I think we should pretty much only go for home runs now

i agree with the premise, but disagree with the targets.

1. steve nash - should be gettable come trade deadline
2. chris paul - should be demanding a trade 1/3 into the season (higher price tag has me rank him behind nash)
3. josh smith - this will depend on the hawks play early on and his potential impact is debateable, although i think he'd have a major impact on the defensive side.
4. danny granger - i just don't see indiana moving him, but its definitely worth the call. price will likely be too high.

do not want

iguodala
gerald wallace

good not great players. one with injury problems and one with an albatross of a contract.

 

Now way the Suns trade Nash.
Josh Smith isn't really a guy who fits our system.
Iggy - haven't we been here before?
Gerald Wallace - nice player but he's super injury prone.

...Danny Granger and CP3 would be great additions but the cost of those guys is likely very very high - probably higher than what Morey wants to pay.

 

The upcoming CBA is on everyone's mind. There's likely scenarios where Morey does a wait and see before the next trade deadline. Worked last season...

Optimally, he'd rush a trade only if he thinks his pieces are at it's highest value over the next 6 months.

 

I disagree on Granger because I think he's available at the right price. Once his BYC status expires, a package of Hill/Ariza/Brooks can get it done IMO. You might think it's too much to give up but Granger plays on both sides of the court and his contract (5/60) is VERY reasonable when compared to what players have been getting this summer.

 

Generally I agree with the sentiment of this post.

One player I would look at is Josh Smith. With Joe Johnson's new contract, the Hawks might want to trim some salary and shake up the team a bit from last season's playoff disaster.

JS has a decent contract relative to his worth and I think would be a good PF compliment to Yao Ming in Houston. He can play the 3 and the 4. Smith's shot blocking of course would be a huge plus and he seems to have settled down as a player with his decision making. Handles the ball well and can create shots for others as a Point PF like Lamar Odom. JS is still high maintenance, but with a vet team like we have now I think he would fit in.

Rockets might be able to get JS for a lot less than what the Rockets were offering Toronto in the S&T which might leave the Rockets open for a follow up trade with another high quality target.

 

As much as I like Josh Smith, we need a better rebounder at the 4 than what Smith's shown throughout his career.

 

I think the one thing that would keep Granger off of Morey's radar is Granger's shooting efficiency. I don't know if it's because he's playing more minutes or because the Pacers really suck, but Granger's FG%, TS%, eFG% has been somewhat on a downward trend.

Of course I just think that it's because he's the only player on that god-awful team that can score so he has to jack up as many shots as possible. I would love to see this starting lineup:

Yao
Scola
Granger
Martin
Lowry

That's four scorers on the floor and a bulldozer at the point.

 

Actually the target then on that team should be Al Hortford not as big of a splash but a true pf that can give us true minutes at the 5 and is affordable.

 

I agree with the main idea.

My targets, unlikely as they may be:

Granger
Paul
Carmelo
Josh Smith (converted back to a 3)

Not keen on:
Jefferson
Iguodala
G Wallace
B Davis
M Ellis

I like those Knick picks way too much to toss them for second choice damaged goods consolation prizes.

 

Yep. Horford is the PERFECT player next to Yao. Unfortunately, the Hawks aren't going to let go of Al just because of a couple of simple facts: he's cheap and he's badass.

 

Pretty much. Except I wouldn't even care for third tier players like Iguodala & Josh Smith, though they be the only guys available. Go after true stars while keeping a Brooks(or CP3)/Martin/Yao core. Or stand still.

 

But you get good shot blocking. With Yao back there that might augment JS's rebounding as well.

Folks, we aren't going to get the perfect PF next to Yao. Any player you throw out there will have negatives. The idea is just to add more elite talent that ads value to the team as a whole.

Every player has warts, positives and negatives, but you have to weight those.

As far as Al Jefferson is concerned. He is a C. He is not a PF. He can't guard PF's in regards to lateral quickness. I don't see a fit here for Jefferson. But I will say he is a great candidate for a "buy low" scenario from some GM.

Also, please keep in mind that the PF position these days is changing. This is not the Otis Thorpe era. This is the Lamar Odom, David West, Garnett, Bosh era. LEAN, quick and long. It is a SPEED game these days. And next to YAO, SPEED is what is needed.

RE: Al Horford. He is not available. He is part of Atlanta's core. Also note that Morey specifically said that Patrick Patterson's measurables most resembled Al Horford. Keep that in mind with regards to Patterson and the Rockets PF position.

 

guys what would help the team

anyone on the all nba team 1,2, or 3

anyone on the all defensive team

anyone on the eastern conference all star team

anyone of the western conference all star team

why do some people think teams are just dying to give us their good players again? when can this website go back to discussing what our own players are actually doing in the off-season, how their working to improve for next year. we made our major move at the trade deadline, can we see how good this team can be with a an offseason of practice and training camp?

all i see is minor tweaking being done to the roster, maybe at the trade deadline something big will happen, but nothing till then.

 

Let's just admit that we're one Yao Ming injury away from rebuilding. Because of that, I have no problem with trading Luis (in a s&t) for a younger piece. What I don't want is for Morey to panic and throw cash at a dubious upgrade.

.

 

OK, home runs then: Chris Paul and LeBron.

If the basketball gods and doctors give us back a healthy Yao, we'd have the most interesting and diverse Big Three on the planet. :grin:

 

Personally, I don't think we go after any superstar for a sign and trade. Doing so means you have to let go of a lot of your own assets. Unless it involves getting rid of players like JT, HIll, Jefferies, and knick picks. It would be great to pick up CP3 for example, but if that means, getting rid of all the front court players, is it worth it? probably not in my opinion, you can have 2 Superstars and borderline allstar and a bunch of role players to win in this league, and we have that with Yao, Martin, Scola , and Brooks.

 

The Rockets still have all the assets they had available for the Bosh S&T.

Something will happen. I can see a rebuilding team that covets expirings, picks and young talent making an offer of a more than useful player or two.

Also, the fact that the roster is terribly unbalanced with far too many PFs dictates a move has to be made regardless...