Two things I really like about this... Trading Ariza instead of Battier. Since Battier is an expiring, this still gives us the ability to use his expiring + Andersen at the trade deadline for whatever we need. Though, I really would rather keep Battier around for vet leadership, give Les some cap release next season, and maybe be able to resign him for vet min next summer. I'd like to see Bud and Taylor get more minutes, and I don't see Battier really needing minutes the way Ariza would. Heck, we can keep Battier fresh for the playoffs. The other is, assuming the rumors about Granger in a trade during draft that fell through, we can use these 2 potential targets to get the best deal. I'd be happy with either guy and I imagine so would DM. The fact that we had multiple options at the deadline last year is a big reason we were able to get so much out of NY. I should add too that I'd prefer to hang on to our draft picks too. We really don't know what Patterson is going to turn into yet, but I want to see what DM can do with high draft picks, and believe that DM can turn that into better value a few seaons from now. If we can draft for YMs replacement or use extra rotation players to trade for him (similar to how this Iggy deal looks), then all the better.
just to remind all of you Iguodala's contract... 2010/11 $12.3M 2011/12 $13.5M 2012/13 $14.7M 2013/14 $15.9M (player option) ...that's right, he makes almost $16M in his last year I hope we don't touch him and his insane contract.
He is extremely overrated. If they are draging their thumbs to try and get more out of us then we should move and tell them to keep their deal and huge contract to themselves. Enough using us as leverage. They can go destroy their franchise and end up below us like every year. I am sure someone will bite and give them whatever they want of low value to get Iggy for nothing without us involved.
They should give us their next years draft pick to even entertain taking on Igoudalas rediculously over paid contract.
I like this trade. While I'm still high on Ariza unlike most fans here, Andre is definately an upgrade. Ariza is best playing off the ball (less ball handling) and he did much better with Kevin Martin in the squad. Andre would fit better with the Rockets though cause he can handle the ball from time to time. I don't like Andre as our #1 ball handler but it's nice to have a wing that can. Also, with a shooter like Martin at SG, I think Andre would thrive in our system. I'd gladly give up Ariza, Jeffries and Hill for Andre but I wouldn't throw in a pick. Also, If Martin is injured, we could swing Andre to SG and have either Battier or Budinger play the starting role.
See, this makes the most sense. To trade for Chris Paul is going to take enough expirings plus young talent to take on him and Okafor at least and we may need enough expirings and talent to eat another year on James Posey as well. That means we need a little over $21.1 million to snag Paul and Okafor. And if we have to go the added step of adding Posey, then we need to come up with a little over $26.2 in expirings and young talent salary. New Orleans should have no interest in taking on guys like Ariza or Lowry that are out of rookie contracts and working on multi-year deals. They want to cut payroll and load up with young talent. So, for expirings, we've got Jeffries, Battier, Andersen, Johnson, and for all practical purposes Chuck Hayes. Those salaries total a little over $19.9 million. When you throw in Bud, Hill, and Brooks, that gets us up to barely $26.2 million. My point is, if Paul is really close or at the top of Morey's list, he has to maintain enough expiring flexibility and young talent to get him. To trump everybody else's deal for Paul, we have to give New Orleans the most salary relief and the best collection of young talent. Portland allegedly had a deal hanging out there to give N.O. expirings (Miller, Przyzbilla), plus young talent (Batum, Bayless) plus undoubtedly some draft pick and another player or two for Paul and Okafor. It wouldn't surprise me if Portland actually is viewing Oden as an expiring contract here as well. So, in my opinon, we have to be able to trump those deals with our young talent and draft picks and salary relief. That means, really, we have to be able to throw over $26 million in expirings plus Bud, Taylor, Brooks (rookie deal), and one of Hill/Patterson plus at least one potential lottery pick (2011 Knicks) to get Paul, Okafor, Posey. With this in mind, our trades to upgrade before we make a run at Paul have to be centered around Ariza and Lowry, or possibly Ariza and Brooks if we can find a team willing to overpay for Brooks. And we have to use an expiring like Andersen to augment the trade a little bit to bring on a larger expiring. Obviously, a guy like Granger would be preferred since his salary is more reasonable than Iggy's. However, I happen to believe Iggy is a superior defender to go with his Kyle Lowry bowling ball smashes to the hoop. But to acquire either one has to involve sending out Ariza and something else, whether it be a 3-way or whatever. So, if we could acquire Iggy for Ariza, Lowry, and Andersen, and we use the $3 million trade exception to take on another expiring contract to replace Andersen's expiring, that would leave us with the assets and expirings we need to go after Paul. Or if we use Brooks as the bait to get Granger or Iggy, then Ariza, Brooks, and and Andersen for Granger/Iggy plus a future first rounder and in Philly's case Speights, or in Indy's case, Rush. If we're going to give up Brooks, we've got to get a tradeable asset back, either a first round pick, or a good, young player on a rookie deal that is showing a lot of promise. A more realistic deal that I can see possibly shaping up is trading Ariza plus an expiring for a guy like Dunleavy and a youngster. Get a larger expiring contract, but a guy that can really play nonetheless (Dunleavy is a better basketball player than Ariza) and another young piece to dangle for Paul.
Dunleavy isn't an upgrade over Ariza. Ariza's a starter on this team while Dunleavy is best suited to the bench. The Rockets don't need Dunleavy's expiring contract when they've a similiar sized one in Battier's.
