Channing Frye on Goran Dragic: "Unfortunately for the Rockets, they didn't make the right decision."

Actually, Gogi is more likely to be GLAD he didn't stay in Houston. He is due for a big pay day after he declines his 4th year option. Who knows what he would do with Harden and Howard?

 

He was very lucky that the Suns built around him, not that they had any other choice. What team builds around Goran Dragic, unless they're desperate? It's not until he had a season as "the man", leading the Suns to the worst record in the Western Conference, that he could hone his skills to become the player he is today.

 

Last time I checked, Dragic is not a Rockets.
Dish?

 

In the scheme of things, yes... overachievers at best. Like the Rockets the year before last...

 

Why no love for Hornysacks? Dragic had the keys last year, he wasn't putting up All-Star numbers. Sometimes the system makes the player, Hornysacks most likely will win COY if the Suns make the playoffs.

Dragic would be the same player he always was here, he's ball dominant and needs the rock to get in rhythm. Like Harden will let that happen.

 

They would have made it work. Dragic wouldnt put up the same numbers here but his impact is monumental. I would take that team over Miami in a 7 game series. We're talking not 1 .. not 2... the Pippen to Harden's MJ.

Of course, we're stuck paying $25 million to a guy who is the Urkle to Harden's MJ. Did not have Harden at the time... which changes everything.

 

Dragic got let go because it is uncertain in this photo where his hand was placed

 

This could have all been made right with a deal like this before the trade deadline. Lin, Asik, Parsons (deal breaker) for Rondo, Lee, Olynkk

 

Was thinking (again)

Didnt something else like this happen to the Rockets just recently?

We let some guy walk and he goes to the Knicks and goes beserk.

And then we begged him to come back for 3 years at $25M.

We could have had him for CParsons type of money for 3-4 years.

Or has someone already pointed this out?

 

Exactly!

Back then, it seemed morey didn't mind the riskier move in letting Dragic go and then picking lin over him, all things considered, due to age and marketability.

At that time, Lin and Dragic showed similar potential each in a relatively short run. The edge that Dragic had in inducing a confidence of repeatable performance, due to experience, was offset by Lin's showing similar potential at two years younger and in the first and last chance given to him.

Frankly, comparing the runs, Lin's was more impressive for the wins with less talent, versus Dragic's more losing despite playing with more talent.

It was a wash since Dragic broke out at home, but the contract length issue tipped over.

Lin had not adapted as well as probably Dragic can, due to inferior spot up shooting skill. But as "the man", Morey gambled that in three years Lin could develop into somehting like Dragic is doing now, which can fill seats, raise the team profile, and attract other stars. As well as Dragic is doing now, do you think he can attract stars, the way Lin can with his hype and China link? And at age 26 when Lin be potentially entering his prime?

Dragic hit his peak two years too late if Houston is to benefit from it.

After Morey's consecutive failing attempts to sign "stars", he almost gave up thinking that it's that easy, and then resigned to a mediocre team built around up-and-comers. Hence the two years age gap favored lin to become "that guy" on the team.

I felt like morey was more "cocky" in his methods before but was humbled a bit after annual free agent failures. Who knew it got that easy all of a sudden? Like someone mentioned, I think Morey expected a high likelihood that presti sign Harden, cos he would himself. But who knew? :grin: after this, I think morey could fully regain faith in his method and philosophy. His approach is finally verified in the real world thus he can be finally comfortable in his own skin so to speak.

So hate on Lin all you want, but for this, Morey really shouldn't be, at least in my book.

Btw, it seems like Morey expected Dragic and Lin to have similar potential, hence, I believe Morey saw in Lin something like Dragic's current form if given a similar role to Lin in Houston. I mean he will not be surprised as it happened before, it's a matter learning how to maintain the level of play. To repeat what others have said: Dragic had one season to develop a sustained high level of play. Morey was betting two seasons on Lin's development learn how to sustain all star level play. That's not a bad bet imo.

So it's all moot now, rockets don't need that allstar "potential lin" anymore after getting two current ones.

