Oh, and if we match salaries without Battier and Jeffries, say for Martin, we could get way under the cap. Of course, I hear talk that the cap will be coming down, though...
I guess we could trade him AFTER he re-ups. Don't know if he would do that, though, and we'd be trading him to NY or NJ.
Before the season, I thought we were one superstar away from being a contender. Now? I'm just not so sure. At this point, I'm not sure if the better move isn't to send out our vets for young talent and draft picks and start over. I'm sure some contenders that are looking towards playoff matchups of guys like Lebron, Wade, Kobe, Odom, Melo, Durant, etc would be interested in savvy defensive vets like Battier and Jeffries. And what contender wouldn't be interested in bringing in the production of Luis Scola? I don't think Yao is going anywhere, but I don't think it matters. In most cases I think it's sad if a player of his caliber spends the tail end of their career on a team that is rebuilding - but Yao will spend the tail end of his career on his tail end.
Bima, I am not sure anyone has covered this, but taking a look at the right to switch picks. Isn't that in of itself an asset? The Rockets are not looking like they are going to get much value out of that, but a good team late in the season might be willing to trade one of their young talent to get that Knicks pick and maybe a veteran player like Shane etc. So, the Knicks pick may be able to net us a good guy, or maybe the rights to someone stashed in Europe...say...Rubio for instance???? DD
(1) It's an ETO. (2) The trade exception and picks would come later if/when the Rockets signed and traded Melo to another team (like NY or New Jersey). On the cap issues, take a look at my latest salary cap update. I think you're off on who's a free agent next summer. Lee's option was exercised and he won't be a free agent until 2012. And based on this year's cap figure, the Rockets would only have about $10.3M in cap room if they made no moves. With the hypothetical Melo trade I offered up, that figure would increase to around $15.5M. But if the Rockets are trading Melo (the only truly great free agent next summer) out, so it's not like there will be another superstar waiting in the wings.
With the Rockets playing the way they are right now, that 2011 pick (which is the higher of the Knicks' or Rockets' pick, except if NY gets the #1 pick) is getting more and more valuable to other teams. But at the same time, it is also getting more and more valuable to the Rockets. If the Rockets and Knicks both miss the playoffs (each landing, say, in the 6-9 range), the Rockets will stand a pretty decent chance at landing either the #2 or #3 pick (let alone Houston's chance of landing the #1 pick with its own pick). The Rockets better start playing better soon, or that pick is quickly going to become TOO valuable to trade away.
Yes, I see what you are saying, they have 2 shots at the top 2 or 3 picks...and they could always make that trade in the offseason after the dust settles on the picks... Like if the Rocks are 6 and the Knicks are 5, it is probably not worth doing, but they could trade that option to another team in the 20s for a coveted asset or two... DD
While the FAgent market may be limited the RESTRICTED FAgent market may have some INTERESTING names including AB, Marc Gasol and Jeff Green. Curious to see what the Rox do with AB and what Memphis does with Gasol, I expect Green to be dealt sometime during the season.
DD, I think you are suffering from temporary insanity, because I know you know this: The "pick swap" is not the right for ANY TEAM to swap picks with the Knicks. It is the right to select the higher of the New York Knicks' pick (top-1 protected) or the Houston Rockets' pick. THAT is the "asset" that the Rockets can trade. Nothing more.
So they can not trade that option to another team? It is locked in on Houston only? If the case, then mark it down as a simple brain fart. DD
Yep. The Rockets can trade the pick, but not "the option to switch any pick with the Knicks' pick". In your scenario (NYK at #5, HOU at #6), the Rockets would be foolish not to take the higher pick. If the Rockets were to trade "the pick swap", the other team would get the #5 pick, and the Rockets would NOT have a pick. Consider it marked down. (I know you knew this.)
Actually I did not know this, I thought it was a right to switch picks with the Knicks, and they could trade that right to switch to another team. Thus if Houston had a higher pick than the Knicks, they could trade that OPTION to switch to another team. DD
Wow, I find that hard to believe. This was explained fairly well shortly after the trade last February. If Houston ends up with a higher pick than New York, that "swap" is worthless. I think the type of right you are talking about is prohibited under the CBA. Otherwise, teams would acquire those "swap rights" and then trade them to the highest bidder to teams at the end of the first round.
That is exactly what I was thinking. And I don't pay attention to the details of the trades etc, that stuff is not personally interesting until there is a trade to be made. I prefer to spend my cycles watching how the team works or rather doesn't work then spin them on possible trades etc. Just a different perspective I guess. That is why you are here to sort out the messy details.... DD
Agreed. The only saving grace if the Rockets continue to scuffle is if the Knicks end up in the lottery too. In that case, we have an even better shot of getting a top 3 pick. Of course, it'd be better if we were in the playoffs, and swapping that pick for a lotto pick.
Seems to me that what we could swap is our pick, WITH the option. I.e., the receiving team would either get our pick or the Knicks' pick.
We could conceivable do a trade with another team where we either give them swap rights to the higher of our two picks or their own pick or they give us swap rights to the highest of either their pick or the Knicks pick or our own pick and then they get the next highest. For instance, if we took on Brand and Iggy's contracts from Philly, they could conceivably give us swap rights to their 2011 pick. Meaning, if they wind up with the #1 pick and the Knicks wind up #7, and we wind up at #22, then we could swap the Knicks pick (which we own the rights to) to Philly for their #1 pick.
Morey said we don't need to make a trade earlier this season just before the Lakers game. I wonder what he thinks now?
