Does anyone who follows European basketball have an update on how Sergio Llull is doing this year? I looked at his DraftExpress profile: http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Sergio-Llull-5023/stats/ His stats looks to have dipped compared to the 09/10 season. Is he a player that could be a spark off the bench for us next season?
I think he re-signed through at least 2012 and he stated that he is not going to the NBA to sit on the bench. I have looked for recent media features of him in spanish but all I got was regular season game notes.
The Rockets have Lowry, Smith, Martin, Lee, Taylor and Budinger all under contract for next season, and they are likely to re-sign Brooks. I seriously doubt that Llull gets brought over next year unless there is a massive shakeup to this roster.
How massive? If Brooks is traded/not retained, the Rockets would still have Lowry, Smith and possibly another Brooks replacement. If Martin is traded, the Rockets would likely start either Lee or whoever they get for Martin, with Budinger/Taylor available to back him up. With no guarantee that Llull's game will translate to him being an instant impact rotation player, and with Llull himself not wanting to be a non-rotation player if he comes over, I just don't see next year being the right time for him to come over. 2012? Possibly. But I actually think that Llull's value may lie more in TRADE than as a roster addition in the next year or so.
I saw him just a few times. He doesn't impoved as much as we hope. But I saw him just a few games, maybe he was not at his best there, dunno
You never know. Depending on how the year plays out and if egos can be controlled (a huge if), the Rockets could possibly start one of Lowry or Lee and bring one of Brooks or Martin off the bench. While I don't think that's highly likely, it's at least a conceivable plan to improve the backcourt defense while not having to part ways with a key offensive player.
Am I crazy to think that part of the logic in drafting him might have been wanting to use him as a throw-in in a Rubio trade, hoping that his stats in Europe might be similar to Rubio's? I used to do that in fantasy basketball...when I was targeting a top player, I would try to get a player with somewhat similar, but slightly worse stats than the top player, and would offer a very good player plus that similar guy for the top player. People sometimes fell for it.
Morey understands that draft picks stuck in Europe = no value. He'll consolidate our roster soon enough. Just ship Hill + Brooks + our collection of draft rights for a borderline all-star player.
DM the GM has an itchy trade finger so unless there is a massive turn-a-round on this drear season then yes, big (massive?) changes in the offing. (Starting 12/15? Feb? The 'summer' of an NBA fan's discontent?) If Brooks is traded and if Lowry is deemed starter-worthy and if Llull is deemed NBA ready then stars could well align for Sergio's surge to the USofA. If Martin traded then who knows for whom and what the fall-out effect might be.
Llull isn't stupid, he knows in the NBA, he'd just be a bench player, maybe a starter on a team in a desperate PG situation. He isn't Rubio, he has to prove he can play in the NBA and based on how he is responding he knows it won't work out. Outside a handful of European players, very few translate their games over here all that well.
