Jeremy Lin, Rockets News: Who James Harden, Lin, and the Rockets Need to Dominate the Western Conference

The Houston Rockets are looking more and more like one of the teams to watch this season, thanks to the sensational play of James Harden and contributions from the ever-popular Jeremy Lin.

However, to truly compete for higher aspirations in the talent-loaded Western Conference, the Rockets are going to need more. And while spending for better role players and a deeper bench certainly wouldn't help, what can really change the complexion of Houston from 'Team on the Rise' to 'Title Contender' is another star player to add into the fold.

Barring another big time trade like the one that landed Harden in Houston weeks ago, the most obvious way to go is free agency. Granted, that does nothing to help the Rockets' playoff chances this season, but with max cap space available this offseason, Rockets GM Daryl Morey certainly has options in rounding out this team with another big time player:

Andre Iguodala, center, Denver Nuggets

Coming over from the competitive Philadelphia 76ers to the young, up-and-coming Nuggets via the Dwight Howard mega-trade, talented small forward/shooting guard Iguodala can add a lot to the Rockets, providing a versatile swingman that can score consistently-boasting a 15.3 points career average-grab rebounds and provide solid defense, a boon for any team.

A big three of Iguodala at small forward, Harden at shooting guard and Lin running the point guard spot would not only ease the pressure offensively off Harden, but provide Lin with even more tantalizing scoring options while he runs the point. Iguodala is playing out the season on a $14.7 million deal in Denver, and has an early termination option, but with the right money and the incentive to play alongside two talents like Lin and Harden, it wouldn't be too hard to imagine this 2011-12 NBA All-Star in Rockets red-and-white.

Josh Smith, forward, Atlanta Hawks

He's got youth at 26 years old, scoring talent with 18.0 ppg last season and 15.1 ppg career, and size and unbelievable speed at 6'9" in the forward spot. What he doesn't have, however, is a Hawks team nearly as strong as they were before they let Joe Johnson walk this summer to Brooklyn.

An unrestricted free agent this off-season, luring Smith away from the Hawks would be particularly easy if Atlanta underperforms this season, and the chance to get both a max contract-he's due to be making $13.2 million this season-and the chance to be a part of an up-and-coming Rockets team with Lin and Harden could be too much for Smith to resist. Can you imagine the defensive headaches a team would face having to contain the athleticism of Smith at forward, the explosive offense of Harden and playmaking and game-changing ability that Lin has shown in the past? You can bet Morey is.

Andrew Bynum, center, Philadelphia 76ers

For the Rockets, this would be the real coup. Lauded by Shaquille O'Neal as arguably the best center in the NBA today-well, one not named Dwight Howard, but you'll never get Shaq to say that-this seven year veteran, at only 25 years of age, has steadily flourished through his time as a Los Angeles Laker into one of the game's premier big men, averaging 18.7 points and 11.8 rebounds per game last year before being traded east for, ironically enough, Howard.

While he'll certainly help the Sixers this year, once he gets back from his knee injury, his $16,889,000 contract comes off the books unrestricted after the season. Philadelphia is a strong young team, but is in no way ready to challenge the Heat for the Eastern Conference crown.

Could the idea of returning West-possibly even as a chance to stick it to his old Lakers squad and Howard, the man they traded him for, with a rival Western Conference team-for a max contract and formidable scoring options like Harden and Lin be enough to land Bynum in Houston?

If so, that's the kind of move that would immediately elevate the Rockets into instant Southwest Division title-maybe even NBA title- contenders.

Bynum would be a nightmare for teams to contend with, and would give the Rockets a center of high caliber that they have not seen since the Rush Hour era of Yao Ming's prime, or even Hakeem Olajawon's glory days, that could hang with big men the likes of Howard, San Antonio's Tim Duncan and Dallas Mavericks great Dirk Nowitzki. Meanwhile, Harden would have a solid partner to back up his offensive outbursts and Lin would have his pick of feeding passes to Bynum in the low post, finding Harden in the wings or taking matters into his own hands.

All in all, while the Rockets have an interesting season ahead of them, the prospects for the off-season look potentially epic. Whether that can happen, however, remains to be seen.