As BimaThug noted here, Ish Smith's contract becomes fully guaranteed on January 8th. Rockets are in desperate need for a center. They recently added a multi-talented guard/forward with point guard skills (Williams). I think there's a good chance Smith is waived, and we add a C from the D-league to help out in the middle. If not from the D-league, then we find a C elsewhere. But I can't see the Rockets postponing this until February when they can maximize the return on any trades. They need to make a move right now, a roster spot has to be cleared. Any standout bigs in the D-league that we could pick up?
Nah, I would bet they keep Ish, and if they need a spot they find a taker for Jeffries. I think Morey knows this year is done, and he is focused on getting better in the future...... No need to give up future assets for this year.... DD
I think they want to hold on to Jeffries until they can pull off a more significant trade towards the deadline. But a move needs to be made now to keep our heads above water through this January stretch.
Maybe, but I just don't see it. I think Morey knows Ish would be snapped up, and they know he has a future in the league and any move regarding him in a temporary fix would be one of panic. I think the go with what they have until the trade deadline....clearly Jeffries will be moved, either in a salary dump or as part of a bigger deal to match salaries. I just don't believe Morey would mortgage a future piece for a temporary, band aid type of fix now. I could be wrong though, guess we shall see. We will know in 4 days, right? DD
10 day contracts for D-leaguers start tomorrow. If Rockets want to pick one of them up, they'll need to clear a roster spot ASAP. http://my.nba.com/cms/NBA D-League/Prospect Watch Possible targets: Joe Alexander, Texas Legends (6'7) - The high-flying Alexander has posted double-doubles in four of his last six games while also averaging 1.8 blocks over that stretch. He leads the league in rebounding with 11.1 boards per game. Sean Williams, Texas Legends (6'10) - Another former NBA draft pick working to get back into the league, Williams is the top call-up candidate at center right now. He's averaging 16 points and ten boards while shooting nearly 65 percent from the field. A top shot-blocker, Williams leads the league in that catergory with 3.13 per game. Courtney Sims, Iowa Energy (6'11) - A former NBA D-League MVP, Sims is the other top candidate at center. A polished low-post scorer, he is averaging 17.9 points on .589 shooting and 9.5 rebounds per game.
What gives a better picture of how hard it is to find a good FA Center at this point in the season? Our Rockets rejects Brian Cook and Hilton Armstrong are playing more than 10mins a game, meanwhile Joey Dorsey is getting a chance to start for the Raptors.
Ish doesn't make much money and we would lose the option on him for next year if we cut him now. So, I don't think we cut him before 1/8. We may need him again if a PG gets traded or injured. I also don't see how picking up a scrub to play center is going to help us. We have guys who can play center already; we just need someone who can do it really well. You won't get that in midseason except by trade.
Maybe Rockets can trade him for a future pick or something. You're right, they do seem to like him a lot, and it would be tough for them to let him go without any compensation.
The year is not even close to being done in January when we're only a couple of games out of the 8th seed and with the trade dead line still ahead of us. We make a major trade and bring in a couple of bigs we can do damage in the play-offs. I'm 100% Brooks is goinig to be shipped out so we MIGHT need Ish even though we have Lee and TWill who are able to run point off the bench.
Intriguing, why is he not in the NBA right now? I remember the hype he got coming out of the draft; I also remember another poster bringing him out of the blue lately.
Agreed. Sean Williams has some talent. Maybe the Rockets trust their locker-room to bring him in just as they did with Terrence Williams.
Exactly what I was thinking and he could not get a better place to start over. Sure it would be a risk, but with Chuck, Shane and a little humble pie, he might just be ok....and he is a Houston guy too, right? I really would like to give him a shot.... BTW - remember when Morey said "When is having too many good players a problem" Right now ! DD
Another option: We keep Smith, keep Jeffries. Give up Yao and Jordan Hill to our friends in Sacramento for Dalembert and Whiteside. http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=28xrb2t Rotation: PG - Lowry/Brooks/Smith SG - Martin/Lee SF - Battier/Budinger/Williams PF - Scola/Patterson/Whiteside C - Dalembert/Hayes
You know I like that deal....but it seems the Sean Williams deal would be more a Morey move right now...getting a guy in for a free look.....just got to free up a roster spot. We have too many wings and PFs....actually we are only short (pardon the pun) at the center spot. BTW - Whiteside is a C/PF.....but he has range, is an excellent shot blocker, good athleticism, but is really really raw.....the kind of guy we need to be developing... DD
I could see Morey moving Ish, Brooks or anyone else in a laterial move if it balances our roster or gives us back someone else thats a asset for later. We seem to be at a point where getting anyone means getting rid of someone we like. We need a 3 for 1 trade sooo badly (the right one of course). On a scale of 1-10, 10=Lebron, we have lots of 6's and 7's, but no 9 or 10's. Unless one becomes available, trading 3 6's for a 7 or 8 would be good for the Rockets. Just a line of thinking here, not trying to start a debate on who is a 6 or a 7.
I completely concur, and it needs to happen before all those 6s and 7s start whining about not getting enough time on the floor.... DD
Agree on the urgency of the matter but after hearing Morey on 1560 this morning, I am also considering that DD might be right...Morey might have mailed it in for this season. He won't say that or imply it but I believe he said this morning that he wouldn't acquire a center that would hurt his long term plans of building a championship and nothing was out there right now. If he waits through Jan, the season is done and any trade will be to unload rather then reload. He won't tank but he is willing to evaluate some of the young guys and have them grow at the expense of the season. I expect Hill, Patterson, T-Will, CLee and Bud to get A LOT of playing time down the stretch to see what we have for the future. Part of me hopes I'm wrong and Morey goes out and gets a legit defending center but another part wouldn't mind sitting back and acquiring more young talent for the future.
