[ClutchFans] Rockets trade Lowry, stay focused on Howard

Remember several years ago when the Rockets had , Yao, EG, Boki, Cat and Franchise on the same team Les came out and said that was the most talented "ever" Rockets roster.

Do you think if the Rookies come out and tate it up in the summer league that Les will drink the kool aid once again? I would hate for the team to trade DMo, White, Parsons or Lamb. I'm hoping Les can get excited about them and give them a chance before trading them away.

 

I think he'd choose Houston , but I suppose Dallas or Atlanta

 

Good point, but a lot can happen in a year.

Bottom line is it's impossible to predict either way what he'll do when it's time to sign a new contract next year.

 

We had a superstar back then. Les knows the situation is different and should have no untouchables.

 

If we lose out on Dwight and...

-get rid of Scola's contract
-get rid of Martin's contract
- Lin is matched
-Lee is signed
- Asik is signed

Would we have room to sign maybe a combo of Ellis, Al Jefferson and Josh Smith???

 

Rebuild

I agree with Clutch. I don't understand everything Morey has done but he has made this team substantially more flexible throughout his tenure. I actually would want the Rockets to rebuild especially with the young players with potential on our roster and 1st round picks. Dwight Howard would be really nice but there is too much uncertainty with him staying here and his back. Plus if for some reason Morey can't create a solid championship contender cast around Dwight Howard then he is more likely to bolt then stay in my opinion.

I say rebuild by playing the young players, trade Martin and Scola at the trade deadline for future picks, and hope to draft well in 2013 and 2014.

2013: Try to get Cody Zeller or Shabazz Muhammod, think Nerlens Noel will be just ok
2014: Go for Andrew Wiggins or Jabari Parker...these are superstars in the making and well worth rebuilding for

 

Why do you not understand this one simple thing: Morey can say to Dwight, 'Hey Dwight, here is your Max deal. By the way, if you don't want to take it, feel free to sign somewhere else. As long as you understand that nobody but us can get within 30 million of our offer.'

This definitely makes Houston the prettiest girl at the dance.

Again, please flat out say it: you believe Howard would walk away from 30 million more than anyone else can offer.

And then go ahead and list the other NBA athletes (or pro athletes in any sport) who have literally walked away from a 30 million dollar bonus.

 

At a NBA fan board known to be even crazier than ours, the latest rumor/gossip/hearsay is that either Dwight agreed to an extension with the Lakers or that the Lakers agreed to drop the demand that he accept one. I think this rumor has legs, because I think Dwight knows it's either going to be the Rockets or LA, and there's no way he'd want to risk spending five years in Houston, so he blinked and gave in. That's my theory, anyway.

 

Clutch, your second-tier star prognostication would be, for me, the worst of all outcomes. I sincerely hope you are wrong. Thanks for all you do.

 

It doesn't have anything to do with Dwight at all, it has to do with the deal being offered to Orlando management. Regardless of what Howard may or may not have allegedly decided to maybe do, that still leaves Orlando holding the bag for Bynum, who would have to agree to the same thing.

And remember, if the Magic do NOT take our offer, they have almost nothing to put around Bynum, nor much in the way of prospects for rebuilding, so why would Bynum agree to stay there?

One could say, yeah, but Orlando would be the only place he could get a max deal, and that is true.

But, the TEAM'S future in that case is pretty bleak - a maxed out Bynum, and almost nothing else for the foreseeable future.

As compared to Houston, Howard in Houston, even after what we would have to give up, we would STILL have enough to put around him, and within a year, the team would be a legitimate contender in the West.


So I wouldn't put much stock in that rumor, because of the two possibilities, only our offer leaves Orlando in position to rebuild strongly.

 

Now, I say this as someone who tentatively wants to see the deal made, but who is just worried we will not have the resources left over to effectively fill out the roster.

Still -- I do think Howard would most likely walk away from the 30 million dollars. And this is not unprecedented. There have been many star athletes who have taken serious pay cuts in order to have a more competitive team. LeBron and Wade recently took small pay cuts for Miami, and we probably all remember Barkley passing up on the opportunity to get a large contract to sign for the minimum and bring in Pippen. Actually, Barkley probably lost about 20 million with that decision.

 

Dwight is going to Los Angeles. You guys need to stop fooling yourselves.

 

OK, let's assume that you and the others who lust for Howard are correct in that should the Rockets acquire him, he'll have NO choice but to stay in Houston. So what happens then? You have a superstar player who is disgruntled because he is forced to play in a city he does not want to be in. Yeah, I can see how that will work out well for the Rockets. I can see how this would motivate Howard to buy into whatever McHale & the organization is trying to accomplish. I mean, just look at how well things have worked out for Orlando with this guy. It has to fill one with optimism, that's for sure. As for myself, I can't wait to see how the DH circus will play out in Houston - Clutchfans will need to add several more servers to handle the drama that's for sure. I must concur with the poster who warned: "be very careful what you ask for".

 

yes 100% agree. if drama dwight comes to town get ready for the endless stories that have absolutely nothing to do about basketball. and on another note, get ready for a T-Mac rerun; backs are tricky.

 

Sort of disagree. Isn't the hardest part of becoming a contending team getting the star? It's easier to get the assets. Based on our history anyway.

 

Tracy had back problems his entire life and career prior to Houston. Not to say it's impossible for a similar outcome, but it's not at all a comparable situation to Dwight's one-time incident.

 

Good post, I don't see why more people don't think like this.

 

This is a worst case scenario, and its worth taking the risk for a top 2-5 player in the league every single time.

 

not if the dude is an ass, and doesn't want to be here on top of major back surgery.

 

What happens then? Magic Morey does what Magic Morey does best, get on that stage and start pulling rabbit after rabbit out of his rear to put next to Dwight and contend.

The reason things have not worked out for Orlando is because upon acquiring their superstar, they have done nothing put hamper their organization with debilitating contract albatrosses. "Liabilities" like Lewis handicapped them with no room to upgrade, plateauing far too soon. Howard may be immature, but he is not a complete idiot, why do you think he wants to get outta there so bad.

On the other hand, acquiring "assets"(tsktsk) is exactly Morey's strength, to a fault. So much so that he built a team full of overachievers that even after our two superstars went belly up they still refused to lose(how dare they). His problem is it is damn near impossible to get those superstars back, which is exactly why he keeps "lusting" after Howard, and why some of us are right there on board.

Now my question to you is, since all I ever hear from you is how many years it has been since this franchise has been worth a damn, lumping it all on Morey's head as if he has been here the past 30 years, what exactly would be your solution to all this? I mean, of all people, I would have expected you to be on board with acquiring Howard, to bring relevance back that you so yearn. Would you rather tank for another 5-10 years to hope and pray for that elusive homegrown superstar? Heck, I am just asking, since I'm fine with either way. I haven't been a fan for 30 years so I can surely stomach another 10 worth of crap. How bout you?