After losing Chandler Parsons, Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin, the Rockets must rebuild their depth.
Signing Trevor Ariza, who will replace Parsons in the lineup, was the biggest step.
On a smaller scale, Houston has replaced Asik.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports:Free agent Joey Dorsey has agreed to a two-year, $2 million deal with the Houston Rockets, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
Dorsey, a 6-foot-9, 275-pound center, will play a backup role to All-Star Dwight Howard.
Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle:
Guaranteed. RT @blwarren: @Jonathan_Feigen @WojYahooNBA Gotta assume the Dorsey deal is non-guaranteed, right?
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) July 15, 2014
Dorsey will likely be lower maintenance than Asik, who resented losing his starting spot to Howard. And he’s certainly much cheaper.
However, it’s unlikely the 30-year-old can impact games like Asik.
Playing with Derrick Rose at the University of Memphis, Dorsey impressed with his toughness, energy and athleticism. Drafted No. 33 in 2008, he was acquired in a draft-night trade by the Rockets. He spent a season and a half in Houston before going to the Kings and Raptors.
He hasn’t played in the NBA since 2011, though, as his focus rarely met the necessary levels. Daryl Morey should probably be searching for contingencies rather than relying on Dorsey to hold a role in the rotation.
But if Dorsey somehow regains the attitude that made him so fun at Memphis, Houston might have a steal. Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com:
Lots of Joey Dorsey stories from my beat-writing days. Among my favorites: When he tried to convince teammates to buy boxing gloves so …
— Gary Parrish (@GaryParrishCBS) July 15, 2014
… that they could box after practices. Finally, Chris Douglas-Roberts had to step in. “Joey, nobody is going to box you! Who would box you?”
— Gary Parrish (@GaryParrishCBS) July 15, 2014