With a 9-5 record about 14 games into the NBA 2013-14 season, the Houston Rockets are looking pretty good at the moment.
Having won 6 of their last 10 games and possessing the highest scoring offense in the NBA (109.9 points per game, third in team field goal shooting with 48.5 percent), in addition to their two top stars, Dwight Howard and James Harden, among the league leaders in points (Harden, ranked fifth with 24.2 points per game) and rebounds (Howard, ranked No.1 with 13.6 boards), this young and energetic team is becoming one of the fastest rising new powerhouses to contend with out West.
Yet, the team doesn't appear to be letting their success keep them out of the headlines in regards to the latest NBA trade deadline speculation. The Rockets have a key piece to move in former starting center Omer Asik, a superb rebounder and tough defender, and there are a number of teams reportedly interested in the Turkish star who has reportedly been unhappy ever since his playing time diminished in Houston this season with the arrival of All-Star center Howard.
One of those teams that could end up taking Asik are the Boston Celtics, who reportedly, have arguably the biggest trading prize on the block this year in Rajon Rondo. But to get the former NBA champion and four-time NBA All Star, the ransom won't be cheap, and the Rockets may have to pay a pretty hefty price to obtain the slick-passing guard's services --one that involves trading Asik and Jeremy Lin to Boston.
The New York Post noted recently that the Celtics "may have interest" in acquiring both Asik and Lin in exchange for Rondo. While that package may or may not include draft picks is hard to say, although it would be hard to see the Celtics settle for anything less than that. When it comes to trading away a high quality talent, a superstar, like Rondo, anything less than a package similar to what the Denver Nuggets received from the Knicks two mid-season trade deadlines ago in exchange for Carmelo Anthony would be considered a robbery. That's their position, and it's an understandable one, especially for a franchise looking to rebuild itself following the breaking up of the "Big Three" of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen that led the Celtics to the 2008 NBA championship.
And from the Rockets' point of view, the deal sounds like it could go a long way towards making the Rockets a championship team. A backcourt containing both Rondo and Harden? For opposing teams, that's not a nightmare, that's a Nightmare on Elm Street. Add the imposing will of Howard into that mix coupled with the Rockets' high-octane offense, and that sounds like a team that could make the folks in San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Memphis, and maybe even Miami, more than a little nervous.
However, that's also a move that could cost the Rockets something, as well--particularly come playoff time--considering how well Lin has played off the bench since the season began.
When he first got to Houston last season, to say Lin struggled was an understatement. Perhaps it was too much to expect from him to live up to the hype he came with after he rode the storm that was "Linsanity." Perhaps it was the grueling rehab he had to overcome in the offseason to heal the torn meniscus in his left leg. A new team, new system and a high-profile new teammate in Harden were also big factors to consider. In the end, Lin's statistical rollercoaster-like season finished with a marginal 13.4 points, 6.1 assists and 44.1 field goal percentage. Determined to get better, Lin dedicated this past summer to stepping up his game.
"This summer has been filled with great health, allowing me to work on different things every day," he told NBA.com in August. "It's been a lot easier in terms of knowing what each day is going to bring; I'm not sitting here guessing whether my knee is going to feel good or if I'm going to be able to do this or that. I know what I'm doing, I have a great team around me, and this year things have been so much more focused and everything's been going according to plan."
And the plan has worked. Very effectively. In his last 10 games-the latest being a 19-point, 5-assist gem in a 112-101 Saturday win against Minnesota-Lin has averaged 16.7 points and 5.1 assists in 31.8 minutes, nearly identical to his baseline of 16.5 points and 5.2 assists over 32.0 minutes of play this season. Lin's strong game in Minnesota also came while Harden was out with a sore left foot. With the Rockets lacking offensive pop off the bench after Carlos Delfino split over the offseason, Lin has stepped up and begun to establish himself as a valuable tool in the roster, be it as a sparkplug off the bench to ignite the offense, or a suitable fill-in when a key starter such as Harden is unavailable thanks to injury. In short, despite the fact that he turns the ball over about 3.2 times a game, Lin has been providing something that he wasn't exactly well-known for in the last two seasons--stability.
Without a suitable replacement to fill in for sixth man duties, would trading Lin away be in the best interests for the Rockets? Aaron Brooks showed some pop on Monday with 26 points for Houston off the bench, but the cast of Brooks, Donatas Motiejunas, Omri Casspi, Francisco Garcia and Greg Smith haven't exactly been consistent with their support off the bench. And without help on the bench, it's very hard to see Houston stand a chance against veteran playoff teams like the Spurs and Thunder, or the up-and-coming Golden State Warriors.
Plus, while Rondo is a great player, without question, the Derrick Rose situation has to give some teams pause. Like Rose, Rondo tore his left ACL before the All-Star Game last season. An ACL tear is just about the hardest injury to come back from. Rose was on the right track when he returned this season, but on Monday, it became official-the former league MVP Rose's comeback season ended after only 10 games with a torn medial meniscus in his right knee. Whether he comes back and becomes the Rose of old is anyone's guess, but it is also possible that the talented Rose's career might have been cut short. That's not to say that Rondo will suffer a similar fate when he comes back this season, but if nothing else, what happened to Rose has to have some GMs thinking hard about acquiring a player-even a superstar like Rondo-coming off such a devastating injury:
"Can he stay healthy?"
"How good will he be?"
"Will he play as great as he once did before the injury?"
"Is it worth sacrificing the future for a star there's no guarantee on with his health?"
They might not say it aloud, but you can bet your season tickets that some of the players in the free agent market have to be thinking it. Would it be worth trading Lin, who has been not only consistent as of late, but healthy, and tough, for a superstar who may or may not be able to return to the greatness he has fans accustomed to seeing?
Honestly, it's a coin toss. There's no question as to how great Rondo is, but let's say the Rockets pulled the trigger on this trade tomorrow. If worse comes to worse and Rondo gets hurt before the playoffs, that leaves the Rockets with no point guard save maybe Patrick Beverley, unless he's included in the deal, too. But they will definitely have no bench after that with Lin and Asik gone. And then what? Have they improved enough to defeat Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and the playoff-tested Spurs or Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and the revved-up, dangerous L.A. Clippers with just Howard and Harden? That's a dangerous bet to take.
There's a saying about poker: you gotta know when to hold' em, and know where to fold 'em. Considering Rose's situation, it's anyone's guess what happens if Houston bets their cards on Rondo; it's the wild card. Either he'll be their ace in the hole and lead them to the title, or he could get hurt and leave the team's management looking like a stack full of jokers. At the very least, by holding Lin and Asik, the team knows what hand they've got. And it's a formidable hand that could give a lot of teams a run for their money.