It would be terrible for Doc Rivers if they traded Garnett and Pierce now.... I wonder if he would step down before the season ended if that happens
Also though, I think he would be open to finishing his career here since we do have McHale. Maybe having McHale would pay off for once.
Rental? You know Garnett resigned a three or four year contract during the offseason, right? Why would the rockets want Garnett? He's old.
Because he's awesome. YEah, he plays 30 minutes a game (but we have PF depth) but he is ridiculously good on defense for those 30 minutes. He could be the legit back up 5 to Omer Asik. He can still shoot and make plays. He sets absolutely amazing screens. When Garnett is on the court the Celtics are still an elite team. They're just horrible when he sits. Garnett on the Rockets moves us up to the Memphis level of contender.
Yeah, I would rather have Smith or Jefferson at the max than Garnett. I'd even consider Millsap at the max. Garnett would be nice for this year, but he will be 37 in May and there's three years left on his contract. If it was 2 years ago it would have been perfect, but now it's too late. Those legs have a lot of miles on them. He was drafted straight out of high school. It's been 17 seasons since then.
He'll have two years left after this year. If you are not going to get a guy like Cousins or Love that can grow with this team, your better off going for a rental like Garnett or Pau. That way the team could atleast get used to winning and then go after another superstar player when their contracts are up. So pretty much, when Garnett's contract is up. Players like Love and Cousins will be FAs either that year or the year after.
He's old, but he's still VERY effective. He's still one of the best defenders in the game and can consistently hit the 15-20 foor jumper (yes, I know the Rockets don't like long twos, but he still spaces the floor). If the Rockets could somehow pull off a Pau Gasol trade without giving up any core pieces (i.e., mostly tax relief and youngsters to LA), then I would seriously consider dealing for KG using a package built around Omer Asik. A team with a core of Harden, Gasol, Garnett and Lin would be a legit championship contender, this year and next. If it doesn't work, Gasol comes off the books in 2014, and the Rockets can either have KG for $12 million in the last year of his deal or waive him and only have him count $6 million against the cap. Get 'er done, Morey!
If you do this then you have no shot at the younger players I mentioned because you are locking those guys into longer contracts while Garnett's contract is winding down. The best bet for the Rockets right now IMO is to get a rental vet like Garnett or Pau because such a player would get this young team used to winning and at the same time his contract will run out as the next big FA period hits. Locking a guy like Smith long term to a Max would be horrible. I think Garnett would be perfect for this team because of his attitude and leadership as well. Either that or hope Dwight doesn't resign and I hope the Rockets don't put any more eggs into that Dwight basket.
