i think mchale has been great this season, he benched jeremy and omer when they were playing *****, which pretty made them consistent now, and he gave our young players more than enough minutes, which id say gave them a lot of experience. thus, we shud keep mchale
which makes u an LOH, stop bringing LOFs up, seriously, its just annoying were not talkin about lin here
crash5179, I dont know why you need to address me like this. But McHale is getting carried by Harden (and Lin's decisionmaking..when he lets him) mostly. Just look at Mike Brown being carried by Lebron all the way to COTY. He couldn't do **** with the 4 aging divas on the Lakers. McHale is letting Harden do what he pleases, which is a good strategy but not a championship winning strategy. A great coach persuades his players to do things they don't necessary want to do in order to win the championship.
I'm sorry, but I have seen other people saying this as well. This makes no sense at all. We have harden for 5 more years, and it's not a guarantee that he will stay beyond that, especially if our ceiling is first round exit, which it will be if we keep the team as is. We need another star, there is no question about it. Quite frankly, I find anyone silly if they say they don't want to trade away any of our players (aside from harden) even if that meant getting someone like Howard. I'd trade Parsons/Asik/Lin for Howard.
Aldridge would be a killer pickup for the Rockets. An additional scoring threat and pretty good D as well. I don't mind Asik and Smith at C. Having LMA at the 4 would only make them more effective. We could still run the floor and also work teams inside/out using LMA's low post game.
I'm just agreeing with what Morey has been repeating since we got Harden. If you find my lack of faith disturbing, you're probably not going to like our GM's mindset going into the future.
I'm surprised nobody has brought this up. Houston needs more EXPERIENCED VETERAN players, either as starters or off the bench. Knicks have Jason Kidd, Heat has Ray Allen/Udonis Haslem, Spurs have Duncan/Ginobili. These guys don't seem impressive, but in close games they are the difference between victory and defeat. They know how to close out games, hit clutch shots when you need it most. Rockets are too young, how many games where we let the other team go on a run in the 4th quarter to tie or take the lead? How many games have we lost where it came down to the last possession and we settled for a bad contested jumpshot? Veteran leadership is what this team needs the most.
Can we get Battier back??? Him + Millsap might be the answer to most of our problems. We can also get Mozgov if he's available to backup at C. If we can't get Battier, then maybe somebody like him.
If Howard proves to be more durable, then this might be a good option. However, Rockets will instantly be in rebuilding mode if Howard doesn't pan out. I hate it when Yao's ankle became so brittle. It is so hard to watch the Rockets. Then McGrady... That's a feeling I don't want to re-live again.
Could see morey swinging a deal to get Eric Gordon. Put harden at the 3 and parsons off the bench. I think they are going to trade him this offseason. Injury prone, but is the second star this team needs.
We don't want experienced veterans while we are building and looking for the next big thing. When we have our 2-3 stars then we bring in Battier.
Considering the roster, salary position, and what players are actually— or presumably— available, I think Morey is going to surprise us again this summer. Here, IMO, are the most glaring needs going into next year (2013-2014) and some realistic types of moves we could be making. Guaranteed (G) players and team-optioned, or non-guaranteed, contracts (Option amount*- % likelihood of retaining rights- % being on 13-14 active roster, IMO) for next season, based on current active roster: *If player has option, 13-14 salary will be listed PG: Lin (G- 95%), Beverley ($788,872- 45%- 40%) SG: Harden (G- 100%), Anderson ($916,099- 30%- 25%), Garcia ($6,400,000- 5%- 5%) SF: Parsons ($926,500- 80%- 80%), Delfino ($3,000,000- 50%- 50%) PF: Motiejunas (G- 80%), Robinson (G- 75%), Jones (G- 50%) C: Asik (G- 90%), Smith ($884,293- 50%- 50%), Ohlbrecht ($788,872- 30%- 20%) Note: Tyler Honeycutt has a team-option for ~$900,000. Royce White is guaranteed for ~$1,700,000. Also: Though a player's option may be picked-up (first %), I am also indicating (second %) the odds of them remaining on active roster to start 2013, as oppose to traded or waived. The projected salary cap for the 2013-2014 season will be about $60 mil. and, as it stands, the Rockets will have nearly $40 mil. guaranteed on the payroll and that number will increase to ~$46 mil. if Houston guarantees Parsons, Delfino, and