What does whether or not we're contending have to do with selecting Blair? You select the best player available, unless there are some major red flags telling you not to. Apparently, Blair had some red flags and the Rockets passed. Current hindsight says that was a big mistake; though Blair could have a career-ending knee injury tomorrow and it'd all be moot. As far as Gortat-Scola, I don't see the Rockets entertaining that unless we're getting more in return. Scola was the main piece of a deal involving Amare last year; Courtney Lee was supposedly who the Rockets were offering the Magic for Gortat earlier. I don't think the Rockets would be willing to bump their offer to Gortat from Lee to Scola. Yes, the emergence of Patterson has made him somewhat expendable. But I still don't think Morey will downgrade skill-wise just to get a center to patch a hole in our ship of mediocrity. Scola is our best and only low-post scoring threat and should be able to fetch you more than Marcin Gortat.
I think your right of course about Scola/Gortat trade for sure. Im not saying its what Morey is going to do. I just think its what would be best for the roster to address the need for a center that works for this team long term. Its a downgrade in talent, I just think that even serviceable centers come at a high price in this league, and Gortat would fit in well in Adelman's system. Thabeet would not. However Thabeet could be had for a much more reasonable exchange and thats why it seems more of a Morey type of trade. Although he wouldn't see nearly as much playing time as some might think. -Gortat is just an example of the type of center Morey should go after rather than a project like Thabeet. Could be Nene, Lopez, or someone else nobody is thinking of. Plus Scola is a big issue on defense with this team, and that deficiency should be noted if this team wants to get better on that end. -As for Blair, you are right in theory that you take the best available player, but you are wrong if you think that GM's draft players for long term or short term affects on their team and health concerns. The fact is that alot of teams passed on Blair because doctors said that there is only a short window before at some point, his knees cannot hold up. Just like with Brandon Roy. The Spurs were a team that were willing to take that gamble because they saw their window of opportunity within a year or two anyways. The Rockets are not and where not in a position where taking a gamble on a player like Blair would be worth the risk.
This would make sense if you were talking about a lottery pick (like Brandon Roy was); but a 2nd rounder? The Rockets will ALWAYS be in a position to take a gamble on a 2nd round pick, regardless of whether they are currently contending or not.
Yes but you if you have plans for a bigger deal then you might need that TE to make the deal work. I'm not saying "don't use the TE", just pointing out that you won't be able to deal Scola straight up due to his BYC status.
Also noteworthy is that you can't combine trade exceptions with another player to match salaries; so Ariza's TE in this case couldn't help you match salaries in a Scola-Gortat deal.
And if it's used then you have a very expensive acquisition of a guy who isn't gonna play at all for the Rockets this year. Les isn't gonna go further above the luxury tax threshold for this guy.
"this guy" meaning Thabeet or Gortat? Look if you want a serviceable center for 4 more years your going to have to shell out some bucks. Secondary moves are just going to be a realization if they want to get under the lux tax. Thabeet to me isn't worth going into the Lux tax because he is unlikely to hit the floor anytime soon. I have a hard time thinking this kid would be able to succeed in Adelman's system. A Center like Gortat/Nene etc. is worth it to me and should be to Les and Morey. Those two guys would immediately fit in with what this team is looking to do offensively. Im looking at a move for Scola for a solid center not only for the Center position upgrade, but the PF upgrade defensively. Moving Chuck over to the PF position would do wonders for this team defensively.
I thought we were talking about Thabeet since the thread is about him. I don't think Nene and Gortat are actually available, but yeah they would be nice.
Just an example of the "type" of center the Rockets should go after rather than a Thabeet given his current price tag would cost the Rockets a player like a Scola. The convo got off track because of how it could happen. I like Thabeet as a project center, but fans on here need to realize that it is very possible he would not even see the court this season and possibly the next. I just do not see Thabeet fitting into Adelman's system unlike some of the other Centers out there like a Nene or Gortat who I think could jump right in and be able to fill that need for 3 to 4 seasons.
Thabeet got one rebound and one foul in 12 minutes tonight, nothing else on the stat sheet. No shots, no blocks, etc. Memphis must be showcasing him.
Not an issue. For the Rockets: Trade exception for Gortat Scola for nothing (trade exception created equal to the BYC value of Scola) For the Suns, Gortat for Scola is a simple deal. I for once actually agree with lee -- the Rockets need to go out on a limb on a deal or two and trade the safe veteran (Dale Davis) for the projectable young upstart (Jermaine O'Neal). Of course, sometimes you instead end up with Antonio Davis for Jonathan Bender. For me, I see Morey's philosophy is to score runs by hitting a lot of singles with a double here and there. A lot of relatively "safe" transactions where we upgrade in talent, but we've ultimately ended up with some interchangeable pieces and not maximizing what we do have. At some point we have to take a shot and make a big move, because without it, we'll be stuck dancing around .500 forever.
