NBA Rumors: Rockets owner to be more active this offseason

Houston Rockets owner Leslie Alexander is planning on changing how he handles his organization this offseason.

This weekend, the No. 8 seed Houston Rockets will take on the No. 1 seed Golden State Warriors in the NBA playoffs. No one would consider the 2015-16 season a good one for the Rockets, though, as they barely snuck into the postseason at 41-41 after making the Western Conference Finals in 2015. The turmoil from start to finish this season took over this franchise on and off the court. Head coach Kevin McHale was fired weeks in and James Harden and Dwight Howard can’t stand each other.

This mess is reportedly leading to Rockets owner Leslie Alexander changing how he handles the team, as he told ESPN staff writer Calvin Watkins. “I think I will change a little bit,” said Alexander. “More scrutiny and what they’re doing. I was thinking about doing it anyway but after this season, definitely.”

Having this kind of stance for this Rockets franchise is for the best, as everything needs to be evaluated. It’s going to start with probably hiring a new head coach to begin the culture change.

Most of all, Houston’s core likely will change too. Harden is obviously going to stay, but if Howard leaves, there will be a big opening at center. Trevor Ariza, Corey Brewer, and Patrick Beverley are all locked in for deals paying them above $5 million per year for the next few years, so that may limit the Rockets. The cap space is expected to rise this offseason, however, so that may play into the team’s favor in bringing in new pieces.

How the Rockets conduct their offseason will be one of the most interesting topics to analyze over the next few months.

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