Jason Smith is a seven footer that went to college with Spencer Hawes he was a target for Houston during the draft. I beleive the year we drafted Aaron Brooks he is an athletic seven footer that has skills and shot blocking ability. The downside is while having the skills he has never put them together for even a full game let alone a full season, but he definitely will get playing time as our back up center. If this is actual Brad Miller is likely not coming here.
<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1HgqN3I8v1M&hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1HgqN3I8v1M&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object> The guy can run down the floor and has some range also ... The only mix I could find, but no music (youtube has blocked that).
I don't like this trade Iggy isn't worth his overpriced contract... Plus losing our only young promising big with 'size', isn't something I'm willing to give up just for Iggy... ......... If we include Jordan Hill I want Marreese Speights in return or no deal!!! --RB
My bad on that one but if it was not for his injury I think Houston goes after this guy a long time ago. I really do not think Smith is a better player than Hill but he is a better center and has a higher ceiling. I really like this deal for Houston. If this happens I may come down from New England just to help Jared Jefferies pack his bags.
It's funny, at the trade deadline we know the Rockets were on the hunt for Iggy and of course we all had conversations on the board on if we wanted him on the Rockets or not with that contract etc. And then we get Kevin Martin. And now we might end up with both? The deal as proposed I think is pretty solid. (no need to add to it). Iggy+Jason Smith for Jeffires+Hill+Ariza. Basically it's Iggy for Ariza+Hill from an asset perspective. For Philly, word is Jrue Holliday is having a great summer league and he is going to be handling the ball a lot at PG next year. And then throw in Evan Turner. And then Iggy? That's 3 guys that are going to need to massage the ball. It makes sense for the 76ers to move Iggy to give Holliday and Turner more freedom. And in this case they replace Iggy with Ariza, a player that has long range shooting and doesn't need the basketball to be effective. And then they get Hill which gives them some front court depth they really need. Plus the 76ers get a huge cost savings here which is a factor. From the Rockets side, even though Iggy's contract is huge, I like the deal. I always have liked Iggy. The guy brings it hard every night (though over the last 2 years he has slowed down because of the losing culture). I think he would pick it up here. Iggy brings "play making", "scoring off the dribble" to the Rockets wing position that we don't have. And at the same time is a quality defensive player. You can play Iggy at the 3 spot and he can swing to the 2. With Martin and Brooks (2 players that CAN play without the basketball) Iggy makes sense here. Gives us more versatility on all counts, offense and defense. The Rockets struck out on Bosh, but perhaps could end up netting two quality wings in Martin and Iggy in a span of half a year. That would be nice. Don't forget, this is a move to "flip assets" too. We would still have picks and other players we could move down the road if needed. What if Martin doesn't work out in the long haul? You flip him and keep Iggy. What if you need Iggy's or Martin's "salary" to make a BIGGER trade (Paul / Granger etc). Those are the kind of "chess move thinkings" that Morey is having right now.
LOL!!!! GOOD ONE BRO!?&*^&*@^&* Anyways, I think Iggy is overrated too. But in my book, Hill, Ariza and Jeffries aren't even bothered to be rated so.... Also, Iggy is pretty versatile as a player.
Ditto with Deuce. From a talent perspective it's a terrific deal for us, though I hesitate since Iggy would be a downgrade in terms of having perimeter spacers around Yao. We would still have Budinger and Battier off the bench to provide shooting, though. I really want to see Hill through, but if he can't play center, he's redundant with Patterson. Smith has the size to play the 5, and that would free up more of the "developmental big" minutes to Patterson. After resigning Scola and Lowry, if Les is willing to pay, this is the absolute right type of move to make. That puts 3 guys on the perimeter more than capable of dropping 20 a night (Brooks, Martin, Iggy) with Scola and Yao up front, and a bench including Lowry, Budinger, Patterson, and Hayes. Could be a reasonable manufacture of a Pistons model.
Food For Thought: Based on blocks per48, Jason Smith may actually be a better option to protect the rim than some of the other backup center options (Miller, Hill, etc.) discussed on this board. Albeit it's a small sample size due to the fact that he has only played 1764 minutes, but he has averaged 2.12 blocks per48 for his career. Compare that to a few notables from last year in the same range: J. Noah 2.49 S. O'Neal 2.40 A. Bynum 2.29 T. Chandler 2.27 P. Gasol 2.26 K. Thomas 2.11 Granted, it's not an eye-popping number but it is more respectable than I would have thought. Brad Miller, who no one expects to guard the rim, has only managed 1.16 blocks per 48 in his career and Jordan Hill has been a little better at 1.61 in very limited minutes. Although this trade probably won't happen, it's likely that Morey and the Rockets see Smith with his size and soft touch as a guy with true potential. For the record... Mbenga is a beast with a career blocks per48 average of 4.43.
good move. nothing against ariza...but if morey plans on building around a brooks/martin backcourt there needs to be some serious meat at the SF position to shore up our slight backcourt. still fills the role of a glue guy as well... you could make an argument that we lose something from the perimeter...but ariza just doesn't appear to have the instincts to read and react. iggy obviously has the more polished all around game.
Iggy would be better insurance for us if Yao were to get injured. We still need a legit backup center, but we would not give up much in scoring if Yao gets hurt. I can see this improving our team
