Empty the Bench

Maybe Shane Battier had nothing to do with it. Maybe the Houston Rockets morphed into one of the league’s best defensive teams by cornering a poor, defenseless leprechaun, torturing him, then demanding he grant them their wish of allowing less points per game (90.4) than most other squads in the NBA during the regular season. A stretch, maybe, but a plausible one given reports that the Rockets are desperately dangling their best defensive player in hopes of landing someone who packs a little more scoring punch.

We can understand the Rockets trying to fix their very real offensive deficiencies; don’t forget, this is the team that established an NBA postseason record this year when just *four* players did all the scoring for an entire game. Houston doesn’t have much to offer in trade, and Battier is the kind of smart all-around player that would fit in well with championship-contending teams. Unfortunately, that’s what Houston is aspiring to be, so we have to assume they’re confident that third-year forward Chuck Hayes could fill Battier’s void if he’s moved.

And who, do you ask, are the Rockets hoping to land in exchange for Battier (and their first-round pick, #26)? One of the top free agents around, Seattle’s Rashard Lewis:

The Houston Rockets intend to contact the Seattle SuperSonics to discuss a potential sign-and-trade deal for free-agent forward Rashard Lewis. The Rockets will offer forward Shane Battier and their No. 1 draft pick, 26th overall, in an attempt to lure Lewis home to Houston. The Sonics say they want to re-sign Lewis, a one-time All-Star who has opted out of his contract, and they have the negotiating leverage to convince him to stay because they can offer a longer-term contract than any other suitor.

But the Rockets are hoping that they can cajole Lewis to leave the only NBA team he has played for with the enticement of being close to family and friends. Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler, who works as a television analyst for the Rockets, has told team officials he has breakfast daily with Lewis and that he thinks he can help persuade the player to join a Rockets organization that passed on Lewis three times in the first round of the 1998 draft.

Apparently Drexler also thinks he’s so much on the up-and-up with Lewis that he might be able to convince him to sign a short deal for the mid-level exception. If that happens, I promise to show up at the office the following day wearing nothing but pulled-up black socks, high tops, boxer shorts, and a tight tank-top. Other trades Houston is dreaming up and hoping become reality are Juwan Howard for Mike James (not entirely unfeasible), and the contract of retired guard Bobby Sura for the Warriors’ little-used backup point guard Sarunas Jasikevicius. Clearly, or should we say “smartly,” Houston isn’t kidding themselves about soldiering on with Rafer Alston as their starting point guard.

If the Rockets can somehow get Lewis under that scenario, obviously it’s a big coup and one that instantly puts Houston on par with the league’s best, on paper. Fortifying the starting point guard spot on top of that would qualify new GM Daryl Morey as a legitimate General Manager of the Year candidate, pending the on-court results of course.

We’re very skeptical that Lewis joins McGrady and Yao in Houston. It seems like Seattle could command much more for their all-star forward, and that better offers would flood in if word got out that the Sonics were ready to move him in a sign-and-trade deal. But you never know; after all, Lewis did cry on draft day back in 1998 when his hometown Rockets bypassed him with all three of their first-round picks, instead selecting Michael Dickerson, Bryce Drew, and Mirsad Türkcan, three choices that worked out extremely well for the franchise.