Point is THE TEAM's NEED HAD CHANGED. Appreciate the result of management's pragmatic methods! Stop hating.

 

Yeah, it was about preserving "flexibility", but I remember agreeing with ?Clutch that Dragic was much more talented than Lin. I was upset when we let him walk for nothing. Knew he had all-star potential, but am surprised how much better he's gotten. You can't be right all the time. On the whole Morey usually makes the right calls.

 

I did do some 'research' recently....

Here specifically.

http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=250953&page=3

So for those actually interested in what actually happened....

Cut and pasting myself

"""
July 18 2012
"We no longer had Lowry or Dragic," Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said in an interview with SI.com late Tuesday night, "and at that point we thought it made sense to offer him more money and increase our chances of getting him."

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/20...07/18/jeremy-lin-houston-rockets-daryl-morey/

"""



Note that the Lin thing happened AFTER Dragic and Lowry had long gone.

So it was never a "Dragic/Lowry or Lin" thing.

It was more like a "Uh-oh. We dont have a PG. Who out there in available?" thing.

And Lin had declined the initial $19M offer at the time to think things over
as it was still early in the trade "window".

So they upped it Some people have all the luck.

Anytime.

 

fell into his lap? LMAO. he had to be a in position to offer the assets he did. that took YEARS.

no i didn't miss the point. The team was going nowhere building around Dragic. Morey didn't want to sacrifice cap flexibility in the 2015 summer of Love to build around a 2nd tier star and stay on mediocrity treadmill.

He had certain parameters that he want to work in. It wasn't Dragic or Lin.

It was a PG on a 3 year contract vs a PG on a 3 year contract PLUS a player option when our future prospects were horrible. So he got Lin to generate some buzz, a PG who had shown a lot of potential, and then after years and years of incrementally building his asset base he managed to swing the Harden trade.

Yes I'd love to have Dragic, but hinesight is 20/20. You're asking Morey to go against his usual sense for Dragic, yet that same sense landed up Harden and subsequently Dwight. But go ahead, crap on Morey all you want. A lot of NBA teams have spent years sucking and Morey was able to reload in less than 3 years since the end of the Yao/Tmac era.

 

I think Dragic is a good player in a good situation with a better coach and medical staff than what the Rockets have.

However he also represents the hypocrisy of the posters on this board. They can't let it go and they bash Lin like its his fault that Dragic is gone but Lin is here.

They also bash Lin fans for liking a player over the "team".

So its nice to have a double standard and its also condoned since its OK to have a Dragic thread in the GARM when he is no longer playing on the Rockets. Lets hope the same courtesy is extended to Lin when he is playing on another team. Although we all know thats not going to happen.

 

look on the bright side ...

we have more fun ..turnovers and airballs

 

this would be a one star thread if anyone else other than channing frye or anybody not playing in the nba said the same thing.

 

Don't forget clinks and clanks.

 

What else could he really say?

Unless he wanted to antagonise Dragic and the Sun fans/franchise.

So not really surprising.

eg
Thunder made a mistake letting player go.
Lakers made a mistake letting player go.
Knicks made a mistake letting player go.
Rockets made a mistake letting player go.
etc etc

Am sure if one googled hard enough, you could find a fellow player saying something of the above.

 

Another free agent for 2015 is Rajon Rondo. If you told most people on this board a few years ago that we would lose Goron Dragic and as a result get Harden, Howard and Rondo, K Irving, Dragic or any 3rd star by 2015. In addition to that keeping Chandler Parsons most of us would have been ok with that.

Also a move that was key in the whole rebulding process that's not talked about nearly enough is the max contract offer to Marc Gasol. Whether Houston really wanted Memphis to match or not they knew that as a result of matching that Rudy Gay a rocket killer or Z-Bo another rocket would have to be traded. If you cannot improve your team, make another team worse.

 

THIS! We don't have a PG friendly system, and we can expect that any PG we let go will probably do better somewhere else without a dominant 2 guard. Are we gonna start pining for AB if he keeps his play up through April? We've already seen what AB can do as a Rocket, and that's not average nearly 20 PPG.