To those who want to trade any part of our core: Why?

Man, you never even understood my point.

 

Sure, if opportunities emerge that the Rockets can trade for a superstar at fair value, then by all means roll the die.

But as far as I am concerned, if the opportunities do not emerge, I am still content with most of this current core (except for the PF position). "Superstars" do not grow on trees, nor are the easily obtained without extracting a major cost on the team. Have seen enough teams paying top dollar for so called "superstars" and then end up being mere 1st / 2nd rounders in the playoffs for one or two seasons. After that, they end up trying to get rid of expensive players in order to get avoid luxury tax and end up self-crippling their internal structures for seasons.

Also, in recent years, it was the 1 superstar, many good players model that got the Rockets to the second round, not the 2 superstars, several journeymen players model.

 

Liar.

If you only started following the NBA last year, you would not have known Battier was a good leader, less known Pippen.

 

your math is not good imho it seems to me your not puting into the equation tens of teams ruining their chances always changing the roster season in season out every year just because they are looking for a superstar, never giving a fair cance to the players they have and dsigning in the process many players whose stardom gone down the drain and overpaying them...

look at dallas who didnt achieved aynthing with odom and kaman and if they did you would have said 'look the star model works....'

 

Asik - I can't construct a ridiculous fantasy team stacked with multiple superstars that is wholly untenable under the current CBA with Lin & Asik's 8 mil/year contracts. Luckily with Asik it's easier to create ridiculously optimistic trades that are a pure upgrade for a superstar PF or C that will never happen.

Lin - He's Asian. We're much better off with a black PG. It's a no brainer that we should pay more money for a PG with equal or less production than Lin.

Parsons - Because let's be serious. Lin is garbage (because he's Asian). No one will take him for an even trade. So we have no choice but to attach Parsons to him in order to upgrade to Black.

 

Odom and Kaman register as superstars or stars in your mind?

 

I agree, unless we can get Dwight, Love or Paul. Those guys are better than any of our young guys will ever be. If we can't get them, then we should preserve our capsapce and keep filling our roster with low risk/high reward types.

I really believe Parsons, Lin and Asik will improve a bit next year. I don't think they will ever be stars, but I think they will get better for one more year. A team this young will get better just by standing pat.

But if you have a chance at a superstar, even a fallen superstar still in his 20's, then you go for it. This is the golden rule of NBA front office. Maybe he doesn't fit, maybe he needs work, maybe he's done, but one superstar is worth more than a bunch of role players and much rarer to find.

Placing a bet on Lin/Parsons/Asik to become better than Howard/Love/Paul in 2 years is just incredible bias and homerism. There's no sense in that, and while it may make Morey seem cold to you, I'm glad he doesn't marry himself to his business transactions that way. I don't even like Howard and I doubt he will ever improve, but I would trade the entire roster minus Harden for him. Because I believe that even if we don't like him, we can get more for him in the future.

We are not an organization which can afford to pass up superstars, or to haggle over a couple of million per year. That much has been clear in the last 2 years when everyone was complaining we can't get a star. The fact is we have to overpay for a star and underpay the rest of the roster -> this is a model that might work for us.

 

Do you back your statements behind stats??? or just through the play of the players???Do some research before you post. Parsons is having a better 2nd year than maybe everyone drafted before him and is having a better 2nd year than one of the NBA's 50 best player of all time: SCOTTIE PIPPEN and he is guarding 4 positions on the floor ...so do some research first before you make statements. Lin is having a solid year for a first time full time starter, last five games he has averaged 18.8 pts , 8 apg, 49% FG and 45% 3PG...this team most certainly and definitely need to keep this team together..if you paid Trevor Ariza that stupid contract, you should be more than willing to pay Parsons north of a million dollars a year cause his agent is going to demand an extension like I stated in a thread I started at the start of the season " Will Parsons take up some of the Max"

 

I sincerely believe that chemistry is an integral part.....more cohesiveness and the desire to win goes up a notch.

And also, we cannot discount that thing called destiny....sometimes, it's the most simple explanation.

 

Man isn't it obvious? We all know why Lin & Parsons can't ever become superstars. Just look at them, and then look at real superstars like Kobe, LeBron, Durant, Harden, Melo, etc.

It's right in front of your eyes.

 

I see what you're trying to do there. But in reality all of those guys had already realized their superstardom. at a younger age than Parsons and Lin are currently.

 

Because we need another superstar.

 

Yes, superstars will win championship...just look at Lakers this year.

 

Unfortunately not everyone understand what really makes those guys superstars, which is why we have tons of r****ded trade proposals on this board like Lin for Teague or Parsons for Aminu.

Which are the kinds of proposals this thread is aimed at. If you can get LeBron, CP3 or Howard for any price, of course, you do it. People wanting to break up the core for lesser trades are morons. I want to give them the benefit of the doubt, but I cannot come up with any better explanation for why they would think some of these trades would be a good idea.

 

We have to distinguish between star and superstar. Every single championship team had at least one superstar except for the 2000s Piston -- they're the anomaly. And quite frankly, the Lakers should have beat the Pistons if not for their poorly conceived team that had chemistry issues with Malone, Payton, Kobe, and Shaq.

Since the 80s, the championship teams and their superstars (according to 50 greatest players list) are:

Lakers: Magic, Kareem, Worthy
Celtics: Bird, Parish, McHale
Pistons: Isiah
Bulls: Jordan, Pippen (*Rodman isn't a top 50 but he's a top 5 all-time rebounder and defender)
Rockets: Olajuwon
Spurs: Duncan, Robinson
Lakers: Shaq, Kobe
Heat: Wade, Lebron, (and Shaq)
Celtics: Pierce, Garnett, Allen (*I think Pierce and Garnett will be considered in the top 50 soon, and Allen is a top 5 all-time 3pt shooter)
Mavericks: Nowitzki (*he'll be a top 50 when he retires)

The Rockets right now don't have anyone, even Harden, who could be projected to be a top 50 superstar.

Harden could be a top 50 scorer, like a Dominique or Barkley or Malone, but until he becomes at least an above average defender, Harden is going down the Dominique path.

Parsons is no Pippen -- on a championship team, you want Parsons to be your 4th best player. Also, I think he's pretty much hit his ceiling.

Asik is a solid center, but again, someone that should be the 4th/5th best player.

With the current roster, Lin and the three PFs (Dmo, TRob, and TJones) are the wild cards. If Lin remains a turnover prone PG/SG that averages 13 and 6, he's not the "superstar" or even "star" we need to take the next step. If he cuts down his turnovers, and gets to play true PG, bumping his numbers to more Nash-like levels of 16 and 8, then the Rockets could be special.

Also, one of the three PFs needs to step up, and the qualities required are exceptional defense and rebounding. This makes it less likely that Dmo is who we're looking for and favors TRob or TJones.

Like in fantasy sports, you're always trying to trade 4 quarters for a dollar. We'll know in a year or two who are the "quarters" to give up.

 

Anyway Lin and Parsons have both shown a lot of improvement this season. You need at least another season before you can even pretend to predict their ceilings.

 

Scottie Pippen had a Lebron like impact on the defensive end, but as far as the offense goes, I think Parson 's can be at a similar level.

 

How can you be so sure?!

 

Isn't it funny that most 2012/2013 people are calling for keeping the roster intact when they are supposed to be bandwagoners? Not to mention how the veterans of the board are calling for trades when they should be homers and defend our players?

Thought I should expose some of the dynamics in this forum.

 

^This. Lin's been solid and the most consistent player on the team in the last five games. He also said earlier he would step up his game during the playoffs, and the run up to it, and he's making good on his words.