People need to realise that there are 30 NBA teams and a lot of those teams have young players putting up good games from time to time. It takes a sustained period of good games as a starter to really get noticed. Go take a look at the Celtics forum and ask them how much they value Asik, Lin, Tjones or Bev. I doubt the average NBA GM is more knowledgable, that's why they get constantly fleeced in trades. There seems to be a 'far too early,' trend for threads today. This is the third one yet. I thought people were going over the top hyping Lin after his start to the season. Now we're hyping Tjones after one game against a terrible Celtics team. Let him face a bit of real competition. Ask me again in ten games and we'll see where we're at.
I think you have to first consider really hard how good Terrence Jones himself will be? Morey has been on the record that he thinks Jones has all-star potential. For a while it looked like he wouldn't get the minutes here to improve but that seems to be in the past after the last two weeks. If all goes well, in 2015 we could have Harden, Howard, Beverley and maybe two borderline stars in Parsons and Jones and still have money for a max/near max player. That Boozer+Mirotic for Asik+D-Mo trade would also really fit that scenario well.
First, it's not one game. Jones has had 5 good games in a row now, in which he played substantial minutes and the team went 4-1. Second, of course the team is unlikely to trade Jones or anyone today. In fact, no trade is likely until December 15th, when many of the players signed in the offseason become eligible to be traded (from Millsap to potential salary fillers like Ronnie Brewer). So, there will be plenty of time for everyone to look at Jones before he is likely to hit the market. Nobody expects him to score 24 points on 10 for 12 shooting every night, but he has appeared capable of staying on the court for 30+ mpg for a good team and grabbing 10 rebounds per game during that time. The questions really are, if he continues to perform at roughly the same level for a few more weeks, how valuable is he and what do you do with him? Third, one thing that likely makes Jones' value higher than that of many other young players putting up numbers is that Jones is actually doing do on a good team. It's one thing to get some points and rebounds as a young player on a bad team who really have no alternatives but to care more about "developing" recent draft picks than actually winning, it's another to be able to play well enough to get minutes on a team actually trying to compete.
I think he's definitely being showcased. I don't know how much other GMs will value him, but maybe by Dec. 15 he'll have shown consistent production. The other option is that Morey is looking at BPA and that player is NOT a PF. If that's the case, then maybe he trades Dmo, keeps TJ and Smith, trades for a great up-and-comer (again, not a PF) and we go with what we have.
people are really desperate to get that 3rd superstar just for the sake of saying I have that 3rd superstar. What's that superstar going to give you, 18 points a game? the 'superstars' that play both ways are not going to be given up by their gms in a trade. I'd rather keep a grumpy asik til his contract runs out and let our team + coaching staff find it's groove.
Showcased???... seriously???? Anytime anyone EARNS minutes, is that all we got. Maybe, just maybe, he is helping the team win and thats why he's playing minutes. If he was performing bad, or the Twin Towers were dominating before the lineup change I might agree with you here, but there is NO reason at all to believe Jones above anyone else is being showcased. Now.... to Carl's point. Should they sell high while he's performing well??? I dont know about that. I'm sure back in 2007 the Celtics would have traded Rondo for Chauncey Billups, and back in the day the Rockets tried to trade Robert Horry for Sean Elliott, but looking back hindsight 20/20, those deals now look short sited and they were better off in the long-run sticking with the young guy that was still performing well. I'm not sure if Jones is ever going to become anything like Rondo, or serve the kind of role that Horry had in the playoffs, but I think the team needs to be very careful to not make a shortsighted move with Jones, or D-Mo for that matter. If the player is that good then its a no-brainer, but you have to be very careful with these types of moves if that young player (who might not be a complete player yet) is showing you that he's an important contributor even at this junction. I think from what I've seen the past few games, it looks like Jones will be a very important piece to making the starting 5 click on both ends, and should be kept out of deals unless its for a huge upgrade that ensures contention.
Carl, fair enough on your points. For now, I'm just happy to see how he does. He's been a pleasant surprise so far this season.
You don't "need" a third superstar, but you do need to have as much talent as possible if you want to win the championship. Having a third superstar is one way to maximize the talent level of the team. Also, it doesn't matter how many PPG the "third superstar" scores for the team. Ray Allen only averaged 18 ppg and Garnett only averaged 16 ppg for the Celtics when they won. Bosh only averaged 18 and 16 when Miami won. The important thing is that having elite talent is helpful both for increasing the # of regular season wins (for one thing, you are better covered in the event that one of your guys misses some games) and for bettering your odds of exploiting matchups in the playoffs. But really, the key is that you want potential difference makers for your team, whether it's Lamarcus Aldridge, Kevin Love or Paul Millsap.
Im with you on this one, lin, asik, parsons contracts are up at the same time & we will have money to see what is needed at that point. Its not like the past when it was hard to get players to come here. Players may take a small pay cut to come now.
now if it means bringing in contracts that expire in 2015 that will make us better contenders than now then I would do it. Im all for it but nothing long term past 2015 if that’s the case I would rather test the waters with what we have now until 2015 when asik & lin are gone. Would do a small trade for a perimeter defender that can shoot better than brewer. Don’t be surprised if morey makes one of these moves.
Hey Carl... What elite player is it you speak of that the Rockets could trade for....??? Personally I think many Red Nation fans overvalue the talent we have compared to what the rest of the league may think of them. But I honestly think TJ has entered the "No Trade" zone. And I believe Murray would be more inclined to trade Parsons before he would trade TJ.
So you think we have enough to trade for LMA or Love...??? I don't think so. And Milsap is 6-8. His ceiling is not higher than TJ's... And he's not an elite player.
lamarcus and Love will not be coming here via trade. Not the way their teams are playing. You would have a better shot acquiring them how we acquired dwight, with available money and patience. the stars we need are ones who can play both ways. Love? that guy, Along with rubio play the pick and roll worse than harden/ demo. Milsapp? defensively I think Jones has the quickness to disrupt the PnR and be better at defender than millsap will ever be. Statistics show,that in his Utah years, he wasn't anything above average defensively.
Morey will not Trade TJ. he is the prototype Morey player. He has the talent to be worth more than his salary and he has the skill set to turn into a mid-high starting caliber player (i.e. Chandler Parson) TJ can do exactly what is needed at the Rockets 4 Spot. He Rebound, Block shots, Run the floor and can occasionally hit the 3 point shot. That is what the Rockets Need and are looking for...why would you trade away something that you are looking for. Remember, our Two core players will be here for a while...TJ has the time to develop into a consistent player, but right now he has too many of the tools you look for to just trade away. Especially in a package deal with Asik that will probably only return One player. Yes Morey would like to Acquire a 3rd star. but i can guarantee Jones wont have anything to do with that move. Players Morey will not trade: Harden Howard Jones Beverly Lin (as of now) Parsons (This year)
How do "scouting reports" work in basketball? It isn't like football where you have a week to practice and plan for an opponent - in basketball you have several games a week, sometimes back-to-back. There's no time to really view scouting reports and internalize strategy and gameplans for individual opponents, I'd assume?
As invested as Parsons is in this Houston team, I don't see him being moved this year or the next. He continues to improve as a 5-tool type guy and its clear that all of the Houston staff likes the kid a lot. So please stop with the notion that Parsons would be moved before Jones. Now, with that being said, I believe Jones isn't going anywhere either. If Jones keeps this up then I see the Rockets staff developing the same affection they have for Parsons. If the team further gels and has a great year, I can easily see Parsons and Jones taking lesser contracts to remain here in Houston with a squad that they truly enjoy playing with.
