I just can't shake the visual of DeJuan Blair destroying him in college in a regular season game between Pitt and UConn. I know the kid is raw, but he really would have to show tremendous improvement over the next few years just to become a solid player, let alone a good one. That being said, he's tall and can swat shots, and big men take time to develop. The major factor is the buy low opportunity. A young talent like that for a bargain basement price? Sounds like The Wizard's M.O. Plus it would be hilarious to plunder another Grizzly (Lowry) and watch him grow into a good player.
Bumped this versus starting a new one. Had a little extra time on my hands and had a chance to watch alot of old games. There have been discussions about how the Rockets need a defensive type of center with so many offensive minded players. Thabeet has been mentioned because of these skillsets. Many think he's a bust an that could very well be true. After re wayching those last 13 games from last year again, I'm even more convinced the rockets should make a run at him. 5pt,6rbs,2.76blks in 21 minutes. Thats not to mention how many times i saw players pump fake only to pass it further out to the perimter. This isnt just to talk about the rockets getting thabeet,but also to discuss a player whom many think the rox should go after of at seasons end. Kendrick Perkins is the young defensive minded center alot of people are talking about. He's a local kid,young,strong in the post,developing offensive game and have that championship mettle.When you look deeper,he struggled with consistency his 1st couple of years in the league. It probably had something to do with him being a high schooler and some had to do with his dedication to the game, but once he started getting those consistent 21 mins his 3rd season, the light came on. Once they had confidence in him and the vets showed him how to live the ame, he became a integral piece of what the celtics do. All of this brings me full circle back to thabeet. Deckard says I have a facination with Thabeet, but I think he can be a superstar defensive player. Imagine if the rockets just got those 5pts-6rebs-2.76 blks in 21 mins of action? How much better would this team be this yr? How much easier would it be to add players if he was the rim protector? How much would his production increase if he were up to 33 mins a night? I think its a gamble, but its the type of gamble the rox should take. They need to find Jermaine O'Neal sitting on someones bench. I think thabeet can be that guy. He will never ive up to his draft status,but that doesnt mean he cant become an impact player.He will probably never average more than 10-12 ppg, but the amount of points he can negate from the other team will make up for that.
Agreed. I think we need to go for either Thabeet or Gasol,as one of them definitely is going to be surplus to requirements for grizzlies.
I like the idea of Kendrick Perkins a lot. Very good defensive center and shot blocker. He also isn't a total zero on offense and would add some much needed toughness to the Rockets. A Perkins/Patterson combo could be very effective in certain situations.
Re: Thabeet I am still confident that he is a player that should be targeted. The game action leeb is watching is 21 minutes of action...raw action...from Thabeet under poor tutelage. If he didn't improve one iota, it would still be serviceable for us. Chances are, however, that he will polish his game at least to some degree on his own. If he's getting 2.76 blocks now in 21 minutes, would anyone say it is unlikely he has a 3.5-4 bpg season in him, especially with CD and Hakeem around to mentor him? I don't even care if his offense doesn't improve or regresses. His calling card has always been defense. He left UConn on pace to be the NCAA's all-time leading shotblocker! The move just makes sense on too many levels to not get it done.
As do I. Perk is a load defensively with a much appreciated mean streak. That said, the cost of acquisition would not be cheap, I'm sure. I'd gladly take him though. In fact, for as cheaply as I think Thabeet could be had, I'd gladly take BOTH.
Every time i watch Blair I wonder why we didn't grab him in the 2nd round with one of our two picks. I couldn't believe he fell to the 2nd round.
Everyone knew Blair was a beast, it was medical issues that scared teams away. Blair has no ACL in either knee so the question revolved aound the length of his career. Agreed that a 2nd rounder would have been a good gamble.
what about Oden? anyone think we could find a way to extract him from Portland? I think he's worth the risk.
-Blair is great for a team that is contending NOW. The Rockets are not contending any time soon. GM's learning to look at the medical history more now due to the Brandon Roy's and the Oden's of this league. -As for Thabeet. Lets get this straight. Thabeet is a project. If you are frustrated by Jordan Hill's play as of late, you will be just as frustrated, if not more with Thabeet. The BBIQ will be about the same with similar defensive abilities and with even less offensive abilities. Plus, foul trouble. With the terrible on-the-ball defense the Rockets have had this season, the dribble penetration will most likely put a Center like Thabeet in a position to foul or give up easy buckets around the rim. That being said, I think he is worth it if the price is right. However I think there are other centers out there that would fit in much better with what the Rockets are trying to do, they just will cost alot. *If Im Morey, I would look to deal for Gortat again. I think Phoenix wouldn't mind trading him if they could get back another backup center in the process. Scola for Gortat works for me. Scola is a way better playing and value, but the need for the center position is too great to deny. Scola would be missed but I think you could make a secondary move with Sacremento to get Landry back in a heartbeat to replace the lowpost scoring. You could even start Hayes or Patterson at the 4 spot and have Landry come off the bench where he seems to be very effective especially in the 4th quarter.
I think If Phoenix really is looking to stick with Nash for the remainder of his contract, trading for Scola would be a good pickup and could offer cost savings if the Rockets pick up another contract from them in the process. Gortat is making roughly 7 mil a year for 4 more seasons. Scola is essentially 9mil for 3 more seasons. The Rockets would almost have to take on another contract to offer cost savings to Phoenix. The downside for the Rockets is that the talent level is not equal but it fills a position they desperately need to fill long term. Another downside is that it make Phoenix better. Which might be the main reason Houston hasn't looked to deal for Gortat or Lopez from Phoenix. -Thabeet for "who knows what" seems to be a more likely Morey move, but its not the move I would make. I just dont think he gets this team any more wins, and wont see floor time due to low BBIQ and the ability to play within Adelman's system.
what about goin after Kendrick Perkins in free agency? He's only 25 and is a really really good defender.
That came up in another thread and I'm all for it. Perkins is a good defender and shot blocker and he isn't a total liability on offense. Boston has quite a few large contracts so I'm not sure how much they'd be willing to spend on Perkins. He might be "gettable".
Again, there's 28 other GM's around the league wondering the same thing: at what cost?. I don't want to hear any of this "He's a former #2 overall pick therefore his trade value will be treated accordingly" stuff. No. He's done nothing in his NBA career to prove he's 31 draft spots better than somebody with the same strengths/weaknesses like Hassan Whiteside. If I were Chris Wallace and I planned on moving him, I'd be careful not to get too greedy with this one. Nobody will pay a premium for a guy that's been a complete disaster as a pro.
