Lets assume the Rockets sign Josh Smith in the offseason

[Dash]

...Where do you see this team in terms of contendership for the next 2-3 years? Do you think Josh Smith (now 27 years old) is a good fit for the current? The lineup with Smith would look like this: 

 

Omer Asik

Josh Smith

Chandler Parsons

James Harden

Jeremy Lin

 

Bench: Carlos Delfino, Patrick Patterson, Greg Smith, Donatas Motiejunas/Terrence Jones, Toney Douglas (Houston would have its MLE and LLE to add a veteran or two)

 

Obviously the West is pretty damn brutal so does this move make them better than or on par with the Nuggets/Spurs/Grizzlies/Thunder/Clippers/Lakers or does it make minimal impact on Houston's position by only moving them up one or two seeds?

Edited February 20, 2013 by Dash

[Real Deal]

Might as well include the Lakers, because if they don't make the playoffs, they will next season...and we won't go 3-4 years without contending again.  I'm not trying to sound like a jackass of a fan, either...it's just the truth.

 

Will Houston rank up there with a team like the Thunder (as long as OKC has their core)?  I can't say they will, but that's because I don't believe in Lin and Asik.

 

Is Chandler Parsons a legitimate second scoring option on a contender?  I don't know...personally, I don't think he can.  I can't say Josh Smith is, though.  To me, on a contender, Smith can be that third option that gets a lot of points off the break, but focuses mainly on the defensive end.

 

The Rockets can be a better team than the Nuggets, who don't have an all-star to rely on when things go wrong (like Houston has with Harden), but the "power teams" in the West have experience OR superstar/all-star combinations that are tough to overcome in a playoff series.

 

With Harden, Smith, and Parsons...those Rockets can be a team to worry about going to a seven-game series with, but I can't say I'd bet on them getting to the Finals with that core.