The Houston Rockets are confident. The team is fresh off a few dominating wins in the Western Conference after the trade to acquire Josh Smith from the Los Angeles Clippers and they are starting to look down the road to the playoffs. The move to get Smith back on the roster pleased a lot of the players and gives the Rockets another threat on the court. However, with the road to the Western Conference championship still paved through Golden State, are the Rockets confident enough with Smith to not make any other trade deals?
According to interim head coach JB Bickerstaff, the basketball IQ and his fit with the team made this trade an easy move for Houston. The Rockets had been looking for another threat to put on the court and the deal for Smith came along as a no-brainer. Now the team is back to winning and feeling like the playoffs and a championship is not out of the question any more. According to James Harden, everyone seems happy again and meshing much better with Smith back on the team.
"Yeah, I am, I think we are all," Harden said, via ESPN.com. "Guys are getting open shots. Trevor is getting open shots that he and Brew and Jet were normally getting [last season]. You get good shots, you get easy shots and the entire game changes and the fun is definitely back."
The question is whether or not the Rockets are so confident they feel like no more trade deals need to be made. The Rockets know that they have a small window for a championship. Jason Terry is aging. Dwight Howard could opt out of his contract. Currently in a win-now mode, will general manager Daryl Morey make more trades? According to Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle, the Rockets are likely done making trades. Ty Lawson and Terrence Jones have been at the center of discussions, but the team appears ready to stay put and let the roster develop as it. Returns on Lawson and Jones were not expected to be great leaving the Rockets to favor simply retaining the players for the duration of the season instead.
Now the Rockets will focus on staying healthy with plenty of basketball still to play. According to Calvin Watkins of ESPN, Howard is dealing with an ankle that is hurting him on the court. The center told the media that he is feeling pain when he runs and cuts which could hinder him for the next few weeks. Howard has missed eight games so far this season due to injuries as the Rockets are 4-4 without him.
Patrick Beverley is getting healthy. The point guard has missed time with his own ankle injury which has given Lawson and Terry more playing time. The point guard is hopeful the injuries are over so he can focus on helping the team keep the win streak moving.
"It's tough, but it wasn't a long-term thing," Beverley said, via ESPN.com. "We were playing so well; we went on a five-game win streak before I went out, so it's time to start another one."
