Brain Grant trade revisited. At the trade deadline this year it is known that Miami and Houston were talking. A deal didn't go down because it was rumored that Miami wanted Griffin. Assuming that the trade was for Brain Grant would pull the trigger this offseason on a deal involving Griffin and Rice for Brain Grant. Brain Grant: I am torn on this. On one hand the Rockets would be getting exactly what they need in a veteran PF who plays good defense, shots 50%, averages 10 points and 10 rebounds, and isn't too old since he is only 31. I think he would provide a nice mix with the current players on the team and he could vault us to a 5th or 6th seed next year in the playoffs IMO. On the other hand will Grant be the type of player that could vault us to a championship? That I'm not so sure of. Grant is also making the max so if the Rockets signed him I believe that Les might be forced to pay a luxury tax once Francis's new salary starts to kick in next season. Eddie Griffin: If we give up on Griffin now we might be kicking ourselves in the future. Griffin HAS the potential to be the type of player that can take us to a championship along side Yao and Steve. Griffin however has not made any real improvements from his first year. Does he have the drive to work on his game and make use of his talent? He is 20 years old and it will likely take at least another 4 years before he really starts to learn the game. Rocket fans, including me, are impatient and want to win now. I've been jumping back and forth on this trade as you can see, but I don't think I'm ready to give up on Griff just yet. After Griffin got busted with pot it seems like many people here are ready to give up on him and I'm curious to see who would make this deal.
It is kinda wild how you spelled it 'brain' like ten times. But to the point of the thread... - We need Rice's cap space after next year to re-sign the guys we have. 'Brain' Grant would eat it. - Look at Kobe or Tracy for lessons on guys that didn't meaningfully improve in their second year. I've seen nothing from Eddie that says we should believe he'll be a great NBA player, but he's 20. If you were with him last year, based on potential, you're impatient to think he was gonna come true this year. He's 20. You're also overreacting to say we'll have to wait four years to know the truth about him. - As it turns out, Rice and Taylor are two of the pleasant surprises of the season. I'm glad we've got Rice this year and next (on the court and in the locker room) and Taylor coming true means we can afford to wait Eddie out. - And Rice+Taylor are good for more production than BG right now, especially considering they're probably our two most reliable offensive players since the All Star break. So, no. Wouldn't do it at all.
Rice's contract doesn't help us at all with the salary cap. If you're talking about luxury tax, you may have a point. However, what guys do we need to re-sign next summer? As far as I'm concerned, anyone not named Yao or Francis can take a hike. Maybe Mobley is worth keeping around as a 6th man.
We need to downsize our roster. Too much talent spread across. Package Rice with Moochie Package Mobley with MoT Get back 2 or maybe 3 players. Cato is available, but if we get rid of those contracts, then Cato can stay and backup the 4/5. Use Mobley and Rice's contracts to ge trid of our bad ones.
1st point: Brian Grant isn't worthed the salary he received with the minuscule stats he produces righ now You can always get that kind of player through free agency, especially this season, with those talents finding out that there are not much doughs to spread around Guy like PJ Brown, J Howard, Tyrone Hill, could be had with MLE up to 7 mil of salary, while with a smart creativity, you could always try to get guys like K Thomas, Keon Clark, L Wright, J Magloire, M Fizer via trade 2nd point Trading Rice ending salary has no implication whatsoever on resigning your own FAs, because your team will have their Full Bird right. It only affects the pocket of your team owner, as your team might swim into the LuxTax zone If the player the trade brings is well worthed ( like Kurt Thomas maybe ), that's a no brainer to scrap Rice last yr contract with a good production from a vet PF in return Those are my two centz
The problem is that every team in the league is looking to do the same thing. So we would more than likely have to take someone else's trash in return. It's be like a Lima for Mlicki trade, taht the Astros did 2 years ago.
Brian Grant is the answer for the short term and not the long term. This team is building for the long term. And the problem is, is that when you build for the long term you risk not making the playoffs. That is why it is so hard for the fans right now. Grant has a Max contract which is crazy. I don't think we want his contract on the books. Heck, even Cuban, whose team is MUCH closer to a championship than ours is, backed off taking Grant's contract! That tells you something! If you are going to trade Griffin (packaged with someone else), you need a young player in return that has upside much like an Elton Brand. I agree with Sane. This team needs to get "QUALITY" and not "QUANTITY". This team needs to try to obtain another 3rd star type player and then fill out the roster with role players via draft and FA.
Rox'd give up two assets for one? No, hell no, HELL NO, I'd say. 1st, Rice has the real potential to be worth a true, but overpaid stud in trade. 2nd, EG is tall, athletic, young, and and and -- developing? No. Could have brought Shard last summer but wouldn't be let go. For EG to EXit, Rox need more than a good Brian Grant. Grant for MoT and Mooch? Maybe. Sure.
Grant is mediocre and a cap albatross. The only things that would interest me from Miami are their pick for this year, Butler, and maybe Eddie Jones.
Miami really doesn't have much to offer. I would not take Brian Grant. A MAX player for 10 pts and 10 rbs.... with some nice D. I think we could get more of our money's worth with somebody else. And don't give up on Griffin yet! I wouldn't even take Jones. But yeah, Butler would be one who'd I'd jump to have. There's absolutely no way we could get him though, so screw that thought.
WE are building a team for the future not just for now! No more oldies like Rice etc. Let us get players that will fit in with our guys!
This Eddie Griffin pot thing pisses me off. Now he's hurt his trade value (of course, he isn't the only NBA-er smoking dope). And he hurt his team. I remember how glad I was to get him. I say package him with another player, get some value. We need a Brian Grant but we won't trade for that type of Michael Jordan-era contract. MJ got his $32 mil per year, everyone else said, Well, you want to tell me I'm not 1/3rd the player that MJ is? And no one said, Well, actually, that's right. But obviously we need to bolster the roster and excise some duplicate roles.
griffin... potential... griffin... talent... griffin... pothead... now griffin... back to potential. i'm tired of it. it's one big cycle. bash me for this, but i'd go for a eddie to dallas for najera and somebody else. like somebody else in this thread said earlier... too much talent. need more role and banger guys (not "banger" as in "the banger sisters". by the way, that movie sucked).
The only mid-season trade I wish we'd have done would have been for Brand (and maybe Piatkowski). LAC wanted Griffin and Mobely ... I would have done that AND thrown in however many draft picks it took. We won't be getting lottery picks for a long time anyway. Whatever it would have taken. But, no, glad we didn't get Grant. The other trade I wish we'd have made would have been Taylor to Cleveland for Hill/Diop. That way, we would have had Hill's expiring contract, so we could resign Brand, Posey, and TMo (perhaps Piatkowski) this offseason. Imagine this team going to the playoffs right now: Yao/Cato/Collier Brand/Hill/Diop Rice/Boki/TMo Posey/Hawkins/(Piatkowski) Francis/Norris/Maddox
The Brand for Griffin/Mobley trade was just "rumored." And I think it was rumored by the Rockets fans more than anything. I did not see anyone from the Media talking about it. I doubt it was ever offered. However, if I were the Rockets I would explore this option in the offseason in talks with the Clippers.
