Good grief, I'm freaking excited about this squad!

Well Granger is a 1x all-star. Also that's just speculation that we could trade Brooks/Battier/Patterson for Iggy. What if Philly doesn't like Brooks? WE may love Brooks but that doesn't mean other GMs are in love with him to get rid of their best players for him.

That is a long shot move to me, because they are not franchise changing players on the level of CP3 and Amare. They are complimentary guys like Martin, and we would be given up depth for another complimentary player. I guess if we are trying to build the latest iteration of the championship Pistons this would be a good move.

I just don't think Granger or Iggy would make this team top half of the west. Because first we'd give up solid players to get them and 2nd these guys barely lead their teams any where. Yeah they are good players but matched up with the likes of Durant, Melo, Kobe, Wade???

You are right about Amare. It looks like the Rockets could have took that chance with him, and had he resigned it would maybe be us with the shot at getting Melo. But I just disagree that Granger and Iggy are guys that are good enough to lure a big enough player here.

 

Well, some Nets fans are almost dying for this trade. And they are recieving 2 first round picks.

If you don't know the player you can just wait and see before making that sort of comment, just a suggestion.

 

Id rather try to build the Championship Pistons if thats our only current options than not try at all.

Yao/Miller
Scola/Hayes
IggyBudinger
Martin/TWill
Lowry/Courtney Lee

Sure does sound almost like the Pistons team. Defense, size, scoring, depth at every position, passing, three pointers, athletes, fast breaking, half court offense. Dont see how that team is a negative to have a chance to win big? You put iggy on Kobe? Martin does his thing against Artest, Lowry does up Fisher with Courtney Lee there too. Yao and Miller best a always injured Bynum. Scola does decent against Gasol. Odom gets handled by Hayes and Budinger. Twill gets Artest.. Alot of things can happen if we have the right matchups.

 

The Lakers are contenders because they had Kobe fall into their lap and they they bamboozled the Memphis Gm into giving them Gasol. Not everyone is lucky like that, Minny has 3 top 5 lottery picks on their team and they're still worse than us.

The point is either you can sit on your ass and wait, or you can actually try to acquire talent and maybe you'll be in the right place at the right time. DM is going the 2nd route, and I certainly don't see anything wrong with that.

 

Thanks. It's nice to have a slasher who can make open 3's and play defense.

Morey found exactly what this team needed and bought it cheap!

 

when will he see playing time??????

 

Defence and size my butt. Yao has it but he is an unknown in terms of availability. That leaves us with Miller and Hayes at 5. Miller is soft at D and Hayes does not have size.

What we really lack is an intimidating presence at the 5, some one who can reduce penetration and change shots inside the paint. Miller and Hayes dont really do any of those. Neither does Hill and we cant afford to wait untill he can. If we had that big man that could do those things, it would allow Battier, Lee and Lowry to guard opponents more effectively.

Gasol and Odom outman Scola, Miller and Hayes all the time. No point counting on Yao, who knows when he plays and when he gts injured.

 

Welcome Rook and nice post.

 

DM trying to model us after the Golden State Warriors???

 

Not really, this version would still be high scoring, athletic, well worth the price of admission, but most importantly they could actually play D, rebound, and protect the rim.

The Roster/Rotations/Combinations could be SICK especially if somone goes down w/ injury (again) !!!

Lowry / Brooks / Lee / Williams / Ish
Martin / Lee / Iggy / Williams
Iggy / Williams / Randolph
Scola / Hill / Randolph / Hayes
Yao / Miller / Thabeet / Randolph / Hayes


I hope Morey can get Iggy, Randolph, Thabeet. I would be so proud of this team and new direction of the organization.

It really is sound thinking to give up future picks mid-late round picks for past lottery picks...Williams (#11), Thabeet (#2), Randolph (#14). Thats a hell of a way to rebuild. Eventually you will strike gold. Its low risk with high potential.

 

As I watched all three Houston pro sports franchises stumble and bumble along (once again) this year, I started asking myself what separates teams like the Lakers from teams like the Rockets. And I have come to the conclusion that it's not only luck that's the determining factor because if that were indeed so, then teams like the Lakers and Spurs would not be so very "lucky" time after time. No, somehow they manage to continue to operate at a higher level of competitiveness and you have to ask yourself why this is so. Let's use the Spurs as an example.

Consider the Spurs this season. Sure you argue that they were "lucky" to land Tim Duncan but that was when? 1997? OK, that may explain why they were so successful back in the early 2000s but truth be told, he has clearly been in decline now for at least two years. Yet with him still as the centerpiece of that team, the Spurs are 21-3 this season. This is simply mind boggling. December is only half over and already the Rockets are 12 games behind the Spurs.

So why is this so? Are they still riding that "lucky" streak from 1997? Or is it because their basketball operation is superior to the one here? Over the past decade, while the Rockets were cycling through mediocre players and dropping in and out of the NBA lotto (with nothing to show for the experience), the Spurs put up three championship banners (2002-2003, 2004-2005, 2006-2007). They were able to do this because while the Rockets were cycling through a parade of average to below average players (so-called talent), the Spurs were going out and getting players like Tony Parker, Manu Ginnobli, Richard Jefferson, etc.. And the results have been well, obvious. Just look at where they (Spurs) are today vs. where the Rockets find themselves.

That's why I wondered out loud just why the Rockets were content to gamble on a guy like Williams who might work out if (insert generic statement about him removing head from his behind, his physical potential, his new chance to succeed, dumping the baggage from the past, blah blah blah) while the Lakers go out and get a Joe Smith. That, too me, is a CLEAR reason what's wrong with this organization. DM may be indeed acquiring "talent" but only in the most marginal sense as the players he's getting aren't going to make an impact now and this team needs help NOW and not two-three-four years down the road. He's been doing this sort of thing for several years now and we are still waiting to see this strategy pan out.

The Lakers did what great organizations do to stay on top. Great organizations make their own luck by being smart in their personnel evaluations and acquisitions. Great organizations don't operate in the manner the Rockets have operated for the past 15 years and continue to do so to this day. Even though Carroll Dawson is no longer there screwing things up, nothing has really changed with DM in charge. (As I write this, I'm listening to DM on 610 give the same old same old explanations as to why he went for Williams - he's only had problems with ONE coach, he has great potential, he's still young and can "change", yada yada yada). I mean like wow! I never heard that from a Rockets' GM before... If this was Vegas, then I could understand this type of gamble but this is the NBA Western Conference and they are competing against teams that are doing their best to move FORWARD every year. The Rockets, on the other hand, are an organization that is content to move sideways year after year after year, never forward. And until that gets changed with this owner and organization, it will always be GroundHog Day in Houston.

 

Can I put my hand down now?

 

lol, it was a joke (in case you didn't undestand what the means) but thanks for calling me a d-bag even though I think that the pickup was decent.