Phoenix won't give up Bledsoe without a serious package of assets coming back. They would, however, love to dump Brandon Knight. They'd take Dwight's contract for Chandler/Knight. But that leaves us stuck with both those players for the next 3 seasons. I don't know if we can afford to clog our cap with those guys for that long.
I'm not obsessed with either. I should have made my post clearer, I was replying to the OP who said he had concerns about Conleys age and paying him the max, so I said you could simply offset that by picking up either of those guys who are already locked into deals. But I agree, there are more pressing issues to address.
Really wouldn't want Chandler. I think Brandon Knight could be a solid player for us, especially with D'Antoni. Expensive contract, though.
Just to clarify this example, if the Rockets go for full cap room, 2 max contracts, then they CAN'T use the MLE. MLE is available for teams without cap space. BUT, they will have the "Room Exception" which is a 2.8M. So, that can get you a role player, but not a high caliber one. In the below example, Gentile at the 2.8 room exception seems plausible. Rockets need to make the most of their two 2nd round draft picks this year to add to the asset base as "trades" would be the next vehicle to improve the roster.
True, and with those knees they can keep him, do not want. Knight i think may be a good fit here, decent/good enough defender, good shooter, can make some plays -> but you need to keep him off the ball. And i agree, no to at least Tyson's contract, he would be good as a mentor to Capela and for 20/25 minutes of good rim protection and rebounding but no way i'm paying him 13/15x2 or whatever he's getting paid.
True, but what if we match D.Mo offer sheet to go over the cap? We should have the MLE at that point...no?
Lol at Horrors :grin: But yeah, we can pay them both easily, just need to dump one/two contracts. In fact we may have a chance to sign thre top players if they're ok in taking a paycut. Anyway yeah, i get your point, and i also like more Mirza than Anderson if you want that kind of player for the reasons you stated. I guess we can say we just disagree a bit on some guys we should go after but it's ok, thanks for sharing your idea
It doesn't work that way. The Rockets will either be declared under the cap to sign 2 max FAs, over over the cap and can use the MLE or re-sign DMO with his bird rights. The Rockets are not going to operate as an over the cap team.
Just about the only way they'd match DMo's offer sheet and go over the cap would be if it was after their free agent moves like happened with Kawhi Leonard in San Antonio last year. They aren't going to eat up space for DMo that they could use to pursue other FA's.
Yep, obviously, that's what i was saying. 1. free cap space 2. sign two max guys 3. match D.Mo to go over tha cap 4. use MLE
Oh ok, thanks Deuce, i didn't know that honestly. So, just to be sure i get it right, how does that process work? When a team is declared over or under the cap? I mean, there's a deadline for that? I thought that a team was declared under or over the cap at free agency ended.
Was that your best attempt at being clever? If so, you should probably just not. As to who I like in FA....I don't think it really matters. I think they should shoot for the moon trying to lure Durant and Horford or Durant and Conley because that is the only way they are realistically going to contend next season. I don't think it'll work out, and then they can go after whatever scraps are left, but there's no reason not to try. Really it's Durant or bust and bust is the most likely option, especially since they hired D'Antoni.
My personal view is: plan A: Durant and Horford plan B: Horford and Batum -> or Whiteside -> or Conley plan C: Whiteside, Barnes and a guy in the range of 10 millions (Whiteside and Barnes max is cheaper than the other guys listed above) plan D: two/three between these guys...Derozan, Bazemore, Fournier, Biyombo, Ezeli, Noah, Mahinmi, Sullinger, Crabbe, Turner, Llull, Dellavedova, Galloway plan E: just trade Harden and tank :grin:
Assuming that Morey still has any control in the free agency pool, expect the Rockets to target players that are at a minimum willing defenders. I could see the Rockets making a run at Eric Gordon to play with James Harden. He is a willing (but limited) defender and is willing to take a high volume of three point shots and willing to pass the ball as a secondary distributor. He comes with some serious red flags but his price tag will be lower. Joakim Noah is a perfect passer for a Mike D'Antoni offense. He also is willing to defend inside and outside, and will take open jump shots or roll to the basket. His problem is that his knees are gone and not coming back. He is expected to go where the money is the highest, as he feels he left money on the table with his last deal and doesn't intend to do so again. Nicolas Batum is a player that the GM and Coach would likely both covet, and his numbers would likely increase greatly under Mike D'Antoni. However, the feeling for some time has been that he will give a discount to stay in Charlotte. Al Horford. Obviously he is ideal for a D'Antoni lead team. He defends well enough and he is an underrated passer and shooter. It is unlikely that he has much interest in the Rockets as a number of teams (including SA/GS) are expected to have interest. If he wants the max, he will get the max. Mike Conley was Daryl Morey's second