Meh. I never look at that last year because they become an asset as an expiring. But that's still a lot to pay a guy who would be your backup C.
Agreed. Meaning Jeffries, Andersen, Taylor and a draft pick. Why would Minnesota do this? Because they save over $10 million in both 11/12 and 12/13 and get a likely solid draft pick for a player they don't really want. PG: Brooks / Lowry SG: Martin / Budinger SF: Ariza / Battier PF: Scola / Jefferson C: Yao / Hill At the 4-5 spots, there are 96 minutes, which could be split more or less Yao =25 Jefferson = 25 Scola = 25 Hill = 15 Patterson = 6 But someone would ultimately get more minutes when one of the group goes down with injury, as usually happens for the Rockets. It's serious and solid frontcourt depth, especially considering haven't even listed Chuck Hayes.
You forgot to add in Miller! But I really see us limiting Yao's minutes a lot. That is the whole point of getting Jefferson. If we get Jefferson we might not need Miller but it is still nice to have.
While I'll agree Kahn does have a random love for SF's this offseason, adding another one being paid like Ariza would seem like a stretch, even for him. Trevor has 4 more years on his contract, getting paid up to $7.7 million in his final year. I'm not an Ariza hater like many on the board (I think with Yao healthy, his role and value makes a lot lot more sense), but even I think that is getting overpaid. This is about saving money for the T-Wolves and getting young, cheap assets. Which means they may want Budinger, or Hill. Hill, I'd consider moving, only because of the recently drafted Patterson (granted, who knows how he'll end up) gives us that front-court depth previously noted, whereas we don't really have solid depth at SG. Plus, as noted, you can add Brad Miller for further front-court depth. Still, I have a feeling that Hill will slowly get better and better (especially in regards to rebounding, protect the paint type defense and put back type offense - all of which this team needs), so would be difficult to give him up. I'd consider this: Jeffries, Hill, Taylor, 2012 1st Round Pick (of Rockets choosing, meaning they can give the worse of their or the Knicks pick that year) for Jefferson, 2012 2nd Round Pick or something along those lines. I don't foresee anything happening soon. Why? 1. Morey, and potential trading partners, are waiting at least until tomorrow night to see if Lebron does or doesn't go to NYC to understand the true likely value of the NY picks. 2. the second tier FA market hasn't really gotten into full swing yet, despite a few signings here and there (Drew Gooden, Darko). 3. As little as the summer league may mean at times, it is a good way to gauge a player's improvement or potential upside, and it would be nice to see if/how Hill has developed, what Patterson can do, if Taylor has improved, etc. Recall, Ron Artest was acquired primarily because Donte Green lit up the summer league. If Patterson or Hill have a ton of summer league success, perhaps a team would overvalue their potential...
I could see a scenario where the Rockets might check in on a top flight 3 and keep scola...(Granger?). But if I was a betting man, I'd have to go with Jefferson. He's really the only top big thats available for a deal, wouldn't you guys say?
I am down with this, I have been waiting for a Morey vs Kahn showdown for quite sometime...could get ugly.
Why? Jordan Hill could develop into something really nice up front & we have a 20ppg scorer at the point who just happns to be the biggest mismatch against the current world champion.
And what do we do against the Thunder, Hornets, Jazz, and Nuggets...Brooks is good but Rubio could be GREAT.. Saying that, Hill and a 1st won't get it done. I think pairing Al Jefferson with Rubio would probably give you a better chance of getting the guy.
I think at this point you make some small signings with the MLE and LLE to bolster your depth at weak positions - SG (Korver, West, etc.) and C (Mbenga, Haywood, Miller) and go to war with what you got. We were on our way to fifty wins last year until the injury bug hit us and we just ran out of guys to play. When a few more decent guys you can shoulder the blow of injury more effectively. If Yao is healthy, the youngins improve, Patterson gives you anything, and we have a little luck then theres no reason to believe this team can't win 55 wins and fight for the second seed. I think the WCF finals is a realistic goal.
I know everyone keeps saying Jefferson, but the guy is a Center.....he plays like a center, he is big like a Center. Does he have size to play the 4? Yes - but that doesn't mean that's where he should play. He's a CENTER...and so is Yao. Get over it. It would not be a smart roster move for Houston. So the question is, is there really another PF in the league we would want to pair with Yao if Bosh, Amare, and Gasol are off the table? When I'm thinking of 4's who might be available, only two names come to mind. David Lee and Lamarcus Aldridge. Honestly, I don't see how Lee is that much of an upgrade over Scola but LA could be and although Portland keep talking about him being one of their one stars, his name pops up a lot in trade rumors meaning they are probably shopping him quietly. He's kind of a mild mannered guy, but I think he could fit in with this Houston team and they might even push him to be a little more aggressive defensively. He has the size, length, and long distance shooting to dominate pretty much everyone. It's just a matter of what it takes to get him. Would Portland bite on Hill, Battier, Scola, and the NY picks? If so, GRAB HIM.
It's because he's a nonentity as far as basketball is concerned. He's about the same type of player as Eric Dampier: while he has the physical size to play the position, his game does not measure up to that size. A very soft player.
Cause he's the black Vlade Divac. But seriously, I really hope its not for a trade of Al Jefferson. He and Yao will not mesh well. Can we get Anthony Randolph please?
Rubio has much more potential than Hill at the moment. Brooks' trade value is at its highest at the moment, so it could be very likely that hes traded, plus, hes a liability on defense.
He's actually a pretty physical low-post defender, his defensive problems stem from his poor mobility on the perimeter and the fact that he can't elevate anymore. Offensively, he's a good high post center who can shoot and pass. He doesn't have much of a low-post game. But despite not being a low post center, he's quite effective at getting to the FT line, a quality that Morey specifically looks for in players. He is what he is, but he's not 'soft'. He'd be quite good as a backup C.
Ha - Didnt you know he gave that iPad to his girl? - she says it on her twitter and called it scary! LOL! http://twitter.com/justbreathelife - you have to scroll down a bit, she mentions the iPad.
Don't worry, we built a remote control self destruct feature into the IPAD. Since its Morey, I'm sure he planned for this.
