Houston Rockets should pursue Joakim Noah

The Houston Rockets are finally starting to click. After a dreadful four game losing streak, the Rockets have been on a tear, winning their last five games in a row. Although they have played their best basketball of the season, Houston should not rule out a midseason trade before the deadline.

With players like Trevor Ariza, Terrence Jones, and Ty Lawson reportedly on the trading block, perhaps Daryl Morey should try and strike a deal for All-Star center Joakim Noah of the Chicago Bulls.

Since losing his starting spot during training camp, multiple sources have reported that Noah is unhappy with his current situation. Adding more fuel to the fire, it has also been reported that he is not the biggest fan of Chicago’s first year head coach Fred Hoiberg. Noah is in the final year of his contract and the chances of him returning to the Windy City is little to none.

Since the Rockets are having one of their worst defensive season in franchise history, why not bring the 2014 Defensive Player of the year to Houston? Adding him to the Rockets will not improve their offense in anyway, but the biggest contribution Noah will provide to the team is defense. Since entering the league in 2007, Noah has established himself as one of the top defensive players in the association.

This season the Rockets have allowed their opponents to shoot 46 percent from the field. Which is the third worst in the league. However if Noah is added to the team, opponents will find scoring on the Rockets much harder than ever.

According to the NBA Player Tracking stats, since 2013 Noah has held his opponents to 43 percent shooting. His lowest percentage came during the 2014-15 season when he held his opponents to a career low 41 percent from the field. Holding his opponents under 50 percent is one of the main reasons the Bulls defense ranked among the top five since 2011. Even in the 28 games he has played this season, Noah has held players to only 42.4 percent shooting.

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Along with his defense, Noah would bring more energy and a toughness that only few players possess in league today. Adding Joakim Noah alongside Dwight Howard will spell trouble for Rockets opponents. Just think of how deadly Houston’s frontcourt will become. Howard and Noah will have the chance to create an unstoppable big-man duo in the association, much like Bill Laimbeer and Rick Mahorn of the Bad Boys Detroit Pistons during the late 80s.

Do not look at Noah’s numbers this season and think his best days are behind him. With the changes the Bulls have made to their offense along with his shoulder injury, is the reason why he has had the worst season of his career. However, odds are once he returns to full health perhaps a change of scenery is all Noah requires to once again be a top tier big man in this league. Here’s hoping that view could be experienced in Clutch City.

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