Morey never paid one red cent over a players perceived value. Don't think he will be out squandering Les's money this summer. The Turk would be a ball and chain around the franchise's ankle for a couple of years. No amnesty for him so don't expect to see him in a Rocket's uniform any time soon. There will be a serious bidding war for Hibbert like last fall's Nene/Gasol wars. DWill is unobtainable for a variety of well known reasons. Batum will get matched. I think we should throw huge piles of money at Gordon just to run Stern's nose the pile of **** he left on the ground last fall. But I'm not bitter ... much.
Like I said...worst case scenario is you can amnesty Scola. Best case scenario is you trade him for a draft pick. Plenty of options. And the best part is Morey will have a chance to convince Les to let this thing go for a year, go to the top of the lottery and then come back the following year with cap space and a top lottery pick.
If we trade Martin and Scola and somehow get Melo, our starting line-up could be pretty balanced: PG: Lowry (Defense AND Offense) SG: Lee (Defense AND Offense) SF: Melo (Offense) PF: PPat (Defense AND Offense) C: Dalembert (Defense) I wouldn't mind adding Melo as starting SF ... we could have a go-to-guy! BTW, Melo played in the Western Conference Finals against the LA Lakers in 2009 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_NBA_Playoffs), so this isn't T-Mac all over again ...
1) Thabeet, Flynn, T-will for Okafor and top 5 protected first round pick 2) Martin, Patterson, Dalembert, Hill, NYK 1st rd pick, NO 1st pick for Howard, Turkoglu Lowry/Dragic Lee/Budinger Parsons/Turk/Morris Scola/Okafor Howard/Okafor
Since I'm bored and not an F5 kind of person I'll play the DH game... 2011-12 Howard / Smith Gasol / Hill Parsons / Bud Lee / TWill Goran / Flynn Might actually make some noise in the playoffs. Then let's say that the team does really well and you talk Howard into staying if you get DWill as a FA. You will have to release a bunch of players (Lee, Goran (let walk), Hill) to give DWill his money but you'd end up with something like this: 2012-13+ Howard / Smith Gasol Parsons / Bud open DWill We would then have to take on the Heat model and try and fill the spots with 1 MLE, 3 mill for our #1 pick and the rest would be min FA contracts to some ring chasers ending their careers. Otherwise 2012-13+ ends up something like this: (resigned Hill? Kamen? Asik?) / Smith Gasol / DMo Parsons / Bud resigned Lee Llull We'd still have max (or near max) money left over to fill in the holes (starting C, PG, SG)
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Rumors: Magic, Rockets interested in Michael Beasley? + Raja Bell to the Clippers? <a href="http://t.co/ii7B7f9t" title="http://bit.ly/vIcV9Q">bit.ly/vIcV9Q</a></p>— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) <a href="https://twitter.com/hoopshype/status/179959439254761472" data-datetime="2012-03-14T15:57:28+00:00">March 14, 2012</a></blockquote> <script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
I think that's probably legit. Martin going to Minny for Beasley plus something else to send to Orlando.
Yep, I agree. For some reason I think we end up with Beasley by tomorrow. I really wouldn't mind that. Yes, he has had some off court issues, but the guy has talent. We need a scorer at SF. Maybe a new team does him some good. Things are going to be interesting. Orlando HAS to move Howard. If they dont they are just dumb dumb dumb for taking such a risk.
Beasley is an interesting case. He's obviously an elite level scorer, but he only gets backup minutes to a guy like Wesley Johnson. I'd do Martin for Beasley and Randolph/pick.
I think I figured out Morey's madness.... I couldnt understand why he was trying to dump assets into an overpaid Pau,when he doesnt put us over the hump for a champinship.... or dumping assets for a rest of year rental on Dwight... when we would be so gutted D12 wouldnt stay... Then I saw it - he wants BOTH to make a run this year - and hopefully keep D12 D12/Wafer/expirings for KMart/Sam/NY pick/Morris or PPat Pau/Goudelock/expirings for Scola/Dragic/Thabeet/PPat or Morris (possibly with a third team facillitating) Klow/Goudelock/Flynn CLee/Wafer/TWill Parsons/Bud/TWill Pau/Hill/expiring D12/Hill/Smith at end of year we lose Flynn, JHill, TWill and other expirings... and resign CLee... now here's where it gets fun... look at the contracts..... alot of cheap ones... KLow (6M)/Goudelock (500K) CLee (5M) / Wafer (1.5) Parsons (1M) / Bud (1M) Pau (21M) / Dmo (2.0) D12 (18M) / Smith (500K) thats a solid squad.... and were still under the cap to fillout our roster with second rounders....
I think he was after Pau to package with Lowry for Dwight. I think that would get it done for Orlando plus an expiring to take back Hedo.
a 3 way with LA and CHI ? if the bulls want gasol, maybe we can try to get Asik ... of course it would mean we 'd have to take boozer, but if we get picks in the process why not ? no ? http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=83xpc5t Hou gets Boozer, Brewer and Asik LA gets Scola, Flynn (they need a PG) and Deng Chicago gets Gasol, Martin (they need a SG) and Kapono
The Lakers can get a better PG than Flynn from the waiver wire, no need to downgrade PF in the process.
A quick trade like this would be nice Thabeet, flynn, williams and minny's second for Jamison and harangody from the cavs. We can then flip jamison and his contract for who ever. So we don't haft to take back players and the other teams doesn't haft to cut anybody. Also jamison is still a good player, putting up 19 and 7 a night.
Just because the lack of news is driving me crazy, here are a few very unflashy trades I'd like to see the Rockets make if (a) they cannot pull off a major trade to upgrade the team and (b) the needed pieces remained after other trades: Trade 1: Hasheem Thabeet, Jordan Hill, Terrence Williams and the 2012 MIN second round pick New Orleans for Chris Kaman Rockets get a legit center for a playoff push this season, while not giving up anything of REAL value. Also, the extra roster spots created by this move can be utilized with a follow-up trade (see below). [This trade resembles what had previously been rumored but rejected by the Hornets.] Trade 2: Jonny Flynn to Cleveland in a three-way deal with the Lakers in which Houston receives (a) the Lakers' 2012 first round pick or (b) the Hornets' 2012 second round pick (via Cleveland) Rockets trade away a non-rotation PG in exchange for either a first round pick or a very high second round pick (which is almost as good as--if not better than--a late first rounder). [This trade has actually been rumored to have been discussed, with the Rockets getting the first round pick, but Cleveland wants that pick; hence, taking the 2012 NOH second rounder, while Cleveland can take the Lakers' pick.] Trade 3: Sam Young and future draft considerations from Memphis for nominal future consideration (2014 top-55 protected second rounder?) The Grizzlies desperately want to nudge under the luxury tax threshold by tomorrow's trade deadline. Young is a decent young player, and to get him and a future pick for essentially nothing would be a quality move. The Grizzlies traded away their 2012 and 2013 second round picks already but also own Toronto's 2016 second rounder. Perhaps the 2014 MEM pick and the 2016 TOR pick? (Yeah, REALLY interesting trade proposal!) I've got more, but I'd rather go back to continually checking my Twitter feed.
^Those are pretty realtistic I'd say, so good job. As for the Beasley 'rumor', it came from none other than Bill Ingram. So there's that.
