cookin' with tha beet Skipping past the inevitable ending of this season, in which the Rockets will surely focus on collecting as many "L"s as possible, I see the looming offseason and its many possibilities. Of course there's the Lebron sized elephant in the room - the possibility of engaging in a sign and trade for one of the top tier free agents. We all know about that and I'd rather date Mo'Nique than discuss those possibilities ad nauseum. I want to focus on a smaller, yet possibly extremely impactful possibility. Can you feel Tha Beet? Last summer, Morey flirted, wined, dined, and pined for the 7'3" shotblocking defensive juggernaut out of Connecticut by way of Tanzania. Meals were shared and we wondered aloud whether Daryl was out of his mind. There was no way we were moving up high enough to pick him up. If we were moving up, it would be for the floppy haired Spanish wonderkid, not for Hasheem Thabeet. Timed passed and we forgot all about those intimations, but I have to wonder if there's a 'Beet on Daryl's radar still. We'll have a lottery pick, for certain. We have a pocket full of magic Knick-beans, too. The possibility of moving up into the top of the draft is extremely realistic, but would be for the purpose of snagging a super duper star. Whether we move up or not, we still have a need at the center position. Daryl cannot possibly be foolish enough to put all of his cascarones in the Yao basket. He tried to patch the hole with an Aussie bandie and, well, it was less than successful, to be nice. Jordan Hill has potential and may blossom, but I'm not convinced he's a future true center and paint protector for us. Even if he does develop into that player, it may be wise to acquire another "big" that can be the Bat to his Triza. Curb feelers Morey put the feelers out for Martin loooong before the actual transaction (euphemism for sodomy) took place. He asked and didn't like the cost, so he waited for his market value to drop then bounced like a Tiger-groupie. Might he do the same with Thabeet? Hasheem has the priveledge of being the highest draft pick EVER to spend time in the D-League. His offense is, well, more offensive than a fart in church. However, he does have a unique skillset: defense, size and rebounding. He left UCONN after his Jr year on pace to be the NCAA alltime leading shotblocker (just over 100 blocks shy). He was/is an elite rebounder as well. Since being recalled by Memphis (whom Houston has recent relations with), he's started in place of an injured Marc Gasol and averaged nearly a double-double with close to 3 blocks per game in ~30mpg. Not bad for someone who's main criticism defensively is that he needs to get stronger. At 7'3", 270+, he's not that far off. Surely though, Marc Gasol will return and he is the unquestioned future of that team. I'd have to believe that Thabeet's value is quite low, maybe the cost of an Ariza or C-Bud, (stifle the shock and awe, please). Of course, there's only one way we'd consider doing this: if we're in the running for a superstar caliber wingman, ala Wade, Wall, E Turner, Joe Johnson, etc.). Then we're afforded the luxury of swinging for the fences while still filling a team need. Memphis will need a swingman to replace to soon-to-be-departing Rudy Gay, so we'd have to supply them with one. Emeril Morey In the end, it's Daryl's kitchen. I've read a few of his recipes and noticed he likes to let his wishes boil until they are undervalued and easy pickings. Martin, Artest, and Lowry were all on the Morey radar long before they were Rocket Reds. Considering we struggled to protect the paint all year long, I'd have to believe Morey hasn't forgotten how to dance to Tha Beet.
Interesting thought. There are certainly worse options out there, although I'm not sure what I'd be willing to give up, were I Morey. He has been busy acquiring assets, though. Seems unlikely that he'll leave them all on the shelf.
Then don't post, idiot. Didn't think about Thabeet, and it is an interesting possibility, he would address our major needs and be a long-term project if the whole Yao thing doesn't work out. Maybe Chase and a 2nd rounder (or Taylor instead of the pick) for him? I'd think that's fair, if a little too much on our end.
I would take Thabeet if all it cost us was our draft pick and C-bud. Tall agile big men don't grow on trees.
Actually now that I think about it, we don't own our second-rounder this year if I'm correct, so that's a concern as I think Chase plus our lottery pick is a bit too much.
No. He's not. He's just been labeled a bust by ignorant people on ClutchFans, who are a dime a dozen. He's actually pretty good for a rookie.
Not sure why people are so intent on labeling him a bust. He is averaging 9.3 points, 10 rebounds, and almost 4 blocks eek per 36 minutes. His FG% is almost .600. The reason he's not getting more minutes is because he's playing behind Marc Gasol (36 mpg). The reason he got sent down to the D-League was so he could get more minutes and gain some experience. Get with the times--the D-League is being used more and more like the minor leagues in baseball. As it should be, in these kinds of situations.
Sorry, but you would be wrong, in my opinion. The guy surprised me in the recent game we had with the Grizzlies. His stat line in 27 minutes: FG-A 4-7, 3P-A 0-0, FT-A 0-2, OFF REB 4, DEF REB 6, TREB 10, AST 0, STL 1, TO 2, BS 4, PF 5, PTS 8. http://www.clutchfans.net/game_boxscore.cfm?GameID=3188 Chopped liver? I think not. I'd love to have someone that could spell Yao for decent minutes every game next year. Now, can he pass at all? Is there a remote chance that he could play in a Princeton offense? Sadly, I've erased that game from my DVR, or I'd focus on the guy and look closer. If anyone clearly remembers Beet's game that night, I'd love to read their opinion. But does it matter? We're going to have to get someone that can share minutes with Hill as a backup 5, along with Chuck, if we still have him. Beet is a completely different look from Hill and Hayes. That could be a very useful 6 fouls.
Intriguing. He did well in our recent encounter with the Grizzlies. Whilst he is still a little bit of a project, he could fill some of the void left by what we had with an aging Mutombo (not even expecting prime Mutombo) ... especially from what was seen in that recent encounter. However, not sure what I'd be willing to give in return.
Grizz would probably give us that Iranian science experiment they have on the roster for a future 2nd rounder.
