PPat could not rebound. A power forward cannot average 4 rebounds a game getting significant minutes. If PPat was getting 7-8 rebounds a game, he'd of been been acceptable as a starting power forward. But, PPat is pretty much a finished product. He could still get better, but for this Rockets team he was a rebounding liability. Harden, Lin, and Chandler all rebound well for their position; but with Patterson being such an inferior rebounder, it negated the rest of the starters better than average rebounding stats. I was pulling for PPat to continue to improve, his offense was constantly improving, but the rebounding did not improve...
One thing that I am trying to make clear here is that Patterson was a role player. Morey finds good role players every single year. In fact the past few years we've had an abundance of solid role players. Why fret over losing a role player that Morey will replaice either by in house improvement or signing a FA vet for cheap like Delfino...or possibly even a bigger move? Morey took a guy with a lot of potential. We know you don't think he can play Carl. But the fact is that Morey thought he was more valuable to the team than Patterson either as a asset or as a guy they think can become better than Patterson ever was in a year or two. I guess time will tell whether Robinson is a bust or not...but unless Patterson turns into David West or something the Rockets do not lose this trade because they lost a role player.
Remember this was during a stretch of multiple b2b with little rest and when Pat just came back from a foot injury which was once thought to possible have been season-ending. The guy was very good this year when healthy-- the guy had offseason ankle surgery also. Outside of the period when he was bothered by injury he was very good-- above .600 TS% and scoring both inside and outside efficiently. Also much more solid on D than the rookies have been.
My bad... I meant to type that the reason it's a bad trade is NOT that Patterson is super great, but that Robinson isn't very valuable at all.
Who determines the value of players? The GMs around the league. Apparently Robinsons potential was good enough for Morey to give up Patterson for any ways. It really takes only one GM to fall in love with Robinson's potential to make this deal worth it.
Among PFs on pace for 500 min, Patterson ranks 59th out of 74. Very few PFs with this level of ineptness turn into useful players. Robinson ranks 13th in rebounding rate. Robinson is already useful on the boards and on defense.
The Rockets lost a role player... and gained nothing. Morey has picked up a lot of scrubs who continued to be scrubs.
Patterson is super great? He's the most one dimensional role player in the league. A PF who can't rebound at all. All he does on offense is face up and shoot jumpers between 12-16 feet. He occasionally makes a three pointer or a layup after missing 2 or 3 of them. He is a useless player come playoff time because he is soft and very easy to take out of a game. All a player has to do is read the scouting report on him to know he can't put the ball on the floor and doesn't have any post moves. Just keep a hand in his face when he faces up and he will hold the ball until he passes it. With his shaky handles he will get the ball stolen if he tries to do something with it unlike T-Rob. Patterson will likely get a contract around of at least 3 years, $15 million. I don't think he's worth that. He might even get 5 years, $25 million plus. I would much rather have Robinson and see what he can do. TJones is the real deal. He rebounds like a champ.
Morey is a good GM but he has a lotto bust addiction. He is irrational when it comes to these guys. It is known.
I agree, I have noticed this pattern too. I guess if they had someone on their board and missed him he becomes irresistible when he is available later. The Rockets have been through a "bunch" of this guys and we have an over supply right now. This may be the best group so far, and someone is going to emerge.
Patterson isn't a bad player, but he is fairly easy to replace. He is a bench rotation player on a 55 win team. I just don't think the Rockets are going to miss him much when it is all said and done. I wish Patterson the best. He is a very smart player, worked on his shooting and really understands defensive rotations... but he is an anemic rebounder, not much in the post and will get MLE money.
He looks at them as low risk propositions. We give up very little for them, and he knows if he hits on 2% of them it was worth it. You can become a harder worker or grow up and mature or thrive in a different system, but will never become bigger, a better athlete, etc. It doesn't really bother me as most have essentially cost is nothing. Flynn, Aldrich, Thabeet were all fillers and TWill cost us a 1st (when we regularly buy high 2nds) and TRob cost us a decent player that wasn't part of the future. For a GM known as a gambler, he makes a lot of low risk and high reward plays.
What salaries and cap management would that be? We increased our salary this season, and reduced our cap space for next year.
My take on this thread and Carl's responses to almost any logical argument about the PPat trade and it's effects on the Rockets. Typical Carl Herrra response:
Well, there is one thing I do agree with CH though. I do agree that Patterson is better than every other PF we have. That if he were still on this team, he is the starting PF. Where I STRONGLY disagree with him is the fact that the Rockets need him. The Rockets obviously have no need of him for the future. And they're showing they don't need him for the present either. We may theoretically be better with Patterson instead of Robinson this season, but the difference is minute enough that it's pointless to talk about it. Much less for CH to comment in every thread he posts.
Morey sold a 20 Dollar stock that's likely maxed out on value for a 5$ stock that has the potential to become a 50$ stock. Low risk move with a moderately high reward.
