The T-Rob trade brings to mind several interesting questions and observations: 1: Do Morey and the coaching staff feel that D-Mo is ready to take over the PF spot? Otherwise wouldn't they would have kept MM? Or did they view the negative impact on the Rockets record this year worth picking up Robinson for the long run? Or was the only driving factor increasing the cap space available? Look for D-Mo to start getting increasing minutes in any event. 2: T-Rob actually, IMHO, will become an excellent NBA starter. He has all of the tools: speed, serious hops, quickness, strong like a bull, court awareness, and can shoot better than many give him credit for. He also probably will soon be another option for McHale and the coaching staff. It is a game of personnel match ups, and it never hurts to have a bruising athletic PF in your back pocket. So what is their long term play - D-Mo or T-Rob or a free agent? Only time will tell I guess. 3: Is their another version of small ball coming? Instead of Asik/Parsons will we be seeing D-Mo/T-Rob? The reverse of Asik/Parsons, D-Mo would be at the 3 point line while T-Rob sets the high screen and curls to the paint. Robinson might be a phenomenal partner in the pick and roll, with surer hands, quicker feet and higher elevation than Asik. Also how would the opponent defend this kind of small ball? Sending most centers out to the three point line with D-Mo would be an exercise in futility. I would love to see it at the end of the season or early next year. That pairing could some day be deadly. 4: If the Rockets can get one really good PF and a good backup out of D-Mo, T-Rob and TJ where exactly would you use that max contract space? More options for Morey I guess.
Interesting points. We can be successful either way in the future, and it all just depends on who pans out or not. Those are great thinking topics.
I think there is a good chance that the Rockets get a good starting PF and good backup out of Motiejunas, Robinson, Jones, and White. In two years time, it is very likely that the PF spot of the Rockets is a true strength. If the Rockets get Josh Smith, they should have an amazing backup. Smith and Aldimir both look to be good options as backups for center. If the Rockets get Howard, Asik would be a devastating backup. Parsons is a good player. He may still have another year of improvement. If the Rockets get Smith or Howard, Delfino may be gone. I do like Anderson and I am surprised he isn't used more. I thought there was a chance that he would unseat Delfino as top wing backup. Harden is great, but there isn't really a good backup for him. Lin shows lots of promise. Beverley will be backup. PG spot looks to be good for future. I think when Robinson and DMo play together, Robinson will guard the center.
Well take a couple things into account- -More than likely the next star acquisition will come from a trade. That's what this front office believes in, and is almost always the best way to acquire that star player. -Teams trading their star player are going to ask for multiple assets & players. There is a good chance that Parsons, T. Robinson, D-Mo, and Asik will be the first names brought up from the other team. So Im not too worried about depth of talent. Once that trade goes through, its probably going to deplete this teams depth at a few positions, and I wouldn't limit that star acquisition just to the PF position. Overall- I think the moves made were to get that sought after high upside blue chip, and get minutes for higher upside player. Call it showcasing if you want to, but a big part of this move was made to add much, much more attractive pieces for a trade this Summer. Lets face it, moving Morris & Patterson(two good, but not as attractive assets) will showcase D-Mo and his intriguing upside, and you have to think that GM's are killing themselves over the fact that Robinson was actually available over the deadline and they didn't pursue him with a better offer than Houston had. Robinson, and D-Mo are going to be very, very attractive as trade assets this Summer. A productive D-Mo in the rotation, and some signs of life out of T. Robinson the next few weeks will open up major trade talks A TON more this Summer than starting the conversation with Marcus Morris and Patrick Patterson. And if they dont get the trades they want, then they have more potential now on their roster for one of their guys to turn into an all-star talent... My guess is they will be able to trade for someone much, much sooner than it will take for those guys to reach that level.
1: Why are you speculating? Just watch the post-trade presser by Morey. He explains it point blank. He said the Morris trade was not about cap space, but to open up playing time for DMo. He also gushed over TRob, but he does that with every draft pick and acquisition, so you can't know for sure if he really means it or if part of it is just PR. I do think TRob has upside, but regardless, Morey said his primary purpose it moving Patterson and Morris was to open up playing time for DMo, not for cap space reasons. So, with that in mind, even if he couldn't get TRob or if he wasn't that high on TRob, he probably would have made the trade anyway since he needed to ship Patterson/Morris out to create playing time for DMo and others, I think. He's seen enough to know that PPat/Morris are at or near their ceiling, time to sell high and open space for DMo, probably. 2: TRob has a lot of potential, but he was sucking with the Kings and on his way to being a bust. The gamble here is that the suckage is due to the terrible Kings organization. We'll find out if the gamble pays off or if he truly is going to end up a bust. The problem is that TRob can't finish around the rim (and no, don't bother with highlight reels, highlights can make any scrub look good. Numbers don't lie.). This has been mentioned not just in articles, but also in the DreamShake interview with the Kings expert. Now, one school of thought is that this may be because the Kings' guards suck and can't use TRob properly, and that Lin and Harden can set him up properly to score. But until we actually see how he performs, it's only conjecture. It could well be that his terrible FG% and inability to finish around the rim will follow him here and he truly is a bust. We'll find out one way or the other soon enough. I'm cautiously optimistic. If CD can do as much as he's done with Asik's Chicago Bulls stone-hands, he can probably help TRob and stop him from becoming the bust he was well on his way to being in SacTown. And Lin and Harden are unselfish and look to pass, unlike the dysfunctional Kings backcourt. 3) Were you not around during McHale's stubborn rotation to close out last season with a losing streak to exit the playoff race? I've given up trying to predict what he'll do. Just watch and either cheer or groan, probably both. 4) Morey wants a second superstar to pair with Harden. The guys on the roster will either yield such a player through development (and he's said Lin is the most likely to do that since he's shown he could be on that level during Linsanity), or they become trade fodder to get such a player, assuming that second super star can't be gotten through free agency. Free agency is the least likely method. He's previouslly stated his observation that superstars rarely, if ever, change teams through free agency. They rarely change teams, period, and when they do, it is through trade. He's stated that he admires the Boston scenario that he studied under, where players are developed and then packaged to trade for a superstar. So that means no one on the roster is safe from such a trade, unless they become a bonafide superstar themselves. Morey blew his wad on the Harden trade, so he's in asset accumulation mode to build up picks and develop young players into attractive assets that can be traded for a superstar. Time to restock the coffers.
