[ClutchFans] Podcast: Dwight Howard's a Rocket, is LaMarcus Aldridge next?

Don't believe the media hate. Without LMA we are a top 3 team with this current lineup come playoff time. We may not end up with a top 3 regular season record just because of the growing pains, but make no mistake we will be a top 3 team in the playoffs.

Here's the reasoning, and this works in the NBA and in the NBA alone. How many teams have two top 10 players on board? Three. Miami (barely with the way Wade is going down), OKC, and Houston. That's it. Miami wins by virtue of having the overall #1, but if we were to get LMA we would be vaulting from top 3 to #1 over them as well.

People say LMA is inefficient because of his proclivity for shooting jumpers, but they ignore the fact that it helps every other player on the team to have somebody in that midrange part of the court who is a constant threat. In essence, yes the midrange jumper is the least efficient shot you can take in the half court, BUT we would be getting the most efficient player at taking that least efficient shot. You just spread the other team's defense out even further and make your in-the-paint and long-distance game that much more unguardable.

LMA is a PERFECT fit here.

 

Do you think they trade Parsons?
I don't think so.

 

The same Parsons who made, arguably, the biggest difference in us signing Dwight Howard? Yeah, he's not going anywhere.

 

Want LMA but in no hurry to get him. Let's see how far this current bunch can go and adjust accordingly afterwards. Otherwise unless a fairly trade friendly deal for the Rox falls on their laps, just be patient.

 

Morey made it clear, we're trying to win a championship this upcoming season, we're not waiting for our young to develop anymore. Morey made that clear.

 

I don't think they will trade Parsons, I hope not. But there are some fans still believe that Morey is heartless, this is not true

 

Can people please stop bringing up Parsons in trade talks. There's no chance in hell he gets traded.

 

X 1,000,000,000,000,000


Guy just helped deliver Dwight. 0.00000000000% chance he's getting traded

should seem common sense

 

Maybe I'm just too much of a Lin fan but I think the Rockets want to keep him, unless he's part of an Aldridge or Love deal than I don't see it. I agree though, In the end Asik is a lot more valuable to the Rockets chances of winning a title, either as a back up or trade bait for an all-star level talent. So Lin would be first to go if need be.

 

U can't expect win champion right now!
Not every team will be Miami Heat!
To win champion is a growing process!!!
U must play ur young!!

 

You would think, but this is ClutchFans. Common sense has no place here

 

You seem to really mean what you are saying!!!

Yes you can expect to win a championship right now; with that lineup. Nothing is locked, but you don't put together a team like that and not think it couldn't be a reality.

 

*fixed

 

I'm actually growing more and more curious by the day about asik and Howard playing together. I remember 3 years ago dwight was taking and hitting those mid range jumpers, this was the first season after training with dream.

We know what kind of defense we would Have with them on the court together. They are the best pick n roll defending 7 fters in the game not to mention both are huge. Having both would be huge if we want to have the true advantage when your playing the thunder and more importantly the heat.

We need james harden as fresh as can be come playoff time because when he's on his "A" game he's the 3rd best player in the game IMO. I think having asik and Howard would help save harden from feeling the need to take it too the hoop to draw contact all 82 games and focus more on efficient shots from 3 and even in the post/mid range.

I want to see what dream and mchale can do for these bigs. If we can have three 7 ftrs running around who all weigh 250 plus and have different skill sets that's somthing no other team has and could be very crucial in us getting close wins against these teams with the superstar wing players.

 

Well he certainly can leverage Portland to trade him by coming out and saying he will not re-sign with him and requesting a trade. It would put their franchise in a horrible position. Furthermore, he could certainly say (like Dwight did) that he would only re-sing with a handful of teams and push deals their way.

Cap space doesn't really matter for him as a FA if you trade for him. That would be the approach. Plus, the Rockets very easily could have the space to pursue him as a FA, if they wanted to. If they go through next year without committing anything north of bi-annuals to someone past 2014, and not signing Parsons to a new contract, then they will clear plenty of money to make a max or near max offer to Aldridge because they would clear more than $16.7M just by letting Asik and Lin go. They could easily have $14M in that scenario (including Parsons' cap hold) and if the cap increases by more than a conservative 2.5% per year, likely a good bit more.

 

How many draft picks does Houston have for the 2014 draft? I'm looking at a website but I'm confused.

I know we have own pick in the first round and I know we have like three in the 2nd round.

 

So glad we didn't settle for Josh Smith or Ryan Anderson.

 

Nice to see McHale loves bev. That kid is a defensive stud.

 

we can be like the miami heat, when they put their team together they knew they were at least going to the finals that year. if we pull LMA i feel we'll be that team.

 

Thankfully, the way Morey writes up virtually all of the Rockets' player contracts, we would have Bird or Early-Bird rights for virtually all of the players currently on the roster, with the exception of Casspi, Garcia, Covington and Williams.

So Les Alexander's word will be put to the test regarding going deep into luxury tax territory, and then into repeater tax territory. We will be at or above the cap with DH12, Harden, Parsons(once he resigns for I'm guessing around $7-8 million per) and possibly Aldridge on his current contract, or a similar cap number on his extension in 2 years. We will have the full MLE once we cross into luxury tax to sign a solid contributor, and a bi-annual exception, as well as vet minimum slots to use.

I don't see the Rockets parting with Chandler Parsons in any deal. I would rather throw in another 1st round pick and 2nd rounders. Parsons is arguably one of the most vital pieces both in drawing other players to Houston and as the do-it-all versatile player that can play 2 or 3 positions and is young and still improving. I can't see the Rockets including him in any deal, short of something ridiculous like trying to land LeBron or something virtually unattainable along those lines.