Kevin Pelton: Stardom no longer seems to be in the cards for Thomas Robinson

Put T-rob on The Spurs and you would have a career, solid play-off team contributor. A lot of what happens for an NBA player is the the system and context.

Here is is a young player on a playoff contender with enough young players that we needed seasoned journeymen in his minutes; as well as splitting one role between him, Motiejunas and Jones.

His story is not written.

 

LOL!! Now THAT'S funny!!

 

Just wanted to jump in here real quick, mention how glad I am Patterson is gone who's ceiling was about as high as Kenny Thomas'.

 

This is the sort of commentary I'd like to hear AFTER we trade him.

 

the fact that we can turn Robinson into a draft pick (something we couldn't do with Patterson now) means that it was the right move by Morey.

 

Agree completely. Right now, he is a potential shutdown wing defender who can rebound. Not bad for a rookie. But he needs to develop more to be a good role player.

 

I'm thinking Derrick Williams. What a lost soul on the court. Then he was found. The 'system' is still wrong for him, I'd think, but he started playing some decent ball as this season progressed.

TRob and Williams, to me, are pretty similar in many ways. I'll be sorry when TRob is traded but glad if the return is value adding.

I like PatPat. But, man, he is replaceable.

 

Lol I thought my 2k was the only one with a beastie Trob, this dude gets offensive rebounds like nobody's business.

 

How would we be able to keep Patterson and get Howard? I'm not saying it's impossible but what is the scenario that you had in mind.

 

ironically, we wouldn't actually be able to offer Dwight the max if we couldn't get rid of Patterson. So the question is, can Pat fetch as much value (in terms of a draft pick) as Robinson can. If the Stein reports are true, the answer is likely NO. Patterson would not likely fetch a 1st round pick, given his contract and the limited upside. As other posters have said, he couldn't even get into the starting rotation on Sac-town.

 

Notice that question came from a fan from Cleveland. Fans of teams that might be in the mix to acquire him with a late 1st rounder are going to be doing their research on him to see how they feel about acquiring him.

Educated fans should realize though that he's probably much better than a player they are drafting in the late 1st round.

Typical NBA fans will probably hate the idea just because he might not be the bright shiny new toy they think they are getting with a draft pick... even in the late 1st or 2nd round... thats just how short sighted sports fans can be.

However, he's a STEAL to acquire with a late 1st or 2nd round pick in this draft... if your not preserving max cap room for a superstar that is.

I think GM's are smart enough to realize that and not get caught up in the "shiny new toy" mentality of sports fandom.

 

I for one, had always wanted TRob to be a success and find his niche on the Rockets. I had visions of him being a Jeff Green kind of player. He may well still turn into one, but definitely not for a couple of years - he seems to need a long development time to realize his potential.

Of the times I saw him play, he didn't understand his role on the court, nor did he seem to be in the right spot on offense or defense on a consistent basis. He almost seemed full of himself out there of the court instead of being passionate and energetic about doing the little things to help get wins. He seemed to still want to showcase his talents, but his talents got in the way of playing smart. Maybe I am misconstruing his abilities vs his IQ, but he seemed to be trying to play like a star without the vision a star player possesses.

So, I would be glad for him to land on another team that is willing to develop him and be patient while he matures. We're not that team as it would seem.

 

Robinson should strive to be the next Rodman at least defensively. He has IT and he can be better because he's not a headcase.

 

David Lee - 79 games, 36.8 mpg, 18.5 ppg, 11.2 rpg
Dwight Howard - 76 games, 35.8 mpg, 17.1 ppg, 12.4 rpg
Zach Randolph - 76 games, 34.3 mpg, 15.4 ppg, 11.2 rpg
Kevin Love - 18 games, 34.3 mpg, 18.3 ppg, 14.0 rpg

 

Smith's small contract would have very little impact and I believe Honeycutt's contract expired at the end of last season so he is off the books. To keep Patterson and get Howard we would likely have to move both DMo and Jones or pray that somebody was willing to take on Royce's contract which is highly unlikely. Keeping Patterson wouldn't make much sense for the Rockets even if they hadn't made the TRob trade.