And the llull decision must be the first priority. If it delays it can put the whole offseason at risk.
I want to be on the record here. Its OBVIOUS that Cyberx has sources, and we thank him for the info he produces.... even when its conflicting. I understand that its ok to give conflicting info as well. If its info that is constantly changing based on what is coming from your source I totally understand. ........... However... as it relates to Sergio Llull, and the info that is being produced, it doesn't seem like a warming sign that this is a done deal in any way. I would be hesitant to assume he's going to be a Rocket until a deal is done, and that wont happen until late in free agency in July. Much like with the Papanikolaou deal, I think it probably lingers in free agency a bit until Morey can get his ducks in a row.
See my post above. Again.... not a knock on Cyber. He's just repeating what he hears. The info that flip flops is what is concerning, and a warning sign that we probably should temper expectations. Good news is they are actually talking, and if Llull's camp is negotiating publicly.... that is step #1.
I made the exact same statement. Something like "Cyber obviously has good sources and isn't just making things up, but sometimes information that is leaked to the media or to agents has a purpose." I was called an egomaniac for discussing the information beyond saying "thank you." LOL I really hope not. This team is on the verge of competing and I really hope Morey doesn't pass up MLE targets unless he has a hard commitment from Llull.
Why so? The Rockets have to be operating over the cap in order to sign Llull to the full MLE. Wouldn't it make sense for the Rockets to figure out their situation with Brewer, Smith, and KJ first so they can be operating over the cap before they sign Llull?
Do you have any idea what went on that game? Re-watch it. Steals are an indicator of how much a player disrupts defensively. Now add in how many passes/shots he gets his hands on and deflects/blocks. That's a huge number that NBA teams and college teams track to evaluate defensive effectiveness. If you watch Rubio play, he tips more passes than any other player on the court. Steals are not the only indicator of a player's defense. But steals do matter...a whole lot. In the overall metric of Rubio....he is a possession creator. He creates a ton of possessions with his rebounding and steals, a lot more than he uses. Rubio is one of the most efficient possession users/creators in the NBA and he does it from the point guard spot. Next fact: When Rubio is on the court, the opposing team's shooting percentages go down dramatically versus when he's on the bench. This is an easier one to track if you choose to do it. But it's been consistently true every season he has played. He's at the top in defensive FG differential. Once again, it's easy to look at a video of Rubio getting whipsawed by Harden and think he's not a good defender. (Nobody even pays attention to how quickly Rubio recovered on that play and challenged the shot.) It's easy to look at a few iso plays and make a baseless statement that he's not a good defender. But that won't convince me. I've seen too many games. I've watched what happens during the games when Rubio is on and off the court. I've tracked it versus other players. Rubio is a totally disruptive force defensively. And to top it all off he has played his entire NBA career without any help from his big men in the paint (Pek and Love). Only in the last year has he had Dieng around and Dieng at this stage of his career is average to possibly a little above average defensively. That makes a huge difference. Paul has DeAndre. Hill has Hibbert. Wall has Gortat. Conley has Gasol. Bev has Dwight. Jrue has Davis. Steph has Bogut. Teague has Horford. Rubio has had Pek. And Rubio has still shown defensively in spite of being backed up in the paint by Pek. (Aside: one of the reason why Bledsoe is now being labeled a gambler is because he has nobody in the paint to step up for him.) Point guards shine so much better defensively on their "gambles" when they've got a great defensive big that has their back. Rubio gambles no more than CP3 or Conley gambles. The difference is he doesn't have a defensive stopper behind him. That's bull. We've got one of the best paint/rim defenders in history on this team. What we need is more gambling. No, you haven't. You've seen me make a case that his mechanics are such that he could improve. He doesn't have to be rebuilt from the ground up like MKG and Terrence. But I've never said he's a good shooter because he isn't. I have also stated that people overblow his bad shooting. They make this huge deal out of it when his primary role is making plays and passing the ball. I'm not for acquiring Rubio and gutting the roster. I do believe he would be a great fit here...BUT ONLY if we changed the offense and let him run the show up top. There is no sense in bringing in Rubio to this team and making him play off the ball...until and unless his shooting improves. But...I don't really think it will happen anyways. I think the Rubio ship sailed this season. When we couldn't get him before he signed his extension, that was a huge blow. Now with Rubio already having a salary locked in for 2015 Flip will want an arm and a leg for him. The circumstances are different. So I think it would cost too much to get him and he would take up too much immediate salary cap space because he has signed his extension. And finally, you're gonna criticize my scouting of Rubio???? You, the #1 Terrence pumper and defender???? LOL.
I think Cyber is a smart enough guy to actually read what we are saying and not get offended by questioning the info, and not Cyber himself. This is a forum, and we should be open to discuss and dissect the info. That's kind of the point of a site like this right? There is a difference between that and being a dick. The phrase that keeps on coming up from Morey, and others is "operating over the cap". I wouldn't be shocked if the Llull signing is the last move of the offseason other than a couple vet min signings. As long as the Rockets can keep from being hard capped after the signing would happen, they can wait, and make other moves first. Papanikolaou didn't mind waiting so I'd have to think Llull would wait too if he's truly serious about coming over to begin with.... which I guess is the main concern based on this conflicting reports.
I know this is a stretch. But on 790 this morning the guys teased that some superstar has put their house on the market and this is one guy the rox would be interested in. Of course they teased that going in to the break and never got back to it before I had to get in to work. Did anyone follow that this morning? Who did they mention put their house on the market?
I guess clarification is in order. I don't care if they wait on Llull if the waiting is strategic for cap purposes. I just hope the waiting isn't because Llull won't commit and the Rockets let the offseason slip away holding out for him.
Totally agree. But I have hopes that it was after the euroleague ephoria that he changed his mind and now that he calmed down and met with Houston again he wants to come. Why..because there is one pot of money and three players to pay with. Smith Kj and Llull. If llull delays kj and smith can be gone and the mle wilk have to found a new target..the leavings of the other teams. Kj is for sure going to be signed early in free agency. First hours.
that makes no sense. so that's an excuse for him to be horrible at shooting because its not his primary role? lol
No, it means in the context of a championship team, if Rubio were surrounded by quality shooters that he could pass to, his shooting becomes a non-issue. Minnesota has dredged around at the bottom of the league in 3-point shooting for the last several seasons. You take Rubio's shooting out of the mix and their shooting numbers don't improve. They're a terrible 3-point shooting team even without Rubio in there. One of the worst in the league. That artificially magnifies Rubio's shooting. And guys like you make a huge deal out of it. Once again, in a playmaking role on a team with good shooters, Rubio's shooting is a non-issue. Because Rubio will be creating at such an efficient and hectic pace that you won't need his shots. And he's too smart. He'll draw fouls and get on the FT line before he lines up a bunch of 35% long-2's which we don't shoot anyways or a bunch of 28% 3-pointers. Ricky's too smart for that.
Lamarcus Aldridge to Houston would be very difficult to achieve unless he is interested in signing a 1+1 type deal for a low cost to come here, which I highly doubt. I'm not even going to bother getting worked up over the possibility.
If lma signs a 1 year and waits he gets to the next class of free agents and his max gets more ( aside from the cap rise). But he of course wont take a paycut in that one year. it looks to me the spurs are about to dump splitter and re ounce joseph..
