I really like Favors' game. He doesn't just put up good per 36 stats, he's conducive to winning - that's rarer than you'd think. He doesn't back down or disappear in big moments. I can't see Utah not moving Milsap or Jefferson so Favors can start before the season is over. Favors is their future.
After embarrassing Presti in the Harden trade, I think it might get harder for Morey to steal diamonds in the rough from other teams. I'm guessing that he will be forced to trade for a veteran like Pau or Smith.
Morey already had this reputation as a fleecer, though, as a shark. It's not unearned (as you can see from the Harden trade), but let's not act like this is a new concept. Morey's reputation for seeing something in players others cannot is arguably what killed the potential Asik for Courtney Lee trade only just a while back. Other GMs become less inclined to deal with you, more apprehensive about pulling the trigger. Every metric available told Morey that Asik & Destroy was one of the best glass eaters per minute in the league. But because of Morey the shark, the Bulls ended up hurting themselves and passing on a player in Lee whose defensive skill set and ability to push the tempo would have been a perfect fit for a defensive-minded team that needed help at the two. And then Morey the shark just ends up signing away Asik later anyway! Whoops! :grin: I guess this is still applicable in the sense that other GMs are now reminded about this like "Oh yeah, this guy DOES win a lot of trades" and so the Rockets might have to wait a while until the Harden trade publicity dies down, before they can rob I mean deal...deal with another team.
Yes sir, that's the bottom line. Hope that D-Mo and T-Jones become good rotation players for us.It could help us in a trade, or we might be able to keep one of them.
Patience. DMO and TJones are going to get their opportunity. Aldridge isn't going to get traded. They just had a meeting with him, Allen, and Olshey, and all committed to each other. They're not trading him for at least two years. Love is locked in until after 2014/15 season. He's not going anywhere for a while, probably 2 seasons before he gets moved, if ever. Favors is an enigma. This is what, his third season now. And he hasn't broken out yet??? In Utah?? I'm afraid if he was gettable that we wouldn't want him. Utah is a quality organization. If they decide to move him, that's a signal they've given up on him. Theyr'e pretty good at evaluating and developing talent. Favors, in my opinion, may be better suited to be a pivot than a PF. I think they're still trying to figure out how to use him best and I think they may have 3 pivots on that team in Big Al, Kantor, and Favors. Wouldn't surprise me if they eventually traded two of those guys. But whichever two they trade, it means the one left is the best player out of them. Wouldn't want to trade for the leftovers. There is nothing clearly pointing to Favors being a superstar at this point. Millsap is a nice player. But he's not a superstar. He's a quality PF. But he doesn't take a team to the next level. He's a value player. Probably a good value for the money he is paid. But he's going to be a FA. No telling what some team is going to offer him. He'll probably wind up on a middle of the road playoff team being slightly overpaid. He's not the answer to acquiring a superstar. Big Al is probably moving on at the end of the season from Utah. I suspect they'd trade him at some point for a draft pick or a young player. He could help us. I'd be willing to bet McHale would plug him in at PF and give him 35 mpg. But he's making big, big money. Does he elevate us to Heat, Celtic, Laker, Thunder level? I don't see it. Josh Smith - another pending free agent...not a superstar...excellent defensive ballplayer...could much better offensively if put in a PnR system and not allowed to stand around the perimeter and jack jumpers. He would make this club better. However, once again, not a superstar. And not the piece to drive us into title contention. Big Al and JSmoove are in the same position...pending free agents, productive ballplayers, stars, the 3rd or 4th best players on a championship contender. Now, if they could be signed for, say, $25 million for 3 years or something like that then it would become much more tantalizing to trade for them....or...simply wait until they become free agents and sign them without giving up anything. That brings us to Cousins. He's young, loaded with talent, etc. Probably a future superstar. My questions him are two-fold: Obviously the attitude issues. Is he gonna grow up? and also...Is he a pivot or a PF? In my opinion...he's a pivot. He could play spot minutes at the 4. But he's a pivot. You acquire him...then what do you do with Asik, etc. Not to mention....things are going to have to go really bad with him in Sactown before they decide to move him. I suspect that's another year away....if at all. Our average age is 23 years old. We are one of the youngest teams in the league right now. We haven't seen any of our 3 rookie bigs yet. There's no real superstars on the market. If Favors became available all of a sudden, it would throw up huge question marks. Morey is going to find out what he's got with these young PFs before he goes throwing them into a trade..........unless a true superstar becomes available. Favors isn't it.
this, but this too. I'm not sure what post game OP was referring to. Defensive, athletic post game, sure. But his post up skills are still very lacking. In the end, I don't think he'll be available.
Not referring to his post game. Referring to his size mainly. I said Favors is an enigma. He's an enigma offensively because he has the size and athleticism to be Hakeem-like, but he does not have hardly any postup skills and he's in his third season. He also hasn't shown us anything from the perimeter to make us think he's going to hit superstardom at the PF slot. His offensive game is just bleh. He has gotten better....but he hasn't taken those huge steps. Now, granted, he's only just now 21 so it could still happen. But the odds have slipped somewhat on it happening for him because he hasn't broken out yet. If he doesn't break out this year, it probably isn't going to happen. Now, that doesn't mean he won't be a good player and have a long career. Pat Patterson is a good player and is going to have a long career if he avoids serious injury. But we're talking about trading a bunch of young talent for a superstar. We need to find our next superstar. Favors hasn't shown as much superstar potential as Cousins has and he was drafted in front of Cousins. Now, if you could acquire him for one young player or for a future draft pick, it may be worth the risk. But to peel out Donuts and TJones and whatever else for Favors at this point when he hasn't shown superstar potential.....nope.
no way utah gives up favors. Millsap is more likely, but I'd be a little worried signing to a long contract an undersized 4 at his age (they don't age well). He is pretty damn good though. Horford would be huge. He plays center for the Hawks but he definitely has the quickness to play PF. Even if the Hawks decide to blow it up, you'd think they would hang on to Horford. Stranger things have happened though.
I was referring to his brutal post game. He's not a mchale with 1,000 moves, he's more like a karl malone or moses malone in the post(he throws his body at you, bangs you down and lays it up). He doesn't finesse you, he puts a bruise on your chest plate. Last years playoff he averaged a double double(he's only 21). All the other pf's are jump shooters, face to the basket or finesse players. Some have attitude issues, untradeable or older. Morey's job is to outsmart other gm's and rob them. Lakers just robbed orlando for dwight, they traded divac for kobe. This is the example to go by.
True, but KH is nowhere near as skilled as even a raw Favors, I think at worst, he'll turn out to be KH. What's also encouraging about Favors is even when he first came into the league...at 19, was it, he knew how to play defense and loved playing defense. You don't see that often in players his age.
5 human years = 35 Rockets years. The way we're turning over our roster. Even Harden would be on the last year of his contract. Jazz has too many frontcourt players, hopefully we'll work something out.
Funny how this team would be perfect for Lebron. We have plenty of closers and high IQ role players. Could Yao possibly come back for 12-20 minutes/game?
