Sooner423

So, the NBA's ironman misses his first game since 2003 due to "a lower back strain." Mr. Dumars has given the dreaded vote of confidence. All signs point to Tayshaun being moved.

http://www.freep.com/article/200911...ather-appealing

Another Piston missed the last game, Rip Hamilton. With the acquisition of Ben Gordon, it seems that Rip is expendable. They are in definite rebuilding mode and a large expiring going into one of the biggest FA summers ever would seem to be pretty appealing to them.

Those 2 contracts just so happen to fit perfectly into a certain Rocket's expiring contract...

All signs point to T-Mac being on the way out. You have to think that the organization has a lot of concern about his durability and his ability to fit in on this Rockets team. Plus, he was rumored to be involved in trade talks last year with him ending up in Detroit. There Was An Offer from Detroit for TMac

Rip and Prince obviously don't fill a supposed "need" on the depth chart, but they are undoubtedly Morey kind of guys. They're both durable, super efficient, team oriented strong defenders with a couple championships under their belts who leave it all out on the floor. Plus, Morey has said he will look for talent regardless of position.

Now, the contracts aren't so Morey-like. Rip, at 31 years old, has 3 more years on his contract after this season and Prince has one. This completely wipes out any dreams of making a run at Bosh, Wade, Johnson etc... However, some believe that this was never really a possibility anyway... (see: The Myth of the Rockets and 2010 Free Agency )

So a trade like McGrady for Prince, Hamilton and a future 1st or 2 seems like an option at this point. It would leave us with a lineup of...

Brooks/Lowry
Rip/Ariza/Bud
Prince/Battier
Scola/Landry
Hayes/Andersen

To me, this is a team built to play strong D and run Adelman's offense with all kinds of depth. There are questions however...

There would be a glut at the 2/3 and still a "hole" at the 5. I think this opens the door to move Battier while his value is still high. I feel like a swap for Pryzbilla, Gortat or Pachulia would make sense.

Age is certainly a factor with Hamilton. He's 31 and would be 35 by the end of his contract. I'm not sure Morey would want to make a commitment to a guy of that age no matter how durable he has been.

Would it stunt the growth of Ariza and C Bud? I think this would be an excellent opportunity for the 2 to learn from a couple of proven winners, but I could see the argument here.

I'm not completely sure that I would do it, and I'm even less sure whether Morey would consider it. It doesn't exactly fit the mold of a Morey transaction, but it is certainly intriguing. Just imagine plugging in a recuperated and rested Yao at the 5 next season.

What do you guys think?

Hubie Brown, unintentionally dirty quote machine: From Basketbawful reader Stephanie G: "During the Houston-Phoenix mini-brawl Hubie Brown said, paraphrasing: 'Alston gets it in two places, by Barnes and then from the rear by Nash, so naturally he's hot.' Mmm, I bet."

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HTown_TMac

if that was to happen i say we move another SG and Prince for a good C

Dave_78

No way I do this deal.

t_mac1

why?

you're getting back a SG and a SF, which is where our best depth is. rip will want big minutes (and he will get it b/c he fits the offense perfectly) and that will take time away from ariza and cbud.

prince will take time from ariza/battier.

unless there is a second trade where we move these guys to get a big man

this was a trade you would do before we got ariza/cbud.

you trade mcgrady only if you get a first round pick, an up and comer, or a pretty good big man.

desi tmac91

No, as much as I would LOVE to see Rip and Prince in Rockets uniforms, it doesn't make any sense now.

Last year, I would have definitely pulled the trigger.

HeyDude

I'd have loved to do this deal be4 t he beginning of last year. I love Rip and Prince, but unfortunately like you mentioned, there is no reason for a glut if it does nothing for you short term, or long term in hopes of winning a championship. And i dont think this would.

Noob Cake

4 starters at 2/3 + our collection of undersized PF.

Awesome

Sooner423

I've been very impressed with C Bud. The guy is a smooth operator, but he's no Rip or Tayshaun, especially defensively. He's great in his current role, as a shooter off the bench.

Ariza's good. He's shown a lot in these first few games, but he's far from proven. He's struggled mightily to create for himself. thacabbage's thoughts in his blog post pretty much sum up my feelings on him. Assessing Ariza

I think in a scenario like this, you move Battier for a center and like I stated in the opening post, Pryzbilla, Gortat or Pachulia would be options there.

Hubie Brown, unintentionally dirty quote machine: From Basketbawful reader Stephanie G: "During the Houston-Phoenix mini-brawl Hubie Brown said, paraphrasing: 'Alston gets it in two places, by Barnes and then from the rear by Nash, so naturally he's hot.' Mmm, I bet."

RV6

there is such thing as too much depth...we could use one solid swingman in a t-mac trade who can share minutes at the 2 and 3 with shane/ariza/bud, but two is too much, it's going to seriously cut into the effectiveness of these guys, the development of ariza and bud, and make most of them overpaid since they'll be getting like 15-20 mins each.

did rip just sign a new contract? If he did, i'm not sure i want a piece of that at his age

RV6

i'd rather go with a big point guard, since there's a chance Lowry is let go after this year and we aldready have DA to back up Yao, who'll be back at the C next year, an chuck is still a solid back up to a back up.

Sooner423

You're right, if they stood pat after the trade. However, if Battier is moved for a 5, I think it could make sense.



I'm not sold on DA being more than a backup's backup either.

Hubie Brown, unintentionally dirty quote machine: From Basketbawful reader Stephanie G: "During the Houston-Phoenix mini-brawl Hubie Brown said, paraphrasing: 'Alston gets it in two places, by Barnes and then from the rear by Nash, so naturally he's hot.' Mmm, I bet."

FLASH21

Exactly my feelings....

RV6

Yeah but i think giving him a 3 yr contract says Houston is committed to him for at least a year or two and we could really use him as a shooter behind yao or next to him. I see Yao still getting 32-33 mins a game, if you give DA 10 and Chuck around 4 or 5, that should be fine. I wouldn't want to completely shut out chuck fromt he lineup because he brings a lot of good things and can be succesful in limited minutes with a speedy lineup.

iconoclastic

I think it's a good move for next season. So if Morey decides we're not contending for a championship this year anyway and decides to plug in two guys who play well with Yao in a half-court game, I believe this would be a good trade for the Rockets.

It may not help this team this season, but we're not gonna win a ship this year anyways so might as well load em up for one last hurrah next year.

Grimm920

I really like our line up that we have right now. Once we get TMac and Yao back I feel that we are set and shouldn't really need a trade

jevon3012

Prince has lost a step, he isn't the defender he once was.

duluth111222

I'd do it only if we can turn around and ship one of our wing players for a legit Big. T-Mac is an unknown. I'd rather have somebody that can contribute for sure.

Ziggy

I wouldn't be completely opposed to that deal. Hamilton is underrated, he can create shots for others and he knows how to win. Prince, Battier, and Ariza open up some unique defensive strategies. Prince can guard some of the west's better PGs. It all depends on if you believe we can get a solid free agent next season. I don't. I'd rather get something for McGrady. When Yao comes back we have a really complete unit.

t_mac1

if this trade does go down, a second trade is most likely. and yes, you would probably move battier +/- another asset for a center.