[Chron] Rockets likely have to acquire a "lousy contract" if they want a Center

Only if your talking about M.J. 1995

 

Agree. No trading Brooks unless we get back an elite talent. But while Brooks can torch Derek Fisher, we have NO ONE that can force Pau to defend in the paint and not allow him to torch us. I'd love to keep Brooks and get back a significant talent by trading Jared Jeffries, Chase, and perhaps Battier's expiring contract. But that's not likely to net us an elite talent. Trading Brooks possibly could.

 

I say we just hold on to what we have and make a run. Forget taking on rubbish contracts. Our most realistic chances are Randolph and Thabeet. Everyone else is out of reach and impossible.

Melo, AI, Wallace, Kaman, Haywood, NeNe, Camby, Oakafor, Dalembert. We simply dont have what it takes to get these guys.

I dont expect any immediate help or upgrade to our team from trades. I expect little moves to get future picks and trade excception or at he best a future prospect.

Our only improvement wil come in free agency this off season. But stil nothing special, only to add depth to our roster. I dont see any upgrades happenning. Its not like we are gonna sign M.Gasol or anything.

This dilemma with YAO has left us being a mediocre team with no where to go - up on down. We can blow this team and start over but we cant improve it either. Some tough seaosns comign up for the fans.

 

We are selling ourselves wayy too short by saying we dont have the things to get these guys. AI??? He is not even a suerstar and overvalued. Carmelo just because he wont resign here and has aKnicks fetish with LaLa, Wallace is unknown bot also not a superstar, Camby nobody should want unless its not much, Okafor isnt that great a center and unnmovable, Dalembert ????? We just dont want to overpay for these guys but we could certainly get almost every single one of them for the right price. As long as we dont over pay. They are not superstars except for Carmelo who we could also get for a rental at best.

 

I say we just hold on to what we have and make a run. Forget taking on rubbish contracts. Our most realistic chances are Randolph and Thabeet. Everyone else is out of reach and impossible.

Melo, AI, Wallace, Kaman, Haywood, NeNe, Camby, Oakafor, Dalembert. We simply dont have what it takes to get these guys.

I dont expect any immediate help or upgrade to our team from trades. I expect little moves to get future picks and trade excception or at the best a future prospect.

Our only improvement wil come in free agency this off season. But stil nothing special, only to add depth to our roster. I dont see any upgrades happenning. Its not like we are gonna sign M.Gasol or anything.

This dilemma with YAO has left us being a mediocre team with no where to go - up on down. We cant blow this team and start over neither can we improve it either. Some tough seaosns comign up for the fans.

 

Very good points. I would like to add although Randolph and Thabeet are probably obtainable,the former is not going to help us out very much for 17.6M for 1 year,and the latter is very,very raw. I feel Thabeet won't pan out.

 

This might have already been mentioned, but the Rockets may be looking for another Kyle Lowry situation: a young player on a small contract who's stuck at the end of the rotation. And to get that player, they'll be willing to take on a Brian Cook-type contract.

 

Oooooookay. What do you have in mind?

 

Thabeet? maybe?

 

Maybe the guy they tried to get in the off-season...

Kyrylo Fesenko his not getting much playing time in Utah..

 

Don't see a Brian Cook there. Tony Allen?

 

Okay. Now that makes some sense. But what salary do we take with him? He doesn't even make $2 mill.

 

Who would say no in this trade?

NY sends Turiaf and Randolph
Rockets send Jeffries

NY gets more cap room this summer and Houston gets a player they have coveted for a while.

 

NY would say no to that deal unless it included getting their pick swap back to go after Melo. But I think I'd do that deal if nothing better materialized.

 

New York would. Walsh is on record as being 'pretty confident' they can get a 1st rounder for Rudolph should Denver accept their trade proposal. In my eyes, this would make that trade Turiaf and a 1st for Jeffries.. no way they do that.

 

No one really. Just a general observation about the type of scenerio Morey seems to look for. Probably someone under most of our radar, like Lowry, Terrance Williams, and Courtney Lee was.

IIRC the Lowry trade also took a contending team like Orlando needing Rafer Alston to fill a position of need for them, and not just an expiring contract. Battier could play that Alston role in a similar trade, but it would probably take a really special player for Houston to part with Batman.

 

Yes, you are right. Some of those players would not make us title contenders or improve us much, or simply their contracts are too ridiculous. Absolutely right.

I was just trying to say I cant see how we can any get big time help towards our championship goals from what we have. We are stuck in this mediocrity. So maybe better waiting for FA market and make little trades like picks or try find a gem.

