Rebuilding the Dream: The Next Era of Houston Rockets Basketball – Episode 1
The Houston Rockets are one of the most successful and storied franchises in the history of the NBA. In 2021, James Harden forced his way off the team following the firing of Head Coach, Mike D’Antoni, and General Manager, Daryl Morey. They were replaced by Rafael Stone and Stephen Silas who went about restructuring the roster on the fly.
The first move the new regime made was to add Kevin Porter Jr, a young guard from Cleveland. The Cavaliers were keen to get rid of him after he threw a tantrum in the locker room. Due to the concerns about his maturity, he started his career with the Rockets in Rio Grande.
Veteran, Demarcus Cousins, was waived in February. John Wall remained on the roster for the entire season and beyond, but he played his final game for the Rockets on April 23rd 2021. He sat out the remainder of the season as the team looked to see what they had in Kevin Porter Jr. after bringing him up to the main roster and letting him run the show.
In one of the brief moments that offered hope for the team’s future during this season, KPJ would put up 50 points on the eventual NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks.
The team finished the tumultuous year with just 17 wins, the 3rd worst record in the history of the franchise. Rafael Stone would have his opportunity to retool over the summer. The teams poor record, along with the picks acquired in the Harden trade, led to the Houston Rockets entering that years draft with multiple first round picks.
