My one concern... what happens to the weakside defense with Love at 4 alongside Howard. One thing that makes Howard such a good defender is his quickness to attack defensively but what that often opens up is the weakside. Will Love protect the weakside? Many of TJones blocks came from the weakside (though he too often left or "spaced out" and left the weakside wide open). My fear is we would still need a defensive specialist at the 4 position to at least back up Love, plus still need the defensive 3 to better defend the perimeter. And adding Love will make getting those players difficult from a salary POV.
Say big timer do you remember when everybody thought Horry and Cassel was going to be the face of the Rockets once Hakeem shuts it down. And what happened both players were traded for Mr. Sir Charles himself. LOL Just BUSINESS http://articles.philly.com/1996-08-...dio-station-ktrh-charles-barkley-nba-approval
Not to say that a deal of Asik Parsons Jones would get a trade done, but if it did, people need to suspend their Parsons-related emotions and consider the following: Bev/Harden/(Full MLE PJ Tucker? 3&D type)/Love/Howard is a far, far, far more dangerous and balanced lineup than Bev/Harden/Parsons/Jones/Howard. You replace Parsons and Jones with Love and a defensive wing and both your offense and defense improve dramatically.
Trading a guy for an elite player like Kevin Love isn't exactly "giving up" on him. You have to give value to get value in return. Other teams will be competing for Love, too.
Hear what I am just stating my opinion. There is a potential chance Parsons will be included in that trade for Love.
But Bev/Harden/Parsons/Dwight/Love is even more dangerous than any of those lineups. And that is what Morey is going for.
Let's not forget the TWolves signed Batum before he was matched by Portland. Of all the positions we have to offer, small forward is the one where we can help them the most. I would think Parsons has to be included just to avoid being trumped by a better offer from somewhere else. Although an expiring of sub-$1M isn't exactly enticing. They'll have to she'll put more money anyway next offseason just to keep him.
The issue with Parsons is that there are other options where you do not need to give him up. Sure, Kevin Love is the sexy option, but you could probably land Melo OR Milsap AND Lowry without giving him up. I just don't see him being moved.
I assume what you are talking about is the weakside defensive rebounding when Dwight goes to contest. Love is one of the best rebounders in the business. The amount of possessions where Dwight is not the weak-side helper is not what the Rockets should worry about when thinking of how to improve their defence. Terrence Jones was nowhere close to a defensive specialist and actually plays soft. He doesn't bang inside and cannot rotate. His pro was his versatility on switching screens, but that is not essential for many defences, and doesn't have to be for the Rockets as well.
Parsons put his foot in his mouth concerning Nicolas Batum. He's replaceable. Batum outplayed Parsons in the trenches. Outside that hustle play in game 6 where he made that layup off a miss Parsons was ghost in the 2nd halves of the playoff games.
If Restricted Free agency isn't "Forcing" yourself to gauge the market to find offers you'd except, I don't know what is. How do you think Agents & the players they represent come to the dollars contract amount they come to? Its called Market value. In any contract negotiation there is ALWAYS a comparative offer that your offer is being judged by to come to that value. In real estate its called "comps in the area" which I'm sure you are aware of. Since Restricted Free agency for Parsons would be coming up in a matter of weeks, it would dumb to think that a power agent like Dan Fegan wouldn't be well prepared to get the highest dollar amount possible for Chandler if for some reason things play out to where he needs to get those "Comps" ASAP. ............... If Parsons is getting his option declined before the end of June, logic tells me that its got to be for the reason that it is making him more marketable to a team that is trading for him after the July moratorium. I dont see any reason why the Rockets would make him a RFA when they obviously have big plans to acquire someone(reportedly Melo) right at the start of free agency. That holds up their timeline quite a long time for S&T or (what you've said before was more likely to happen before) cap clearing to offer Melo a UFA contract at a discount. If plans for the Rockets are to make that major free and or trade splash, I would think that its best to keep Parsons as an UFA to keep their options much more flexible. Putting him into RFA this Summer kind of kills their plans & their timeline to look Melo, or someone like Bosh if they are to decline their options & test the market. Maybe this is a Larry Coon/Bima Thug question but - What happens if come July 1st, lets say for example, Cuban & the Mavs knocks on Parsons' door and offers him a 5 year 50 million dollar deal which he excepts, and the Rockets than have a few days at the start of free agency (I think 3 days if I'm not mistaken) to make a decision on matching or letting him walk. As I understand it (assuming the Rockets have cleared cap by trading Asik & Lin before to sign someone in free agency after July 1st) wouldn't that pending offer put a hold on their cap space until they decline the offer? Those first 3 or 4 days of free agency are extremely crucial, and having so many spinning plates would make things very tricky. Anyways.... its a long winded way of saying that I see how making Parsons a RFA could make the July free agent process difficult if Morey really is going to go hard after a 3rd banana. If the Rockets dont have a deal lined up for a trade for a 3rd star, logic tells me you ride out the final year of his deal, take the discounted year, and have the assurance of knowing you are ready to hit free agency & the upcoming trade season full petal to the metal without major hurdles.
After watching Milsap and Lowry's playoff performances, IMHO they'd be our best get this summer. Lowry, Harden, Parsons, Milsap, and Howard would be formidable. Just don't see how we could get 'em...
Why is there even discussion over who to send to Minny outside of DH and Harden? Hell, I'd include the Houston economy if that's what it took.
So many POFs here. I dont see what many of you see in Parsons. He isnt the best on D and cant hit the 3 well enough to be our 3nD player. If trading Parsons means getting a top 12 talent in Love then bye bye Chandler.
You honestly think we could simply acquire Millsap and Lowry without trading Parsons? Millsap is an all-star under contract. Lowry is going to get $12 million. Explain how either of those options is even remotely attainable, let alone both.
Just having those three big names is dangerous enough. They could easily find a pretty good player to replace Parsons. You have three legit scoring threats, so the Rockets could go after a player like Thabo Sefolosha for defensive purposes. Not saying we would bring in TS but their will players available for that position. We also have a sharp shooter by the name of R Covington who we could call up and play the SF position.
There's no way we beat out what the Bulls could offer without including Parsons. Even if that lineup happened, you'd be asking Parsons to recommit fully to defense in his contract year. Probably not happening. Pick one: Parsons, Love.
How many players are better than Chandler Parsons overall that we can realistically get? That doesn't include Lebron, KD, Leonard and Paul George. If we get Kevin Love for Parsons then Morey better get Luol Deng right after. Because no one else is popping up in my head.
