Dread is not always a bad thing. Take this past NBA offseason, which, at least superficially, was awash in good vibes. The prevailing sense was that it made the league healthier and more entertaining. But the reason the 2019-20 season is so hotly anticipated is that this newfound sense of well-being is actually quite precarious. Some of the biggest names in the league are at a crossroads, and what happens next could very well define their career going forward, or at least shape the narrative around them for the foreseeable future. The upside is tremendous. But at the same time, there's plenty that could go wrong. We're eager to see both what's created and how destruction can be averted.
Nowhere is this more true than in Houston. When the Rockets traded for Russell Westbrook, they set into motion one of the most ambitious, and possibly foolhardy, on-court experiments in recent memory. Getting rid of 34-year-old Chris Paul, who makes a ton of money and, at this point, is best suited for doing things that the Rockets don't like to do, was a no-brainer. Taking on Westbrook, though, was itself an insanely bold move. The longtime Thunder All-Star is one of the most dynamic players in the league. His will to win is undeniable. But Westbrook is an unruly, impulsive presence who is notoriously difficult to build around. He's had trouble meshing with talented teammates. And the 11th year guard, whose hell-bent style of play is hardly built for longevity, is under contract through at least 2022 on what remains of a $205 million contract.
Any team taking on Westbrook would face a host of challenges. The Rockets, though, may have been the single most unlikely landing spot for the former MVP, due almost entirely to the presence of former OKC teammate-and fellow former MVP-James Harden. The Rockets' system, which began as a vehicle designed to accommodate their franchise player's unique skill-set and considerable quirks, has evolved (or maybe devolved) into a joyless, cynical, forbidding exercise in inevitability: Harden holds the ball as the clock runs down, Harden creates off the dribble with seconds left to spare, and, more often than not, Harden drives the lane with hopes of creating contact. That he's one of the most inventive and, when he wants to be, frankly dazzling players in the league is only occasionally evident, as Harden has himself become machinery.
At this point, slotting nearly any player of consequence into this latest version of the Rockets' attack would be a stretch. That's why Paul, who is expected in Oklahoma City to revive his standing as one of, if not the, strongest playmakers in the league, became dispensable. There's just not much room for anyone other than Harden to assert themselves. Introducing Westbrook into this environment borders on inconceivable, if not ludicrous. Both him and Harden are ball-dominant point guards (if that destination even means anything these days) who look to score as a matter of course. Neither is much inclined to establish a "flow of the game" or play off of teammates. And while both put up high assist numbers, they also both generally operate on an island until they absolutely have to make a pass. It's hard to imagine how these two would fit together at all, much less in the current iteration of Houston's system, even with out-of-the-box tinkerer Mike D'Antoni on the sidelines.
"Putting him on the Rockets is like using a nuclear bomb as a form of civic planning."
But the Rockets' decision to go all in on this backcourt makes it pretty clear that they aren't looking to merely stick with the program. Coming off of another disappointing postseason, the front office had to do something, and they didn't appear willing to fire D'Antoni (though his contract has yet to be extended). That they traded for a player of Westbrook's caliber makes it clear that the Rockets were looking to shake things up; that they ended up with the game's premier chaos agent, who is practically assured to wreak havoc on their meticulous system, shows just how far the Rockets were willing to take this impulse. Adding Westbrook is an extreme measure that necessitates a drastic reimagining of nearly everything about how the Rockets operate, to such a degree that any attempt to fall back on their strategy of the last few seasons.
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