No doubt IF the Rockets were able to trade for Lawson is would put the Rockets on pace with the rest of the West, to least compete once again for the 4 top spots.
I still don't see Lawson. It seems that the Rockets are looking for someone that compliments Harden, and not a player with a similar skillset. His contract doesn't make sense for a team looking to make a big splash in free agency next year. The more likely outcome, IMO, is either a small trade (Augustin, Collison, Clarkson) or signing a euro guard (Rodriquez) using a portion of our MLE not used to resign KJ. Another option is just to wait until December when teams realize they are not who they hoped they were. Right now, everyone thinks they are a contender, if not for a championship then for the playoffs. But I could see any of the following players becoming available just a few months into the season: Grevis Vasquez (Monroe is a disaster and Milwaukee collapses) George Hill (Jordan Hill and Myles Turner is a terrible starting front court) Darren Collison (Rondo and Cousins on the same team, with George Karl as the coach?) Kyle Lowry (Raptors are a sneaky bad team. Terrible 2nd half last year. They drafted Wright and signed Joseph) As well as others. The point is that circumstances change, and the Rockets are positioned to jump at good opportunities. I'd especially watch George Hill and Darren Collison. While they are both signed beyond next year, their contracts should be easy to move if necessary. And I don't think either team is going to be very good. Indiana's front court is an unmitigated disaster. I saw Bird wants to play Paul George at PF for a healthy portion of the season.......really?? That's a complete misuse of his skillset. When Indiana realizes that other teams are going to form a layup line on their bigs, then I could see both George Hill and newly signed Ellis hitting the market.
We're not trading for Lawson guys. Too much money for what he does. If he were making around $5 million per season, we might be interested. But not on a $12-13 million annual salary through next season.
I agree with most that Lawson could help us in a lot of ways. He loves to run, can drive the paint, doesn't turn the ball over and is good at setting up his teammates. I am not denying that he brings a lot to the table, but i don't see anyone talking about his defense. It was pretty obvious at times this season, and especially in the playoffs that our lack of perimeter D is a pretty big issue. Deli did a great job on Curry and is one of the major reasons they were able to compete in the finals with all the injuries to the Cavs. Lawson is not a good defender and given his size (5'11) that won't drastically improve. I cannot imagine how bad our perimeter D would be with him alongside Harden. Is no one else concerned about this? I'd love to hear from people on the board that know more than I do on this subject.
Article on Lawson some might find interesting.... http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2373055-ty-lawson-is-the-most-underrated-point-guard-in-the-nba
He doesn't defend. And that's why he's not a $12-13 million player for us. He's realistically only worth $3-6 million per season as another offensively talented perimeter player that cannot defend.
It's funny looking at Ty Lawsons instagram comments. U get like 5-10 come to Houston comments. I know he sees it.
We don't need him to defend, we have PatBev and Ariza. We need someone who can play-make, pass, and shoot. The money doesn't matter, considering next year's cap figure. All you have to do financially to make a trade work is Kpap, TJones, Prig, Dorsey, and maybe Nick Johnson. Find a third team, or throw in picks to make it "fair". I don't understand why people can find a negative in adding a new PG. Especially since we resigned PatBev, he is a great defender and would arguably be the best back-up PG in the league. Of course I would rather want Russell Westbrook or Chris Paul, but that aint happening. Out of all the PG options potentially available, Ty Lawson is superior.
More interesting comments regarding Lawson http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on...says-ty-lawson-isnt-a-leader-should-be-traded <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/miguelzwrld">@miguelzwrld</a> some ppl just want to stay relevant lol</p>— Ty Lawson (@TyLawson3) <a href="https://twitter.com/TyLawson3/status/620333762895745025">July 12, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Gone, baby, gone
Both Harden and Lawson are minimum 30 mpg players, which means you have to play them together for at least 12 minutes, and in the playoffs, likely more. Are you really prepared to have Lawson and Harden guard Curry and Thompson? Outside of our need for a second playmaker, Lawson doesn't do anything else for this team. His contract doesn't fit our long term planning, he can't defend, and he doesn't really play off ball. Look at almost every move Morey has made over the last 12 months and you will notice a pattern: they all play at least average defense. If Lawson were equal to Harden in offensive skill, then you might have a point, but he isn't. Harden is one of (if not THE) best scorers in the NBA. Lawson isn't in that conversation.
Yes. Why? Because there are limited options. There are absolutely 0 options to grab a player who isn't a liability on one end. With the rest of our roster makeup, I would rather add another G who can initiate offense.
Our need for a 2nd playmaker is our most glaring need. It's painfully obvious when harden has off nights or sits
As would I. As it stands right now we have 1 guy who can consistently but the ball in the hoop and create for himself and others and that's Harden. Lawson would give us that much needed 2nd person. Look around the league mist teams have at least 2 people who can do that.
The one great thing about Lawson is that he will force Curry to play D instead of standing around in a corner pretending to check Pat. I love the idea of PF's and Centers smacking Curry around on PnR's. This will cause a drop in the # of shots he hits in the 4th Qtr because of the amount pounding his fraile body has taken. Same goes for Klay trying to check James. While James and Lawson may not be that great on D in the playoffs that will be dimished because they both possess a strong offensive skill set.