I wouldnt want overbloated contracts as well - AI, Haywood. NeNe, Camby are too injury prone. I think Wallace and Oakafor could have helped though. Even Dalembert because his contract comes off after this season.

 

I would think we'd have to throw in a pick but I think that would work out well for both parties. NY would have a pick (I'd give them our 2011 because I think 2012 will be a deeper draft) and we'd have a cheap C and a better player than we would probably get with our 2011 pick.

There are some questions though...

1) We'd have to cut or trade someone (Ish?) or maybe trade for a TE (Budinger?) for a little more savings.

2) That would create 1 big log jam at the PF spot and I'd hate to have Patterson or Randolph or Hill sit the bench that much. Theres barely room for 2. 3 is too much. I think another trade would need to occur but which lottery pick do you trade? Though we could wait until summer and see how each one progresses through the season before making the decision.

The good thing is we'd have quite a stockpile of young talent.

 

This is clearly the most glaring need on the team going forward.

Martin, Scola and Brooks have all proven capable of giving you 20 ppg, and with Adelman's offensive system in place, the Rockets have shown they can score with just about anybody.

They DESPERATELY need a Center who does nothing but protect the paint, block shots and grab rebounds.
This player also has to be able to play 30 mpg and 70+ games a season.

With Melo and Paul apparently unobtainable (for the Rocks), this has got to be Morey’s focus moving forward.

Thabeet would be a nice low-risk, under the radar Morey type of move, but if his class were redrafted today, we are talking about a 2nd round pick and a huge gamble as a starter.
Okafor would probably be my favorite of those mentioned, but I don’t see New Orleans moving him until Paul has left, which won’t be until Feb 2012 at the earliest.
Of those set to hit the market after this year, 3 stand out: Nene, Chandler and Dalembert.

Nene has proven durable, has been a reliable starter on a proven winner, and could be available with Melo all but gone and a total rebuild impending, but I think he will be the top Center on the market this year, and his price could exceed $12M per year.
This is not a Morey type of move, as I’m sure all of Morey’s metrics would tell him this player is not as productive as even Scola, who has did not break $10M annually on his just-signed extension.

Chandler is intriguing, as his outstanding athleticism would be a welcome addition to the frontcourt and look great running the floor with our guards.
I also feel he is the least-attainable, with Dallas rolling and Cuban trying desperately to keep the window open on the Nowitzki Mavericks.
I don’t see him getting a huge deal, somewhere around $8-10M for 4-5 years, so not a huge financial commitment either (by NBA big man standards).
I am hesitant, however, to believe in a guy who’s best days came when paired with the premier point guard (Paul) in the NBA.
While there is a chance he could be the centerpiece of a defensive renaissance, the risk would only be worth it if his price tag were somewhere near MLE level.

That leaves Dalembert.
I do not know what this guys’ problem is, but he has become a non-factor around the league, as witnessed by zero posts in this thread mentioning his name.
Yet he still remains remarkably productive?

Clearly getting run out of town twice in 2 years by lotto teams does not speak well for his character/effort/attitude, his defensive production is nonetheless hard to ignore.

He is regularly around 9-10 rpg (much like Chandler and better than Nene), and his boards per minute are by far the best of the 3.
He is currently 3rd among centers (behind Dwight and Biedrins) at 16.6 RP48 … better than Chandler (5th at 15.7) and way better than Nene (27th at 10.6).

Plus, he is a premier shot-blocker, and dominates the other 2 in this key defensive statistic.
He is also 3rd among centers in BP48 (trailing Darko and JaVale McGee) at 4.18, which dwarfs both Chandler (19th at 2.28) and Nene (32nd at 1.28).

Since this is the most glaring need on the entire team, I would consider him the best possible option available.
I would be willing to gamble on him, considering he will be the cheapest of the three I have mentioned, yet is the best defender.

Sacramento already has Cousins, so they will not resign him for more than the MLE, and we know the Rockets and Kings are always ready to make a deal, so this seems like a natural fit.
Because of his astounding drop in value around the league, I am assuming there are some personal issues at play behind the scenes, and his offensive game is atrocious (though still better than Chandler’s or Nene’s), but the Rockets cannot afford to be too picky.
I would not give up Brooks for him, but Jeffries and Battier’s expiring contracts should match up nicely, and while I like Shane, it is worth him to give Dalembert half a season with the team to see how he fits on and off the court before deciding whether or not to lock him up when he hits the open market.