Rockets deal Brad Miller, #23, 2013 MEM pick, $ for Jonny Flynn, Motiejunas, 2012 2nd

So no more willing and dealing tonight?

 

Ok. Thanks

 

Is the "deadline" for trades the end of this month? (Expiration of the CBA).

 

Why don't you two get a room already?

 

Yes. The deal expires at the end of the month and all further trades must be completed under the new deal, which at the end of this month will not be in existence yet.

 

#7 Donatas Motiejunas

I’m almost scared off by Donatas Motiejunas. Reportedly lacks passion for the game. Poor rebounder. Weak defender. But here’s a guy standing a legit seven feet with terrific offensive skills and he’s starting to add some bulk. He’s excellent from distance (nearly 43% last year in the Italian League), underrated as a passer and he’s only 20. I’m not doing cartwheels if this is the pick at 14, but would love to see him in Houston at the cost of 23 or somewhere inbetween via trade.

http://rockets.clutchfans.net/1747/houston-rockets-nba-draft-targets/

Saved the best for last, Clutch?

Hit it right on the money in the last sentence.

 

Sounds like a tall Chase Budinger..

 

Not even close. This guy is a legitimately sized post player who has the ability to step out, not the other way around. Most of the videos you'll see of him are from a couple of years ago, before he put on his bulk and when he looked more like a small forward.

 

I'm talking about.."Reportedly lacks passion for the game. Poor rebounder. Weak defender."

 

I really hope you are right. What happens though if that certain free agent center does not sign with the Rockets who may very possibly not have a potentially contending and attractive team at that time? How much longer do we have to wait until we can once again taste the sweet feeling of success that we used to have and now the Mavs fans are savoring?

 

late to the party. big fan of the deal.

It's drafting Montejunas (project/size--and size is something we all clamored for prior to the draft), cutting salary for this year, and giving up a future 1st that's heavily protected for it

I'm ignoring Flynn's potential and/or trade value because I don't think it's pertinent. And I don't think it's why the deal was made. Just looking at the above--giving up a future 1st (esp. if they knew they would buy back the 38th when making the deal) in order to draft the player they wanted AND shed some salary for the coming year, knowing that the salary cap might be a huge issue.. I just think it's a great move

Now if you're like MadMax and would have rather had Hamilton over Montejunas... then I get the questioning. But personally I'm happy with Montejunas--wanted him at 23 all along

 

Budinger is not a poor rebounder, and I've never heard anyone question his passion for the game. Not sure what you're saying here.

 

Check his predraft weaknesses.

 

"I'm going to Minnesota?!"

 

The bright spot of this evening was getting rid of RA's pet.

 

He's not saying anything....just talkin' out his arse.

I literally think these "fans" arent really fans......well...fans of complaining, yes...

Blinder that Ray Charles talkin' about how they can "see"...

FOH!

That second round pick (Chase) is good....stop frontin.

 

I'll start off by saying this: I'm not really a fan of Jonny Flynn.

That said, this trade is EASILY a positive move for the Rockets.

--They get a prospect of which they thought highly in Montiejunas. This is a kid with top-5 talent in this draft. The concerns about this motor/love of the game--while troubling--may also prove to be false. It's not like people can see into this kid's heart. Also, if there's one thing that Kevin McHale can do better than probably any other head coaching candidate the Rockets brought in, it's MOTIVATE players. Needless to say, at pick #20, I'm quite pleased with the value of this pick. I would have gladly traded #23 and #38 to ensure getting this kid. No way he's there at #23 if the Rockets don't trade up for him.

--Jonny Flynn (again, not a big fan) may have been placed in the single worst situation of ANY player in the NBA the past two years. He's an open-court, run-and-gun PG. Yet, inexplicably (KAHHHNNN!!!! Or, should I say RAAAAMBIS!!!!), he was shackled with the triangle offense, a system that heavily disfavors undersized guards. He never stood a chance. Plus, with being picked back-to-back with Ricky Rubio, he was immediately associated with what many considered a draft farce. While he's not a guy I consider a top-6 draft pick, he's certainly better than what he's been able to show in Minnesota to date. I honestly think he's a decent NBA player who was just stuck in a very, very, very bad situation. He'll need to improve his shot if he wants to take a meaningful step forward.

--The future first rounder wasn't going to be some spectacular pick, anyway. As HiMana correctly pointed out earlier in this thread, those who pay close attention to the intricacies of the Ted Stepien Rule knew that the "future pick" could ONLY have been either (a) the (top-5 protected) 2012 Knicks pick or (b) the (lottery-protected) 2013 Grizzlies pick. And since Morey would NEVER trade a pick with only top-5 protection in a trade like this, it was fairly easy to decipher by process of elimination that the Griz pick was the referenced future first. Guys, if the Grizzlies just barely miss the playoffs in 2013 (a very realistic possibility, their recent playoff run aside), that picks not coming until 2014 . . . or later. If the Griz miss the playoffs through 2016, it becomes a second rounder (not two) and cash. I can live without that pick if it was necessary to get this deal done.

--The Rockets actually save themselves ~$2.2M over the next year or so. (Contrary to initial reports from Marc Stein, this move has ZERO effect on the Rockets' 2010-11 luxury tax situation. They're paying the tax. No cost savings now can affect that.) Flynn's $3.414M salary next year is a relative bargain to the $4.752M that Miller was set to make. This means that the Rockets have created an additional ~$1.34M in salary cap room this summer (subject to the new CBA rule changes). Also, as far as Flynn being "just an expiring contract" versus Miller, some teams may be more willing to take Flynn than Miller, since Miller would have been guaranteed $878k of his 2012-13 salary. (I have argued previously that Miller may be worth holding onto as a potentially attractive financial asset during the 2012 NBA Draft. However, with his recent injury and poor play down the stretch, plus the opportunity to get a clearly better player in Flynn, it just isn't worth it anymore.)

--Daryl Morey pulled off something I don't think I've ever seen before: he traded a pick . . . and then BOUGHT IT RIGHT BACK! Gotta give Les Alexander some credit here. The only reason I can think of why this was structured as two trades was so that Les could pay Minnesota MORE money. Otherwise, why not just trade cash instead of #38 in the first place. My guess is that cash WAS included in the first trade; and then MORE cash was included in the second trade to buy back #38. On the other hand, it's possible that Morey just told Kahn, "Hey, if we like someone at #38, please keep this pick available to us for purchase." Either way, nice twist on this deal by both Les and Morey.


Bottom line: Really like Montiejunas at #20. Like the talent upgrade from Miller to Flynn (even though I don't LOVE Flynn, he's definitely better than most realize). The future first isn't really that big a deal. Rockets save some money . . . money they could use to PURCHASE . . . you guessed it, . . . . another future first round pick.

Too much "win" in this deal not to like it.