Houston Rockets: The Big Decision: Lawson or Beverley?

I am going to share with you a very unpopular opinion. To be quite honest, not one Rockets fan so far has agreed with me on this, but I truly believe that it should be Patrick Beverley to be traded away and not Ty Lawson.

Our cult hero Pat Bev has a reputation as a defensive specialist and his hard-nosed play has endowed him in the hearts of all Rockets fans. Over time, he has really pissed off those of the opposition. It would be crazy to think that the Rockets should get rid of their premier defensive-stopper for a guy who has struggled to find a place in the offense.

In what might be a shock for most of you, Lawson’s defensive rating is just two points lower than that of Beverley so in reality he is no longer the lock down specialist he used to be, and what he lacks on offense really hurts the Rockets.

There are several reasons why Houston sought out Ty at the beginning of the season. Beverley is unable to create his own shot and he rarely drives to the rack. This has had a notable effect on the Rockets’ spacing and it has become apparent this season how easy it is for defenses to shut out James Harden. It usually causes the Rockets to collapse.

Provided Beverley has done a fantastic job of improving his perimeter stroke, opposing guards will know 57 percent of his field goals made come from threes and 80 percent of these are assisted. This means defenses can double Harden and only have to worry about Beverley as a catch-and-shoot threat, nothing else. We are increasingly seeing teams trap Harden out near the halfway-line and forcing Bev to become a play maker, something that isn’t his strong suit.

I can’t tell you the number of times possessions have been wasted as Pat looks to get the ball back to Harden and the ball is turned over. Bev’s inability to be a play maker is dragging Houston down.

Many people seem to be jumping on Ty for not fitting into the offense and blaming him for chemistry issues. The problem here isn’t Ty, it’s the coaching staff. Ty came from a Denver team where he was the man and had no spacing and few offensive options. He nearly averaged a double-double for three years straight and was in ranked among the Top 5 in the NBA in assists during that period.

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Denver may not have had the pieces but they had clean offensive sets and they ran plays where Ty was the decision-maker. He is a genius and a beautiful passer but he can’t force players to cut to the rim or roll by their man. Outside of Harden, he is the only Rockets player who can create his own shot, coupled with an inside jumper is quite reliable and pretty to watch.

Ty is improving from behind-the-arc and he was 4-for-6 from three against the Phoenix Suns this past Thursday so there are signs that he is adapting to the Rockets system.

The most frustrating part of all this is how is J.B. Bickerstaff is failing to utilize Ty’s abilities. As I mentioned before, at Denver he had complete autonomy and had a license to run a myriad of plays under any circumstance. The Rockets don’t have any plays set for Lawson and he spends his minutes on the court standing in the corner. Ty needs the ball in his hands and he needs teammates who know what to do.

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Even for the time being, if he just uses Harden’s plays while he is off the floor, I’m positive that his scoring rate will increase. A 1-2 pick-and-roll with Lawson and Harden would be deadly as both are great passers and can easily create their own shots. It just baffles me that such a good player could be so under-utilized on a Rockets team that should have been an offensive juggernaut this season.

Where I would go from here will probably divide opinion but that’s why I’m here.

This is a trade that I propose that the Rockets should make.

Take a look:

The Atlanta Hawks may require a draft pick — say a 2017 second-rounder — as the sweetener to this deal but can you imagine Jeff Teague coming to the Rockets. He is a better passing version of Beverley and he has the experience of making the Eastern Conference Finals last season so we know he can produce on the highest of stages.

Next: What To Do With Terrence Jones?

Beverley has been a fantastic servant for this organization and I would be as sad as anyone to see him go, but this team needs a shake up and with what’s available this is the best course of action for the Rockets to take.

Disagree/Agree? Let us know in the comments below and on Twitter: @HouseOfHouston

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