The Houston Rockets is one of the hottest teams in the NBA today after its acquisition of superstar center Dwight Howard but its general manager insists the team is not yet done and could make another deal in the middle of the regular season or just before the playoffs to increase its chances of winning it all in June.
"We're not all the way there, we're not a finished team," Houston GM Daryl Morey told ESPN.com. "We're going to be experimenting. We want to be a great team by mid-April.
The Rockets have one enticing trading chip to offer- center Omar Asik who started last year and will end up as either Howard's back-up or the starting power forward, depending on coach Kevin McHale's plans for the team.
While Asik is no Howard, he is a serviceable center who can defend and rebound well. He was third in the league in rebounds per game last season while Howard was number one. He is also a strong post defender who can theoretically pair with Howard to create the most fearsome frontline duo in the league. However, Asik and Howard are two legit centers who need to be inside the pain to be effective in offense, and that could give the Rockets a lot of troubles when it comes to spacing the floor.
"If it works really well, it'll be a lot. If it looks like crap, it won't be much," McHale told ESPN about the possibility of playing Asik and Howard together.
Asik had earlier requested for a trade but the Rockets did not oblige. ESPN speculates that the Rockets are holding on to him in the regular season to increase his trade value and get a good player or two to complement Howard and All-Star James Harden.
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