We have no idea how this summer is going to play out, but obviously with Melo, Love, etc. as targets, there's a lot of possibilities for who we might need to sign with the MLE, BAE, and Vet Mins depending on how it all ends up. Here are the guys I think would be worth a look depending on our needs. Some are MLE, some BAE, and some vet min level. A few may command more, putting them out of our reach, but these seem like the best targets for the most part. Who would you like to see us target? Who might I have left off? PGs: Greivis Vazquez Darren Collison Patty Mills Kirk Hinrich Shaun Livingston (I guess he's a PG) Mario Chalmers Perimeter Defense: Avery Bradley Thabo Sefalosha PJ Tucker Trevor Ariza Kent Bazemore (Could ake a punt on him as a backup defensive guard if he'll sign cheap) Wings/Shooters: (a lot of these guys are interchangeable with the Perimeter D section) Paul Pierce Jodie Meeks Shawn Marion Mike Miller PFs/Other Rotation Bigs: Boris Diaw Emeka Okafor Patrick Patterson Kris Humphries Jordan Hill Dejuan Blair Anthony Tolliver Spencer Hawes
Spencer Hawes gives our front court a legit different look offensively and he is not terrible on the other side of the court. I like Ariza as well. Howard/Hawes Melo/cheap defensive 4 Ariza/Parsons Harden/Daniels Beverly/Me
since I am unable to make threads for some stupid reasons, im going to post what I wrote up last night. One of the biggest question for the Houston Rockets this offseason besides the obvious (Who's going to be our 3rd star?) is who's going to replace Omer Asik if hes traded? In order to get a 3rd star, Omer and Lin have got to go. If the Rockets plan on becoming a team capable of winning a championship they need several key factors, one of them is 100% up time on Rim protection. When Dwight sits, who's going to continue to protect the paint? We know what we are going to lose with Asiks gone. A rebounder, defender and shot blocker. We need to gain just as much as we lose to continue our road to a championship. A center who can defend, rebound, block shots isn't easy to get, yet alone afford. Do we use our MLE on a center? Pg? or a Vet that gives us experience? Players available in the off season that meet the MLE criteria. Naming just a few, and not in order of quality. Marcin Gortat - legit rebounder, shot blocker, mid range game, inside game. 2013 earnings 7.7 million. Is he willing to lose money to play with a contender? Andrew Bynum - when in LA he dominated. He has issues, maybe mchale could redeem himself of the R. White fiasco. Price? 2013 earnings 7 million, again is he willing to take a cut, and is Houston willing to take a chance? Chris Anderson - A vet, who is right now in the NBA finals. He would be a lesser Asik for sure, but he can hold is own. 2013 earnings 6.2 million What if we use our MLE on a position on a non center position? Heres what we do know, Rockets cant spend more then 2 million on this player in order to afford a 3rd star. Personally I think the player needs to be cheaper, 900k- 1.5 million. I see these transactions taking place in and around the NBA draft. This requires getting rid of D mo and possibly Tjones. John Henson - Good defender, long, and athletic Salary 1.9 million Gorgui Dieng - With Pekovic injured, Dieng broke out averaging almost a double double in the two months he started. Hes Young but cheap. Ryan Hollins - Decent rebounder and defender, long. Is a free agent made less then a mill in 2013 Henry Sims - Rebounds, defends, can finish around the basket, young, 7'-4'' wingspan, 76er, cheap. Who do you think would best represent Asik in his absence? Who could give the Rockets the cap flexibility and skill in order to take it to the next level?
Would definitely look towards defense. Ariza will probably make above the MLE so Sefolosha and Okafor would be pretty good additions. Diaw probably won't leave if Pop and Duncan stay, but if he's out there you have to target him. A dream would be: Beverley/Daniels Harden/Sefolosha Parsons/Melo Melo/Diaw Dwight/Okafor
Yeah I'd definitely be on board with splitting the MLE. We need to fill up that bench with some depth.
If we get Melo and parsons resign I will go after PAt PAt Can backup Dwight some minutes and can play PF Good partner for Dwight, because 2pat is a good long distance shooter
Would bring defense, toughness, and veteran leadership to our bench. And all of these moves are made with the assumption that Lin and Asik are gone.
Sure is a lot of fan interest in a guy with a herniated disc, who missed the entire season. Center? Why not go back to LA for one? Spoiler Perfect backup. Or... He has a player option and is unlikely to leave but... Spoiler
Speaking of LA: Nick Young is a free agent and may fit as a wing scorer after Harden is traded for Love. Neither he nor Harden defends a lick. Harden is more efficient on offense but Nick is more swaggy and more p.
nice list! if we strike out on melo/love/lowry, i'd trade lin for cap space (giving up the MLE and BAE) and go after sefalosha and hinrich. we could also do the same thing with asik and use that cap space to sign meeks and hill. using asik and lin's cap space to sign 4 players would drastically improve our bench/team. dwight-hill TJ-dmo parsons-sefalosha harden-meeks bev-hinrich
Shawn Marion would be an amazing 6th man to have come off the bench and provide some defense/legitimate veteran presence.
