It's not random; the guys were good friends going back to Lee's days with the Magic. That is a well-known fact.
Agreed -- pure speculation on my part. I'm just giving my opinion, as I said in my original statement. By the way, you and (almost) all of us are just giving their opinion and interpretation of everything that is going on -- please keep this in mind. The only question is whether our opinions and interpretations make sense, which is totally debatable and on the table to discuss. That said, it is simply my opinion that, if the Rockets were still in the Howard hunt, they would have tried harder to keep Lee so that the 2 guard position would be more solidified and the roster would have been more immediately competitive for Howard. The fact that they are moving him for future picks (which I like as a move by the way) indicates to me that they are going with a younger longer term rebuild plan (which is cool with me) either using the 4 rookies and collected draft picks or based around the still young Bynum.
I understand the argument. I was one of those same people postulating that Lee was waiting to re-sign after Howard had been traded to us. Still, it was nothing more than wishful speculation based on their close friendship.
Courtney Lee had to go today before Lin signing is official. With Jeremy on the team, there is a good chance that Parsons will wake up one day and find out he just spent a night with a "Courtney Lee" and feel awkward about it. Worse yet, Courtney Lee might wake up one day next to Courtney Lee.
Steve Bulpett @SteveBHoop JaJuan shouldn't think he'll be able to get out of Houston easily. Word is Rockets like him and will keep him.
It's hard to say what their plan is at this point. It's probably safe to assume that landing a Howard rental, at a 'fair' offering price, is their #1 preferred scenario. Since Lee was unlikely to be part of any trade package and/or the Rockets did not necessarily plan on bringing him back, I'd say the Lee S&T does not necessarily set us back in the Howard pursuit. Via the Lee S&T, we just acquired more of the exact type of assets Orlando would want in a trade: Draft picks, promising young talent, and non-guaranteed/expiring contracts. JJJ could even be further flipped for another pick. I have no inside information whatsoever, but I fail to see how adding more trade sweeteners hinders our pursuit of Howard.
Just read that This deal is in trouble and may not go through. It could be that Jajuan doesn't want to be a Rocket and will demand to be traded. I'll post info in a bit.
Steve Bulpett @SteveBHoop Courtney Lee deal may be in trouble. Sides trying to keep it alive. dont know how legit this guy is, but thats what he posted, he did however just post.. Steve Bulpett @SteveBHoop Some involved more comfortable Lee deal is happening. ... Apologies, but updates on a fluid situation are frustrating all around.
@SeanDeveney #Celtics-#Rockets Courtney Lee deal NOT done. JaJuan Johnson hasn't requested trade from HOU, but he'd welcome it, given the # of HOU PFs.
It definitely does not hinder our pursuit of Howard, it just does not make sense if we are indeed still pursuing Howard. Now, it is quite possible Lee had had it and wanted to go to Boston, but based on the players being talked about coming back here and because of Avery Bradley and Terry already being in Boston, I think Lee could have gotten as much money and more playing time on a Howard based Rockets squad. So, in evaluating intentions and motivations of both the Rockets and Lee, the Rockets doing this only makes sense to me if they have decided to not get Howard.
Does trading Lee mean the Rockets will not be getting DH but Bynum? Also, will Asik contract be signed and delivered to the Bulls tomorrow or do the Rockets have to waive more players because of this SnT?
Your 2nd question is easier to answer. This trade will probably not affect the Asik situation, which should still be officially offered Friday. This is because the Rockets are going to be taking on less salary than what the Lee cap hold was on (the Rockets un-renounced their bird rights to Lee sometime after the Lowry trade). The Rockets will probably waive about 1.7 million in unguaranteed contracts that they are getting from Boston, but they will take 48 hours to clear waivers, so they will not affect the cap space prior to the Asik offer being signed. On the 1st question, there is some disagreement, as you can see in the thread above. TexAg and other think Howard is still the Rockets main goal, my opinion is that letting Lee go indicates that the Rockets are done with Howard but may still be after Bynum. Since neither of us is Morey it is all speculation.
I see your point. The trade could be interpreted a number of ways, and there's really no way to say with certainty what we should infer from it. Could be that Lee just really liked the idea of playing for the Celtics. I think I read somewhere that Lee had a close relationship with Doc Rivers and was sold on the idea of signing there. Perhaps he was informed that there was a good chance he would be backing up Jeremy Lamb, even if a Howard/Bynum trade did go down. Maybe we'll hear some leaked info at a later date.
JaJuan Johnson can actually ball, and can play good defense whenever he did play. He actually played some in the play-offs with the Celtics.
