Rockets trade 3 discontent players (Asik, Lin, D-Mo) plus cash or draft picks to the Timberwolves for a pure PG in Ricky Rubio, a familiar 6th man in Kevin Martin, plus a 3rd player (PF or C). This would be a mutually beneficial deal between two familiar teams. The Rockets retain their starters, revert to a traditional line-up that would suit McHale's player's coach style, and they'd have the best of both worlds as they can play both half-court and run-and-gun. Then the Rockets can focus on developing big men through the draft, hopefully finding one McHale can mentor and pass on his wisdom of the power forward position. It would have to be a young guy with no ego trips who can handle being the 5th man on the line-up. The T'Wolves become the new Rockets, with firepower and rebounding galore. Love and Asik would be a scary tandem, and they'd be a first round sleeper in the playoffs. This trade should be a cinch for McHale to pull off. It fixes all our main problems in one fell swoop. The would-be traded guys are no longer focal points for the Rockets, so they're expendable by virtue. I like the scoring capabilities of Canaan and Daniels, and if Martin was 6th man, Jordan Hamilton could float freely between the 2 and 3 positions. The biggest question is if Rubio will be effective. His steals and assists alone will boost productivity. He's been hot and cold, but the reward far outweighs the risk. I think he would bask in a 3rd or 4th guy role with Chandler Parsons, not to mention the array of playmaking possibilities afforded by two backcourt assisters like Rubio and Harden. The initial element of surprise alone could bring in a strong start to the season, which by it's end should see us sitting pretty in the playoff race. If things go right with this proposed core, I strongly feel we can contend for another five years, and possibly be even more dominant than we were in the title years. Lastly, a traditional line-up with key role players off the bench would spell much-needed relief for our stars. We don't want to wear them out anymore, like we did with Yao and McGrady. They deserve to last and have long, productive careers. A small idea to replace Asik's production: sign Camby for cheap to play spare minutes. If Mutumbo could do it, why not Camby? Thanks for your time and feel free to sound off your take on the proposal. I'll be back here to confer.
