Are you kidding me? When can this franchise go into panic mode then? We need to get a top 5 pick and let a lot money go off the books, then we take it from there
Listening to talk show host and reading more into Yao's situation since last night and this morning, I find myself having an inner-struggle. I think we are maybe one or two moves away from having a darn good team but I don't see a move available to us which would allow us to challenge for a title. I agree with Bima and Gator that dumping salary for cap room may not be the ideal scenario right now however I am starting to get the vibe that rebuilding maybe the way to go. If you can move Scola, Martin, Battier, Miller etc. for picks and flexibility then I'd do it. Basically re-boot the franchise from the ground up because even if Yao returns AGAIN he won't be anywhere near a difference maker and there isn't a move to get a difference maker. The draft class isn't great but you have guys with high ceilings like Kanter and Irving that could grow into something special and just that chance would make me happy. Go with the youngsters and wait for the right moment to strike to acquire a Deron Williams in 2 or 3 years(Just an example) and have some type of foundation in place for when that big name does become available again.
Every single one of our long term contracts was acquired within the last year and none of them are bad contracts. It's not like we have a Hughes, Curry, Jeffries situation here. No GM in his right mind would dump these contracts especially given next season's garbage FA class.
Good point. People need to realize that "clearing cap room" for the sake of clearing cap room is near-sighted. There is no "Lebron" over which to pine in free agency next year. And any young superstar coming off the fourth season of a rookie scale contract isn't going anywhere. His current team holds too much leverage to let him get away in free agency, and I don't see that changing in the new CBA. To the extent that a "soft cap" system remains in place in the next CBA (which I think will happen, although probably with many changes), it probably makes the most sense to retain players, stay above the cap and try to rebuild via trade (which the Rockets technically have ALREADY done) and through SMART drafting.
What if we could get draft picks for some of those contracts? Again, lots of variables involved right now, assuming you can still do uneven trades if the teams are under the cap, would it not be wise to shed some salary if the team intends to make trades in the offseason which would provide more flexibility.
I don't think there's any one that the team urgenly needs to dump. I also don't think Yao's injury changes that much in terms of the front office's approach since the front office probably made all of their moves with the likelyhood of an Yao injury and the expiring status of his contract in mind. For all the talk about a team build "around Yao," the team really hasn't specifically look only for guys who fit with Yao an no one else. They are just collecting trying to get the best players they can. For example, I'm not sure if Martin fit better with Yao than does Landry, or Lee fits better with Yao than does Ariza. People can complain the team didn't get a true defensive 7 footer to replace Yao, but that's more of a function of no good ones being attainable in the market (tried for Gortat, but Mavs outbid them and Orlando matched anyway).
1. The team is ALWAYS looking out for trades, Yao injury or not. 2. By aggressively "dumping" salary, you announce desperation and likely decreases the value of your assets.
Oh I agree on both points but it really was a question about say Scola for picks and an expiring contract...something like that. I wouldn't be advocating a Miami Heat or NY Knicks type salary dumps. I am sure they always look for trades but wouldn't it be easier to move further under the cap to allow for uneven trades instead of having to match salaries?
After last season, I'm fully convinced that trying to sign bonafide franchise players isn't the way to go. Not for us, not this city. We need to do it the old fashioned way, pull a gem out of the draft. IMO, it's time for a Florida Marlins firesale. Clear it out, go young, and let Adelman go for a more hands on coach appropriate for younger guys (don't make the same mistake as the Rudy T - Francis era). Draft picks, TEs, and rookie contracts. A bad contract if it gets us a pick. You can't rebuild on the fly when you didn't have a contender to begin with. 13 seasons worth of "not quite good enough".....there's no sense in holding back. Burn it down, rebuild from scratch. Pray we get lucky enough to find a franchise savior in a year or two.
What pick are we talking about? It's unlikely the the baddest teams in the leagu, which are the ones with the goodest picks, will trade them for 30-year-old Scola without significant protection. If you are talking about trading Scola for picks in the 15-30th range, what do you expect to get out of at the draft?
