We've shown that we can win without K-Mart. I still love Scola, but he's honestly not the player he once was and is starting to decline. As for Lowry, in a perfect world, I'd love to keep him and Dragic. If we're able to trade K-Mart and Scola, that would free up more than enough money for us to sign Dragic to a market value contract. Morey has been dying to get an All-Star and Dragic is the closest thing we have to that, so I dont see Morey letting him walk away. If we can somehow flip Martin and Scola for some draft picks or players with small contracts, that would allow us to sign Dragic and still have enough money to sign another big free agent. The problem with having both Lowry and Dragic is that they're PGs and both want to start. I dont know if they'd be able to play PG/SG together, but with 8 games remaining in the schedule and a possible playoff push, this is the perfect time to test this experiment. If they cant exist together, we need to trade one of them along with Scola and Martin and see if we can either land a star or a top 5 draft pick in the draft.
Arnet Moultrie at center would probably be my target if we just stand pat but he could be gone by the time we draft. Ideally I would like to see if we could send KMart back to Adelman in Minny for Wesly Johnson Trade Lowry and Scola to Miami for Bosch Bring Sergio Lull & Motiejunas over from Europe Resign Camby and retain Dalembert Resign Dragic PG - Dragic & Lull SG - Lee & Johnson SF - Parsons & Bidinger & Morris PF - Bosch & Moriejunas & Patsquach C - Camby & Dalembert & Arnet Moultrie I have no clue if Miami would be interested in trading Bosch but this was a possible trade discussed in the Media last season so who knows. I also have no idea if Minny would want KMart but since he has a history with RA I would look into it.
Sounds like a great idea, but you cant make this happen without taking back a big chunk of salary in return... most likely bad salary. Sounds great in theory, and trust me.... we have all seen it suggested a million times on the GARM. Its just not a possibility because this just isnt reality unless your the Lakers and you have a team willing to give you nothing but a pick and a massive trade exception. Most, if not all teams will make sure they are giving back salary in return. -Another thought on Scola being traded- Dumb, dumb, dumb idea until someone on the roster either -A. Beats out Scola for minutes or -B. They trade for a post player who is enough of a threat in the paint to go to consistently. Until either of those two options are met, the Rockets MUST keep Scola around. That balance that he brings is key to success on the court, and key to the success of the wing players getting open for clean shots. Look, they dont need the cap space yet, so the front office will most likely want to involve Martin in any draft day deal first and foremost because of need. Secondly, I dont think they trade Lowry until they get a much clearer idea of what its going to take to bring Dragic back, and if he's even going to want to come back even if he says he wants to in the media. -What will the Rockets do come Draft Day?-The Rockets really just need to stay as flexible as possible going into draft day 2012, and continue to look at options for low post scoring if available in trade first and foremost. Thats glaring weakness #1 on this team. If Pau Gasol or someone like him comes available then its time to pounce. If nothing else worthwhile comes available in trade option B. is to look at dealing Martin if there is a deal available that makes sense to free up money to sign Lee/Dragic, and simultanious try to move down in the draft through trade or bundling picks. The Rockets can hold onto Scola as long as they need to, and if all else fails on the backend of his contract you still have the Amnesty clause to use if you need the capspace.
dobro, the point I see in rebuilding is to not necessarily win in the next two or three years. Therefore I don't agree with the point that we need to keep Scola. Develop a young PF you acquire in the draft or via trade, lose games and get another good pick next season. And yes we'd have to take on Salary, but you could trade for expirings or younger guys. I'd still trade Lowry and gamble on a guy like Wroten who has higher upside being 6'5 with surpreme handles and ball-iq. Rebuilding doesn't mean taking on the best contracts or keeping guys like Scola who aren't guys for a potential contender in four or five years.
