It’s A Star Driven Association.

The 2004 Detroit Pistons showed you can win without a big-name superstar, however, nowadays, it’s quite the rare thing to witness a team assembled like Larry Brown’s squad crowned champions of the National Basketball Association.  Whether it be the trio of stars teaming up in South Beach to form “Miami Thrice”, Boston’s loaded roster filled with fire power and stacked with winners, or the defending champs in L.A. with Kobe and Pau the question has to be presented: Do you follow the flow traveling a similar route or do you attack these teams with more of a team-oriented method, balanced approach?

If you are the Houston Rockets GM it’s easy to sense the pattern and go along with everyone’s thinking.  But Darryl Morey is not your routine, cut from the same cloth type of GM.  He likes the roll the dice, makes trades, stockpile draft picks, and accumulate high-efficiency players that fit his system and plan in place.  Is it time to buck that trend, alter the philosophy,?

Carmelo Anthony is there to be gotten.  Imagine adding the former Syracuse great to a front court that includes Luis Scola and Yao Ming.  Do you pull the trigger, knowing you more than likely have to part ways with one of your dynamic and electrifying guards?  The 1-2 scoring punch of Aaron Brooks and Kevin Martin poses a formidable back court, you definitely have something going there, but do you break it up to pounce on the opportunity?  The time is now, the moment seems ripe to take advantage, but will Melo ruin team chemistry or will he better its cohesiveness?

You have to consider it, ponder a trade extensively, especially since you have the assets; and it’s Carmelo Anthony—a star, in a star driven league.  Trade Brooks, you can replace him with Kyle Lowry, a more traditional, pass-first defensive-minded PG.  Trade Martin, you have Courtney Lee, a promising young SG who can both shoot and defend, a perfect fit next to Melo.  You can afford to move either or.  Quality over quantity?

Yao Ming may (will?) never be the same.  As good as Brooks and Martin may be, are they players you can rely on from time to time and in clutch situations?  Can you build a team around two above-average guards that do the same thing?  Is this team good enough to contend with the likes of Miami, Boston, and L.A?  You trade for Melo, and all the aforementioned quickly disappears.  Houston, you now have a contender.