If Patterson continues to play consistently, would you still want him gone for pick/prospect?

I've criticized Pat a lot, but I wouldn't just give him away. If we can throw him in a package for an upgrade at the PF spot, I'm good. I would not trade him for a prospect or pick.

 

Pick yes if its 9 and under but i think we are seeing Pats ceiling.

 

A player option greatly decrease the trade value of the contract.

Basically, a player option is a lose-lose scenario for the team.

1) He plays well. He opts not to pick up the player option. You'll have to fight other teams to overpay him if you want to retain him. Free agent market conditions may mean you'll have to pay more than you want, or give him a longer contract than you want (along with the attendant risk of future decline or injury turning it into an abatross contract). Either way, you'll end up losing cap space and trade flexibility by giving him a larger and longer new contract. Otherwise you let him go if you think the price is driven too high by some crazy GM trying to head-hunt, and get no assets back, losing the time and value you invested into grooming him.

2) His play declines and he sucks, or is injured. He decides to pick up the player option because it's more money than he would make on the free market now that his value has dropped. You're now stuck with an albatross contract killing your cap space for an extra year.

Finally, expiring contracts have value because you can shed salary. But if there's a player option, you don't know exactly when it's expiring, so it's hard to trade it as an expiring contract. It makes it more difficult for teams to do long term planning for salary cap and luxury tax management. Not to mention the monkey wrench that this uncertainty introduces into roster development. So the trade value of the contract drops even further.

Morey says he does not give player options unless the player is a superstar like Harden. Dragic is not someone good enough to demand a player option in his eyes. Player options take control out of the GM's hands and put it into the player's, something that GM's hate when they need to do long term planning, since they can't know in advance whether the option will be picked up or not, and how that would alter their team picture. And the greatly decreased trade value of the contract also inhibits Morey's wheeling and dealing.

 

So I've come around a bit on Pat. I recognize the limitations of his game, but I also have to remind myself he's still only 24. I'd be concerned about the damage to chemistry moving him right now, so I probably wouldn't trade him this season, but in the offseason, that's a different story. Id gladly move him for picks in the offseason. I'd still love to upgrade our 4, or better yet, a 4-5, by the trade deadline, but I'd rather do that by moving Morris or Smith.

Thing is, with Morey developing NBA worthy prospects in the d-league, why not move our non-star players for draft picks? A Pat Bevery can produce like TD. DMo and Jones have higher upside than Morris.

My point is, why not move guys who we don't think will become stars for draft picks? It's not like we can't eventually replace the production with good scouting and development. Just keep stock-piling assets until we can make another Harden-type move.

 

Carl Landry was traded for Kevin Martin who was traded for James Harden. I love ya Carl but I have no regrets.

 

it seems ppat is finding his game and a role to be most valuable to the team. he is not a banger. the rockets have been trying to turn him into a rebounder, but i guess that is just not his forte. he has a good offensive game. i think he wants to be a scola-type player. what i like is that he has been playing well in the second half and 4th quarter. i think he is a smart guy and knows that he has to step up if he wants to stay with houston, so right now i think he is pretty much on a bubble. if he is "coming into his own" so to speak, that disproves people who say "he is what he is" or "he has reached his ceiling." i disagree with that too. it may be true for many players, but let's not dismiss the real possibility ppat is growing and may continue to grow. he will never be a spectacular athlete, but if he is a consistent scorer 17+ ppg that compensates for his weaknesses. hopefully it will happen because it seems if he plays well, the rockets win. if he doesn't, they lose. that is how he will be able to make himself safe from being traded before the deadline, presuming no terrific opportunity comes up.

 

Pat is playing great and seems to have broken out of his "Clutchfans whipping boy" status.

If there is a clear upgrade somewhere I would jump on it, but I wouldn't actively seek to move him.

Although it wouldn't surprise me if he is moved for a future pick because having extra cap space this offseason could be extremely useful, and we have plenty of depth at the 4.

 

But he was a bad rebounder before we had Asik so I don't understand your point.

 

I say patience with 2 Pat. With the recent improvement in his game, I think he deserves to stay till the end of the season. If he plays consistently until then, it might be better to keep him and invest on strengthening the bench.

 

Basically since Asik gobbles up all the rebounds, Patterson's inability to rebound can be overlooked a bit. Honestly we have no idea if Patterson is getting better at rebounding since Asik rebounds at such a high rate, lowering the amount of rebounds for everyone else. If we had a hard nosed power forward, say Kevin Love for instance, his rebounding totals would go down as well playing next to Asik.

 

He's Money on NBA 2k....he can shoot from anywhere

 

Delete post

 

U do realize the guards sometimes outrebound patterson

 

Patterson has been money lately.

 

I'd keep Patterson, he would be the perfect backup stretch 4. I'd trade Morris instead.

 

so....................is he "REALLY" back?

 

I missed the first 3 quarters... why wasn't he in at all during the 4th? His stats looked alright, aside from the rebounding...

 

Mook was playing really well.

 

I really like that ppat has a nice stroke from mid-range in spots that defenders just leave open on the PnR, or just dont think he would spot up at. Not to mention his corner 3's are decent. Someone on the staff just needs to light a fire on his ass, or have him put on more weight to fight for rebounds if Asik isn't around.

 

Sorta kinda.