Well if your deadset on sucking for the next half decade at least there is nothing I can say that will convince you or any other pro-tanker on here otherwise. In all reality, the past two season, the Rockets "should have been" at the bottom of the barrel and getting a top 5 draft pick this season given the talent Morey has put on the floor. The players and the coaches just work too hard to get that bad, and they are just too far away from really being that terrible. You might want them to be bad for a couple years, but you, me, and Morey himself cannot force these player and coaches to kick the ball out of bounds to loose games. Morey can make bad trades all he wants, but you know what... He wants to keep his job/reputation in the future by not being known as the guy who gave up Kyle Lowry for Andray Blatche because it wouldnt be him that gets glory for the 1st round pick that came with Blatche, it would be the GM after next one after they all get fired. That kind of crap goes on your resume. Look at Rich Cho, the gm of the Bobcats. He's going to get all the glory for the Bobcats getting the #1 pick this year if that happens. Is that fair to the GM that was hired years ago that started the tanking process?... Were they ever NOT in tank mode? The Rockets are much closer to being elite then are to being a truely bad franchise, so there really isn't much to argue here. Pro-Tankers will not get their wish even if their argument makes sense in a perfect world vacuum. The truth is if Morey could trade Scola, and Martin for a pick that would end up being Anthony Davis then of course... yes, he would do that all day, every day. However, those picks are not available, and there isnt anything the Rockets can do to get one other than sucking. Thats just not going to happen, so end of argument. Its time to move on from that argument.
You don't take fliers with the 15th pick, especially not when we have holes to fill. Henson or Marshall would be nice. Tony Wroten or Moultrie also, but 15 is a bit of a reach for them. Trading down is always a nice option to have.
Austin Rivers? I think he is gonna be a beast in the NBA. He will have more room to operate in the NBA because the 3 point line is farther out.
It seems like Martin has one foot out the door, so I think the obvious target is Terrence Ross. With a few big names staying in school, and the Knicks getting hot, he might not be available anymore. If he's gone, I'm looking at Tony Wroten Jr or Arnett Moultrie. Festus scares me. I'm on the Scott Machado bandwagon too.
Whatever happened to Fab Melo I read a couple of articles saying he has the potential to be a great center in the NBA
If Meyers Leonard is still on the board at #15, you take him no questions asked. We need a young 7 footer now more than ever with the problems of late and the past. Other holes, such as another SG, can be filled either with another 1st rounder or a second. There will even be quality SG's that go undrafted. Meyers Leonard will be a legit double figure scoring, double figure rebounding center in the league.
Lowry is worth more than a Top 10 pick Gerald Wallace is worth a Top 5 pick, then lowry is worth WAY more, considering his age and contract
The Nets were desperate to keep Deron by trading for an all-star in Wallace. No other team would've traded a top 3 pick for him.
Grow wings and fly. Invent time travel. Trade Dragic for Dwight Howard and Lebron James. Who else want's to add to this list we've started?
Wallace was worth a top-3 protected pick this year. That doesn't necessarily equate to a top 5 pick because of the ping pong balls and the nets can cause lower pick by winning making it lower than a guaranteed top-5 pick. Lowry's worth is a guaranteed 5th pick.
No. If the Rockets don't get the Mavericks' top-20 protected pick this year, then the obligation rolls over (top-20 protected) every year until 2018, when it becomes UNPROTECTED. There are many people hoping NOT to get the pick this year, since there is a good chance Dallas begins a "rebuild while contending" process that might still keep them from getting a top-10 record. While not overwhelmingly likely, there's a chance that the pick could end up being a 2018 lottery pick. (Go check out the origins of the pick that eventually became the #9 pick of the 2010 NBA Draft, Gordon Hayward. Very similar circumstances and conditions to this pick.) Agreed. To go a step further, there was almost ZERO chance that the pick Portland was ever actually going to receive from New Jersey for Wallace would be a top-5 pick. With the top-3 protection, the only way Portland could get the pick was if New Jersey (AFTER adding a good player in Wallace) finished with one of the two worst records in the league. If anything, that pick was always most likely to be in the #7-10 range.