any two of Smith, Beverley, and Anderson. Now the question remains: what do the Rockets do with all that spare change?... ...The most realist off-season scenarios (IMO): Type of move number one: Acquire a veteran star via free agency The bold and audacious will suggest offering ~$12-$20 mil., annually, to Howard or J. Smith for a chance to play with Harden & Co.; however, bringing in a player for ~$14-$18 mil over two years would fit nicely into how how our salary situation looks. This player would be a sort of "filler"; not in the sense of a mere role-player, but a "filler" as in a good-to-great player to fill a spot until a star— as Morey states, from "within the organization"— is born. Potential Target: David West, PF, Indiana Pacers West is not young, but he's also not on his last leg— yet. He is a 9-year vet coming off a $10 mil. year, that he is certainly proving to be worth. The 6-8, 250 lb. forward is averaging 17/8 per clip and could produce at a similar level for another two years. With the recent trades of Patterson and Morris, Morey has effectively removed the stretch-4 from McHale's repertoire. However, West would provide an interior and mid-range presence that would compliment Asik's low-post game nicely. I believe West could be the perfect "filler" at PF for a front-loaded contract (2-year, $15 mil.) that would allow enough flexibility to potentially target a max player in 14-15. Further, by offering a two year deal, the Rockets will be able to see who pans out as the heir-apparent to the PF position, as I can only imagine one— Robinson, Motiejunas, or Jones— actually signing a second contract with the Rockets, as they will all be facing their first team-options. Type of move number two: Build up the bench This is a lot easier said than done. If the Rockets sign a player comparable to West (salary-wise), then the team will have between ~$3-8 mil. to spread around, depending on if Delfino and others (Smith, Beverley, Anderson, Ohlbrecht) are kept on or are casualties. There are very formidable veterans and bundle young talent available this summer to suggest that the Rockets could essentially scramble their bench, unless of course they choose to stick with what they currently have. If not, there are a couple names that pop into mind: Potential Target(s): Tony Allen, G, Memphis Grizzlies; Al-Farouq Aminu, SF, New Orleans Pelicans; Kyle Korver, SF, Atlanta Hawks; Earl Clark, F, LA Lakers; Randy Foye, PG, Utah Jazz In an ideal world, the Rockets could bring in two of these players for a combined ~$8 mil./year. However, to sign two key bench players, along with a star (see above), Houston would almost certainly have to part ways with Delfino. I just threw out the type of contracts that I can envision the Rockets finding attractive: Foye could be had for Houston's "Room" exception ($2.5 mil.) and would provide depth at point, thus making Beverley more expendable if need be (or, you could commit to Beverley as the back-up PG for <$1 mil.); Allen would command around $6-7 mil over two years but would provide the backcourt defense that is vital in tight games; Aminu and Clark are each rising talents who will both likely make ~$4-5 mil./year, each will also want a mid-length contract. I would have no problem with carving out $15 mil. for Aminu over the next three years, especially with Parsons coming up for big money. However, this begs the question: why not just extend Parsons (which I am in favor of up to $8 mil/year)? Personally, I doubt that we land Howard, Smith, Bynum or any "marque" free agents this summer. Perhaps Morey will decide to ship Jones, or any other assets, for a first round pick and sit on it. Who knows? In 18 months Houston could finally see the moment where Morey plays the big-hand— maybe a S&T involving any/all of Motiejunas, Robinson, Parsons, and any picks that we acquire between now and then, for someone huge... *seriously not trolling* To some all of this up, I believe that if Houston sees a line-up, similar to below, for the 2013-2014 season, then this team will have few worries for the next 2-3 years: 13-14 Line-up: PG: Lin/Beverley/FA SG: Harden/Allen (or similar) SF: Parsons/Delfino PF: West (or similar)/Robinson or Motiejunas C: Asik/Motiejunas or Smith 14-15 Line-up (after the wishful-thinking/mega-bullish S&T): PG: Lin/FA/Beverley SG: Harden/Allen (or similar) SF: LeBron/FA PF: West/Motiejunas C: Asik/FA Mind you, this whole post was hypothetical and is supported by only a few hours of salary/CBA research— so try not to grill. Thoughts?
Another upcoming star, or superstar. 1, or 2 pickups is a smashing success. This season is already a success to go from picked to finish last in the West by ESPN (without Harden though). It has been a joyous season.
