The comment was brought up after discussing how it was a historically active trade deadline. I didn't really take it as PR spin. Just that the league is getting more and more transaction crazy. Also didn't sound like Morey was that disappointed about the failed Dragic trade FWIW. Seemed in a pretty good mood about things.
Not that this is really directed at you, but that last sentence really does make me think about the current Rockets fanbase mindset in relation to its assets and NEEDING to make trades. I don't really understand the mentality of some folks regarding the ticking clock of assets and the current Rockets state. Particularly in relation to NEEDING to trade the Pelles pick and NEEDING to trade Jones or D-Mo. -Is the Pelican's pick just going to disappear out of thin air if not traded for SOMEBODY by February of 2015? -Is the NYK 2nd rounder just going to disappear? -Is D-Mo leaving the Rockets this Summer? -Is Jones going to lose all value AND leave this Summer? -Is having two young PF's on your roster for the foreseeable future just too much talent to handle since Dwight is so incredibly healthy and Josh Smith is locked in for long term? -Is Clint Capela going to get worse than he is now? -etc. etc. etc. This whole notion that Morey just had to make moves with the Rockets desirable players/picks/assets or they would lose them is ridiculous. Is there any evidence that the Rockets would have actually gotten better players other than maybe Dragic? -Is there any evidence out there that says a 2 month rental of a half-out-the-door future max contract Goran Dragic is better than having D-Mo/Pelles pick/Rox 2017 pick etc??? I'm just really kind of floored at this notion that the Rockets had to move these assets just to move them. They aren't going anywhere, and there is no reason to believe we wont be better off getting more talent in the draft & keeping our young players vs. trading them now for known veterans who might or might not even beat out guys like Corey Brewer, and Jason Terry anyways. Also... if Pablo Prigioni went for two 2nd round picks, then what do you think teams like the Nuggets were asking for guys like Wilson Chandler much less Ty Lawson? The Suns were at a huge disadvantage for a negotiation standpoint with Dragic and still netted 2 first round draft picks with limited protection. Whose to say Morey even had the assets to get a player that would have beaten out anyone in the Rockets rotation?
The assets may retain value after February-- though their value could go up or down depending on a number of factors (player performance, contract situation, etc.). However, what is absolutely not coming back is a year of Harden's prime and of (we hope, still) Howard's prime. We only have those guys for so many years, and as Yao and McGrady teach us. Your "window" can close very suddenly. Morey doesn't have to make a trade, but a team in the Rockets' situation need to be aggressive and tolerate risks. With Dragic we do have evidence that he has a good chance of being the kind of player to put the Rockets over the top (pending Howard's return to relative health-- but that's something you gotta bet on at this point). He was third team all NBA, which at the very least demonstrates a realistic ceiling of his abilities. What are the chances that DMo or any future draft pick will achieve that level while Howard and Harden are still with us? So, yes, I'd offer DMo and the NOP pick and even another future pick. This may not work-- nothing is guaranteed-- but you have to at least give yourselves a realistic shot at getting to the top when you have two foundation pieces.
Also - Are the Rockets "Assets" really that far off from becoming real basketball on-the-court assets? -Are D-Mo and Jones just trade chips or do they actually contribute to winning? -Is it that impossible to see Morey drafting a good player in just 4 months that can be a good player next year for the Rockets? -Same with the Knicks pick -Does Clint Capela not have real skills that can translate to the Rockets success as soon as next season with a little more bulk and seasoning? Really the only use-it-or-lose-it assets that doesn't translate to on-the-court production now or very soon would have been -the Jeremy Lin trade exception which was used. -The BAE was used to pick up Josh Smith. -The poor 2nd round picks (which rarely are used to draft good players) were used to get another serviceable PG. -The Shved contract was used to trade for a usable player. -Canaan, who was un-usable to McHale, was moved to bring in a player that would be used. Every "asset" that wasn't used this year from Morey is something that should very quickly, if not already contribute to true on-the-court production.
Either Morey is lying or he doesn't know what goes on in the cyberx thread. I'm pretty sure EVERY plausible acquisition was guessed at (fixed)
The Rockets trade it to whichever team is willing to absorb Ariza's contract as Morey desperately cuts salary for a chance at signing K. Love in free agency :grin:
I disagree somewhat. Yes Harden and Howard could have career ending injuries tomorrow, but you can't just always make every move out of fear like that. You HAVE TO have sustainable success in pro sports. The system isn't built to allow teams to use up all their picks and young players for 1 year veterans, and then ALSO give them the option of doing the same thing the next year. As for "Asset Value"... I think you are severely underestimating real-time value. Yes the Pelles pick has no real-time basketball value, but its not like its a 2019 pick. This is probably a valuable rotation player as early as next year, and again.... can offer more sustained success if the Rockets do their due diligence with the draft. -I don't know exactly what D-Mo will be for this team moving forward, but I know he contributes at a much needed position. Same with Jones as well. -I don't know what kind of player the Rockets will get with the Pelican's pick, but I trust Morey will bring in a good player with a lottery pick. -Knicks pick, I think has a "shot" at being a usable player as early as next year. -etc. But I do know that longevity matters in the grand scheme of trying to win it all. If I go to Vegas I don't go just to play one hand with my life savings on red at the roulette table. I want a few chances to hit. And that's not even taking into account that- -Dragic was obviously leaving the Rockets based on open threats -His position & role with the team playing off the ball next to Harden & mostly with the bench brigade would not be equivalent production to a typical "3rd team all-NBA player" While another ball-handler/play maker would be great for this team to take pressure off of Harden, I'd argue that especially in the absence of Dwight, Having a big that can score in the post like D-Mo might be worth more on-the-court value than having another guard on the floor that duplicates what Harden does at a lesser level. He's not as good as Dragic but I'd argue its actually a bigger positional skill of need. Dragic is the better player so you definitely do the deal if Goran is staying long term, and doesn't cost you true max dollars for the next 5 years, but there is definite argument from my standpoint for NOT doing the deal even just based on the fact that he's not going to be putting up 3rd team all NBA numbers on the Rockets playing next to Harden, and having balanced scoring in the post actually makes better balance playing off of Harden. The whole Dragic is 3rd team all-NBA talk is enticing, but it should come with a huge realization that Goran Dragic, while he would be good, wouldn't be able to be 2013/14 All-NBA Dragic unless Harden went down with an injury. Go ask Jeremy Lin. D-Mo, Jones, etc. aren't just trading assets... they count as on-the-court value. The Pelican's pick.... it sucks that we have to wait until next year, but there is no reason to believe that the Rockets wont be better off with having multiple players that contribute for years vs. just a couple of months of a former 3rd team all NBA player playing a smaller role for a shorter period of time.... AT A DISGRUNTLED STATE I might add.
