Regardless of potential, when you have a contending team on pace for 60+ wins, you don't trade a proven commodity for raw potential. The idea that Maker could step in right now for Capela, and the Rockets wouldn't skip a beat is completely ludicrous. The guy is 19 years old (allegedly), has 56 total minutes of NBA experience and has no knowledge of this team's offensive and defensive schemes. And if Maker was ready today, he would be getting minutes for a Milwaukee team that is vying for a high seed in the Eastern Conference. But he's not ready, and we have no idea how his development will pan out. What if he's not ready for another 2-3 years, and Houston wastes Harden's peak? Meanwhile, we do know what the team is getting from Capela, and that's really solid production for an NBA starting center. If this was a .500 basketball team, I'd be more inclined to say "yes" to this. But this deal makes no sense with the Rockets as a top 3 seed in the West right now and a legitimate shot to crack the WCF.
"Nene and Montrezl Harrell are doing more than hold the fort in the middle, but the Rockets will ultimately need Capela’s rim protection and his rim runs as he is sixth in the league in paint touches. The Rockets’ normal starting lineup with Capela at center ranks seventh in the league in five-man units that average 10 or more minutes a game in field goal percentage, at 51.1 percent."
If we can get a player like Jusuf Nurkic to hold down the paint, then yes. That is one thing that make Capela such a good prospect, in the future I can see Capela being both a inside out player a cross between KG in perimeter skill and maybe TD depending on how and if he develops in the post. Thon Maker to me has Durant type player potential as more of a 3 or 4. Capela is a 4 or 5 type player in my opinion.
I still can't put two and two together. CC > Maker (at our 5 position would be an upgrade, supposedly). And there's no way Milwaukee would do the deal, even they themselves don't have a decent center - trying to pawn off Monroe and Henson's been horsecrap.
That's not the Hollic I know, the one who so readily admits when he might have been wrong about something, no matter how small. Spoiler
The numbers say we are better with him than without despite Harrell's heroic play. You look at Capela and see a guy with limited range, not tough enough to body up against the monsters, and not always the best basketball IQ. What I see, and what any others here see, is how Capela had become a dangerous weapon to unleash Jimmy Harden. What you apparently miss is that Capela's key role in the offense is to prevent the 5 from stepping up on Jimmy Harden giving Jimmy more space to drive. If the center steps up, Capela is the only guy on the team that can burn him with a lob over the head of the defense and a flush. No other player can get high enough to do that. Jimmy has 4 key threats. He can shoot the 3, he can drive and score, he can drive and pass to the perimeter, or he can lob to Capela. Notice I didn't say lob to ryan anderson or lob to Montrez. Since Capela has been out, Jimmy has one less weapon. I'd rather give Jimmy Harden 4 weapons instead of 3. And Capela is pretty good on defense too. So quit your whining!
@basketballholic Is Thon Maker going to be a sure fire superstar like Cody Zeller is? Hollic would you trade Capela for Zeller as well right now? Tell us all about how Mario Hezonja will be one of the best players in the league, certainly you would trade Capela, Dekker and a 1st for him easy right?
I edited in right after I posted lol. I don't understand how someone can be so confident in calling nba players careers right out of thier ass.
I heard holic is 50 years old too. How sad is it that he argues like this at that age? The guy has to have some kind of personality disorder to never admit that he's evaluated a player incorrectly and pretends to have insider knowledge. Yule C!
By the end of the season b_allholic is going to have to change his name to b_alllllllllllllllllllllholllllllllllic because hes just racking up the "L's".
