clutch: source says rockets want 1 of 4-5 PG's expected to go lottery

I have to disagree. Defensively, our weakest position is PG, not PF. When McGrady isnt in the game, we don't have a designated floor general. Also, I'm not saying we should start Ricky Rubio... I think he will be tremendous in a couple years but he would be just as useful in a PG by committee with AB and Lowry. At the very least, we could give other teams hell with the mis-matches created by our point guards.

 

Neither side works. Our PG spot needs more maturity than passion now that Lowry and Aaron have already brought enough youth to that position, rationally a rookie PG isn't so effective for us as a veteran who has plenty of experience in NBA. And Rubio's size has blocked his way to playing a SG in NBA, we would have to trade him even if we could get him.

Further more, it's absolutely IMPOSSIBLE to get David Lee who has the second largest number in rebound this season.

 

I truly think Curry is out of the equation...

Jennings or Evans is who we are targetting I believe.

 

So youre basically saying you NEED an old person at every spot? No, our veteran leadership doesnt have to come from the PG position, it can come from Shane Battier, or Yao or Luis Scola. More than veteran experience at the Point Guard position, we need size and someone who actually has some court vision. So far we've relied heavily on TMac facilitating the offense, we now know that we need a reliable second option to handle the ball if TMac is injured. Which is almost a certainty in these recent years.

Also, acquiring David Lee is not IMPOSSIBLE. If you were the Knicks GM, would you rather sign David Lee to a long term contract or would you save that extra 8 Mill for someone like Amare or Bosh? It makes no sense for them to retain David Lee if Amare and Bosh are truly on their agenda for 2010. The real question is if there are other teams that can offer better than Ron Artest and Carl Landry, and IMO, I think thats a very fair package for David Lee and an expensive pick in Rubio.

I know Rubio is not any kind of guarantee, but from what I've seen, read and heard, he is well worth the risk for any team that has the time and money to see him pan out. The Rockets already have a global footprint and have established themselves as an internationally recognized franchise. Rubio would draw lots of fan fair as have Scola and Yao. I think Morey and Les recognize that while we would be spending money up front, this is an investment that will likely bring back solid rewards. If he's not ready to play this season, we can have him play another season in Spain and buy him out for 50% less ($3 Mill instead of $6 Mill). To those teams in the top 10, drafting and stashing doesnt make sense when they could get instant relief by using Rubio to move bad contracts.

I dont understand where youre getting the Rubio Shooting Guard thing... his main strengths are size, passing vision and running the pick and roll... why would we want to shift him to Shooting Guard?

 

If not Rubio, there will be other great options at 10. This is def a trade we should make if the opp to acquire a legit PG and PF are there (two that fit very well into our system both from an on-court and off-court perspective).

 

Pretty suprised no one has metionned Jrue Holiday. He is a Morey kind of guy IMO. He was predicted to become a beast coming out of high school but his stock dropped in college when he had to play at SG. I think he would be a great addition.

 

When Rockets have a pick: Okay offseason

When Rockets don't have a pick but hustle for one: Exciting offseason!

 

Ugh, draft day can't get here fast enough!!!

 

Playing as a 1 in high school and then not playing at this position at a much higher level in college has made it difficult to project how will he be able to play as a 1 in the pros.Running a team and scoring/defending at the same time is a very big responsibility.

 

Brooks 'makes' the package? Lowry didn't prove out? TMc helps free bad contracts?

As per mocks it would have to be a Top 8 pick. I think Washington matches up the best. Thomas/James (again? OMG) for Battier/Cook. Saves Wiz 2+mm + gets them out of Thomas. They don't pay #5 $$$. Alexander kicks in $3mm.

Wiz then deal Butler for a quality 2 at fewer $s. Their roster improves and their economics soar.

 

I use to talk to Tyrek Evans older brother for hours at a time everyday at Blast Fitness because the manger allowed him to workout there for free. I was told that he had an athletic trainer working with Tyrek since the 8th grade and his jumper is T mac like.They were really trying to work on his explosion because in their minds he didn't dunk enough. I did my best to try to get him to come play ball at U.T and to my surprise he considered it. He was leaning really hard on going to Kentucky I don't know ow he ended up in Memphis.

 

Baron Davis is overpaid and injury prone. He has an awful contract, too.

 

LOL

Can you say.............money?

