Dillon vs Jabari

Dillon has started hot from three again. As with last season, this is probably not sustainable given the way he plays the game unless his minutes are significantly reduced--which is better for the development of Tari & Amen anyway. I would look to:

a) Get his minutes down to around 28 (from 32) moving forward.
b) If his 3P% remains pretty strong after December 15th, start exploring trade possibilities to sell high.

 

Big contigent of guys here want to trade Dill. Besides opening up more minutes for Amen and Tari (these minutes should come from Bari), what's the motivation?

Furthermore, who would even be available who could make more of an impact than Dillon? Save his value contract for a trade down the line for a true all-star who can score with efficiency because that's what this team is missing.

He fits the defensive identity of this team and if he continúes to shoot well, he is a great fit. I think he is undervalued on CF.

 

Trading DB during the season would be nuts IMO.

If the youngsters make huge strides this year, DB may be expendable over the summer if the price is right.

 

I don't think it's a case of being undervalued. It's more of a sell-high thing. It's a very unique situation. Brooks is a very good player but we have two players that are projecting to be much higher caliber players at one position. In fact any of them could become an elite two way player. Who in the NBA has 3 of these? Minutes are only possible now because our SG and PF are alternating brick laying duties.

Someone's gotta go very soon and we certainly have other needs we could fill. This team can definitely use better shooters at the 4/5 for example. Can use a backup SG or PF. Can use an extra pick to stock up for a star trade.

If there's ever a time to sell high, it's when you have two incredible players who can replace him. It will never feel right to do that, but it rarely ever does when you're selling high. You have to bravely stick to the logical approach rather than get sentimental or greedy. Tari to me is like Brooks but with excellent rebounding, transition speed and massive wingspan. We wouldn't lose a beat starting Tari in his place.

 

Valid points, which I can see the upside in making a move to trade Dill sooner rather than later as it's a forgone conclusión that at some point he will be moved.

As far as trading Dillon to improve the bench at SG or PF, I would think it would benefit this team to upgrade the starting lineup and more specifically at PF. I would say at SG, but Jalen is now not going anywhere.

I see this as a moot point as there is no indication that the Rockets would be willing to move Jabari to the bench even if his play continues to be underwhelming, at least not until the offseason. Moreover, it seems more plausible that there no major moves until than.

What áre some names that if available, you would move Dillon for (bench or starter)? Cam Johnson would do it for me. He could play alongside Tari or Amen and offer a more consistant scoring and shooting threat than Dillon while not being a zero on defense.

 

He was shooting well like this at this point last season too, and at some point fell off a cliff.

I would just seek a FRP in a deal (even if it's late or pretty well protected) unless some star player we want becomes available and Dillon became part of our package for him. We have plenty of forwards to replace Brooks' minutes, but a couple teams still arguably have us beat on trade assets, like OKC and maybe Utah. Gotta keep collecting picks if we want to compete next time an intriguing player comes available

 

How would you feel about Duncan Robinson and a pick swap for example? I think something like that gets us an asset as well as something in hand right now which can be useful. Sometimes you just need to space the floor with someone who's reputation creates space and the opponent's backup PF is not always an offensive threat. Can be a really good backup for us in those situations when Bari's shot is not falling and the paint is more packed than usual.

That pick swap is not amazing but it's not nothing, would effectively upgrade our own pick at a time we are contending and Miami is likely to be rebuilding. Might move up 10-15 spots.

 

29% shooting Jabari demands running Brooks out of town? Why is Brooks getting dead-weight treatment anyway?

Ive thought this a couple times, honestly.

 

Brooks is the big brother of the Terror Twins, he is one of the culture setters and definitely is playing great.

If the Rockets were still rebuilding, sure trade him. But in our situation where we are actually trying to win games trading him would just be wrong. He is only 28 and will still be decent in the next 5-7 yrs. Even his contract has turned into a value signing as we can see from Bruce Brown, Jakob Poetl, Miles Bridges. Anfernee Simons etc

 

We can get Robinson for Jock Landale/Steven Adams and Tate.

We need to keep the depth we have for injuries. For example I heard Amen was gonna be out due to a quad strain.

 

This is a very convenient way of describing it.

He had a bad March shooting 25% - he shot 40% in April. - he ended up at 36%.

There's nothing unusually streaky about his performance - other players on the Rockets also had miserable months last year, some early, some late.

He's a league average 3 point shooter so the story you're trying to tell of "lucky start bad finish" is just motivated reasoning.

I don't even like Brooks but he's the best defender on the team even if Thompson can jump higher and he's obviously considered to be a core player by the coaching staff, so he's unlikely to go anywhere no matter how hard you guys try to Wishcast it into happening

 

I just don't buy him as an average shooter given his track record prior to last season. I think it's more likely he's something like a 34 or 35% shooter than that he's turned some kind of corner and become very good, since the previous three seasons in Memphis he averaged 33% from three.

I also think Tari and Amen are already better defensive players and likely to improve further, whereas Dillon is what he is at this point.

 

No need it trade Brooks just to get Amen more minutes. Brooks and FVV are great defensive tone setters and solid vets. This team is doing well because of the depth and defense.

Trading Brooks would hurt both.

 

Dillon will start and continue to start. His mins can be cut down but he will remain the starter. He has also done a fantastic job as a starter so far.

If something is working you dont mess with it look
at the Bucks, Wolves and Mavs. Excessive tinkering "just because" can end up messing up your team.

 

I think switching in Holiday and Reed is good, unless Fred's on fire. Reed can use the development and Holiday's a good 3 PT shooter. Where does Cam fit into those minutes? I think I'd max Jalen, and Jabari at 28 min, unless they are on fire, and add Cam in there for some of those development minutes. I haven't given up on him. I'd give Eason 34 with Amen, especially if you have Dillon only out there 22 minutes.

 

The demise (hopefully only temporary) of Cam gives more reason to keep Brooks' minutes because now Amen's minutes spill to the 2 spot. Jalen's status is also in doubt--again--now that he has come back down to earth.

 

The fantasy land where the Rockets very much win now coaching staff is gonna

sit the guy who they regard as, and who, by the numbers, absolutely is -

- the best defender

on arguably the best defense,

and maybe the most important player on the team, given his insane net rating,

....for Cam Whitmore, because he can do better dunking....

Is not the universe as it exists.​

I said it before this season, even though he's annoying, the Rockets coaches obviously see him as one of their most important players and, ooh boy he is delivering right now beyond anything we could ever imagine.

The guy is a straight monster on defense this year. He has literally just shut down entire offenses singlehandedly for the past 2 weeks.

 

Yeah, like I said you can pretend he's a bad shooter but he's not, that's just what the numbers say.


Also, check the numbers; Dillon starts and is automatically handed the other team's best player be it Wemby, Towns, Harden, Lavine whoever, and - the result is that the Rockets have the best defensive rating in the league when he is on the floor.

This is not true of Eason or Thompson.

This thread is just full of people in denial - watch the games!

Look at the stats!

Brooks is ****in destroying people out there - watch his 3rd period tonight vs. Chicago. He singlehandedly put the game away by running around on defense and deflecting, stealing contesting the Bulls into submission.

Watch him muscle KAT into a horrible night a few weeks ago. Same with Wemby, Harden, etc

He is just wrecking it this year.

 

Dillon can eff yo girl