on the floor in prospect. Or in other words, they struck out.

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