[ClutchFans] Podcast with Rockets assistant GM Gersson Rosas

And Lin has played in the NBA, but to date he has not shown he's an all-star, so this becomes a question of fit.

There's an element of risk in any roster move, including the move you don't make, ie not trading Lin. That has to be weighed against the risk/reward of Llull. My belief, which is based on the comments of Morey and Gersson, as well as the Rocket's history with PGs, is that Llull is the bet they will eventually make.

I put Beverley as the starter for the beginning of the season because he earned it in the playoffs. Llull won't be "given" the starting spot, but my guess is he get's plenty of time as the backup PG and SG. Assuming he develops, I think he would beat out Beverley.

 

And Lin is what? An unproven sophomore that has yet to show he can:

a) stay in front of his man
b) play off the ball effectively
c) not turn the ball over at crucial moments in game

All of the above reasons are why Beverley closed out more games than not in the last 3rd of the season.

Look, I'm not a LOH. I'm just putting the pieces together. Morey has not had ANY hesitation in turning the reins over at PG. He's done it 4 times in the last 3 years, all with above average success. Beverley has proven just as much at this stage as Lowry had when he took over.

Everything about trading Lin IF we get Howard makes sense. From a cap, fit, and roster construction perspective, it all makes sense. If it doesn't happen I won't cry any tears, but I'm just saying don't be surprised.

 

Lin has proven he can be Linsanity. Llull can't.

 

And Lin has proven he's at least an average PG in NBA. Llull hasn't.

 

Llull is the bet they will eventually make, but not till Beverley is proven to take Lin's job. And you need to get your facts right, they will not trade away a starter for a euro rookie. I can see they trade away Lin if Beverley is beginning to show that he has more potential and better suited for the starting PG job. It should be irrelevant to Llull. Llull can only be brought over to fill the void of the backup PG position. The key is Beverley, not Llull.

Assuming, we do sign Howard, I see even less chance of this happening, because we would be in the win now situation and Lin is more proven and we won't want any rookies, most likely sign veteran PGs.

 

i hate that word 'Asset'.

 

On a team with two max contracts (Harden and Howard), a player looking for a huge raise in a few years (Parsons), and a top shelf starting/backup center, paying $8.3 million for an average PG isn't a luxury we can afford. And once again, this is cap we're talking about....not so much salary.

 

Thanks Clutch for the podcasts. It seems like I check the site once a hour for any kind of new info leading up to the draft and free agency. I'm cautiously optimistic that the Rockets strike a big deal.

And Clutch let me know if you need any help going to rockets games/practices and relaying info from the players/coaches to clutchfans. I'll work for peanuts....well maybe some cashews. :grin:

 

If Lin has proven anything, its that with the Rockets, Linsanity won't be repeated. That's not a knock on anyone...just a statement of fact.

 

I agree if Lin isn't improving this year, he should be looked to be traded.
BUT it has NOTHING to do with Llull. Your claim of they should be trading away Lin to sign Llull makes no sense. They do not have cap space problem with 2 max and Parson getting a raise. Parson will be FA in 2 years, that is when Lin comes off the book. To sign Howard, all we need to do is Trob and/or White. That is why I keep saying, if we want the 3rd star, Lin can be traded.

You were talking about Lin in the way of Llull and he should be traded away to sign Llull. It is ridiculous, and a mistake. Let's leave it like that.

 

Rest your case, Llull can't even prove he's at half of Lin's level on Rockets.

 

You call him "euro-rookie" like he's some 16 y/o Ricky Rubio. He's 25, has been in the Eurocup finals, won the Spanish league, and has been a part of the Rocket's organization for 3 years. While there are no guarantees, my guess is the Rockets FO believes there's a certain floor to Llull that the Rockets are comfortable with.

We can go back and forth on Lin/Beverley and we won't really get anywhere. I think Beverley has already asserted himself as NBA ready, and an "average PG". On top of that, PG is the most readily available position to fill in the NBA.

I don't necessarily see keeping Lin as a "win now" mode. Signing Jarrett Jack....that's win now. Forget Linsanity...it is the past, and will not be resurrected.

Who is Lin now, and how long will it take for him to become what he needs to be? Those are the questions, and I believe the answer is that Lin is still a few years away. Harden, Asik and Parsons are already there, or at least very close.

 

If you never played a game in NBA, you are rookie. Do you know who V-Span is? Did you know how much achievement he had in Europe and what happened to him in NBA? Llull hasn't proven anything. He's a euro rookie. 25 just means he has less potential. He may be NBA ready, may be not. We can't say until he plays in the NBA.

I don't see how you can claim "Harden, Asik and Parsons are already there", and Lin isn't. Provide stats evidence and facts. Your personal opinion is as ridiculous as your suggestion of signing Llull by trading Lin away.

 

OMG, July 1st can not come fast enough...

 

Sergio Llull is the reason I keep talking about signing and trading for Dwight and keeping our full MLE for 2013/14. If we can somehow accumulate $10 million or more of non-guaranteed contracts using TRob, and Delfino and Brooks this week, it puts us in a good place to approach LAL with a significant S&T for Dwight once Dwight commits.

It's going to take a good portion of the full $5.25 million MLE plus the buyout money ($575,000) to get Llull signed and delivered over here. We're simply not going to get him for the Room MLE. It's not enough money to convince him to pull up stakes and get over here. But if we can get him close to $5 million/yr...I think he'll come.

And there's no other player that is more worth taking the risk of paying the MLE to than Llull. He's that good. We all know the Rox love him. Heck, I like him a lot. He's simply a bulldog on the court on top of being super talented. Adding Llull to Harden/Lin/Beverley would give us the best backcourt in the league bar none.

I really think Morey wants to make a run at getting him over here this summer. And it's not about trading Lin for peanuts to get the space to bring him. It's about adding him to what we already got. So, if we can stay over the cap, we've got a chance. If we can't stay over the cap then Llull is not coming for at least one more year.

 

DMO at 247? That's a huge bump up from what he was before... What have they been feeding him??

Good steps in the right direction - and I like him playing with his national team too. More playing time, the better.

 

There is a reason Llull hype has died down in the last year. Llull isn't coming because he doesn't want to. He just signed a big contract extension with his current team. It would take a huge buyout and the promise of being the starter here... which is probably not going to happen.

 

Heck yeah! People are giving up on this guy to quickly. Guy showed some serious skills this season. With a better core this guy is going to be our spark off the bench.

 

I'm banking on Llull coming over when we are at the cap, the team is set, we are ready to contend and need the 6th man. The year AFTER that, he will come, with the full MLE. He won't be a starter, but a true and tried 6th man.

 

As someone said previously, Llull seems to be the ideal backcourt mate for Harden:
1) Good spot-up shooter
2) Excellent slasher if kicked out to
3) Good on-the-ball defender and hustler that gets plenty of steals

He could be a better-defending Mario Chalmers on a championship team.