 

This is a 3 yr window and Baron has 4 yrs left. I can admit, Baron is a guy that has to be on a team winning games. When the bobcats fired Silas and traded wesley and mash was out, he started having "nagging" injuries. When he was in golden state, did u hear of any such injuries? Last season, after the brand debacle and assorted injuries, he again had nagging injuries. You put him on a team like houston that has a chance to win a title, you won't see those injuries. His contract is fair for a player of his abilities and production. He's top 5 pg, has led his teams out of the first rd consistently. He's a bigtme plamaker/shot maker also. Not to mention he's clutch, a bulldog,physically dominating type pg. He will turn 30 this year and I see no reason why he won't be a very good player 3 years from now. Cassell played his best ball at 33. This is a 3 year window the rockets have. Baron fits into that window if they really want to upgrade that spot. Plus, if they use Mcgrady's contract, they could probably get camby and another player like jordan. They could still use Camby's expiring as trade bait to improve the team. Getting rubio,jennings or any other young pg is a step backwards because of where this team is trying to go.

 

AB moving to the 2 spot
dont let anyone know though, inside story.

 

I trust Morey's analysis of any player before I would anyone's opinion on this board. Whatever he decides to do, I'm on board with.

 

...............then we're probably not going to re-sign Von Wafer and we are going to go after somebody like Villanueve with our MLE?

 

Welcome to two years ago. The Rockets are actually good at PG and PF finally. What they need to improve the team is a true SG, with true SG size (+/- 6'5), and more size in the frontcourt. Look to improve every position? Definitely. Always, but the needs are obvious, and they aren't PG/PF.

I'm definitely on the smokescreen bandwagon. When people say, this is Morey, this is what he does (i.e. - trade for a pick knowing another team covets it, etc.) I think they are a little off base. Just because he did it once, it doesn't mean that's his m.o. But what he does do is try and maximize assets. Which often means outsmarting the other team. And which likely always means not tipping your hand. The Rockets have been on both sides of the tipping your hand category in the last few years - on the pain side by losing Roy, and on the winning side by turning Batum into Ron Artest. If there's rumors floating around out there, then there's a reason, and they're rumors.

Basically, when looking back at some of the moves Morey has accomplished, the only thing that is clear is that it is impossible to predict what he's going to do.

But it isn't, necessarily, impossible to predict what the end result will be. In the past the Rockets needed PG and PF, and he got there, through Brooks and Landry, players that weren't on anyone's radar, but filled needs.

So I think it makes more sense to look at team needs. I continue to contend that team needs are SG and frontcourt size. If the Rockets truly are looking to get into the lottery, I think they'll be reluctant to trade Brooks to do so, and once there would be more likely to go after SG than anything else. Personally, I think James Harden is the perfect fit - but am hesitant to even throw out a name target, because again, who knows with Morey.

The only kind of trades I'd see that would involve Brooks and then target a PG would be the Spencer Hawes types thrown out earlier in this thread. You get the frontcourt size and the draft pick and cross your fingers Morey can evaluate the rookie PG crop. As noted by many, though, there is very little reason for Sacramento to do that type of trade.

Just for fun, my thoughts on some of the others discussed in this thread.

Currey = PASS. Way overrated, imo. He simply isn't a PG and is too undersized to be a great SG. He is so reminiscent of JJ Redick.

Rubio = Intriguing. But how does this help the team now?

Evans = Very intriguing. His shot does need a lot of work. A lot. But I'm still amazed at how he dominated Missouri. On a team with other solid players, in a game where none of his teammates even showed up, and they should have lost by 30, he single-handedly kept the game close, got to the rack at will time after time. He seems to have a maturity about his game that is similar to Rose's, too. All that said, again his shot needs work, he is turnover prone, and maybe not a true PG.

Flynn = Ok. I like him and his game, but have absolutely no idea how he'd be an upgrade over Brooks. He weighs more, sure, but Brooks is still quicker, and neither strike me as every being great defensive PGs. I just don't see why the team would want him.

Jennings = Question mark. But his immaturity turns me off...a lot. It's be one thing if he had some physical attribute that stood out, but he doesn't. He isn't super tall, super big, a deadly shooter, a great passer. So what is he,then? A young, athletic guy who could slowly develop all of these things. Which is fine, but helps the Rockets over the next few years how exactly?

Everyone looks at this draft and says it is top heavy, as in the very first pick and then after that a crapshoot. So Morey is going to trade away quality assets to move into a spot that isn't #1? It just doesn't make sense...at least not by trading away a key asset, which at this point I think Brooks is (I'm less sold on Landry being a key asset, though).

I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

 

I agree. Where do we need frontcourt size then? PF or backup C?

I definitely would like a decent wing/slasher added to the Rockets roster.

 

exactly. we have hardly seen the kid. he is literally a kid. how can he already be compared to some of the NBA greats? That is overrated. Not that he is not good; but, give him an opportunity to show us what he has before we start making those comparisons.