I wouldn't mind a Anderson for Melo swap if Melo is willing to buy into the system and set aside any ego. Anderson to Blazers Crabbe to Knicks Anthony to Rockets
I hope Morey has learned his lesson of just putting a talent and hoping it would work. Now that Harden is the pg and primary ball handler, they need to surround him with players who will accept this. As much as I like Beverly, they could upgrade that spot as well as at center/ frontcourt. They could also upgrade depth on the frontcourt. Ariza is getting older, but he plays well in big moments. Anderson is anderson which is cool as long as its not the playoffs.
Who is an upgrade to Beverley who would play that role better? He's an elite defender and a very good spot-up shooter. He can also run a little bit of pnr when he needs to. I think he might be the perfect complement to Harden.
I agree we really don't need amother guard with Beverly playing so well and having Williams/Gordon. The big spots to upgrade are the two forward positions. RyNo would be much better off the bench and Ariza I'd getting older.
My wet dream is for Paul George to sign with us at as a FA to play SF/PF. I dunno how the money would work and who we would have to let go to make it happen, but Harden and George have games that would work well together.
PG's usage has crept up as he became a star, and has been 28% - 32% the past 4 years. Not crazy crazy high, but... I still think Gordon Hayward might be a better fit in that he would thrive more off ball than PG might. Neither is likely to happen.
Only a couple of players that will be FA, but they will get paid big bucks. Lowry and George Hill stand out, both are very good defenders and lights out 3 point shooters.
Random hypothetical trade idea that popped into my head listening to Zach Lowe's podcast on the Cleveland series. Let's just say Cleveland doesn't make the finals losing to one of toronto/washington. What are the chances they look to trade Love who always seems to be the whipping boy for LeBron? I think a fair trade for both parties would be ryno/ariza/1st(top10 protection) for Love. It would have to be done after the draft because of obligations to the Lakers. LeBron has been on record saying he loves ariza and they need help defensively. Anderson gives them about 80% of what love does. I think having ariza gives LeBron extra rest and less mileage throughout the season and allows him to not always have to take the toughest defensive assignment. For Houston it's the 2nd star, and a clear Robin. I think he would be great in this system with his passing and ability to stretch. Thoughts?
George Hill could be a good fit. But I think we're getting tons more value for money with PatBev. Lowry is great, but I do worry about how he often doesn't play well in the playoffs. I also wonder if Lowry would be able to accept never having the ball in his hands when Harden is on the floor. PatBev completely accepts the role of playing off the ball. Yeah, but it's fun to think about. I haven't watched Hayward enough to know--can he defend at a high level? Seems like he has a good offensive skill set. I'm hoping PG gets disgruntled by his supporting cast and wants out of Indy. It's not surprising that his usage rate is super high--dude is a stud and there's not much else on that team. I think he'd be able to make his game work next to Harden, though.
Well yeah, i get why his usage is high. Just pointing out that its high... and its likely going to be more difficult for a player like that to adjust when next to a more ball dominant better playmaker. I mean it still should ultimately work, but it won't necessarily be immediately obvious. See the struggles with Lebron going to Miami and Cleveland early on for example. The Warriors work so beautifully because not only are they all amazing individual players, they all fit their pieces perfectly. Steph the most dominant ballhandler, shoot off the drive, drive and dish guy on the team. Klay not really needing to touch the ball unless he's shooting. Draymond as the jack of all trades. I mean it still seems like the Warriors absolutely need KD to win a ring, but it also increasingly seems like maybe they don't, and maybe they're just as good without him... and the why?? to that is because KD somewhat messes up the way the pieces fit. As for Hayward, he's not a great defender, but capable and good at rotations. He's a guy who put up 20,5,3.5 on 60% TS% with solid if not spectacular defense, that should be mentally prepared to slip right in as the #2 offensive guy immediately.
