Houston Rockets Rumors: Why the team should inquire about Marc Gasol

The Houston Rockets are without their stud center, Clint Capela, for the next month plus. The team should inquire about Marc Gasol to fill in for Capela.

You’ve seen it. You’ve heard it a million times. You’ve read it a million times. The Houston Rockets got off to a horrendous start to the 2018-19 season. A season in which they were expected to contend after giving the Warriors an incredible fight in the Conference Finals.

However, the stumbled out of the get and it took them nearly a third of the season to finally climb above .500 and stay there. They dealt with suspensions and injuries early in the season. Fortunately, additional suspensions haven’t happened since but the injuries have persisted.

Chris Paul is, once again, dealing with hamstring injuries and he has been out for about three weeks and doesn’t have a timetable of when he will return. Eric Gordon was sidelined with a knee injury for works but returned to the lineup a few days ago. Now, Clint Capela has had surgery for a thumb injury that will keep him out for a month. All of this, plus injuries to James Ennis, Brandon Knight, and others.

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That being said, the Houston Rockets have somehow overcame all of those injuries to ride an incredible streak to get to fifth place in the Western Conference. Powering this team through in the injuries and early struggles is reigning MVP James Harden. He has set countless records already and is on pace to set more as he is surpassing what he did in his 2017-18 MVP season.

However, overcoming the most recent injury, Capela’s, may prove to be more challenging than the others. The Houston Rockets had guard depth and Harden to fill the holes that Paul and Gordon left. Plus, they were able to add Austin Rivers after his contract was bought out, which has been a great signing.

The team doesn’t really have much behind Capela to fill those center minutes. Marquese Chriss could take some of those minutes but he hasn’t performed particularly well in the past. Nene Hilario could take some as well but he can’t play multiple games in a week anymore. Isaiah Hartenstein could be recalled but he isn’t anywhere close to the same presence Capela is.

So, the team could very easily get in a rut with Capela out, especially when they face teams with a dominant big man. Capela provides a ton offensively and defensively and won’t be easily replaced. However, there may be a name coming available soon and the team needs to kick the tires on him. That man is Marc Gasol.

I know, I know. It’s crazy on multiple fronts. Gasol has been the face of the Memphis Grizzlies for over a decade. He’s a stud player who has been appointed to several All-Star teams and multiple All-NBA teams. Why would they part ways with their star?

Well, for starts, the 33-year-old has a player option following this season that he is expected to exercise in an attempt to cash in one last time. On top of that, Gasol hasn’t been the same player he was in his prime and now seems incapable of leading a team to the playoffs.

However, Gasol could thrive on a team where he doesn’t have to be “the guy.” A change of scenery could help reinvigorate his career in order to land that final big deal of his career. The Houston Rockets could be the team to provide that. They’re a legitimate contender who has a massive hole at the center position entering into a crucial point of the season.

Gasol is a former defensive player of the year who is still capable of blocking shots and stealing the basketball. He is an intimidating presence in the paint that could be a defensive anchor for the Houston Rockets.

Offensively, Gasol doesn’t provide what he used to and he also doesn’t provide what Capela does. That being said, he could still provide very good offense in the vein that the Rockets desire. Gasol has very good post moves and can still score at will in the paint. He also has added a new wrinkle to his offensive game the past three seasons: shooting the three. He does so at a pretty good clip of over 36%.

That wrinkle could be very interesting in this Houston Rockets offense as it would open the court even more for Harden which could make this offense even more deadly. Now, Gasol and Capela probably won’t match up well together on the court, Gasol would have to hover around the three-point line more which could work but the defensive combination is a little more suspect in today’s NBA.

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Regardless, the Rockets need to worry about the now in order to stay in contention and even potentially climbing the Western Conference ranks. Gasol would allow the Rockets to do that and he would also allow the team to have frontcourt depth unlike they have ever seen.

A combination of Knight, Chriss, and Carmelo Anthony plus draft picks could get the job done, at least financially. However, the Grizzlies may want more rising prospects so the Rockets might want to bring in a third team like the Hawks, Knicks, or Bulls who have prospects and could want to add draft assets for taking on salary.

It’s crazy. It’s crazy to consider this as a possibility. It’s crazy for the Memphis Grizzlies. It’s crazy for the Houston Rockets. But, sometimes crazy happens. Sometimes, crazy is what elevates teams. The Rockets need to make crazy happen.

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How about you? Would you like to see crazy happen? Would you like to see Gasol in a Houston Rockets uniform? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments below!

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