- Is Dwight healthy? Would have to assume not really. - Is Jones back for real, can he bring his energy night in night out? - Can we really bank on Smoove to consistently play like he did against Dallas (play fantastic D whilst also relying on him to make plays and hit threes)? There are so many variables with our bigs right now, I'd say PT/rotation issues will all be day-to-day & in-game decisions. The coaching staff have their hands full for the foreseeable future.
As far as this season goes, assuming we have all 3 PF's on the roster, I think it's a matchup call. I want Smith out there playing 25mpg+ when we're going up against Aldridge, Dirk, Griffin and similar PF's. I want DMo abusing smaller, weaker 4's on offense. And I want Jones to give us a spark on both ends, coming off the weak side to block shots and scoring in diverse ways. No go-to, set-in-stone brotation... just play the right guy at the right time.
I honestly think people have forgotten how talented T Jones is. He was our 2nd best player in some stretches of the season last year.
Need another facilitator. I think Dmo has built up enough value to make him a centerpiece in trade talks. I'd keep TJones who plays better D and is more consistent from the outside. TJones is also better off the dribble and can make the good pass. Watching Dwight and Dmo work together is awkward at times. They both want to back down and there isnt enough paint. By no means am I saying that Dmo isnt a good player for this team, because he is, just that if he can bring back the missing piece that can get you over the hump you have to do it because what is the other option moving Dwight? Dun Dun Duuun.
I was expecting a trade, but I think Dwight's injury changes the math. Until you have faith in him to play every game from April 1 onwards, you can't trade away any more big men. All three guys are still here for the playoffs.
As long as Howard is out, I would start DMo at center and TJ at PF. Problem solved. I want to see Dorsey very little if at all. Run the big kid out there some.
I agree, except of course if the target is an upgrade at power forward or center. But, beyond this year, if Howard isn't healthy the future of everyone aside from Harden is in doubt again. We'd need to hit reset and look again for the second star, instead of a that third star. That means doing the whole cap flexibility and draft pick business again.
He's always been talented on offense. Fits in so easily. It's his defense and rebounding that scare me. Yes he can block shots off the weak side, sure. But Griffin and Aldridge diced him up and the Randolph's kill him on the boards.
Yeah keep D-Mo and TJ. With Smith gone next season and Dwight being injury prone, we gotta keep both.
DMo and Jones are the starting PF and C for the future, and maybe the near future depending upon Dwight's knees. DD
That's a lot to say about one game where he played ~20 minutes. It was a pretty good game and it was great to see him back. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Nerve injuries can be tricky. What if it re-flares back up? We still have several weeks before the trade deadline. Plenty of time to for Jones to get back into or at least close to it. Then Morey will see what's available at the time and decide whether or not to trade any of them depending on who might be available
No matter how many times I read you say that DMo should be playing Center doesn't make it a good idea
I don't know why his rebounding would scare you. TJones averages about 9 rebounds per 36 minutes. That's not bad for a power forward. His defense will improve as he gains experience. Players like Aldridge, and Griffin can score on anyone. The Rockets need to figure out how to keep both DMo and TJones. The end may be near for Dwight. I say keep developing our young bigs. How I wish we could get rid of Dwight and just roll with DMo, TJones, and Capela.
The results DMo has had while playing center this season disagrees with you and supports DD's statement. DMo has been very good at the 5 this season and he has been very good against some of the NBA's very best centers including Marc Gasol and Joakim Noah. Replaying old narrative when the evidence no longer supports that narrative just makes you look ignorant.
I agree with you. He's not ready to be a full time center yet. Unless he has a z-bo type next to him manning the 4 spot.
That's not quite how Josh Smith's Detroit salary works. Under the current CBA, by being waived, Detroit gets to "stretch" out Smith's payments over several years. So, instead of getting his (pre-waiver) $13.5 million salary in each of the next two seasons beyond this one, he is "only" getting paid $5.4 million in each of the next FIVE seasons. Not knowing Smith's personal finances, that substantial change in cash flow may have an impact on him financially. Also, as for the set-off of any new salary he makes, it does not entirely get set off against his Detroit salary. The amount the original team gets to set off is limited to one-half the difference between the player's new salary and the minimum salary for a one-year veteran. For instance, even though Smith got the full Bi-Annual Exception ($2.077 million) from Houston, Detroit was only able to set off about $630,000 from what it is paying him for this season. Therefore, Smith is actually at least somewhat incentivized to get as much money as possible in free agency. He'll still get at least $5.4 million next year, even if he doesn't play. But the higher his new salary, the more total money he'll take home. For more details on the Rockets' options with Smith this summer, take a look at my last cap update: http://rockets.clutchfans.net/8054/houston-rockets-salary-cap-update-4/
after just half of this season we should aim to keep dmo and jones, one of them will develop a mid range jumper or 3pt shot. wouldnt mind keeping smith for cheap but he'll want a bigger role and i dont think he should stay with us, he's far from over
