Rockets acquire Thomas Robinson; Morris traded to Phoenix; Patterson, Douglas, Aldrich to Kings

Should be an interesting day tomorrow!! I will have a hard time working.

 

That's got to be Josh Smith.

 

...ya, but we gave up relatively little to take a chance with those guys. This is also a little different because Robinson is in his rookie season and hasn't gotten a lot of court time in Sacramento and oh ya - Sacramento probably has the poorest track record in the league of growing young talent. In short, he hasn't really proven anything yet for better or worse- he's just a super athletic stud on a bad team that has no idea how to develop young players.

I love this pickup as a low risk high reward pick and I also happened to really like a lot of what I saw from Robinson in the summer league. The guy is a competitor and he works hard. It seems the scouts complain that he is having a hard time with the NBA pace but I think it's more because he pushes himself to try to do too much on the court and doesn't play within himself causing him to make mistakes - he tries to play too fast for what he can process at this stage....but make no mistake - the guy has NBA athleticism, great handles for a big, is a decent passer, is very quick, and can outwork guys on the boards. If you asked me to find the perfect young big to play along side a team of the future with Harden I would probably describe a guy exactly like Robinson.

I also like this trade because it does make us worse in the short term and frankly, being a lotto team is a better place for us this year(hopefully the last year for a long long time). Actually, if the Rockets could get Josh Smith this summer and teach Jeremy Lin to be a competent 3pt shooter, I could really really get excited for this lineup as a team of the future with some strong 3pt shooters to sub in off the bench-

Lin
Harden
J. Smith
Thomas Robinson
Asik

 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>More Thomas Robinson: "I have a lot more to show as a player. I am excited to come to Houston and get the opportunity to show my talent."</p>&mdash; Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkBermanFox26/status/304440550176718849">February 21, 2013</a></blockquote>
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Uh, no...

As a prospect Robinson is not even in the same zip code as Favors.

 

Part of what scares me is the lack of playing time he's getting playing for a bad team. Also our team shoots a little better than the Kings so his rebounds may not be as high. I agree there is potential because of his age, and high draft position.

But it's definitely a risk.

I'll root for him if he stays on the team. I'll cheer like hell for the guy, and hope he grows in leaps and bounds.

But even per 36 minutes, he's really not that much better than Patterson. It's a lateral move. His rebounds are a little more, and his scoring is less. I don't know. I'm trying keep what positivity I can, but maybe I'm not able to do that so well.

 

"Much of the intrigue with Robinson prior to this season revolved around his outstanding physical tools for an NBA power forward prospect. Listed at 6-10 this season (he measured the same in shoes at the LeBron James Skills Academy over the summer) with a 7-1 wingspan, broad shoulders, and a chiseled frame, Robinson also possesses excellent quickness and explosiveness for a player his size, which he further enhances by playing with tremendous energy.

These traits are on full display when watching Robinson on the glass, as once again as a junior he was second amongst all players in our database in rebounds per-40 minutes. His size and strength enable him to get good position inside, and his length, athleticism, and energy allow him to go get rebounds out of his area. This is an area where he can make an impact immediately at the NBA level, giving him a skill to hang his hat on while he continues to polish some of the other facets of his game."

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Thomas-Robinson-5496/

"Robinson is one of the safer picks around the top of the draft ... He has the tools and the work ethic to become an ideal pick-and-roll/pick-and-pop kind of power forward ... Once Robinson polishes his post moves and jump shot, he should be a fixture in a team's starting lineup for a long time ... A likely top-5 pick ..."

"Robinson has a lot to like … He’s impressive physically, athletically, and he plays as hard as any PF in the country … He was productive when he took the floor for KU in limited time, a hard worker who improved a lot as a Soph., and he’s mentally tough after playing through injuries and even the death of his mom and still being productive, and has a developing skill set, but he has to work on polishing his skills more … The potential is there for him to be a solid NBA PF though and he is a likely 1st round pick in the 2012 draft ..."

http://www.nbadraft.net/players/thomas-robinson

" As expected, Robinson has emerged as the go-to player for the Jayhawks this season which has really helped his draft stock. He is pretty complete power forward with a very nice inside/outside game and a terrific combination of size, strength and athleticism to be an ideal NBA power forward."

http://walterfootball.com/nbascoutingreport2012trobinson.php

 

I understand your reservations, but I've learned not to let sac's decisions be a barometer for anything that makes sense. One of the worst run franchises in the league. Getting over on sac town is like that dumb guy in your fantasy league that people repeatedly take advantage of in trades.

 

at first sight I wasn't too excited about Robinson, but after some thinking, this guy could be good for our run and gun system. He's an athletic freak. Hope we don't flip him for Smith, he's gonna be asking wayyy to much in the offseason.

 

Thomas Robinson doesn't have anyone besides his sister.

 

Given that Honeycutt and Garcia have team options this offseason and Patterson and Morris still had guaranteed money, I think Morey actually expanded his offseason cap space by $1.5m.

I think flipping Robinson is not a good idea. He may have been disappointing so far this season, but it was on the Kings. Everyone seems to play half as well as they should on that team. Even Chuck Hayes lost his hustle when he went to the Kings! I don't want to say Robinson is a bust yet. At least this gives us a chance to evaluate a #5 pick for awhile on the cheap.

So, given that I haven't given up on Robinson's potential yet, and we still have cap space for a big offseason acquisition, we should hold our cards here and see what the offseason brings.

 

When Robinson is 22, 23, I think he will be a similar player to Kenneth Faried tbh.

 

I don't know about the new Shawn kemp but he is definitely athletic

http://youtu.be/_eWHLqGzaho

 

And i was disappointed we POTENTIALLY only got a 2nd Rounder for Morris. Would've rather had him on the bench.

 

Really? Explain what makes Favors such a better prospect?

 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Thomas Robinson on shot to play more in Houston:"I'm at a loss for words. It's all I wanted from the git-go.I'm going 2 make the best of it"</p>&mdash; Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkBermanFox26/status/304441855154741249">February 21, 2013</a></blockquote>
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...but Patterson always was a guy who had limited potential(and was pretty much playing at it now) while Robinson hasn't even begun to show any of the skills that made him a top 5 pick. Patterson was not going to get significantly better and was only serviceable now. I would rather take another serviceable player now who might turn into something real special based on potential.

 

Sacramento is where Talent goes to die.

 

And Garcia's shooting will help us in our playoff run down the stretch. He can play two positions (3&2)

 

Not sure what to make of this. The fact that the Kings were willing to give up on Robinson so quickly makes me a little concerned about how good he really is. Just another Jordan Hill, where his high draft status is misleading to how good we can really expect him to be?