IMO - Dmo will become the main starter at PF, and Drob will be the energy guy off the bench. Dmo's speed, height, quickness, and shooting touch, put him miles ahead of Trob and his hustle. DD
Based on half a season in a crap organisation (where all their big men get rejected 10% of the time they shoot inside). Robinson had little trouble scoring inside during his time at college. Methinks he'll adjust just fine in Houston. I expect to see him starting against Milwaukee - great way to give him confidence, and great way to get more rebounding into the starting lineup.
David Robinson. DD thinks that Motie is miles better than the Admiral ever was. This is why you should have him on ignore.
I think Morey wants to go for the hot chick this off season and marry her. Expect D-mo, Robinson and Asik get traded this off season.
Yes, that's why I said I was cautiously optimistic. I'm actually excited to see how he works with Lin and Harden. I really miss those Linsanity Alley-oops that were so exciting and haven't shown up at all in Houston due to the lack of personnel.
OOOps, fixed it, thanks for the heads up. Really? You think a guy who backed up Marcus Morris at Kansas will be starting for the Rockets soon? Even if he pans out - which is a big if, the Rockets have a history of sending guys to the D-league first. Maybe you see something in him that I am missing, why do you think he is ready to step in now? He has seriously struggled in the NBA, and until the last year in college was not really all that special either. DD
I think you showcase as many guys as possible to see if you can get either Aldridge or Love in a trade. You give up any combination of DMo, TRob, Jones, or White to get those two. Though I think Jones is more of a rotational player than a starter. If not then you let DMo and TRob grow, and have a nice 3 man front court rotation at the 4/5 with those 2 and Asik. Then you also have Jones for situational match-ups.
l Russel Westbrook backed up Darren Collison at UCLA. Thomas Robinsonwas a key contributor while the Morris twins were there, but senority means something in college. Especially when your talking about productive college players. I also think Montijunas will be a better pro, but Robinson can contribute. He is very athletic and his rebounding is a skill that can help.
Well said. I'm not sure why the general consensus has become the fact that Robinson backed up Morris. Seniority plays a big part and is not unheard of at the college level. The fact that Robinson backed up Morris has no bearing on the type of player he is.
If D-Mo is your SF, then by definition it is not "small ball". Morey has often, OFTEN, talked about how we needed to find star players. And then he would go on to qualify those methods as being 1.) in free agency, 2.) via trade, or 3.) by developing one out of our own crop of existing players with the potential to do so. I too agree with ya'll that if he is referring to anyone in that #3 category, then Donuts would be the man. His ceiling is just off the charts. I think they're just being on the safe side with him, going slow, letting him develop in D-league and off the bench while his strength and weight continue to increase to their ideal, Gasol-ian levels. Pau, not Marc, I hope.
DMo backed up Morris in Houston... Yes, I think Robinson's speed, strength, and leaping ability will beat DMo's skill and height. Robinson never struggled at Kansas. He was great, but playing behind twins that were amazing in college. Robinson's big downfall in NBA is too many missed, blocked attempts. Chuck Hayes had his shooting percentage drop there. Hickson on had his shooting percentage rise from there. That said, I expect DMo will be ahead of Robinson at least for a little bit if not the rest of the season. He should get a chance to earn starting spot and have to defend it from Robinson.
I think the chances of getting a solid starter and a capable backup out of all these PF's already on the roster is high. Motejunas is shooting ~72% since the trade even if it is a small sample size of only two games , he's shown he belongs on an NBA court. He has the post game that none of the other power forwards offer and has the range to shoot from three. The biggest question marks are his defense and rebounding .... which I think will come around sooner than later. Robinson brings high level rebounding to the table which should translate to opportunities to get the ball up the court in a hurry. Greg Smith .... as much as I dont think he has star potential , I think he be a Zach Randolph type inside and on the boards .... If he develops an outside shot to compliment his inside game he's a solid option. He's shooting 64% for the season and has a few post moves. I'd like to see him used there more , especially on a post , re-post situation where he can get deep position. Honestly I think those three guy's give you your starting PF , and back up both C and PF. So where to spend the cap space in the coming offseason ?! Im not interested in Josh Smith .... 46% shooter from the floor and 65% from the line. Sure he's a very good help defender but I dont like the pricetag when you factor in the other things. Dont really want Howard either .... unless Im getting the guy who carried Orlando early in his career , not the drama queen we've seen in his last year in Orlando and this season in LA - not to mention the injury to his back. I think his best days are in the rear view mirror. I think you make a hard push for CP3 and if that doesnt work out .... you rent that cap space out for another season and make a play for the best player on the planet as you have Harden and a deep roster to compliment them. Call me crazy but that's what I'd be looking at for the long term.
