[ESPN Insider] Can Houston win it all this season?

ESPN Insider Article: Five NBA coaches wight in on the Rockets' future. Is an NBA title in the cards? By Chris Broussard

No one can deny that the Houston Rockets were the big winners on this summer's free-agent market. Landing Dwight Howard and teaming him with James Harden and their plethora of long-range shooters is a move that should keep Houston in championship contention for several years.

But will that contention ever turn into a title? We know the Rockets will be good, but how good? To find out, we asked five coaches. Here's what they said:

A Western Conference coach

"They have a chance to be very good because Dwight can enhance their playing style. Before getting Dwight, they could win a lot of games in the regular season and put some pressure on people but they couldn't win in the playoffs. Now they can slow the game down if they want. This gives them some variety. They're better built for the playoffs or for whatever situation they face. They're kind of like the Spurs. The Spurs can beat you 108-103 or 86-83.

"All of the Rockets' perimeter defenders have to get better. Harden doesn't like playing defense, but he'll be better now because he can funnel his man into Dwight, and that big joker [Howard] makes a difference. I'd say they're capable of winning the West, but San Antonio, Oklahoma City and the Clippers will all be very good. It just depends on how quickly everything comes together.

"I would try to trade Omer Asik. You don't want an unhappy camper around. I understand why he's unhappy. He was on the verge of maybe becoming an All-Star. I would trade him and try to upgrade with another perimeter guy, another decision-maker. Harden is a big-time decision-maker, but it would be good to have another one so sometimes Harden could just be a scorer. I would also want a stretch 4. That would help Dwight. I'd have to get Chandler Parsons a little bit stronger and make him my new Rashard Lewis. I'd play Parsons at the 4 and let him drive people crazy. Remember, he's 6-9. He can play the stretch 4 and create space for Dwight.

"It'll be interesting to see how they come together at the point. Everybody knows Jeremy Lin is not a great player, but with great players on the floor, he becomes better. He'll get more open shots this year just because of Dwight and James being on the floor together. The more great players you have on the floor, the better Lin will be. Lin won't have to score a lot of points. He won't have the pressure on him to shoot. He can just set the table for those guys.

"Some wonder if Dwight will clog up the lane and get in Harden's way. I don't think so. The only way he gets in Harden's way is if they try to play Dwight and Asik together. They may try that, but they'll get rid of that quickly because James is so good at getting into the paint."

Another Western Conference coach

"I think they'll be one of the top three or four teams in the West. I think Dwight and Harden will have some growing pains in the beginning until they figure out how to play together. You also have to factor in Jeremy Lin. He's used to having the ball in his hands, running a lot of pick-and-rolls. He's not a classic spot-up shooter, so there could be some issues with that threesome there.

"I think they'll be right up there with the Clippers, San Antonio and OKC. I think Dwight will play better and be rejuvenated because he'll have more opportunities to be a part of the offense, particularly over 48 minutes. You'll see his effectiveness and efficiency go up from last year.

"I think they're going to need a power forward that can play at a high level -- not necessarily a stretch 4 but a guy who can make a 15- or 17-foot jump shot and defend and rebound. That's one thing Houston didn't do well last year -- defend. Dwight will help them defensively, but he can't be the only one playing defense."

Another Western Conference coach

"It all depends on how good Dwight's going to be. He was inconsistent last year. Some people thought it was because of a bad back. Some people thought he was pouting and didn't like the way he was being used, that he didn't like playing with Kobe. Those excuses are out the window now. It's really going to come down to Dwight.

"Can he play at the end of games? He wants the ball at the end of games, but when he gets the ball, they foul him and he can't make foul shots. There were times last year when I watched him play and he didn't protect the paint or block shots. He'd let guys drive right by him. His effort was erratic. He doesn't value what he does well. What he does well is defend and rebound. What he values is scoring, and he doesn't do that well. He wants the ball in the low post. It's ironic that he complained about Mike D'Antoni's offense because in Orlando he got the ball a lot on high pick-and-rolls and side pick-and-rolls with Hedo Turkoglu. It's easier to get him the ball on pick-and-rolls than when somebody's banging him down low. It's a wait-and-see proposition with him -- to see how good he's going to be.


"They still have to get past San Antonio, the Clippers and Oklahoma City. Are they the fourth- or fifth-best team in the West? There will be high expectations for them. Again with Dwight, I want to see how he comes out and plays one year after his back operation. For him, Houston was the best fit because it's a smaller market than L.A. and he can be a star. But Dwight doesn't take the game seriously enough. I don't think he's grown out of that. Is he really going to buckle down and work hard in practice? You have to work hard to win a championship. And Dwight's not a leader. He'll talk the talk, but he won't walk the walk. And is there anybody on that team that can call him out when he doesn't get back on defense, when he doesn't protect the middle? I don't think so.

"I think everybody in Houston thinks he's going to take them to the promised land. I'm waiting to see that. He'll like being the center of attention again. He won't have to vie against anybody for that. Harden will be a secondary star to him. But I think Dwight made a big mistake leaving Orlando in the first place."

An Eastern Conference coach

"It was a no-brainer in my opinion for Dwight to go to Houston. He and Kobe didn't vibe. And those lights are real bright in L.A., and that's not Dwight's cup of tea. I don't think he liked it. He thought he would, but it's a different ballgame.

"I don't know if Houston has the right mix to win in a conference finals. Yeah, they could get to the second round, but can they defend, because when you get to the conference finals, you have to really be able to lock in defensively and you have to have gritty players. I don't know that Houston has grittiness. They have talent, but I don't know that talent can get you to the Finals.

"It was the right move to take Dwight. You have to take him. It makes them better, but I don't think they have the grittiness to get past the conference finals. But Dwight will fit well because he's a runner. He's not a slow, plodding center. He's a runner, so the Rockets can keep running to a certain degree. They can keep playing pick-and-roll, so he makes sense for their style of play. I think there will be a little bit of an adjustment for Harden because they have to give Dwight some touches down there, so that will slow them down a little bit. On top of slowing them down, Harden's not going to get the touches he's been getting on a nightly basis."

Another Eastern Conference coach

"Houston is going to be good. They have playoff experience now for the guys who are currently there. The one question I do have is how will they play? Because if there's a complete commitment to throwing the ball inside, then I think it's hard to play really fast. So there's obviously got to be a happy medium between the two. They're going to be better defensively immediately.

"I wonder if Houston will continue to make moves. Will Asik be there, and if they move him, what will they get in return? Asik is good. He's a double-double guy. Then they're kind of young off the bench. I would like to see more veteran savvy from their bench guys. That could be an issue. But I think they're going to be good."



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Broussard

In the end, despite the addition of Howard, I don't think the Rockets are good enough to win the title this season. They are greatly improved, as Howard along with the continued growth of Houston's young players will help the team's defense. Regardless, the offseason moves have built a solid, winning foundation for the next few seasons. An NBA championship could come soon.

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THANKS FOR READING. Reps appreciated. Looks like Broussard's "multiple sources" are supposedly NBA coaches this time.