House of Houston
Fansided

Houston Rockets: Team should look to re-sign Luc Mbah a Moute

By Brian K. Patterson

SAN ANTONIO,TX - APRIL 1 : Rudy Gay #22 of the San Antonio Spurs passes off in front of Luc Mbah a Moute #12 of the Houston Rockets at AT&T Center on April 1 , 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that , by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
SAN ANTONIO,TX - APRIL 1 : Rudy Gay #22 of the San Antonio Spurs passes off in front of Luc Mbah a Moute #12 of the Houston Rockets at AT&T Center on April 1 , 2018 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that , by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Houston Rockets ended their postseason pursuit of a championship with a loud thud after falling to the Golden State Warriors in seven games in the Western Conference Finals.  There will be a ton of work to be done to bring most of team back and I think re-signing Luc Mbah a Moute would be a good idea.  Let’s look.

Houston Rockets fans — this season was certainly success after winning a franchise-record 65 games and a memorable postseason run for the ages.  As we all know, had Chris Paul had not gone down, we’d probably be talking about how we’re preparing to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.

But unfortunately that conversation is begrudgingly about the Golden State Warriors and we’ll these teams match up for the fourth-straight postseason.  We’re tired of it and I’m for damn sure that the Houston Rockets would’ve provided such a more intriguing match up then the Warriors could.

I just chalk things up to it not being the Houston Rockets time yet and they’ll eventually get their due with the right adjustments in the off season.  But let’s talk about those adjustments.  We already know that the Top 2 decisions that have to be made is to re-sign Paul as well as the bring back youth phenom big man Clint Capela.

The Houston Rockets have signaled they want those guys back but they’ll be pricey so it remains to be seen how much they’ll cost considering Paul wants a max deal and that Capela will get a max from elsewhere with the Houston Rockets quantifying on whether or not they’ll match the offer.  I honestly think that they will.

But in minor move, I think the Houston Rockets should give Luc Mbah a Moute another go with this team.  When healthy, he was a fierce defender and reliable scorer that had a nice three-point

More from House of Houston

shot to complement his repertoire.  But multiple injuries throughout the season as well as his most recent to his shoulder certainly made his effectiveness less than desired.

It appeared as if he was playing tentative, not wanting to injure himself again.  But who knows?  There was an excellent chance that he wasn’t 100 percent healthy after returning to the lineup after the first round against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

But even as he ages, he still is a valuable cog to what the Houston Rockets do and should be offered a one to two year deal roughly the game as what he made this season.  I honestly think he’d accept because he’s at that point in his career where he’s looking to win rather than collect a fat paycheck.  I’m positive there is a market for him but I think his best chance to win it all is still with the Rockets.

Mbah a Moute just finished up a one-year, $2.1 million deal and hopefully they can squeeze him in with roughly the same pact as this past season.  We’ll have to see but I’m all for bringing him back.

Next: Early offseason plan centers around two players

Mbah a Moute, 31, averaged 7.5 points, 3.0 rebounds with a shooting line of .481/.364/.684 through 61 games in 2017-18.  He averaged 2.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and a shooting line of .250/.200/.571 through nine postseason appearances this season.

Home/Houston Rockets