People need to stop with the Lin comparisons or using him as an example. Lin's tenure as a Rocket was a failure because he simply wasn't that good.
Nobody is comparing Goran Dragic to Jeremy Lin. Jeremy Lin the player and "The Jeremy Lin Role" are not mutually exclusive. The Role is used to define a support guard role next to Harden. Goran Dragic, had he been acquired, would have been in a position to support James Harden in the same ROLE Jeremy Lin WAS EXPECTED to perform. Did Jeremy Lin perform that role up to par.. some nights, but it was largely a disappointment. Please do NOT get that confused with someone comparing Goran Dragic to Jeremy Lin. That's certainly not fair to Goran as he is a substantially better player. The point is to allow people to realize that Goran Dragic, had he been acquired, would not have been producing at the "3rd Team All-NBA" level given the ROLE he would have been needed to play alongside James Harden... a substantially more important player to the Rockets & their system. I'm not saying the Rockets shouldn't have gone for Goran, or that the ROLE is not important (it is a pretty damn important role), but I just want folks to realize that this would have been the case, and there is merit to NOT paying someone in that role a veteran max contract of 22 mil per.
Or NOT having the opportunity if the player just did not want to reup at TheToyShop, which apparency is exactly what would likely to have occurred.
The problem with this whole line of reasoning is that Jeremy Lin played the way he did because he's Jeremy Lin, not his role. Now he's in LA, doing basically the same thing.
I wouldnt take the analysis of someone who wanted to trade Harden straight up for Love before the season seriously, but thats just me.
Again... I think the point is misunderstood. There is intentions to the role that support the best players on the team. People just get ubber sensitive & bent out of shape when the name Jeremy Lin is mentioned. I think we saw on some occasions what that role was intended to do (especially the games Harden missed and Lin stepped in). The only reason Jeremy's name is mentioned is because he's the first and only real play-making PG to play alongside Harden with the Rockets. Its a harsh reality but we have to be honest about what it means to play a role alongside James Harden. You support James Harden as a PG in the Rockets system & are really needed for when he is off the floor or injured.... for very good reasons. You could see parallels with other players in other positions around the league. Such as Love with the Cavs. The Cavs desperately need that floor spacing around Lebron so they can play that high P&R with 3 shooters on the perimeter. Kevin Love is the perfect complement for that role, but could the Cavs get better value by having Ryan Anderson rather than a disgruntled/frustrated (if he is) and expensive Kevin Love? Just as Kevin Love with the Cavs isn't Kevin Love with the T-Wolves, Goran Dragic wouldn't be Dragic with the Rockets as he is Dragic with the Suns (13/14). I'm sure the Cavs would rather have Love than Ryan Anderson, and I'm sure the Rockets would rather have Dragic than alot of other PG's. However there is merit to the Rockets realizing this harsh reality of the PG role next to Harden, and finding better value around the league to fill that role. Certainly Pablo Prigioni isn't the answer to that better value, but you get the point. The point is we need to be honest about what Dragic's production would look like playing next to Harden, and it might very well NOT be worth 22 mil per year for 5 more years.
Here's the problem with the Love analogy. Love, for all his struggles in Cleveland, basically takes the same number of shots as Dwight. Harden takes the same as Lebron. Therefore, the Rockets have room for a guy to take 16.7 shots and 4.6 ft like Kyrie. That would be more than Dragic has ever taken.
What's worse is that in hindsight, due to Dwight's injury, Kevin Love would have 100% left the Rockets after the season. So it wouldve been 1 year of Love for 4+ years of Harden at least. This is what many Rockets fans miss. It's one thing to win now. I get that. I want to win now too. But the same reason CH used to trade Harden, which is that we can't wait for him to maybe or maybe not develop that next level, can now be applied his reasoning that we need to sell the picks, DMo, Jones, etc. even though DMo and jones have played very well and raised their stocks over the past season or so. He's basically doubling down on his logic to trade Harden by proposing similar mindset once again
I think we still have that one. I remember Bima tweeting that we gave up another one of our second rounders.
