[ClutchFans] Rockets will seek Dwight Howard trade... again

This Dwight thing is going to turn around and bite us all in the asses! Of course, typical Clutchfans. Never listen to reason.
That clown does not want to be here. Why force a player to come here when he doesn't want to be here. So that he can pull that hurt back crap on us for half a season? I hope he ends up in New Jersey where he will get his n*ts handed to him by the league. Because that team is worse than the one he is on now.The team he is with now could have at least made the playoffs without him.
Deron's team couldn't make it with him alone. Dwight and Deron together will never win a 'ship. Remember that.

 

There were rumors that Dwight wouldn't guarantee re-signing with the Lakers. Something about Kobe tried to sell him about being 2nd option and it turned Dwight off.

The rumors were also that the Lakers would not give up Bynum for Dwight without Dwight guaranteeing to re-sign. If so, this might answer the question of why a Houston package might have ended up being the best out there at the time. A Lakers package without Bynum might have looked worse to Orlando than the stuff that Houston offered. Other than Bynum, all they have to trade is Gasol (might be too old for a rebuilding ORL's taste) and guys that nobody really want.

One thing to add to this list after July 1st: Cap space with which to eat some salary.

Also, I think the new CBA helps the Rockets with respect to poaching either Pau Gasol or Chris Bosh away from their current team. It's just much the stiffer tax, but rather the fact that it's harder now for high payroll teams to to acquire good supporting players-- only the $3 million midlevel, no sign&trade allowed, etc. If you look at players 4-12 on Miami and the Lakers, they really are kind of terrible (filled with aged vets and replacement level talent). This makes the kind of guys that Morey has been good at finding-- everyone from Lowry to Budinger-- more valuable.

 

What about Bud and his $800,000 contract? I would think that is another good asset as well.

 

There's no reason to not go after him.

 

Indeed. Trading for disgruntled star just can't possibly work out.

Signed,
Sacramento Kings

 

Oh ok, so AK is what's keeping D.will in NJ? Lmoa c'mon now.

 

Excellent discussion here, guys. There have been far too few of those on this BBS recently.

To chime in, I think one by-product of trading for Howard at last trade deadline that would make many of the "pro-tankers" happy is that, if Howard left after five weeks and (maybe) the playoffs, it would have left the Rockets with a weakened roster. One capable of . . . wait for it . . . getting a higher draft pick.

For a team stuck in mediocrity, is makes total sense to push all their chips into the table, take a big gamble on a super-duperstar, realizing that there were two likely outcomes for the following year:

(1) Superstar re-signs, the team builds around him, and that team gets elevated into a higher tier on on the title contender ladder; or

(2) Superstar bolts, leaving the team with a thinned-out roster, and that team is essentially "forced" into a rebuild situation.

Fortunately/sadly (depending on your school of thought), the Rockets are so deep with "pretty good talent" that they STILL could finish with as low as the #10 or #11 pick even after giving up multiple talented players for a Howard rental. But at least it would be a push one way or the other for a team seemingly stuck in the mud.

 

Speaking of Sacramento, why not just trade for Cousins?

 

Jesus, can I give this thread 6 stars? Clutch is ballin'!

 

I think this is spot on. This is what Morey is trying to do. Basically gives him a "work around" to Les' mandate to "win now." They get the superstar or they get an automatic roster blow up.

 

Clutch is exactly right and understands the pulse of the team better than anyone.

I wonder if Morey is even under the gun at all, Les has certainly kept the reigns on, but he's made several genius decisions, even quickly admitting his mistake with Ariza and flipping that crap contract into Courtney Lee.

I give him another year mulligan because of Stern's nixing of the Gasol deal, but I have to wonder if the fans are going to start to turn on Rockets management. Most fans right now are frustrated with the team's lack of progression.

Throwing the chips into the pot for Dwight is risky, but something has to be done. Even if he ends up leaving and we're left with nothing, then maybe we can tank properly and actually end up with a player who might be worth something.

 

Morey is trying very hard to do something on the team, his efforts are always there, but we do not have a high pick, and a star player on the team, I do not think Morey can do any magics things right now. A bad GM like former Knicks is gone, we can not robe any team anymore.

 

If the Rockets can finish around the 10th or 11th pick range without Dwight Howard, then they're a contender with Howard. 10-11 range is this year's Blazers/Bucks/Timberwolves level. Put Dwight Howard on any of those teams and it easily contend with SA or OKC right now.

Maybe I'm just being optimistic, but I don't think Dwight Howard can do any better than being one of the top 3 teams in the west. Possibly top-2 with OKC given the advanced age of Lakers and Spurs teams. So IF the Rockets can actually trade for him, I think there's very good odds he stays. IMO, that's what Morey's probably banking on. He probably doesn't truly just want to rent Howard, but feel like Howard will stay once he sees the talent around him.

 

Great discussion guys, the Styx forum must have tumbleweeds with all these old timers in the GARM !!



I don't mind Morey swinging for the fences, that is what he should be doing, but Dwight's back does worry me.

Still, got to get up to the plate and swing away.

DD

 

Great thread. Glad to see some quality conversations back in the GARM.


-one thing I have to chime in about though, is in past situations with Super-Duper Stars preparing to go into free agency/forcing their way to the team they want to go to long term, that Star will often use different avenues (media included) to explain to the world that "XStar has made it clear he has no intention of signing in X City longterm." and completely diminishes that teams leverage in negotiations.

If Dwight had no intentions of ever considering the Rockets longterm-

-why would he have allowed them on the table to begin with?

and

-Why would he allow them to drive the price up and keep the teams he really wanted to go to out of the negotiations because their offer was too low?

Either Dwight does not know how to negotiate his way to the city he wants to play in, or he just has no freakin idea what he wants. I personally think its a little bit of both, and the Rockets just ended up in the middle of it all.

I know there's the whole, Houston and Golden State will trade for Dwight without a guarantee thing, but that wouldn't have been an issue if Dwight's representation would have came out in the open to say that he has no intention of signing in the Summer.

Dwight and his co. never did this, and it severly backfired for everyone involved.

 

I don't think it would be that black and white. We would be in "win now" mode by getting Dwight. If he leaves afterwards, fight for 9th/8th again or blow it up and I'm sure we all know which one Les would pick. If he can get the fans back on his side from having dwight for a season, he'd probably say that we can still be competitive without Dwight just so he can avoid the short term profit loss from tanking a season.

The slim chance of getting D-will would make matters even more complicated.

 

Especially if that star comes with a bag full of tricks. If we somehow get Howard here, there will not be a team left for him to play on. What makes people think he would want to resign here after we miss the playoffs again. If we were to get Howard and Williams here, we would be in a worse position than Miami as far as having a team around them.
But i get it. You guys are just in it to sell tickets. Because that is all they will do. Screw a championship, right?

 

I don't want Dwight and his bad back. He hasn't won any Championships with Orlando, and they've tried surrounding him with a number of different players. Dwight doesn't want to come to Houston, let him go somewhere else. I'm just not desperate to trade away all our best prospects for someone who doesn't even want to be here.

 

Exactly. This is the time to focus on the draft. Those players you speak of would be best traded for picks in this draft.