Rockets trade D-Mo, Thornton to Pistons for first round pick

The only ridiculous spin I see is that you presume DMo is fully healthy.

Honestly, if he was ready weeks ago... Wouldn't it have been more useful to play him in the rotation, not just because a healthy DMo makes this team better, but also because it could have drummed up more trade potential (since his free agency status at the end of the year still has to be considered)?

The team was more concerned about another setback... Which happens quite often with back surgery recovery, and that would basically kill any possible trade options. It was already highly unlikely that DMo would get up to speed and be as productive as he was last year. He literally hasn't logged a heavy minute game in a year.

It's still amazing that they got a first round pick for a 26 year old role player who just had back surgery and a setback in rehab.

 

What's wrong with wanting to wait and see what happens this summer before judging the trade?

If the pick is used in another trade for an upgrade, that factors in to this deal.

If dmo (who I am a huge fan of) gets signed to a huge deal, that factors into this deal.

Insisting that all deals must be evaluated the moment they happen is silly.

I remember some pretty furious people on this board when we traded Lowry for the raptors pick, and I personally was one of them.

Then the pick is packaged to get harden, so you sometimes have to be patient and wait and see how it plays out.

I understand the frustration because we were suppose to be a win now team, but let's just wait and see.

 

As much as I liked DMO, they were not going to play him or pay him. I think they did well getting a 1st round pick for him. Remember, DMO was the #25 pick (or somewhere in the 20s), so getting a top 8 pick for him is pretty darn good.

 

As someone you have penciled in as the token Rockets PR/Terrence Jones personal agent, I do have an opinion about this.

A. This trade stings because we all were (for the most part) were fans of DMo. We all for the most part feel the sting just as much as you so don't feel special.

B. There is a difference between liking the trade and explaining the Rockets reasons for doing that trade. Nobody should be allowed to be chastised for doing such. It doesn't mean they aren't loyal DMo fans or whatever.

IMO:

With what we know from what guys like Zach Lowe have said points to this trade having to do with the Pistons pursuit of DMo in July vs The Rockets plan A,B,C in free agency. The Pistons situation and open pursuit led the Rockets to know for a fact that DMo would be getting a Godfather offer from Detroit on day 1 of free agency. If you know anything about the rules, that offer immediately puts a huge cap hold on DMo and royally screws their free agency.

So all the BS arguments you guys have been wasting you time with all boils down to one single thing-

Is retaining DMo in free agency more important to you than everything else you are planning to do in free agency? Because there was very good Intel that leads us to believe DMo was inevitably going to be a July 1st situation.

The Rockets obviously chose the pursuit of Durant etc. over DMo. Criticize that point all you want because that's really the only leg to stand on.

If it's about DMo now your a fool to believe he was magically going to save the season for the Rockets. Even if he finally is where he needs to be physically he's still going to be too rusty to help anyways. The guy hasn't played meaningful basketball in over a year. Just stop it trying to convince everyone likewise. Or just simply wait and see how he plays for Detriot like the next week or two. The Rockets don't have the margin for error right now to wait on DMo to kick the rust off and you damn well know that.

This decision 100% was about free agency and even though you won't admit it, it's the truth.

 

We're really gonna miss DMO's medicore stats because he's an all caps skilled big man

 

OMG Dobro. I have told you before and you choose to ignore it.
Pistons COULD NOT put an offer to DMO on day 1 in FA.

RFA can get an offersheet from other teams AFTER the moratorium.
UFA can meet with teams and come to terms DURING the moratorium.

We could very easilly arrange our capspace (which we will do anyway, but we don't have DMO's only 6 mil or so caphold) meet with whoever we wanted to meet, agree to sign them and THEN match any offersheet they gave DMO.

Get rid of Brew and Jones and Lawson and there you go. We will most likely anyway get rid of the same players either we had traded DMO or not.

 

I am really bummed about DMo. He just has a really interesting set of skills that have intrigued me since that Summer League game announced by Webber. I don't know enough to be mad at Morey for trading him. I'm really bummed that he ever had the back injury. That just happens in sports. I can only imagine how devastating it was for fans when Ralph Sampson got injured. That would be miles worse, and losing DMo is a big enough bummer.

A lot of these players we have along with DMo are the type of players I like - at least in one area (offense or defense): Harden, Lawson, Josh Smith. Very surprising it hasn't worked out at all. Guess I would not make a good GM. Haha.

 

Man, sometimes you really complicate CBA issues.

Let's keep it simple. We are talking about when Free Agency negotiations create increases in Team Salary, via Cap Holds or signings.

Any verbal agreement a UFA makes during the moratorium can not increase team salary numbers until after the moratorium. That is the whole meaning of a moratorium. The NBA is doing accounting to establish revenue numbers and the official cap. Until then, many salaries can be figured out, so no verbal agreements have cap hits, yet.

So, July 1st or at end of moratorium,,,doesn't matter. dobro1229 is correct: An RFA offer sheet can become a cap hold at the very start of when UFA offers can be signed and become part of team salary.

That said,

dobro1229,

Any offer sheet to DMo does not become a cap hold on the Rockets Team Salary, unless and until, we exercise our right of first refusal, and accept the offer.

A signed offer sheet only becomes a cap hold for the team who offered it to DMo. Once we accept it, it goes off their books and onto ours, and it becomes an immediate cap hold for us.

So, timing-wise, if DET got DMo to sign an offer sheet at the end of the moratorium, we would have three days to delay it becoming a cap hold for us.

 

Wow the Rockets are getting a top 8 pick for Dmo/Thornton? Lol that's a massive steal especially with this college class. What am I missing?

 

An interview with SVG

Pistons Patter:

Pretty interesting take from SVG on the issue, which I'm not I have seen reported before. This only adds to the uncertainty of giving DMo big, long term money.

 

SVG sounds dumb.

He has a mole in the Rockets org?

 

People talk throughout the league. He's wasn't going to take a risk on DMo without knowing the severity of the issues, which seems to be the possibility of occasional flare ups.

 

So hes openly saying guys dmo is going to miss atleast 3-4 game stretchs because of his back for the rest of his career?

Wow ok Morey def made the right call. SVG botched this one but I'll take it.

 

How is it a top 8 pick?

 

Enjoy the Instantgrams, Detroit.

 

No, it's top-8 protected this year and top-10 protected the following 2 years.

 

I'm sure Morey allowed DET/SVG to talk to anyone they wanted to. But even if he denied access to Rockets staff, there's always insurance via post-trade, player physicals. That's why they exists and allow for cancelling trades. So, inquiring about his back was not really necessary for the trade.

 

Thanks HP. My point was very very simple. Detroit signing DMo early in FA screws the Rockets if they are recruiting someone like Durant, and especially if they miss on Durant and are going after option B or C. Like the Parsons situation, the problem with these guys hitting free agency even as restricted is a team not going after the big targets and going after your role players early in FA. If your primary targets haven't decided yet, it can screw you and force you to not match.

I still think that's the fear with the DMo situation. I think they knew he would be targeted early and Morey & Co probably want time in FA to land one or two players who might not decide right away.

 

Why does everyone keep saying its a top 8 pick lol

 

the koolaid