Houston Rockets: The latest on Chris Paul recruiting LeBron James

The Houston Rockets will have a fun and interesting off season as it makes its final approach over the next few months. There will have to be tweaks made in order to improve to try to beat the Golden State Warriors once and for all. Chris Paul is actively recruiting LeBron James so let’s examine this further.

Houston Rockets fans — this season was bittersweet — despite a historical run of winning a franchise-record 65 games, plus the individual flourishing of James Harden, Clint Capela and Eric Gordon, this team ended their postseason with a loud thud. This is, of course, something that they didn’t expect to happen.

The loud “thud” was the injury to Chris Paul in the waning minutes of Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals on a play where he was performing a series of pump fakes/shakes, causing a partial tear to his hamstring. He has been ruled with a Grade 2 strain on that hammy and it’s going to take a few weeks before he’s actually running again.

His status was closely monitored but now the Houston Rockets are on the couch watching the final round of the postseason, he can take his time with his recovery. He’ll be ready for the 2018-19 season but he’s already doing some important work already — recruiting the most influential athlete of this generation. Who am I talking about?

LeBron James.

Here’s the latest that Marc Stein of the New York Times had to say:

"“Don’t get me wrong: There will still be plenty of talk over the next two weeks about what James will do July 1 and the growing belief that he’ll be leaving his home-state Cavaliers this offseason to join a team better suited to consistently challenge Golden State. Rest assured that the Rockets’ understandably devastated Chris Paul — who made a fast exit from Toyota Center late Monday night after being forced to watch the biggest game of his life from the bench because of his hamstring injury — has already begun his recruitment of James to Houston.”"

James is still playing for something as he has carried the Cleveland Cavaliers on his back to get them to the NBA Finals for the fourth straight season, matching up with the same opponent in the Warriors.

Although James is focused now on making inroads in the Finals, there’s no harm in what Paul is doing. Is it a possibility that the Houston Rockets have a shot at acquiring LeBron?

Looking for more Rockets future talk as well as the team’s chances to get LeBron? Take a listen at my favorite podcast, Houston Sports Talk with Robert Land and R.G. Seal:

It’s possible but there will be PLENTY of maneuvering to make it happen. With some ingenuity and certainly some give and take with Paul, there is a way to bring LeBron into the fold. This would almost certainly mean that Capela will be on the way out as he’s expected to fetch offers for a mega-deal from teams with boatloads of cash.

But I’m sure Daryl Morey is finding every loophole possible to see if he could re-sign Capela, Paul and bring LeBron into the fold. Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta has given Morey his blessing to do what it takes to keep this team together and he’ll be more than willing to pay the luxury tax in order to do so.

But it remains to be seen if James is in the team’s plans. I have no doubt that’s what Morey wants so we’ll just have to watch Morey obsession with beating the Warriors grow even more through the off season and try to figure out a route to improve this team even better than it already is.

My opinion is that the Houston Rockets don’t necessarily need LeBron and I feel having him on

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this team is the EASY ROUTE to win the NBA championship. But many of my detractors will point out that the Warriors acquired Kevin Durant — who accepted way less money than on the open market — in order to start winning championships.

I don’t think LeBron will be taking much of a discount to come here so there will have to be some tough decision that will have to be made about guys on this roster. Traded off Ryan Anderson‘s contract is a MUST but I don’t see how you get rid of it unless multiple assets such as draft picks and some of our players are attached in the deal.

I’m sure Morey has some desire to want to get this team a bit younger and bringing LeBron will certainly impede that process.

I honestly don’t think LeBron is going anywhere. I visited Cleveland this past weekend and with just my experiences talking with the locals there, that man means EVERYTHING to that city. It’s incredible how one man can be such a difference-maker in a city’s local economy but he has. When he left for the first time to join the Miami Heat, many lost billions — including Cavs’ owner Dan Gilbert himself — because fans aren’t going to games, folks are spending money in restaurants downtown, people aren’t buying merchandise, etc.

With an economy that’s as fragile as Cleveland’s, any departure of LeBron could have a financially devastating effect on the hometown that he loves. His winning of the championship back in 2016 cemented his legacy there and invoked a plethora of bygones for what many thought was sinful in first departure from the city.

Next: How Clint Capela can steal the Most Improved Player Award

However, I see absolutely nothing wrong with Paul recruiting James as that’s what one does — shooting your best shot — if one misses, at least one has tried and that’s all that counts.

We’ll have to see how this pans out but if LeBron were to somehow drop into our laps as fans, I wouldn’t be 100 percent opposed to it.

Good luck CP3!

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