Fun question. I bet Wood did a number on you......this team is not a contender..... a. he isn't a clear cut star player b. he is better suited to play on a team like the Mavs or Heat His presence does not make any sense whatsoev.
#26 will net a good prospect or serve as a little chip to move up. **** Wood. Obviously, we would have gotten a better pick if it was available. Glad to get Wood off the team.
I think a lot of people misunderstand why Wood was traded. Did the Mav's get the better end of this? Absolutely. Are they going to be happy? Absolutely - how can they not be for what they gave up and the issues Wood solves for them? People who critique wood forget that he was playing on a very bad team. Winning often solves a lot of the problems he exhibited. It would not surprise me if you see a very different kind of Wood next year with Dallas. And Rocket fans should not lose a second of sleep or regret this trade no matter how well Wood plays. Wood wasn't traded for his attitude, Wood was traded because he was a bad fit in the Rockets' strategy. The Rockets didn't have a choice here. They need to make room for players who were going to be there for 3-5 years at least, not one. It made no sense to extend Wood for 20 million a year. I don't think Stone had a conversation with Wood about an extension unless he really thought there was a chance he'd give him one. I think what happened was that Wood asked for more money than Stone was willing to give, and Stone realized Wood was likely going to leave Houston in a year anyway. When you look at it under that lens, and the fact that getting a pick a week before the draft when you can package it to get a better player than 17 - this trade made a lot of sense. If Stone can combine the 17th and 26th pick for something better like he did with Sengun, this trade worked out really well. My only thing is how the Rockets didn't get a bit better than 26th. You'd think Charlotte would be happy to give up the 15th pick for him or even Philly would be happy to give up their 23rd pick for him.
Assuming this is true: I don't see why the Blazers wouldn't prefer Tate to Dort. They are similar players in that they bring a defensive specialty to the floor. Tate to me is far more valuable however. On D, Tate can man the 4 well, whereas Dort is really a 2/3, but not a 4. Tate can also switch onto 5's and hold his own. Tate is also a much better offensive player. Dort shoots 40% from the field with a high number of field goal attempts. His FG% has stayed the same all three seasons. Tate shoots 50% and has a good near the basket game. In terms of the Blazers roster, they have strong guard play but need players who can fit in the 3/4 position. So I would think Tate + 17 + 26 would be at least competitive as an offer when compared to Dort + 12 + 30.
Wood was traded mainly because of his poor attitude and his poor defense. He's not a max contract player because of his lack of defensive skills. He doesn't do the dirty work you need from a big. Also, he could've been useful to the team as a vet to mentor the rookies which he was unwilling to do. He's only 26 so in 3-4 years when hopefully the Rockets are back in the playoff hunt - he would still be in his prime. Eric Gordon is still a Rocket supposedly because of the positive influence he exerts on the younger players. Wood would still be here if he didn't have those issues. I think Stone got the best possible deal he could for Wood so I'd give him an A on the deal because it was a trade that needed to happen and he managed to flip him for a first. I don't think there were that many great offers for Wood.
Wood may improve in Dallas. Who cares? We are going to roll out Sengun and Banchero. Pleased beyond belief with the rebuild.
This article sums up how the talking heads on Dallas sports talk radio are viewing the trade: https://deadspin.com/mavs-just-picked-the-rockets-pocket-1849070828 .
That's why I honestly don't care if the package is underwhelming. Maybe it sets up a bigger deal, maybe it doesn't I really don't care. This is a addition by subtraction move. Most of the young guys on the team play team ball and don't flash major ego issues (apart from KPJ occasionally) so getting someone with such a toxic, selfish personality will work wonders I think. We saw how they played without him and besides the production they were clearly enjoying themselves more
I'm glad he is off our team. Maybe he plays differently with Luka like he did with Harden? Maybe J Kidd gets him to play defense? Maybe he falls in line and understands that he is not the 1st option? Maybe he stops trying to initiate fast breaks? Maybe he actually tries to defend big men for a change? Glad he isn't our problem anymore.
I don't think you understand why Wood was traded. "It made no sense to extend him for 20 million"?? Wood is a FA after next season, and in his mind he thinks he's a max player. So Dallas either loses him after next yr because they couldn't resign him or they give him a max or something significantly higher than 20 mil and if they do that they're IDIOTS!! If Wood is a teams 2nd option (or paid like one) you've screwed yourself because he is NOT about winning. Good riddance and he should've been traded at the deadline last yr.
Same guy that told the coaches he wouldn’t play the 2nd half because he got benched. You don’t think his attitude has something to do with him being shipped out?
agreeeddddd - except I want KMJ to start over Tate in that lineup. Full youth movement time. Should’ve been done last year tbh but at least it’s happening this year.
He is a little risk flier for the Mavs. They were not going to keep their late #1 anyway. They can get Wood on a competitive team and with a star to play off of..... they will be rebounds and blocks and a guy to stretch the defense. If he refuses to set screens or come over on switches, then he can sit on the bench or be cut..... he is also in his contract year, and he REALLY wants to get paid so he has financial security for life, so the effort will be better than what we saw last year with the Rockets. Silas is also extremely soft for someone like Christian, he does better with coaches that hold him more accountable but don't write him off. He was legitimately good with Casey as his coach and he was good to start his Rockets career.
