Poll: Do you like the Clint Capela-Robert Covington trade?

Man, nobody told me Covington can pass like that. Obviously the shooting was nice, the defense was expected, rebounding was good, but the passing was something I didn't expect. He had a couple great passes that caught my attention, and he ended up with 4 assists. And then he hit that huge 3 with AD in his face at the end.

He's definitely more than a "shoot immediately or pass back to Westbrook/Harden" guy on offense.

 

i expect in the morning the poll to be flipped more towards yes or very close to 50%. it was a bit less than 40% before the game.

do you see that line forming @RudyTBag

 

He looked like a mix of Ariza and Luc out there tonight. Amazing.

 

I’m here for my crow serving on getting Covington.

(I still stand by my statements of the owner not spending $$)

 

CF has accused WB of stealing rebs from his center for years.

Only Morey dared to ask the question "What if there is no center"?

With this trade Morey may have solved the WB puzzle. Also some nice insights into the trade:

 

No but happy to eat crow

 

Oh STFU already.

 

LOL

Another fail.

 

'Maybe Capela would still be on the Rockets, had he been using Manscaped......' 3:16

 

DaDakota as all our perspectives are a result of our personal lives, so I fear DaDakota is actually not a very happy person in real life (deep down maybe). Everything is negative with the guy.

 

Good call on Bruno bro. At first, I was a little disappointed. But he's gotten a lot better in the past few years. If we simplify his role here, I think he could be a good option as a pick 'n roll or pick n' pop back-up 5.

 

Need to surround Brodie and Beard with as many long athletic 3-D disruptors (not wings, not forwards) as possible.

At least 6'7 with 7'0 wingspans or better. Not only 3ball shooters but tenacious switch defenders who embrace team rebounding and running floor with Russ.

And preferably under 29 yrs so lots of energy. I hope Buyout can bring us the following:

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist - 6'6 235 7'0 wingspan (26)

Jonah Bolden - 6'10 230 7'3 wingspan (24)

Marvin Williams - 6'9 240 7'2 wingspan (33)

 

It was an average sized move that paid off.

The league views Capela as a better player, maybe rightfully so but Cove is the right fit.

It all still depends on Russell and James.

 

The playoffs are all I care about, you lemmings enjoy the regular season.

once we run into the playoffs where teams can lock in this gimmick will crash hard.

DD

 

I think Westbrook will be tired when Playoffs roll around.

 

Dude has no clue what he’s talking about lol

 

If Miami spent this week trying to pry open a title window, its co-winner in the Most Interesting Deadline Team race -- the Houston Rockets -- was shoving its fingers underneath its window as the top contenders shoved it down.

The Rockets have been all-in since almost the moment they acquired James Harden. With Clint Capela traded to Atlanta in the four-team megadeal that netted Houston Robert Covington, the Rockets now have none of their own first-round picks remaining on their roster. They have traded every one -- and several future picks -- in an effort to win now with Harden.

They are still facing an uphill battle. They sold a little low on Capela, and paid a premium for Covington -- the perils of coveting a single player. Capela is good, but his role with Houston was already shrinking due to health and skill set.

Swapping Chris Paul for Russell Westbrook changed the very fabric of Houston's team. Harden's one-on-one style can accommodate one non-shooter. Add a second, and things get dicey. If the Rockets were wary of overusing the Capela-Westbrook duo, then flipping Capela for a player they will use -- one who fits what Houston needs, and how they play -- makes sense. Covington is a willing 3-point shooter, and he will get the clearest looks of his life playing next to Westbrook and Harden. This move was less about size -- some blasphemous intention to destroy traditional basketball -- than skill.

The Rockets are going to play super-small, and launch an ungodly number of 3s. As is, about 44% of their shots are 3s -- the league's highest share. That number jumps to an even 50% with P.J. Tucker at center, per Cleaning The Glass, and it might jump higher now. Mike D'Antoni has often said his regret from his Seven Seconds or Less days in Phoenix is that he did not take the small-ball, 3-point revolution far enough. Now, he gets to oversee its natural endpoint.

Houston is going to try to make the behemoths of the West play on their terms. The Lakers, Clippers, Nuggets, and Mavericks all rank among the league's top eight in offensive rebounding. They will try to bludgeon Houston on the glass. Houston is counting on this: If you chase offensive boards and fail, we will be raining fast-break 3s before you know what hit you. The Rockets will switch and trap and double the post, and junk up the game. Their Tucker-at-center lineups force heaps of turnovers.

The formula has worked lately, including in Covington's first game on Thursday -- a win over the Lakers. Sustaining a defense good enough to get through the West stands as one of the biggest challenges facing any would-be contender. Houston is 15th in points allowed per possession and 22nd in defensive rebounding. That won't cut it. Its moves don't appear to repair those structural issues. Covington is a very good team defender, but a little less effective one-on-one against elite scorers. The Rockets don't have the size or collective defensive IQ of those classic Golden State switch-everything lineups.

Covington is under contract (at a better-than-fair rate) through 2021-22, so this move isn't a full-on win-now gamble. Houston can keep this core together through at least that season, and maybe longer. Like Miami, Houston can count on at least being in the discussion for big-name free agents and disgruntled stars. Houston seems to get into every conversation. Just when you think the Rockets are out of assets, they spin whatever they have into something else.

It is hard to keep that up in perpetuity. The music stops. Core stars age. Too many draft picks go out the window. That is the price of going for it. It's easy to win trades when you are rebuilding. It's harder when you are a buyer, and when everyone knows you are a buyer, and when you are at least trying to balance the needs of the present and future.

These are brutal, wrenching decisions in the moment. Houston did what it could. Only Miami officials really know how close they got to getting everything they wanted.

 

You guys are so bipolar asf.

 

so are you going to stop posting for the rest of the regular season, since supposedly the playoffs is all you care about?