The Houston Rockets are expected to contend for an NBA title in 2019-20. Their path is a tough one in the Western Conference where LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the Los Angeles Lakers loom.
The Golden State Warriors, who have eliminated the Rockets three of the last four seasons, are not expected to be the same juggernaut after losing Kevin Durant in free agency and are also expected to not have Klay Thompson a majority of the season.
The window of opportunity for Houston to win a title has never been wider, but in order to be ready for this run, they will need their guys fresh. General manager Daryl Morey was a guest on the Dan Patrick Show and he stated that superstars Russell Westbrook and James Harden will be on a load management schedule in 2019-20.
“Yeah, it always is (part of the strategy). We try not to label it…Obviously our goal is just to win the title this year. We’re not looking for any regular season goals. Everyone on our team has won pretty much every reward you can except a championship so yeah, it’ll be a very put together plan by our staff throughout the season to have our guys peak in April.”
Load management has been a controversial topic in the past as fans have been upset at paying for tickets to see their favorite players play only to see they are being rested, but it’s a proven method.
Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs are famous for starting the resting trend as he would send stars home from road trips multiple times to make sure they’re ready for the games that matter most in May and June.
The Toronto Raptors had a plan for superstar Kawhi Leonard to make sure that he’s ready for the playoffs and it paid off with them winning the championship.
Houston’s chance to win the title is great in 2019-20. The goal is to win a title and in order for that to happen, they will have to deliver a fresh Harden and Westbrook to the postseason.
