DEAL OR NO DEAL? NO DEAL
Rockets miss out on trade for Jimmy Butler, who goes to Philly
Nov 11, 2018, 12:32 pm
Early Saturday new broke that the Minnesota Timberwolves had completed a trade to send their disgruntled all-star guard Jimmy Butler to a team not named the Houston Rockets. After what was reported to be a strong push by Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey to acquire Butler, the Timberwolves opted instead to send him east to Philadelphia in exchange for Robert Covington, Dario Saric, Jerryd Bayless and a 2022 second round pick.
The news comes as a blow to Rockets fans, many of whom had assumed until midway through the week that a Butler acquisition was all but certain. The assumed move would have helped jump start an otherwise lifeless offense that has plagued Houston's young season. With the hopes of Butler's assistance dashed, the Rockets’ front office is left to search for a plan B.
To assume that the Rockets are standing pat following the Butler sweepstakes defeat would be foolish. Less than six months removed from an impressive seven-game Western Conference Finals series against one of the greatest teams the NBA has ever seen, the pressure to challenge Golden State once again is at an all-time high. The Rockets’ bewilderingly slow start has only compounded the pressure on Morey to add another reliable scoring threat.
Houston will continue to make phone calls while the current team focuses on finding a 3-point shot that has been MIA all season. In the meantime, the smart money would be to bet on Chris Paul, Eric Gordon, and Gerald Green to break out of their simultaneously crippling shooting slumps. That, combined with maintaining a more concerted effort on defense would more than likely hoist Houston out of their dreadful slump and give the Rockets the fuel necessary to begin a climb up the Western Conference Standings. Until then Houston will be forced to exercise a sports fan's least developed skill: patience.
At this point, one of two things are certain: either the Rockets fix themselves, or Morey will fix it for them.
The Houston Texans have a big challenge in store as they look to start the season with a win against the Colts this Sunday. When these two teams met in Week 2 last year, the Colts dominated the Texans, despite losing their QB Anthony Richardson to a concussion after the first quarter.
Keeping Richardson contained on Sunday will go a long way in increasing the Texans' chances of coming home with a win. The Texans defense will have their hands full containing the Colts backs and tight ends in the passing game.
Scoring touchdowns with their wide receivers could prove difficult, as the Texans allowed the second-fewest TDs (10) to the receiver position in 2023.
Limiting running back Jonathan Taylor will also be a top priority. While the Texans had an elite defense against the run last season, they struggled with Taylor in Week 18 as he almost rushed for 200 yards.
Houston's D allowed only four carries to running backs in 2023 that went for 20 or more yards. Two of which were to Taylor in the final game of the regular season.
Finally, DeMeco Ryans and company have to find a way to get pressure on the QB. They only had one QB hit and zero sacks on Richardson and Garner Minshew the first time they faced off last year.
On offense, the Texans have two big x-factors to watch for on Sunday. The offensive line that suited up to play the Colts in Week 2 last season is completely different from this year.
The o-line was ravaged with injuries to start the 2023 campaign, so we expect a big jump in productivity in the trenches this year.
Another big addition in 2024 is the presence of running back Joe Mixon. The running game only produced 2 yards per rush in Week 2 against Indy last year, so there's clearly room for improvement.
Be sure to watch the video above for our in-depth preview of Texans-Colts!
And catch Texans on Tap (a Texans podcast) live on our SportsMapTexans YouTube channel following every game this season!