Realistic Best-Case Scenario Try to dump Lou for a future pick and try to sign Ibaka for around 20 million per season. Harden//Taylor/Brown Bev/Gordon Ariza/Dekker/T. Williams Ibaka/Anderson/Wiltjer Capela/Nene/Harrell/Onaku Morey could then try to find a 2/3 combo diamond in the rough to round out the roster More Likely Scenario Stand pat and sign a middle income 3/4 or 4/5. I think 4/5 is the biggest need, but there are not that many options that are a clear upgrade to what they already have. A great scenario is Harrell develops his shot enough to play the 4 and they use cap space on a Joe Ingles type player. I just don't think Harrell's shot will ever be good enough for him to play the 4. Maybe they look at a Patrick Patterson type, but that does not help the rebounding problem.
Paul George isn't a free agent. So just pass on the year? Which is fine, i guess - I mean I'm advocating to trade Harden to get worse before getting better. Just seems like a lot of eggs in one basket to maybe have a guy that clearly wants to play in LA decide to join your team. Of course, maybe Harden and George have it all planned out?? That best case scenario is depressing. The more likely scenario -barf.
Paul George isn't a FA this summer. He can opt out NEXT summer. The Rockets do not have enough assets to trade for Paul George this summer.
In order Waive I.Taylor, Sign Patty Mills to a 4/52 mill deal using our cap space Trade Anderson, L.Williams and Harrell to the Hawks for Milsap(S&T 3 year max) Re-sign Nene with our room exception, sign Qi and our two 2nd round picks. Beverley / Mills Harden / Gordon Ariza / Dekker Milsap / Wiltjer / Qi Capela / Nene / Onuaku
not bad, I like the idea of signing Patty Mills and I'm cool with doing a S&T for Millsap Millsap isn't the floor spacer that Ryno is, but he's still a far better offensive player, rebounder, and defender. I like Mills as our backup PG. Maybe we could also try to get Vince Carter for the vet min and have him be our backup 3 with Dekker as our backup 4. That team could probably win 57-58 games and make it to the WCF if SA doesn't add a significant FA this summer.
Because of the backcourt depth, there actually wouldn't be any playing time at the backup SF, if everybody is healthy. Dekker would be a full time PF, Harden would be the full time backup SF, just like they were last season after the L.Will trade. The only reason I listed Dekker at SF was just for the layout to look balanced lol.
What do y'all think Zach Randolph will get in free agency? Think he will leave Memphis? Think he could be a target for the Rockets? He can definitely get a REBOUND!
I like Z.Bo but at this point i think it would be better to keep Nene for us, i think Z.Bo is also going to cost more...just to be clear, i wouldn't be againts having him (if cheap), but between him at 10x and Nene at 5x (let's say), i'd keep Nene.
http://www.espn.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=lvgpp9w I'd throw in Llull as well. It would be interesting to see if he can turn down playing with his buddy Hernangomez in the largest media market in the world knowing the vast off the court earning capabilities of being an athlete in New York. Then with the mle, I'd sign P.J Tucker. Starting 5: Harden, Bev, Tucker, Melo, Capela Bench 5: Rook or fa pg(or Taylor), Gordon, Ariza, Dekker, Onuaku
I like that trade but, Melo coming here with D'Antoni already here? Don't know if you can salvage that relationship. Would love O'Quinn here, very underrated and he's not even getting that many minutes plus he has a beard that rivals Harden's. Signing Tucker would be an ideal pickup.
Melo is the highest available talent at the lowest cost. Not saying he's better than George or Butler but just that the input of talent greatly exceeds the output required to obtain. I wish it could work, and in my mind I try to, but Melo with mda would not work. It failed before and led to resignation already. We have a great organizational and team chemistry right now. I don't think it's worth the risk even if you could get carmelo/oquinn for ryan/montrez/dekker. In theory Melo at the 4 is a great great fit. Maybe Melo has grown and is willing to sacrifice after his divorce with both LaLa and NY. Maybe Harden and Melo and mda could meet up and all sacrifice together to make it work. But I don't believe so and I'm not willing to risk it just because. Too many egos imo between the 3.
If failed because Anthony refused to play the stretch four, he played the pf position many times last season and it led to a couple of wins. Carmelo is 32 now and hasn't sniffed meaningful basketball in years, I doubt moving to the four especially with the freedom MDA gives these guys on the floor would be that big of a hiccup. His body with the wear and tear is better suited to play the four now anyway because he doesn't have the speed to keep up with quicker sf, but he's craftier than most pfs can defend. I'm just imagining him going against Lamarcus
I was thinking of him more as an addition to Nene. Nene would end up in a Harrell role where he only plays when ZBo needs rest. It all depends on cost and Dekker taking a big jump in his 2nd year. Harden/Lou Bev/Gordon Ariza/Dekker Anderson/ZBo Capela/Nene
I don't hate the Patty Mills idea. I love Bev, but he made some strange comments after the season that makes me kinda question if he wants to be here. If they could sign Patty and use Bev to upgrade the 3/4 or 4/5, then i think its a win for the Rockets.
A few interesting options, not necessarily via trade: - James Johnson - Jonathon Simmons (Houston connection) - P.J. Tucker - Serge Ibaka
Simmons has A LOT of swagger and i have a feeling he could break out into star, remember when PG was drafted, no one thought he would be this good, he was Granger back up back in the day, but he exploded, i can feel same about Simmons, i would give him 12-15mil easy and i think that's about what his worth and never look back.