choice (behind Durant) and was going to get a maximum contract offer from the Rockets very early on in free agency. That has changed with the hiring of D'Antoni. Conley is known for his defense and calming and steady leadership on the floor and off the floor. He can do a little bit of everything well, but has not been linked to D'Antoni. It will be interesting to see, if Conley get a sizable offer from the Rockets, then Morey still has a lot of clout on free agent decisions. Ryan Anderson is someone a lot of people believe that D'Antoni will target and would do well in his system. I am not so sure because D'Antoni likes his 4's to operate as wings at times, and values athleticism and the ability to roll to the basket as much or more than being a good three point shooter. Also, the league has evolved, and the ability of a 4 to hit 3's at a high clip is valuable, but not when the 4 cannot pass or run the floor. Ersan IIyasova is an interesting player. He could play the 4 and even the 5 in the right situation in a Mike D'Antoni system. He can pass the ball well, isn't easily pushed around inside and is a willing cutter when motivated. However, he is very inconsistent and after years of Motiejunas/Jones, I suspect the Rockets want a player that comes to play every game at the power forward position. Marvin Williams is a player that Daryl Morey has attempted to trade for in the past, and is likely to be highly coveted by D'Antoni. He has the ideal size to play multiple positions, is a good three point shooter, a very underrated defender and a willing passer. He also, at the age of 29 is a veteran that has played a variety of roles. Signing with the Rockets is likely to be appealing for Williams because he is likely to have a substantial increase in production with the Rockets. Mirza Teletovic. He is a flat out gunner, with a majority of his shots being three pointers. He is a bit different than others in that he can put the ball on the floor and pull up for three pointers and also create from the perimeter. Defensively he is considered bad, but as I have also noted in the past, advanced defensive stats are often based on the caliber of the team defense. In Phoenix he didn't get much defensive help. Ideally a 6th man off the bench that can hoist 6-7 threes in 25 minutes a night. Jared Dudley. Is a legitimate defender with a limited offensive game. He hustles and gets points where he can. He is what Matt Barnes wishes he was on a basketball court. At a low cost, the Rockets would love to add his to their rotation. Was almost dealt two years ago, and the Rockets have had interest before. Ian Mahimi is a very good defender in 25-30 minutes a game. His rebounding and block shots are good enough and he is a very efficient offensive player that knows his limitations and doesn't take bad shots. His passing is questionable for a team under D'Antoni, but if he is willing to roll to the basket, and the Rockets strike out on other options, he could be signed to fill the gap at center. He is also viewed as a very good teammate and possible future coach. His work ethic would be welcomed on a team without one. Hassan Whiteside is likely to get the maximum from the Miami Heat. He is a real hard one to figure out. On one hand his blocks, rebounding and length are all ideal for the Rockets and the offense the club will run. He is also willing to roll to the basket, which could be devastating in the Rockets offense with D'Antoni and Harden. On the other hand, he will demand the max, and is a black hole, he does not pass the ball unless his hands are on fire. Meyers Leonard is restricted. His skills on offense are in many ways a good fit. He is only 24, but already a willing and dangerous three point shooter. He also scores efficiently inside. While not the finisher that Whiteside is, he is capable off the pick and roll. He shoots his free throws well and rebounds adequately. His main issue is that he is regressing defensively. There is a train of thought that Stotts has made his defend on the perimeter too much, and that has unfairly hurt him defensively. Others believe that Stotts has made him more of a defensive perimeter player because he lacks the strength or center of gravity to defend the paint. Evan Fournier has seen his offensive game flourish to the point that he has little red flags on that side of the ball. He can shoot from the outside, penetrate, hit threes, go to the line and even play point for short periods of time. The issue is that defensively he is bad, and more telling, doesn't have much interest in defending. He is also apparently looking for maximum contract money.
Great list Nook! Thanks! Very interesting take on Mike Conley and I agree on Marvin Williams. In addition to his game on the court, is said to be a great "locker room guy" and that is something the Rockets could use as well in trying to "build the culture" of the team. Eric Gordon makes sense as a combo guard next to Harden. In the past I had thrown out Brandon Knight as a good option. A player that can play some point, drive/create, but at the same time easily be able to play "off the ball" and be effective at it.
Knight would be way better than Gordon though, sure, Gordon will be cheaper (not sure by how much though, i don't think he's going to get only a MLE), but he's probably the most injured player in the nba right now, and another thing, if you play Harden and Gordon, who's going to guard opponent's point guard? Anyway, what about the 12:54 post Deuce?
