Be easy, this is my first post! Thought I'd stop all these unrealistic trades ideas! I know it's Bleacher Report but just an article I found talking about the Rockets. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...priorities-going-into-junes-draft-for-rockets http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/features/rumors Quick Read! Houston's disappointing end to the season sets the Rockets up for an important offseason, and they'll have several key decisions to make. Will they be able to bring back free agents Marcus Camby and Goran Dragic? Will they hold on Courtney Lee, a restricted free agent? Will they bring back Chase Budinger or Samuel Dalembert, two players with team options for next season? David Hinojosa of The Monitor caught up with Rockets coach Kevin McHale on Wednesday, and gathered some interesting thoughts from him on the team's offseason plans. "We have to get more playmakers on the perimeter. Too much playmaking was left to Goran (Dragic) or Kyle (Lowry)," McHale said. "We have to get more athletic up front. We have to get some more guys who can play above the rim, block shots and be able to run and move with some of the more athletic teams. ... We need to play more of an up and down game, which at times, hurt us. We've got to get the guys we have better. That's the least sexy of ways of getting better, but it's the most sure. In free agency, there's no assurance you are going to get the guys you want and the draft is such an inexact science, it's ridiculous." So there's the plan. Now the tough part ... executing it. How I see this off-season going: - Rockets want G. Dragic to stay but as we all know he won't start with K. Lowry here so leaves to go somewhere like POR or TOR to start. Also loose Camby cause we renounce the cap hold to try & sign a high quality free agent, while he signs with another team after failing. - Offer max money to all-star caliber centers like B.Lopez & R. Hibbert just to strike out once their teams match. - Rumors saying Rockets pursuing trades for D. Williams & D. Howard making everyone available only not to be close. - Rockets making every effort to trade up in the draft just to stay put as always picking #14 & #16, just to end up drafting M. Leonard & T. Ross - The team won't amnesty L. Scola cause he's on a bargain contract & bring over D. Motiejunas in hopes that he's our PF of the future that changes the team around & I believe he beats out P. Patterson in the rotation while he continues to have his ankle issues. - The team matches an offer sheet for C. Lee at around 4yr 24mil. Then pick up the team options for S. Dalembert at 6.7mil & C. Budinger at about 900K. Then sign some vet PG to a 1yr deal in hopes that S. Llull comes over for the 2013-14 season. End result Lowry, vet PG Lee, Martin, Ross Parsons, Budinger, Morris Scola, Motiejunas, Patterson Dalembert, Leonard Basically the same team with a few new faces. I believe with Lee in the starting roll he will provide some athleticism playing full-time alongside Lowry. Ross can eventually come in & be a 6th man type but until Martin is gone he'll be in the D-League. Motiejunas & Leonard bring size up front & quickness to play an up & down game but both are raw Leonard more so, but I think with Coach McHale hopefully they understand the big man's NBA game quicker. Also Parsons, Morris, & Patterson need to up their game big time along with Dalembert coming into camp in good conditioning shape. Lowry just needs to recover to his old form playing at an all-star level. If this roster stays as is Martin, Budinger, Dalembert, & the vet PG are our expirings next season & around next years deadline maybe we finally make a move for an all-star caliber player. IMO whether it be at next years deadline or off-season we got to go hard for James Harden! I believe we'll make the playoffs as high as the 5th or 6th seed everything depending on how good Motiejunas & Leonard develop in their rookie season & injuries of course. Then we'd only have the Dal 1st(top 20 protected) in next years draft. This team will be a lot better with a full training camp with Coach McHale & workouts to implement everything.
Your post is probably depressingly realistic but I can't help but think Les is going to prod Morey into doing something drastic (and possibly foolish).
Houston's off-season plans = talks of getting a star and never getting it done. Playing a team that's good enough to not make the playoffs but not bad enough to get lower than the 14th pick.
and rebounding. no thanks. give me camby over lopez. at least i know what i am getting on defense and offense with camby (even if lopez is a better scorer than camby)
First a thread made revolved around an article from Poopsworld and now one from Bleacherreport???... Come on guys.
We need to find a way of scoring inside the paint more and relying less on long jays. We need wings who can penetrate and attack the rim. We need fast bigs who can score above the rim.
James ****ing harden! Thats what we need, a damn sg. I dissed him him but now I see what the hype is about. I can settle with e.Gordon and nothing less.
Sorry, I meant first thread! James Harden is exactly what we need & his stock is rising even more with his play in the playoffs. Would much rather go for Roy Hibbert for max which is more of an all-star caliber player as for B. Lopez I know he don't rebound well & just scores, I just have a feeling rumors will say Rockets pursuing the center. Which is what we need whether through trade or draft to rebound, defend, & score. This team has a lot of decisions to make cause I don't want Martin or Scola back next season hoping we do have two new starters. Maybe this year they don't stay put at #14 & #16! They need to make their signings & trades quick once things open up, so Coach McHale will know what he's working with. Nobodies untouchable & Morey should stop overvaluing our players!
Our plans........strike out on the "attract a superstar pitch" and be mediocre for yet another season.
I'm predicting we get a big. Maybe someone from Utah (Jefferson, Milsap) or maybe Josh Smith or Boozer... not quite a superstar..
Well... we know that McHale is going to have more of a voice going forward in trades and draft. Even last year in the draft it was noted that they sought his approval on who they were taking even with limited time to evaluate himself. McHale wants more size. Thats been noted many times before. The Rockets have a major need for points in the paint, and Im sure that is first priority this summer.
I'm not too keen on McHale helping the front office make personnel moves. Dude was god-awful in Minnesota.
