Will the Rockets trade for a starting center this season?

Agree with DD. David Anderson was picked up to be Yao's back up. I think he is going to be a quality offensive minded center. He has shown the ability to score and he is not shy about taking his shot. He looks confident every time he steps on the floor.

He is not a consistent rebounder but he does look to fight for boards from time to time. I actually like him quite a bit and think he is legit. I could see him fitting very nicely at the PF position next to Yao as well because of his nice outside game that goes out to the 3 point line. I think he is still adjusting to NBA officiating but I think he could put in quality minutes as a starter at the center position now if he were asked to do it.

I believe Morey would trade for a center if the right one were available but what center would that be? I like Amare and think he is the best in the league but I don't think the Rockets want another injury prone player. Al Jefferson is someone that I think would get their attention. I don't look at Chris Bosh as a center so IMO Jefferson is probably the only remotely available center the Rockets would be interested in and I'm not sure if there is even a chance the T-Pups would trade him.

IMO Morey just wants a game changer and a closer... someone that can take over a game during crunch time regardless if its a center, point guard or shooting guard.

 

Shoe deals or $17M discount won't help the team win.

You have to fill the $17M void with someone else and compare.

 

Well, why don't you do some research and come up with players that make around as much as Yao and analyze their impact on their respective team?
Without knowing comparable players, I think $17 mil is a decent price for a franchise/co-franchise center.

Obviously, with Yao's injury issues and the fact he'll be out of his prime soon, we could probably resign him to a $11 mil contract in 2011, or trade him for younger assets (and he'll be much more attractive as trade bait than Tmac)

 

why didn't the suns kick amare out when he was out for a season due to injury?

wade in miami? arenas? you made it sound like anytime a player is out for an extended period, the team should dump him like trash in the bag.

 

We shouldn't hurt our future for a band-aid now that still won't get us far. We have Andersen who is Yao's long-term back-up. We have Hayes for low-post defense. Anyone we get now will only come through a trade for an expiring big man contract, and I doubt Morey will move a valuable commodity for one unless something promising comes with it (e.g., some combination of players for McGrady).

I don't think the problem is really as big as you make it out to be. Yes, we have a gaping hole in our interior protection (I'm still amazed at how much the loss of Yao has affected that), but offensively we're actually scoring MORE points in the paint.

 

PWNED.

Always wanted to do that.

 

Strange

 

I think a true two guard with size is a more pressing need if Yao is going to come next year in decent form.

 

Is Camby expiring this year? With Blake Griffin coming back, and Kaman having a very good year, he could be on the block. Though I'm not sure what the Clippers could do with TMAC, seeing as they have Gordon. But maybe they can be convinced? Of course, this is only if Camby is expiring, we dont really need him next him (I hope).

 

Let's just say McG was being paid 17mm. Who, of the two, do you say is worth the $ to his team?

 

If we consider Carl to be starter, not trading Scola or trading for Bosh limits his growth. The only bigs I see worth trading Scola (I prefer Landry at the 4) are Camby or Okafor...

 

We will have to take our lumps till Yao returns. Unless some team does so bad that they decide by trade deadline to have a fire sale and want T-macs contract badly. Then maybe they can pickup a serviceable 5/4.

Don't forget that after Dec 15th rookies and free agents can be traded. A previous poster J-Mac mentioned Gortat. I know that Morey did not offer him the full MLE but he had other things to do with that MLE like rookie contracts.

I think about Camby also but I don't think Morey is going to want to bring in an older center unless he just cannot find anything else by trade deadline.

Our only other hope is Chuck waking up Christmas morning 8" taller .

 

it makes more sense for La to keep him and use the money this summer to re-sign or extend someone. After all the money they gave Kaman and Davis, they could use a break instead of more players. They got a good lineup already.

 

I meant a swap for TMAC, who also is expiring....Something Worell and Bull said had me thinking, they said Ariza should not keep gambling every time on defense as he has no shot blocker behind him....now imagine Camby backing up Trever....it would do wonders for our playoff chances this year. Of course I only advocate this move if we cant get anything else reasonable for TMAC, and Camby is himself expiring (I'm not sure about this).

 

In my August thread regarding our lack of a paint protector and how our defense would plummet due to it, there were many that disagreed and a few willing to bet we'd remain an elite D club. I assume now that it has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that we have lost (even if temporarily) that image.

I am now convinced that Morey is tethered to the idea of developing players while achieving a lotto pick this year. Maybe we'll get fortunate and get a high pick, where we could draft an impact wing player on a rookie scale salary. Add that to a core of elite role players and Yao (though I would NEVER count on his availability in the future), and we could elevate into the top of the WC again.

 

IMO the Rockets should be patient. With all the big time free agent hype for next summer no one seems to be paying attention to very young free agents like PF/Cs Amir Johnson and Kyrylo Fesenko. They will come cheap and the chosen one (lol) could be a very active backup / insurance policy for Yao and Andersen.

By summer we will have released Cook for sure and possibly Dorsey. At any rate, amid the wild free agent spending there will be some very nice young players just waiting to be plucked.

 

Stupidest thing I ever heard, no way they do any of that this year... If next year goes bad then maybe they start unloading some players.

 

Deke was one of the best backup centers in the league for his first three years here. He was a great defensive spark off the bench and whenever Yao got injured he stepped up big as a starter. Great backup, good starter. In what way was he not a solution to backing up Yao?

Deke didn't cost us games or playoff position. What killed us was Tmac and Yao constantly being on the IR.

 

deke hardly played any last year. some argue that yao's load was too heavy since we don't have an everyday backup center.

 

No i don't think they'll make a trade for a center this year. We not only need a legit shot blocker, but one who can run the floor as well. DM won't bring in a center who will affect their current offense. Nowadays, its really difficult to find a center who can block shot, rebound and run the floor other than Dwight and Amare. Chances of us getting one of them is zero.