There is a free agent still available that fills a need for the Houston Rockets and his name is Omri Casspi. Here's why Houston should be aggressive in signing him for the playoffs.
It's safe to say the Houston Rockets are contenders in the Western Conference. After all, they own the third-best record in the league at 46-21 and own a historically elite offense.
However, there is still a hole on the roster that could be exposed come playoff time and Omri Casspi can fill that void.
Casspi was included in the DeMarcus Cousins trade shortly before the trade deadline, but only went on to play one game in a Pelicans uniform before breaking his thumb and being released.
However, Marc Stein reported that Casspi has already been cleared to resume basketball activities, way ahead of his four- to six-week initial timetable.
Now Casspi is weighing his options, which include interest from several playoff teams including the Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers, according to Stein.
The Rockets should absolutely enter the Casspi sweepstakes. He is a 6'9″ wing who can play either the small forward or power forward position and can shoot lights out from beyond the arc. Plus, Casspi is a capable defender who can hold his own in most matchups.
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So far this season, Casspi has averaged a mere 6.1 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. However, it is important to note that he was in coach Dave Joerger's dog house in Sacramento, playing only 18 minutes per game and sometime receiving the DNP- Coach's Decision designation.
Last season, Casspi received 27.2 minutes per game and put up a respectable 11.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, showing Casspi can still be productive given enough playing time. More importantly, Casspi has turned in to an elite three-point shooter over the past couple of seasons.
Since Casspi shot just 34.7 percent on threes in the 2013-14 season, he has drastically improved his shooting. In the past three seasons (including this one) Casspi has shot 40.2 percent, 40.9 percent, and 39.4 percent on three-pointers.
Those are elite shooting numbers that should make Houston coach Mike D'Antoni's mouth drool.
Playing Casspi as either a backup small forward or power forward doesn't sacrifice any spacing on the floor, and wouldn't kill the Rockets' league average defense. Casspi is no defensive stopper, but he does own a respectable 0.05 defensive real plus-minus this season.
Casspi owns a career minus-0.8 defensive box plus-minus, which is nearly average on that end of the floor.
Make no mistake about it, Casspi won't be signed because of his defense. He will be signed to spread the floor, rebound at a reasonable rate (Casspi owns a career per-36 minute average of 6.9 rebounds per game) and play average defense.
As of right now, the Rockets usually play a three-guard lineup featuring Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams and Eric Gordon off the bench, with Sam Dekker and Nene Hilario/Clint Capela filling out the frontcourt.
The main concern for the Rockets with that unit should be the drop-off in Sam Dekker's shooting.
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Dekker's three-point stroke has come and gone this season, as he shot 38.5 percent in November, 23.9 percent in December, 33.3 percent in January, 37.5 percent in February and now just 9.1 percent in March.
For the season Dekker is down to just 31.6 percent on three-pointers, which is not good enough if he wants to see consistent playing time in the playoffs.
If D'Antoni can't trust Dekker's shot (or his experience), Casspi would slot in perfectly at the backup power forward position and provide elite floor-spacing for the three guard lineup to go to work.
Lastly, it is important to note that the Rockets have a good amount of financial flexibility to sign Casspi. The Rockets have $3,362,372 available in cap space, meaning they can give the most money to Casspi out of all the true playoff contenders.
This may or may not play a role in Casspi's decision-making, but it could be the difference maker for Houston.
By signing Casspi, the Rockets lose nothing on the defensive end while gaining an elite three-point shooter to spread the floor in the playoffs. That sounds like a win-win situation for the Rockets, which is why they should be aggressive in signing Casspi as soon as possible.
