The Houston Rockets continue to make roster adjustments in hopes of getting to the top of the Western Conference. The Rockets are in win-now mode and are trying to get their roster to reflect that, as consistency has been an issue. After acquiring Josh Smith, the team is making two more signings in Michael Beasley and Andrew Goudelock.
The Rockets have been up and down all season. That has caused them to dip in the Western Conference as they cling to the No. 8 seed. Their fate will be determined by the improvement of James Harden and Dwight Howard, while depth on the bench will be critical. Beasley and Goudelock now join that, as the Rockets hope they can be x-factors for the final weeks of the season.
Houston announced the arrival of Beasley, who is very familiar to the NBA. The forward last played in the NBA in 2014 with the Miami Heat. He has since made a name for himself in the Chinese Basketball Association, getting named MVP this year. Beasley has been determined to make a comeback in the NBA, and the Rockets are now giving him that chance after signing him to a league-minimum deal. After plenty of off-the-court issues, the Rockets are confident that Beasley can make a positive impact. He is expected to make his debut against Philadelphia on Wednesday.
"I can't speak on the past. I can say that based on our intel he is someone just focused on career and family at this point," general manager Daryl Morey said.
The Rockets also signed Goudelock to a two-year deal. The shooting guard was most recently with the Xinjians Flying Tigers of the China Basketball Association. He also spent time in the D-League with the Rockets organization. While the Rockets and Goudelock did come to an agreement on a contract, the shooting guard has not been cleared by the FIBA to join the team. That makes his debut uncertain at the moment.
"I'm very excited. I'm very excited for the opportunity," Goudelock said. "I've waited a few years to get back in there. Little surprised I got the call, but happy and ready to help out the team."
The signings show that Houston is focused on offense rather than defense right now. Smith, Beasley and Goudelock are not known to be shutdown defenders, and that could be an issue in Houston. Statistically, the Rockets rank as one of the worst defensive units in the league. They are allowing 107.1 points per game while having a defensive rating of 108.9. The poor defense will come back to haunt them against teams like Golden State and San Antonio if they do not improve it before the playoffs.