Good point, I forgot about the Suns Amare trade exception. I don't know if you're referring to liking a Thabeet deal or Gasol deal (or Gortat?). I'm not sure I'd compare Thabeet to J.O. -- he's got a looong way to go. Of course, you may have been talking about Gortat. I agree that we need to take our shot at some point; we tried hard to take our shot with Cousins (and are still trying). Considering we wouldn't have to give up much to acquire Thabeet, I would be fine with looking at stealing him from the Grizzlies. I've though a Kevin Martin for Mayo & Thabeet deal would make a lot of sense for both teams for a while. As far as what it would take to get Marc Gasol, I'm not sure. They seem intent on re-signing him, even at the cost of losing their best player (Randolph). Speaking of Randolph, he's an under-the-radar star that most people dismiss as a loser who gets stats on bad teams. But he's been incredible this year and IMO would be the Rockets best player if we somehow acquired him. Of course, the only problem with that is he's making 17M+ this year and is looking for a new contract.
As I mentioned before, the rockets would get a 1.5 yrs look at the guy. I like perkins also. I remember watching him through high school, through the playoffs, winning 1 and losing the other to chris bosh and company. When he came out, i thought he wasnt in shape and it would take time. Looking at his career, it took him 2 yrs to get his feet wet, but once he started getting 20+ mins a night in his 3rd yr, he started to mature. Jefferson jumped out and had more progress faster than perkins. Perkins transfromed his body from a guy with alot of baby fat to a more sculpted look. He leaned out, developed a mean streak and matured. This didnt happen over night though. It took time and now he will be a hot commodity this summer. I wouldnt bet alot to say thabeet will be better than perkins,but for the cost of a guy like brad miller and courtney lee, i would take that gamble.I like miller, just dont think he's right for this team right now. I like courtney also, but unless martin gets hurt or is traded, he's a 20 minute guy. I think he's worth the gamble. Hell, if they wanted to trade projects with hill for thabeet, that would work for mea also.
I wouldn't bank on either one but wouldn't mind having them on the roster. I would definitely go the cheapest route.
You are techically correct that you can't combine the TE with a player but the CBA allows each team to break a trade up into multiple parts in order to make it work. So, from Houston's perspective it's Gortat for Ariza TE and Scola for nothing...two deals. From PHX perspective it's Gortat for nothing, Scola for Amare TE...two deals. Both sides of the deal are legal so it's a legal transaction. The Rockets did a similar thing in that they used the Glenn Rice TE as part of the multiplayer deal when they acquired McGrady.
Entertaining thread! Can you imagine Thabeet being less raw by next year and so forth? Pressure cook his as*
Agreed with this line of thinking. I'm just not convinced that guy is Thabeet. But philosophically, I absolutely agree us getting significantly better is going to involve making a move that's not necessarily smart or Morey-esque ($1-for-$1 or $1-for-$1.10...basically something tangible). An example of adhering to this philosophy is the idea of somebody like Greg Oden (for next year). When you lack top 3-5 draft picks like we do, to hit a home run with a young center like we're trying to do you HAVE to consider all options. Would we be a major punchline around the league? Yes. Should the McGrady/Yao years teach us to avoid problematic situations? Yup, probably. But if we don't make a ballsy move like this at some point....where does that leave us? Like you said, hitting a bunch of singles with a double here and there. At 23-years-old, I'm willing to step up to the plate. Mind you, this is just an example of thinking outside-the-box and not meant to derail the thread. I just want people to realize it's possible to upgrade the center position without: A) Clinging to the fool's gold of Yao being anything remotely close to dependable -and- B) Without the typical expensive salary dump (i.e. Brendan Haywood type @ $9-10M per year). In the meantime, I like the idea of pursuing Nene (if available) and Morey's continued fascination with Cousins. The rumors involving NJ's supposed interest in both Scola/Martin has me interested in a deal involving Favors. And I guess the false hopes of a Hibbert or Lopez type deal will linger in the back of my mind. Either way, I love that we have a smart, aggressive GM. Upgrading the center position is clearly this year's major move to make. Sure, we still need a go-to-guy or closer but balancing the roster takes priority, IMO. Last year he was tested with the McGrady saga and getting us past that -- I'd say he delivered. Hopefully, this year's test will be no different.
