And just like DMo and TJ, having KJ on the team allows the Rockets enough roster flexibility that they can afford to trade players in front of him (Ariza or Brewer) for a bigger impact player if need be. Perhaps Bledsoe becomes available at some point in the season when the Suns suck again. DMo and TJ gave Daryl enough roster flexibility to trade Pat and Morris without losing much. As a matter of fact trading Pat became addition by subtraction. The Rockets were a better team after they traded him. Greg Smith & DMo were better than Pat. And DMo and TJ were both major rotation pieces in their 2nd seasons. TJ started 71 games and DMo averaged 15 minutes a game as a reserve. KJ is in his 2nd season and received a lot more playing time as a rookie than either DMo or TJ did as a rookie.
KJ for Schroeder or Teague is laughable. One of those three is not like the other. I'll give you a hint - the word is "proven".
Show me where I said his minutes in Philadelphia were meaningless and provided no NBA experience. Go on, quote it. Hint: You can't, because I never said that. For the love of God, read slowly. This is how that conversation came about. Me: KJ was likely never going to get significant minutes as a rookie under Kevin McHale. You: YOU ARE WRONG! HE PLAYED LOTS OF GAMES AND LOTS OF MINUTES! Me: Yes, in Philadelphia. Under Brett Brown. In other words, not under Kevin McHale. What are you not understanding about the progression of that conversation? At this point you're just making up things I never even said to have something to argue against. LOL. My point -- and the point of many others who have attempted to reason with you -- is that KEVIN MCHALE, THE COACH OF THE HOUSTON ROCKETS, has displayed a reluctance to play rookies. What a coach on another team elects to do has nothing to do with anything at all, because we aren't talking about another team. We're talking about the Rockets, where Kevin McHale is the coach. This seems a fairly simple concept, so I'm not sure where you're getting lost. Quote where I said KJ had no upside and didn't show anything to warrant keeping him. Again -- hint: you can't, because I never said that. EVER. You are so dead set on arguing with me that you've failed to realize I spent most of this thread DEFENDING KJ and his upside -- not arguing that he has no value and no upside. You. Are. Saying. The. Same. Exact. Thing. I've. Been. Saying. All. Thread. Seriously, you missed all of these posts? Or hey, maybe this post: -- you know, where I clearly said THE SAME EXACT THING you keep arguing me to death with? About how they obviously see something in him if they're earmarking the MLE for him and how they're in the best position to evaluate his talent so I'm trusting that? It would be nice if you read enough to understand what my position is before attacking it. If you had, you'd have known that I believe in KJ and want him here -- and that the person you swooped in to defend is the one who characterized him as "garbage" and holding us back in other potential uses of the MLE: THAT'S the person you were agreeing with in this thread, but you didn't even read enough to know that. It seems to me like you jumped into the thread without reading the whole thing and didn't realize that the guy who raised the Blake Griffin point you so agree with was using it to argue that KJ is garbage. His argument was that KJ didn't get minutes here last season because he wasn't showing anything positive in practice. When I suggested that there could have been other factors (e.g., rookie status, other guys already established at his position in the rotation), he threw Blake Griffin out there to suggest that those things are no excuse -- in other words, that if KJ had shown anything in practice, he wouldn't have been glued to the bench last year because his talent would have prevailed over everything else. Hence, he must be garbage, according to that poster. The one you've been agreeing with, without reviewing how the conversation got started. Sure, he will eventually find his way to the floor. But the person you came in this thread to defend (without reading closely) suggested that the reason he did not play IN HOUSTON THIS PAST SEASON is due to a lack of talent. I disagreed with that, and my best interpretation of your posts is that you do too. Fundamentally, your POV is not far off from mine at all -- but you jumped into the thread and were so eager to argue me down that you didn't even bother grasping my position first. The fact that you came away from all of these posts believing that I think KJ has no upside and hasn't shown anything is absolutely bananas to me, given how many times I've said that he has TONS of upside and has OBVIOUSLY shown something if they think he's worth the MLE. Like, literally the same thing you keep preaching. But this is honestly my last post to you on this issue. If you choose to actually read what I'm typing instead of jumping down my throat about arguments I never even made, that would be cool. If not, that's fine too.
Wow, that is such a ridiculous statement. The Rockets aren't even in win now mode, judging by their actions the last couple of years. Your definition of win now must be out of whack. Win now entails going all in with your team before the season starts. If you're counting on the trade deadline or some hypothetical transaction during the season to propel your team to the next level, you're not in win now mode.
Just an awful series of assertions that totally escalated into a crescendo. Patterson would have killed it for us playing next to Howard.
Fun fact, Patterson was the only big man in the playoffs last year that had a worse opponent FG% at the rim than Terrence Jones. Patterson can shoot the midrange and the 3, but he brings absolutely nothing else to the table as a player.
Maybe some people would rather see the MLE used to actually improve the team on the floor, rather than to gain "options"? Wake me up when those options start to materialize as a result of burning the MLE on Kostas in the name of 'winning now'.
oh you mean when we actually trade his non guaranteed mle salary for a player who actually makes a difference (not a mle paid player) ? Great. We will wake you up soon enough, until then go back to sleep.
Yes, that's what I mean. Also inform me as to how that strategy helped improve our team last year when you get a chance.
The contracts given out this year were with the thought of the next two years cap rise. The mle will balloon up to 9-10 mil and right now you can't get anyone good with a mle salary esp anyone who will make a difference. There is litterally NONE pg fa who got paid a mle this offseason who are legitimate starting caliber. However for matching salaries in a trade, a mle unguaranteed salary is a precious trade chip. You seem to think that Morrey's strategy is shortsighted and he fails to see something that even casual fans could. The ballooning of the salaries this summer could be predicted from one kilometer away. Morrey predicted it, and did a wise move to get a mle fully unguranteed so he COULD get a difference maker this season.
Except for the fact that he would have had to be traded to make room for Howard. I like Patterson. Rockets had to swing for the fences. They missed, but even then, the trade of TRob was still likely near the value of Patterson.
Your right. I came in to the middle of that conversation. I have probably just misunderstood what you said. I hope you will except my apology and carry on.
Who was he playing next to on the frontline? Or is that only relevant when we're trying to make DMo look better?
I still don't see how signing Kostas to the MLE last year helped the team get closer to the championship last year. I guess you concede that it didn't.
I disagree. Pat never boxes out. He is a horrible rebounder, beyond bad. He is always in the correct defensive position but he is always completely ineffective. He just completely disappears for long stretches at a time. DMo is a better defender... easily. DMo is not a good rebounder but he at least boxes out. DMo has turned into a very good 3pt shooter. DMo has 10 times the post game that Pat has. Pat has very good jump shot. I respect your opinion but I disagree with you about Pat.
I think Morey determined that no one then left of the 2014 free agent market was worth using the MLE on. Remember, the most notable free agents out there were Ray Allen (retired) and Shawn Marion (who ended up being largely ineffective in Cleveland before retiring). So instead, he used it on a decent foreign prospect who could maybe help for a few months and then (if he doesn't dazzle) have his non-guaranteed contract used as valuable salary filler in larger trades. I think it was a smart and innovative allocation of resources given then-current market conditions. Hell, Morey still kept the Bi-Annual Exception in his back pocket and was able to use it on Josh Smith. Just because it hasn't yet borne fruit -- and even if it ends up not doing so -- doesn't make it a bad move, given the proper context.
The Rockets made the WCF down 2 starters....it's not exactly like last season was a failure. Given full health, they have a very good chance of making the finals last year and you're whining about who they used the MLE on?
