[ClutchFans] Podcast: Rockets red hot, but power forward position still a big question mark

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Good listen/read.

We have a gaping hole at the PF position, everything else is damn solid though.

Casspi can play PF some, but I don't like him in the starting lineup. Time will tell. Morey knows we need a PF so hopefully he will acquire a solid four during the season.

 

Reports from Yahoo! Sports have said the Nuggets are quietly shopping Kenneth Faried.
Unfortunately I don't think we have the trade parts to make Denver happy, since they have an overload of PF's. But I'd love to get Faried somehow, being Manimal in the middle and beast on the boards. He would become our supercharged Chucky Hayes

 

On the Asik / Dwight pairing : it should be noted that the Mavs really didn't go to Dirk at all except for 1 play (and that other player Dave mentioned where Dwight fell back in.) I'd trade for that anyday, it seems evident that the Mavs didn't think the point of attack against that lineup should be from the PF, but rather they drew both bigs out and took advantage of miscues between Asik / Lin / Harden .

Cuts : yeah, too bad for Reggie he got hurt and his competitors all lite it up before he even got to step on the court. Also been saying Camby should be the cut for awhile, you should not cut solid usable players for an injured one who's 39 years old .

 

Omg Just Let Jones Give it a Freaking SHOT! if i dont work ... you dont lose much we still got Dwight!

 

Just pick up the phone and call Sacramento.

Hayes or Patterson could likely be had for cheap.

 

This. They should go ahead and make the call.

 

Yeah. It seems to me that lots of people are giving Jones plenty of the benefit of the doubt and kind of dismiss DMo the minute he's played poorly.

I just don't get it. There are plenty of athletic 4's who have spotty shooting and not quite get how to play in the NBA. But you don't get a 7-ft dude who can move as fast and skilled around the basket as DMo everyday.

 

Garnett is a 7 footer.
Rasheed is 6-11.
Splitter is 6-11

In fact, the only way you win small is if you have Lebron, seems...
Benchwarmer is correct, size matters a lot in the NBA.

 

If Rockets get Aldridge, Asik and Lin would go with draft pick/rights to draft picks, but not Parsons. Rockets won't do a deal with them if that is the case. Aldridge's biggest strength over Millsap is that he plays the 5 better.

Atlanta values Millsap very highly. They have him on a good contract. I would actually expect that Atlanta may value him more than Portland values Aldridge due to the better contract. But I do agree that if Atlanta is dumb and Portland is not, Millsap makes more sense. I see it tough making a deal with both teams.

 

Millsap makes more sense....as long as we get another 7 footer to back up Dwight..that can actually D and board effectively. We can't simply trade Asik for Millsap without having the backup center nailed down.

 

Aldridge is not making the max this year. I think his salary is just over 14 mil so under the 150% rule, the Rockets would only have to send Asik + one of their rookie scale contract (D-Mo or Jones) & of course a boatload of picks.

 

if DM the GM wants LMA (I question the fit, question question question it!!!) then what one should hope for is two fold: LMA's knee is AOK and the TRob proves worthy of starting at the 4.

It's on TRob. (Think DM the GM may have been planting this worm???)

 

LMA is the answer.

 

Also, if people are trying to argue Millsap vs. Aldridge that's fairly ridiculous. You haven't been watching much basketball over the past couple of years if you think the Rockets wouldn't spend the extra amount of salary & assets (picks) to get the upgrade with Aldridge..... IF he's available.

Add to that, Aldridge often plays the center position in Portland's small ball lineups, and you could make the case that he played center almost entirely last season with JJ Hickson. Aldridge not only solves the PF position perfectly, he also can have his minutes staggered with Howard to ensure the Rockets always have a dominant big on the floor at all times.

However.... the fact is, the Rockets might not be willing to pass on the alternative to snag Millsap if he comes available this winter. He's not LMA on the offensive end, but as far as a contributor goes, and the skillset he brings, he's a pretty good alternative.

While Millsap's usage is about 4 pts lower, Millsap actually boasts a HIGHER efficiency rating, and a higher win share rating according to basketball reference.com.

