One thing we can be sure of - McHale will play the players that give the Rockets the best chance to win. Of course it was only a couple of seasons ago Morey traded away Morris and Patterson to force McHale to play Jones and D-Mo. LOL, I bet McHale was livid. However, McHale is well known for playing young players when they will increase the chance of the Rockets winning. He used Capela, as weak and ill prepared as he was, very well in the playoffs. McHale as a coach, seems to be excellent at gauging potential, coaching up talent, and inserting the player into the lineup when appropriate. If Daniels is on the roster it probably means that McHale has not given up on him. Canaan, for reasons beyond our understanding as fans, was excluded from the lineup. And Morey somehow agreed, because Canaan was dumped. It is all beyond my understanding.
Johnson is a quality defender. I'm okay with moving him out if he isn't showing drastic improvement in his shot as long as we retain KJ. BTW, Johnson, McDaniels, and Capela are all working out together at TC. All KJ needs to do is firm up his jumper. He's ready to be a difference-maker next season. I want to see him at the 1 with Harden when we go up against guys like Westbrook, etc. I am convinced McDaniels can defend 1's. And if he gets his spot-up jumper going he could be a killer when bracketed with Ariza around Harden.
If I'm the Rockets, here's my sales pitch to KJ: sign this 1 year QO and you will get the majority of the backup wing minutes (don't resign Brewer) and get the opportunity to cash in big in 2016 free agency.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Working Constantly wit tha homies <a href="https://twitter.com/CapelaClint">@CapelaClint</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/iRocket3">@iRocket3</a> <a href="http://t.co/E61QW7xXCn">pic.twitter.com/E61QW7xXCn</a></p>— KAJE (@KJMcDaniels) <a href="https://twitter.com/KJMcDaniels/status/610594348498055168">June 15, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
We will know soon. It did not take Morey long to dump Canaan after McHale evidently gave up on him. But I doubt Nick and KJ are going anywhere. There are great NBA athletes, despite their skill level. McHale can teach the skills. Athleticism is not changeable.
Doc Rocket's draft thoughts <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">My possible <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBADraft?src=hash">#NBADraft</a> pix: 1-M.Turner (1A) 2-D.Booker (1B) 3-K.Oubre (Luv dis cat) 4-C.McCull/Christmas (rd2) 5-RJ Hunter (rd2) 6-R.Upshaw</p>— Doc Rocket (@Thedocrocket) <a href="https://twitter.com/Thedocrocket/status/610648003406229504">June 16, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/justanAg16">@justanAg16</a> I like Turner bc I think he can be a solid 4 who'll hit the outside J. Just like his game...a lot.</p>— Doc Rocket (@Thedocrocket) <a href="https://twitter.com/Thedocrocket/status/610675708575137792">June 16, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
I'm not sure he's willing to wait for the big contract though. If someone offers him the MLE, he's gone. IMO it sucks because I'd love to have him take the Brewer role because I think he's an upgrade over him.
Turner is a 5 and the Rockets have no use for a center. And he is not dropping. Booker is not falling. Oubre might. If he does I can see Morey jumping all over him. The guy is one of the 5 best athletes in the draft and needs a couple of years to develop.
I have been intrigued for a while now about the possibility that KJ could play in a lineup with Harden/Ariza/Dmo/Howard. Where KJ plays defense at the PG position (Harden PG on offense). I think that could be very interesting. Imagine a small lineup of KJ / Harden / Brewer / Ariza / Howard. Rockets could have the versatility to go both big and small against teams like the Warriors.
Yep. And it'd only be a one-year deal, with McDaniels (presumably) returning to restricted free agency next summer. And for those who still can't fathom the purpose of the McDaniels trade IF he is not re-signed, even though they understand that McDaniels was probably largely "insurance", consider it this way: I pay a lot in insurance premiums every year in the off-chance that my house burns down or is otherwise seriously damaged. The odds of all of the following occurring is actually a lot greater than the odds that my house burns down (or at least I hope they are!): (a) Sergio Llull does not accept the Rockets' contract offers; (b) Corey Brewer leaves in free agency; and (c) Josh Smith gets offers well in excess of the MLE and can't pass those up. Hell, (b) doesn't even need to happen for the "KJ Insurance" to kick in. Trevor Ariza could possibly be traded. Having restricted free agent rights to a potential lottery pick (if the NBA re-did the 2014 NBA Draft) -- including the ability to keep McDaniels's cap figure at or below the MLE level in 2016 -- is worthy of giving up assets, even if it doesn't end up playing out that way. (While I personally wasn't wild about how much the Rockets gave up for McDaniels, I still get why they did it.)
Every year the pundits' picks drop, the crawler shows best players remaining, and yet guys fall. DM the GM knows who the Rox will, and will not, select. So, too, do (just about) all the other GMs/FOs. The surprises often come when the owner determines the pick, not the basketball people. Side note: If traded on draft nite, I 'fearlessly predict' that Nick will land in green.
And isn't the cap upticktickertickest such that resigning will not necessarily affect KJ's earning potential?
The potential of a Johnson/McDaniels/Capela bench is through the roof. They need some proven skill to make it work (Llull and DMo), but they will overwhelm most 2nd units athletically. I agree that KJ is a great fit next to Harden. Gives you great defense, both in the half court and transition, and attacks the rim fearlessly. Adding a jumper would make the Harden/KJ combo deadly.
I agree, this guy has the lateral quickness to guard Curry. If he had some actual PT he can develop into a defensive specialist. He is crazy athletic and can finish at the rim. I can also see him as a great rebounder and energy player off the bench.
The modern NBA seems to be all about versatility.....ie have a broad set of skills and being flexible enough to fit into multiple lineups. I didn't really get this until I saw Capela guarding Curry. Even though Curry made a shot or two over him, who could've imagined Clint being able to stay with him? That's the future. The point has only been reinforced watching Cleveland take Mozgov out. He's a good center, but that's all he is. He can't switch on the perimeter or close out on a 3 point shooter. And while Dwight would absolutely prefer to stay around the paint, he has the ability to guard the 3 point line respectably. KJ has this same DNA. A long, athletic defender that can guard the 3 point line and block shots on the interior. It's an odd set of skills by traditional standards, but in today's NBA, it's what is working.
Johnson may have the ability to guard Curry. But McDaniels definitely does. McDaniels proved it in a large segment of minutes playing for Philly. Johnson didn't get enough minutes to really prove anything. He did look good defensively in his limited minutes. But McDaniels got major burn in Philly and proved himself quickly.
Agree 100% with Doc Rocket on Myles Turner, if the rockets could put a package together and move up to get him I would be doing back flips. Fantastic shot blocker who plays 3 feet above the rim, good rebounder, great turnaround jumper and has 3 pt range. Whats not to like. 7'4 wingspan and 9'4 reach with skills.
I don't think it's a given that McDaniels could guard Curry, I mean sure he's a lot bigger and stronger than Curry, but I don't think he's as quick which could be a problem. That said, I like both Johnson and McDaniels on Curry over Brewer, Prigioni, or Terry.
Rubio's biggest weakness is not his shooting or his defense, they can and will improve in this team. Rubio can't finish at the rim, he's 31% in restricted area and over 40% in midrange. His shooting number will increase to respectful because of another creator on offense (he only had 33 assisted buckets last season overall), but his finishing ability should be the biggest concern. It was a concern throughout his entire career and it just gotten worse after ACL injury