The problem is that (1) trading Scola just for picks is stupid (this isn't the NFL); (2) teams expected to finish with one of the 10 worst records in the league (and, hence, have the most valuable draft picks) typically don't offer up UNPROTECTED picks; and (3) any team acquiring a player the caliber of Scola while not giving back significant talent will probably improve its record to the point of not having a top-5 pick. The Rockets need to trade multiple good players for a talent UPGRADE, not the other way around.
Yao might be out, but his expiring contract is still very valuable. Along with the other expirings/assets Rockets have... If there's a player of our standards available that fits Rockets interest then we're not exactly out of this yet. We're not far from the 8th spot with still a lot of season left Also, if Yao isn't in our future plans, and if he's not ready to throw in the tile... He'll be very valuable as a player to a franchise.
Problem I have with trading multiple players for a talent upgrade is who do we trade for? What one player is available that would UPGRADE the team or even projected to be available? Trading Scola for picks may not be the ideal scenario but lets say we get the 20th pick in the draft, couldn't we package that pick and our pick plus another asset to another team, higher in the draft, to secure a top pick? If this draft was loaded then I'd agree but even getting a pick between 5-10 probably isn't going to get you a star player. I'd prefer to make sure we get a top 3 pick to have the best chance of getting a franchise player. Bottom line, I don't want to stay mediocre and with this core that is where we are headed. No superstar in sight, no potential star even, so why not explore collecting assets to move up in the draft?
I completely disagree. There is no 'talent upgrade' out there that will solve our issues. The only franchise caliber player that is available is Carmelo Anthony, and he's not coming. Not having a true franchise player is the reason we'll never seriously be considered contenders. All you're doing in collecting 'talent upgrades' is collecting a bunch of good and above-average players and hoping they can come together and get hot. It's unlikely. And it's time to rebuild. The current roster was built around Yao -- surround Yao with shooters who will make teams pay when they double, allow him to roam the middle to make up for any defensive deficiencies these 3PT specialist have, and assemble a deep bench that can keep us in games or regain leads. Without Yao, that whole concept goes out the window. Trading for stronger bandaids doesn't fix the main issue with our team -- we have no one franchise player. I would save Martin & Scola as trading chips to use on draft day. Include them with our own lottery pick to hopefully move up into the Top 5 range. We have 'flipable assets' -- it's time we used them to move up in the draft and abandon this 'well I guess we'll catch the NEXT franchise player' mentality. We were sold on the idea that once a franchise player became available via trade, we'd trump any other team's offer. We failed miserably. There is no next bus containing a franchise player coming.. it's time to do it the right way: through the draft.
Stack your starting five with guys making 10-11 million dollars that are borderline allstars and continue with the Pistons model using Adelmans offense. Biggest key is finding a borderline allstar center, unless you can develop one. Might have to stupidly overpay Marc Gasol, but hey it could be worth it. Bogut would be perfect BTW.
stay the course, morey and les will find a way to get something done, les has always done more an owner should and that will not stop!
I wonder if there is real hard cap put in place in the new CBA if the NBA will let the teams buy one player out without the buyout counting against the cap?
Morey's #1 goal now it to work till February to aquire an elite talent before the trade deadline. He needs to have this time to pry a key player from another team before someone like Scola can be traded for picks. See if you are trading Scola for picks now, then you are essentially waving the white flag for not just this season, but the next as well. Option #2 after all hope is lost in trading before the deadline has to be moving up in the draft if he see's elite talent that he can get ahold of. Morey has about 2 months to work a deal for someone somewhere that is not just a stop gap. See Morey is trying to do something incredibly difficult but its something he must do try and do. He is trying to stay competitive while they both A. Develop young talent and B. Aquire a Key player through trades that can put them over the top. Option C. is drafting a key player. This is still possible even givin the current circumstance but highly unlikely. The way it stands right now the team could still get a pick next year in the 6 to 10 range, and possibly more of the same in 2012. You can get good players but not elite. If Options 1 & 2 dont work out then look out for some key players this year to be traded then to move up in the draft.