On the defense/rebounding side of the ball- Millsap is about 2 pts higher than LMA in defensive rebounding percentage, but Millsap's defensive rating is actually a few points lower than LMA's.... which is probably related to LMA's ability to alter and block shots.

So.... fact is, Millsap gets alot done with very little given, which in theory makes him a very good fit to be your 3rd or 4th best player on your team. He doesn't shoot three's but he doesn't have to. He's shown that he can fit in very well and be very productive playing with a low post scoring threat.

The difference with him and LMA is that LMA could be the #2 scorer the Rockets needed if Harden or Dwight ever had to miss significant time due to injury and his defensive size and ability shows to me that he can be staggered with Dwight to ensure that the Rockets always have a low post threat.

However.... if Millsap is made available, and you're not sure when if ever LMA will become available.... If I'm the GM I jump at the chance to get Millsap... he's pretty damn good, and will make the starting 5 the most well rounded in the league most likely behind maybe only Brooklyn and Golden State.

The backup center position would be my #1 area of concern, but I think you can address that either through trade, in the off-season, or hope that the combination of Camby (hopefully healthy), & whatever young bigs can fill in for 10 to 20 minutes a night. If that doesn't work, I still believe in this teams ability to go super small with the bench and give them the edge going that route.

I believe in Millsap (but I'd much rather have LMA)

 

Even if it is only Lin, I'd still rather keep him and have Millsap.

Aldridge's ability to play the C may be a better roster fit since we would need someone to back up Howard, but his contract and the extension he would want will be a killer. Also, one of the biggest advantages with Howard is his ability to play 40 MPG in a crucial playoff series. A backup center is needed for the regular season but it's uses would be marginalized in the postseason.

Neither Aldridge nor Millsap are superstars so we do not want to be painted into a corner with no way to upgrade just in case that trio is not good enough. The moment we signed Howard this was the first thing that Morey emphasized: the next step is where many teams screw up, you do not want to rush into things and put a cap on your own ceiling.

Regarding Atlanta, they may value Millsap, but they value Horford more. And Horford has been making a lot of noise about moving to PF and playing alongside a center. In fact he names Asik specifically! From the other thread:

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Way too many dots that connect.

 

Millsap makes a lot of sense for Atlanta as well. Until the Rockets have a backup center (Camby, Smith don't count in my view), Aldridge makes a ton more sense. Also, the Rockets like to play small so having a starting PF that can play center in small ball makes sense as it gets the Rockets small players on the court more. If a backup center magically popped up on Rockets without costing the Rockets anyone in their top 8, and Asik and noone else from top 8 was sent to Atlanta, sure I would prefer Millsap.

While contracts may work, I think Portland would want a lot for Aldridge as I would expect Atlanta to want a lot for Millsap. I would think both would work great with Rockets. On both, I think the other team will be the difficult part.

 

Playing the players that we have is the answer.

 

Millsap can shoot 3's and would shoot 3's if he were playing in our offense. His lack of 3-ball shooting has simply been a function of the offense he has played in. Go back and look at his huge games, huge games under playoff pressure. Dude flat out balled and he shot the 3-ball.

I would like to know more about LaMarcus' defensive ability in the paint. If he is indeed above average defensively in the paint then I can understand his increased value over Millsap.

A core of Dwight/Millsap at the power spots would obviously require that the 3rd big in the rotation be a 7 footer that can defend the paint (not already on this roster).

A core of Dwight/LaMarcus at the power spots would probably require a sweet shooting spread-4 player (already here in the form of Casspi/Garcia/Parsons) IF LaMarcus is indeed above average defensively in the paint.

I really don't have an opinion on Lamarcus defensively. Haven't gotten the opportunity to study his game. However I have been under the impression that he is considered to be average to mediocre defensively in the paint.

 

Just make a play for Steve Novak.

We all know he doesn't bring anything else to the table (everything else is average or below), but we have to admit his bombing ability is a game changer.

Just giving half of the PF minutes to Novak is already going to make a difference. (Give the other half to the defensive PF as per need or matchup)