Houston Rockets After the Elimination- Where to Go From Here?

Houston Rockets’ nightmare is still there. They still haven’t found a way to deal with it. Another year is wasted, and one more frustration added to their massive burden.

James Harden, one of the best attackers of all times and the guy who is alpha and omega of this franchise, was once again defeated. And slowly, all those voices saying that he isn’t a winner and a championship player are getting louder and louder.

“Keep fighting, man,” Harden revealed his plans after the game. “We’ve got to find a way to keep getting better, keep growing, keep getting better and keep putting ourselves in position to keep playing them.”

But there is one terrifying thing which most of the Rockets fans aren’t aware of. The Beard will be 30 this summer, and the way he plays combined with the time spent on the floor, could make the situation very, very dangerous.

Just to remind you, Harden played 36.8 minutes per game during the regular part of the season.

Houston’s owner Tilman Fertitta didn’t mind about that, and he is sure that this generation will win the title.

“I know that we’re going to rise to the occasion and our time is going to come. James is 30 years old. … Hakeem didn’t win his first championship until [31]. I can promise you, we’re going to win some championships with James Harden,” said Fertitta.

After being eliminated in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals to the Golden State Warriors, the entire organization has to reach within and see what needs to be changed.

Unlike the previous season, when this team didn’t need any changes (and yet they make several), this free agency will have to be of the utmost importance for the Rockets.

The unnecessary moves Houston made during the last offseason completely crushed the chemistry of the team, and the Rockets, had to start creating a new one, which eventually didn’t go as planned. On top of everything, the situation with injuries, and with the fact that Carmelo Anthony didn’t fit in, severely damaged Houston’s aspiration to win the title.

To be honest, the current condition is the maximum of this crew. They did increase the form as the season went by, and we could say that in the end, Rockets played with 100% of their capabilities, which is inadequate to beat the Warriors.

“They kicked our ass on our home court,” Fertitta said after the final loss of the season.

From this standpoint, allowing Trevor Ariza to leave was a massive mistake, and signing all those veterans like Anthony, Carter-Williams and James Ennis III, turned out to be an even worse action.

One other thing. It might be a little bit odd, but it is time to say something like this. Chris Paul now and Chris Paul three or four years ago are not the same players. CP3’s contract might be a big mistake for this franchise, as he clearly didn’t deserve $40 million which will be his average salary in Texas.

Except for last night’s game, he wasn’t even near expectations. He did have a double-double in Game 6, 27 points and 11 boards, but his offensive contribution in the previous matches was like this, 17 points, then 18, then 14,13, and 11 in Game 5.

You can catch the point here, right? A complete failure.

Fertitta also promised an active offseason, saying that his organization is going to be very aggressive in searching the right additions to their roster.

“We’re going to have a strong offseason, and we’re going to do whatever we need to do to be a better team. We are not going to sit on our hands, I can promise you that.”

Yet again, these are all promises, and there is a long way in front of the Rockets until the next season. And there will be a big question mark afterward. Whether is that work good enough to provide some success.