Brooks and Landry are pawns

There has been a lot of talk in the leadup to the draft about trading Landry and Brooks as they are two prominent pieces in the Rockets' success this season. The board really seems split on both of these players as to whether they should be included in trades or not. It seems unbelievable that people are saying that we should not trade one (or both) of two second rounders (I know that Brooks was technically a first rounder) for a lottery pick. I actually think it is doubtful that teams will value them that high, yet we have fans acting as though they are untouchable. They are not, nor should they be.

I think we need to separate our affections for these players and consider the possibility that Morey acquired them for exactly this situation. At the time we traded Rafer Alston, the team was just finding out that McGrady was going to be done for the year. The team that the Rockets were constructed to be was gone. We needed to pick up our scoring and as we all know, Rafer is not the player you want to give additional shots to. Without Tmac, the strategy had to change. We had a pretty good scorer on the team already. More shots for Brooks meant he would need more playing time, so they decided to jettison Alston. This was not a move made to get us deep into the playoffs. It was made to get Brooks more experience and build his value for both the Rockets and in the eyes of the league. Success.

Landry is another valuable piece to our team. He is an exciting player at times that can get up and down as quickly as anyone you'll see. He can dunk, shoot and rebound. He works hard and busts his tail on the court. He is perfect as a 15-20 minute a game player. If the Rockets keep using him the way they are, he is going to command a higher salary on his next contract and the Rockets will not be able to match (or would be unlikely to do so). Another team is going to want him starting for them and throw a lot of cash at him. I, for one, think this is going to be a mistake for that team, and trying to get 38 minutes from him will make him much less effective. Think of this as the 'Kenny Thomas Effect.' Kenny Thomas made around $9 million this year scoring 1 point a game. I view them as very similar players in terms of role player that the Rockets used effectively within their own limits.

Overall, I think that is what is going on here. The Rockets are using these two players to the best of their abilities. They have created a demand for them by making them effective players. You can't just part with filler and expiring contracts in hopes of making your team better. There is a chance that McGrady may not come back at all next year, and we have seen that the team as it is can't win it all. Luckily, we have a GM who isn't growing too attached to his picks. I think he has a plan that he is sticking to. There is a good chance that both Brooks and Landry have exceeded Morey's expectations as they have most of the Rockets faithful. But if this theory is true, and Morey drafted these players to be traded later, he likely doesn't see them as suddenly being keepers, but envisions a much higher return on what he will get for them. He is going to stick to his plan. Morey is playing a game of chess. What he's doing now is simply to set up something that is still seven moves away.

I am not stating this as definitive knowledge, but as something that we should all consider when we say that these players should not be traded. I think our GM has the ability and insight to capitialize on their success. After all, he was the one who drafted them, so he should be the one determining if they have solidified themselves a spot on this team permanently. If they don't fit his overall vision, by all means use them to get someone who does. Morey seems to have a blueprint that he is working from and knows exactly what he is doing. I say he has earned the benefit of the doubt.

 

My point is, yes, we know what Brooks is. But what he is may not ultimately be what Morey has envisioned for this team. Brooks is not a bad player, so keeping him would not be the worst thing in the world, but we have to believe that Morey is looking at his success and progression as a way to turn a player that was considered a reach in the first round when he drafted him, into something with much more potential. I'm just suggesting that there may be more to these moves than just player for player. With Morey, it seems like one move facilitates another, and he is not willing to play it safe as so many others seem to wish he would.