Colin Cowherd: “The Houston Rockets had to move off a very good player, Clint Capela, who gives you a ton of easy baskets, he’s a big guy who can run, he can defend the rim, and now they’re the world’s shortest basketball team. And why did they move off him? RUSSELL WESTBROOK. They are trapped paying $41.5 million per season for the next four years. He can’t shoot, the game is moving away from him, he can’t play with anybody, and he’s hard to coach. They loved Capela and all I heard the last two years was how much everyone loved him. Now? All of the sudden he’s no good. They have no rim protector now. Good luck in the West facing Anthony Davis, Rudy Gobert, and the Joker in Denver. Westbrook is shooting 23% from 3! He’s 236 out of 236 players for the lowest three-point percentage! He’s a guard and he’s dead last in the league! This is an unmovable and AWFUL contract. Houston was way better without him, now they’re worse, and Capella is gone. Two years ago they were a Chris Paul hamstring from beating the Warriors and getting to the Finals, and probably winning it. Now, they don’t have an identity. Their identity is they're the shortest team in the league. My gut feeling is still that the owner wanted Westbrook, but Daryl Morey didn’t. He didn’t make any sense from day one, analytically.” (Full Video Above)
Listen to Colin Cowherd explain why he thinks the Houston Rockets deeply regret acquiring Russell Westbrook last off-season, a day after they just traded leading rebounder Clint Capela.
Colin thinks the trade that netted the Rockets small forward Robert Covington from the Minnesota Timberwolves was a bit peculiar, considering Capela was one of the most athletic big men in the league, and an elite energy player on team with practically zero size.
A few days ago, the Rockets literally had a guard playing center, as the team went with an unprecedented form of ‘small ball’ that had the team playing without a player over 6’6” out on the floor.
Colin says the roster shakeup is because of Westbrook’s awkward fit with the team, and says he believes audacious Rockets GM Daryl Morey never wanted the Westbrook trade to begin with, and had to bend the knee to owner Tilman Fertitta's demands.
Check out the video above as Colin details why the Rockets are now trapped with one of the worst contracts in the sport.