I can definitely see Hayward being more of a day-one fit. In the games I've seen him, he seems to be more of a passive scorer so would have no problem taking the backseat to Harden. His offensive skill set would be pretty complementary. I personally like the defense and size that PG would bring. He's big enough to play the 3 or 4 and can rebound pretty well. You're right that it would probably take more time to work out, but it would be a bigger increase in the talent level of the team, and I think that bigger jump is what we need to compete against GSW. That being said, if we were to land any of the two, I'd be happy. I love our team, but I don't think we're where we need to be to be a championship level team yet.
I like this idea. Love is like a much better version of Ryno. His ability to be a beast on the defensive boards would help us a lot. His passing and ability to stretch the floor would also be a great addition to this team like u said. He's no worse than Ryno is defensively. If we got Kevin Love, then I'd be all in on getting PG to Houston to give us a big 3. Harden Bev PG Love Capela that is a contender, bring on GS
plus his contract is a steal right now, players like Bev are getting over 15 mil/yr in FA these days Bev is the heart and soul of this team as well
Offseason retool for ultimate Moreyball roster. Dekker or Harrell + pick for Covington (or both for Covington + Holmes). Dump Anderson (to Hawks if Milsap leaves?) and Lou, both are great offensive weapons but neither play D and are big negatives when the shots aren't falling, opens up cap for 2 way players Let Nene walk, sign George Hill and Dwayne Dedmon with our 35 mill of cap space. (22.5/12.5 for the contracts). I was shocked to see Covington was 4th in espns RDPM, didn't know the dude averaged 2 steals and 1 block per game, combine his defense with his length, solid defensive rebounding and him being a capable volume 3pt shooter he would fit really nicely here as small ball PF. Dedmon, ranked 5th in espns RDPM, is a elite defensive rebounder, good shot blocker, a true big at 7ft 250, would be the perfect backup behind Clint. Both are Cov/Ded are young enough at 26/27 too. George Hill as many know is similar to Pat Bev, just more polished, ideal off ball combo guard who plays good D, shoots lights out, rebounds some and passes some (pretty solid when given PG duties, would be great running the offense when Harden is off court). Covington and Hill could really help our perimeter defense, and Dedmon our interior D. Hill's older at 31 but has only played 9 seasons in the league and we could limit his minutes some (with Bev) to extend his career. Hill / Beverley Harden / Gordon Ariza Covington Capela / Dedmon + one of (Dekker, Harrell or Holmes), vet mins, 2nds/undrafted players and Qi.
In reply to the Marc Gasol for Capella trade thread Gasol maybe has 3-4 decent seasons left. Meanwhile clints potential is very high. I could easily see Clint at the top of his positions and a few years. Just by looking at how much he has developed.
I don't think the Rockets will make any huge trades this offseason because what we have won't get you a Superstar because of the lack of picks, and what we have fit too much to just trade two or three pieces for an Allstar. So we will probably keep the same lineup, and try to lure a free agent in on a discount if we can go far this year. I still see here next year: Harden/Lou Bev/Gordon Ariza Anderson Clint/Nene I think we will look to upgrade both forward positions with either starters or quality backups that have experience. Nene probably signs a 2 or 3 year deal with team options with us, and Clint will be better after another off season of improvement and playoff experience. Ariza should probably move to the bench next year if we can bring in a starter over him. Same with Anderson, even with his salary. The only chance to get a PG/Butler or someone like that, is to have them get bought out, which won't happen. Blake ain't coming here with Anderson here because he dated Anderson's fiance. If Dekker can fix his shot in the offseason, and learn to play team defense, he will be ready to take the next step. Harrell will probably be moved for a pick or part of a package if we resign Nene, because Onauku will be moving up to backup Clint/Nene. If someone like Melo was bought out instead of traded, adding someone like him for a reasonable salary would put us into top contender status. I just don't see a big shake up coming for the Rockets considering that we will probably go 6 or 7 games in the 2nd round, if not win....and it won't matter what we do against the Warriors, not much is deep down expected by the front office. They know we really need more talent, an injury to the Warriors, or just some damn good luck and playing out of our minds to beat them in a 7 game series currently.
