If Paul and Howard came here Harden would full on man cry and use his ridiculously huge beard to wipe away his tears.
Exactly they are all at different positions and have different sets of skills. The lack of imagination and critical thinking on this board worries me sometimes.
This is where you have to read between the lines of what is written and remember where the information is coming from. We're not going to get everything written in an article by the Rockets reporter. But what we know for sure is Morey will always trade a guy (especially a player on a rookie contract) if he can get more value back in the deal. That is never going to be written in the piece. It is a given. So, obviously they'd rather keep TRob than give him away. So would I. I still think the kid has untapped potential. Still like him a lot. There is absolutely no reason to give him away for nothing. But...there are guys out there that I feel like have more potential, that have a higher ceiling....than any of our 4 rookie contract power forwards we have now. I would bet Morey has his own list of players that he feels has higher potential than these guys too. And so....we know he would make a deal if it would open up the cap space he needed to sign Dwight. And he would make a deal if it meant he got back a much higher ceiling potential player. It's not written in the article out of respect for TRob and the situation and to keep TRob's value as high as possible on the trade market. (And part of the purpose of this article was to balance out the previous news release that stated we were trading TRob....as if we were having a firesale auction for him.) But it is a given that even if Howard doesn't come Morey would trade TRob, or DMo, or TJones, or Lin, or anybody on this roster for what he perceives as a better player with more potential.
Dragic's contract is 1M less this season than Lin's. Even then I think it's 2-3 million too much for a non-superstar PG. Suns fans seem to be happy with his progress this year and they acknowledge the overall pieces on their team aren't desirable. In any case, A guy who puts triple doubles on his stat sheet is easier to sell. Nash is a corpse who is still capable of hitting 49.7% from the field.
Who are these players? We know Morey would but who are these guys? Love isn't on the trading block...maybe Cousins is. Definitely not Millsap or Smith, those guys are vets and have shown everything they are capable of doing. If you aren't getting Dwight or Paul though it's better to keep Robinson and hope that his value will rise.
I certainly hope not 1. Josh Smith is an absolutely atrocious offensive player. 2. Josh Smith is terrible at shooting the ball, yet that doesn't stop him from being a chucker. 3. Josh Smith isn't anything that Thomas Robinson couldn't develop into 4. Josh Smith would cost a lot more than he's worth I'd just prefer to save the cap space for someone a lot better than Josh Smith.
Whew, good thing you have inside knowledge on what articles actually mean But the general premise that Morey (or any GM) would trade a player or combination of players for certain other players that they believe could be better...is sort a definitive part of any GM's job lol.
1. He's not atrocious. Hyperbole always weakens an argument, not strengthens it. In the Houston system, he'd thrive. He's an above the rim player who is athletic and can RUN; our transition offense and fast pace would mesh with his pros. 2. Yeah, he is horrible like 9 - 23 ft out, though his 3 pt shot isn't THAT bad. I don't get why everyone says DMo 'stretches the floor out' and can 'shoot the 3' yet think Josh Smith can't. Josh Smith shoots the 3 pt shot almost 2% better than DMo, and is at least in the 30's. In fact, from the right wing, Josh Smith is 38% behind the arc. More importantly though, on offense Josh Smith would be like what, the 4th option? He just won't have the ball in his hands often enough to take stupid/horrible mid-range shots. He's great in the post and finishing at the rim, just not that great outside of it. Just from sheer lack of having the ball in his hands as often, it will cut down on boneheaded plays. Also, if ATL needs a clutch shot in the 4th quarter, they pretty much have to go with Smith. SO not true in Houston, esp. if we already signed Dwight or something (I'm more JSmith/Dwight more than Asik/Dwight). Before people complain, well if JSmith isn't even a top 3 option on offense for Rockets, why pay him so much? One word: defense. We sure as hell aren't paying Asik $8.3M for his offensive game (and he's considered underpaid now). 3. You can see into the future? Awesome, well then I guess you'd know more than me on this. 4. See #3. But yes, widely believed that Smith will demand a good chunk of change on the market. Max? I don't think so. I'd take him for $12.5M easily. Would he agree to that, say in a SnT w/ ATL after we got Dwight (and we ship out Asik)? Maybe...
howard will continue to cry because he isnt the man. now we have cp3 vs harden taking the last shot. DRAMA city
Who are these players? The $94 million question. Everyone has their own lists. There are 30 guys that are supposed to know that better than us. However, probably only about 20 of them actually know better than the common fan. If you aren't getting Dwight or Paul though it's better to keep Robinson and hope that his value will rise. Unless he can get a better prospect than Robinson.
I would much comfortable giving Dwight the max than CP3. Here are my points: Lets not forget CP3 hightlights of his career: 1. 13-28 record in the playoffs. He has only advanced to the second round of the playoffs twice with no NBA Finals. 2. CP3 is a great individual talent he MAY make his teammates better but this is not definite. If he can't take a talented Clippers team deep into the playoffs, maybe we have to seriouly question about his ability to make his team better. Anyone wants to know what a great PG does to make his teammates better? Please look at Magic Johnson. If you had never watched Magic, I suggest you look at his hightlights. 3. Injury prone due to his small frame. He was sidelined 85 times (games). Spoiler 2013/02/08 Missed 9 games (bruised right knee). 2013/01/19 Missed 3 games (bruised right knee). 2012/04/29 Missed the last game of the regular season (groin). 2012/01/25 Missed 5 games (hamstring). 2011/03/12 Missed 2 games (concussion). 2010/04/14 Missed the last 4 regular season games (finger injury). 2010/03/22 Missed 25 games (left knee injury). 2009/12/04 Missed 8 games (sprained left ankle). 2009/02/11 Missed 4 games (groin). 2007/11/21 Missed 2 games (sprained right ankle). 2007/04/07 Missed 1 game (foot injury). 2007/01/31 Missed 17 games (sprained right ankle). 2006/02/15 Missed 3 games (ribs injury). 2006/01/10 Missed 1 game (thumb injury). 4. Strong possibility that CP3 is on a decline. His days of being a great perimeter shooter may be in the past. If you cringed everytime Lin shot a 3, CP3 was WORSE than Lin. His ability to get to the basket remains superb, but his 32.8% from beyond the arc in '13 is definitely alarming, his worst season since his rookie year. Veteranss shooting percentage doesn't usually drop off like CP3, unless he is either on a physical decline or something is seriously wrong with him that we do not know about. All the telltale signs are there, and it will be a HUGE gamble to give out a supermax contract to CP3.
IIRC Morey has always gushed about Paul in interviews and when prompted about the best players in the NBA.
The Rockets, a rebuilding team this time a year ago with a brilliant GM, passed on matching Dragic's contract and instead signed Lin. The length is a big reason why. To acquire a young PG, you almost have to overpay and give a lengthy deal, whether they're a star or not. Lin is a rare case where you can take a flier on his development without committing to a massive overpay. The fact that Nash shot almost 50% doesn't outweigh his dreadful defense and injury woes. I don't think there's anyone on the planet who would pick Nash over Lin at this point.
