After acquiring Chris Paul from the Los Angeles Clippers last month, the Houston Rockets made a huge statement of intent that are determined to put a roster together to compete with the Golden State Warriors. 

After winning the championship with an astonishing 16-1 record in the playoffs, the Warriors will take some stopping in the years to come but the Rockets are ready to give them a run for their money. 

As well as CP3, Houston made a nice pickup by signing free agent P.J. Tucker, who has a reputation for being one of the toughest defenders in the league. They also re-signed big man Nene to a relatively cheap contract.

It will take a bit more than that to even challenge the Warriors let alone beat them, but general manager Daryl Morey has a plan in place to dethrone the kings of the Western Conference.

When asked on ESPN to sum up his basketball philosophy in one sentence, Morey replied: "Get more USA Basketball team members."

Reading between the lines, this could be his way of potentially saying they're still keen to acquire Carmelo Anthony from the New York Knicks. 

There aren't many other players from Team USA who are currently on the market like Melo is. 

Teaming the 33-year-old with his close friend Paul and James Harden will create a star-studded lineup in Texas but it won't guarantee success. 

Golden State has four All-Stars under the age of 30 and playing a brand of basketball that is difficult to live with. 

Going up against them with Carmelo and CP, who are the other side of 30, will not worry the men in the Bay Area too much. 

Agreeing on a deal for Anthony will also be a difficult task for Morey as they gave up several players to sign Paul and don't have many assets to offer the Knicks. 

Their best option will be to wait and see if he receives a buyout in the coming months or part with the likes of Eric Gordon, Trevor Ariza and Ryan Anderson and further deplete their options on the bench.

With or without Anthony, Morey already believes the Rockets have closed the gap on the Warriors.

“They’re one of the best teams ever,” Morey told the Houston Chronicle. “We obviously felt we needed to close the gap. We felt we have closed the gap. They’re the ones with two rings in the last three years. You have to say they’re going to be the favorites going in. We feel like this is a group that can compete with them.”

Regardless of whether Houston can beat the defending champions or not, it's nice to see a team making moves to be competitive and try to overcome the league's dominant force. 

The procession in the playoffs in both conferences turned many fans away last season and it's important that the NBA gets some competition back.