I’ve heard one of my favorite local radio hosts state several times in some form or another, over the past few weeks during my evening drives home, that the Houston Rockets’ pursuit of Kevin Durant this summer is but a pipe dream. The latest declaration, made on Friday, an insinuation that Durant wouldn’t even consider Houston, much less sign here, is what has prompted me to take to the keyboard.
I’m not sure I follow the sentiment. Is Houston the front-runner? Of course not. Do they hold even decent odds to pull it off? Of course not. But there’s at least a slight chance of it happening, just like there always was of Dwight Howard leaving the Lakers for the Bayou City. And the same people who are counting Houston out now were probably counting them out then. And the same circumstances are at play: the Rockets again will be coming off a season where they will be a bottom seed, except this time, instead of featuring the promise of James Harden as a flourishing star, he’s a legitimate MVP caliber superstar, not to mention a close friend of the intended target.
I last wrote on this topic on February 6, and my stance hasn’t changed. The advantage Houston has, aside from the friendship with Harden, is that they can present the team as a tabula rasa. Durant can ultimately pick his own coach, a decision which would hold direct influence over the future style and scheme in which he would play.
Is the Houston situation ideal? Of course not. Ideal would be eliminating the uncertainty in Russell Westbrook’s future and Serge Ibaka not having regressed, and just sticking long term with the Thunder; ideal would be the hometown Wizards actually having taken the leap to respectability to serve as an obvious destination. Does Durant care how history would remember him if he simply hopped onto maybe the greatest team in NBA history in the Warriors?
The safest bet is that Durant will stay on with the Thunder for one more year. Another safer bet is the Warriors. But to say the Rockets don’t even have a chance is an inaccurate appraisal of the field. It may be a very slim chance, but they have a chance.
