It seems to me that people either can't stand Smith and think he is a head case and not worth the money, OR they love his all-around talent and would welcome his addition to the team. I honestly cannot figure out the haters. Sure, Smith takes a lot of poor shots. His shot-selection is questionable, at the very least. But focusing solely on that is a mistake. Josh Smith is a guy that can brings so much to a team and it's hard to quantify his worth in the box score. Defense and athletic ability are clearly his main strengths, but his touch is actually much better than he is given credit for. Although he does take some bad shots, he is a better shooter than his reputation would suggest. Also, he is still relatively young and he seems like the ideal example of a guy who just needs the proverbial "change of scenery." While I do not think the Rockets should attempt to trade for him (it would be wiser to wait until free agency), I would love to see him in a Rocket's uniform. I also understand that he would not make us a legitimate championship contender, but if we were able to add another key piece then we might make that jump.
Say what you want about his talent but if he wants the max then we shouldn't come anywhere close to him.
Yes he wants the max we all know that. What above average player doesn't? Hell, Michael Bourn reportedly wants 14-15 million per season... I still think it's extremely unlikely he gets that type of contract. Who dishes it out? What NBA team would be willing to give Josh Smith a max? In the end, I believe he "settles" for less, and maybe the Rocket's could get in on the negotiations. All this talk about Dwight, but at least Smith doesn't have a jacked up back and shoulder. Not to mention he is WAY less of a queen. Dwight is definitely the better player when healthy, but it really looks like he may never return to his previous form. That is one guy I don't think it would be worth taking a chance on.
Watching tonight, can you imagine how good we'd be if we had a legit option at the 4...like Aldridge? That guy is an excellent player. I might settle for Greg smith, but not at max money. Still think we should hold out and make a run at Dwight. I figure Paul is a sure bet to stay in lob city.
For the most part I agree, I really want to see this team mature together. But even after the growth, I still don't see us beating the Thunders and Heats of the world without using that cap space to sign another consistent star. Really nobody I see that could help us win a championship this year in FA though...
Based on his play this year, Dwight is not a max player. The other thing is, if a team such as Phoenix acquires Josh Smith at the trade deadline, that erases the Rockets chances of signing him in the off season. In that case, I would like the Rockets to sign Ginobili. Portland is a team that could use Patterson. Maybe the Rockets can get a first round pick for him?
Portland is on our heels! That trade would strengthen them and weaken us this season. No go. It'd have to be a high pick to be worth the risk, and they don't got one to give.
I'm sorry, but you are almost certainly mistaken. There are 30 NBA teams and a large number of them are mismanaged and/or desperate and/or short-sighted. There is a team that will give Josh Smith at or very near the max, and that team will almost certainly be the team that acquires him between now and 2/21 (the February trade deadline). And that team will almost certainly not be the well-managed, non-desperate, non-short-sighted Houston Rockets. However, as I've pointed out previously in this thread, it is entirely possible that Daryl Morey jumps in here and winds up with something valuable. For example, the Phoenix Suns are a poorly managed, desperate, and short-sighted team. This is the team that gave Michael Beasley $18 mil this past offseason despite the fact that Michael Beasley has been terrible for his entire career. The next-best offer for Beasley may have been, say, one year, $4 mil, and Phoenix jumped in and gave the guy three years, $18 mil. Carlos Delfino only got $3 mil guaranteed and Beasley can't hold Delfino's jock. I can totally see the Suns trading Marcin Gortat, a first round pick, and expiring contracts for Josh Smith, and then giving Smith a five year deal for at or very close to max money. That's actually a pretty good package for Smith, as the only teams that are making anything other than lowball offers for the guy are poorly managed teams, and poorly managed teams often don't have anything good to offer, since, well, they're poorly managed. And I can see Atlanta not really wanting Gortat, and instead preferring a couple of Houston's young/cheap assets. In which case Houston may wind up with Gortat, who is a really good ballplayer, and a much better ballplayer than Patrick Patterson. Daryl Morey is an opportunist. He lurks, he feels teams out, he evaluates their payroll/tax situation, he figures out what their bottom line is, and when an opportunity presents itself, he pulls the trigger. Trading multiple prospects/picks for the right to be the team that makes Josh Smith one of the ten most overpaid/untradeable players in the league is not exactly what I'd call an opportunistic move.
