What if the Houston Rockets didn't trade for Russell Westbrook? The trade for Westbrook in 2019 felt like a last-gasp move by the team's then-head of basketball operations, Daryl Morey. Either it would work, and Houston would finally break through, or it wouldn't, and massive changes would ensue. In this scenario, however, Westbrook never happened at all. Rather than trading Chris Paul at the nadir of his value, Morey instead holds onto him, insisting he and Harden could still co-exist. And, it turns out, they could, as Paul has the same bounce-back season he had with Oklahoma City the next season. Rather than Houston needing to figure out how to play with Westbrook, and ultimately moving on from Clint Capela, the Rockets instead kept their team together. As a result, when they arrived in the NBA's bubble the following summer, Houston was a team that had been together for years, and the Rockets reach the NBA Finals and deliver Houston its first championship since the Hakeem Olajuwon days of the mid-1990s -- changing the legacies of Harden, Paul and Morey. https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/38090407/western-conference-nba-biggest-ifs-five-years
The rockets would have continued to be perennial contenders instead of catapulting the team into what continued to be the worst team in the league with the worst owner
Best part of that article is two different teams biggest what ifs were what if they didn’t trade for Westbrook and how much better things would have been.
wrong. its already been said over and over he was already prepping for what would have been his 3rd season with the rockets and that he was making the change
Rockets would have won a ring, Covid wouldn't have happened, Bill Russell, Jerry Springer, and PeeWee would still be alive.
It's possible, but it would've depended entirely on how the Rockets could slow Lebron and AD. They ate the front court alive and give-up-when-it-gets-tough Harden and turnips-for-brains Westbrook didn't make them work at all. Capela would've been better than Covington in that regard though, surely. 2018 was the year to win. The combination of Ariza and Tucker was a key part of our 'death lineup'. The moment that hamstring snapped will always be a flashbulb memory for me.
welp... when u let your team be run by a self absorbed narcissistic b*stard (Hard-on) - it aint gonna end well... just look at how his narcissistic butt and his enabler (Morey) are still jerking each other around... thats why character matters... smdh...
You forgot Rockets lost to GSW with half their team gone or what? Didn't they start the year getting hammered by 20 pts each game? They weren't contenders they were pretenders. Cp3 is also a massive choker and has choked every year since the trade, not sure how you think things were gonna get better.
that goes along with the having the worst owner in the league. funny how he makes it to the finals after his so called decline. and multiple all star and all nba accolades when folks like you were so sure he was done. but but but he can't run fast. westbrick is so fast omg. hes awesome
You even understand what you are posting? First Rockets were perennial contenders if Cp3 stayed when I gave you the facts suddenly Rockets suck because Fertita is the worst owner? Lmao. Yeah Cp3 makes it to the finals cuz he got hard carried by Booker. Nobody in PHX thought Cp3 has done anything in the playoffs, PHX even wanted to cut him outright rather than have him stay on the team. The the problem with you Fertita haters you literally lie and make **** up just to prove your point.
i sure do. i always do, unlike yourself. lol hand carried by booker. The same Booker who never ever could lead his team into the playoffs let alone a winning record. The same Booker who didn't make an all nba that year. Oh wait all nba/all star cp3 is added and low and behold look who taste the postseason for the first time. You live in an alternate reality so apparently you're a self proclaimed phx spokesperson now. Just dumb. quit wasting my time with your own self anecdote. you sound dumb as always. Tilman is an absolute moron and the worst. He's proven that ever since the 2018 and nothing has changed
Pfft. I once quit drinking for 11 days. 11 days didn’t make him a vegan, until Chris Paul wanted blood.
All NBA is based in regular season not the playoffs lmao. You are the dumb one here Booker was only 24 when he made the playoffs no **** dumbass he wouldn't be in the playoff before or have a winning record cuz he was young and PHX was rebuilding. Oh wait who has the most 2-0 blown leads in NBA history? Oh yeah All NBA Cliff Paul. You're the delulu here as usual.
LOL at rebuilding. Only 24. LOL what a stupid ass attempt at an excuse. only CF's idiots use the standard of playoffs and finals has some loser. Meanwhile folks like you praise being the worst team in the league for years and signing countless scrubs after scrub. I wonder what that standard is. Oh it's moron mentality just like Tilman but but but this casual said cp3 was carried and didn't do anything. Folks should always make notes of the dummies list that post on here. hint that includes you on that list but but but per roslo sauces, nobody in phx thought he did anything. foh
One would argue Harden would have forced a trade a year earlier when he would have had even more trade value. The Brooklyn Nets situation maybe never happens, and the Rockets might be a year ahead on the rebuild. There's no doubt in my mind that the Rockets would have been better off. Yes it would have robbed us of one playoff run with Harden/Russ, but IMO that pairing was always destined to pewter out in the 2nd round so it's not worth what they gave up in starting the rebuild at that point vs a year later when Harden was less valuable, and after giving up major assets to appease Harden in the Russ trade. The Rockets should have traded Harden a year before instead of appeasing him with the Russ trade which just put off the inevitable divorce from Harden. But can't change the past.
