5 PGs, if you include Lee and Williams. But I do think that Ish is still more likely to be cut or traded in the next few weeks than any other player except possibly Jared Jeffries. I misread the piece and thought it said that the Rockets plan to retain Ish for the rest of the season. Not quite what it said.
A agree with you. Im not saying we trade him like we did with JT. I would be very happy if he was packaged with expirings and Bud for noticable improvements to our roster. All im saying is having Ish as a backup makes it easier to trade Brooks. Im not saying trade him for a 2nd round pick.
I dont think it makes him expendable either really...i'm sure they want to keep them all, but i think he'll be forced to give up a good piece to get big that's worth something. Our young guys haven't been very consistent to be appealing. Our older guys have, but have much larger contracts that not many teams would want to take on. Lowry is probably our best bait right now based on his play and a contract that's reasonable for both a rebuilding team or a contender. More options for houston to look at. I don't think acquiring Williams makes trading Lowry an easy or obvious decision, but it probably makes it more likely that Morey will consider it and explore the possibility.
So if they are going to guarantee Ish's contract, does that mean they have to shed one person from the roster before they do that? (meaning before Jan 8th)
Nope, it means he gets paid even if he is cut. Lee was pretty horrible as a PG, and Williams, really? He has about a minute of garbage time at the point, yet we are willing to run with him as the primary backup? Really? DD
You do realize that Lowry has to CONSENT to any trade this year, right? Doubtful that Smith gets waived by the team AFTER January 8. If so, it'll cost Les over $1.3M in salary and tax, instead of just the $50k that is currently guaranteed on Smith's deal. More likely, if Smith is still on the roster on January 8, the Rockets would look for a "Jermaine Taylor-type" trade (Smith + cash for non-existent second round pick) to shed his salary.
Who said anything about primary backup? Brooks and Lowry are the 1st and 2nd option at PG, in whatever order.
Yeah, true, but I thought you guys were discussing trading one of them....would that make Ish the backup, and Williams or Lee 3rd team? I honestly like the idea of Williams at the point, or at least as a point capable SG..... But would like to see more of him before I make that judgement. But a 6'6" attacking Point capable SG would be fantastic. DD
Yeah, I completely forgot. It may close out some possibilities, but he's still likely a back up here and i think he'll be open to getting more PT somewhere or possibly playing closer to home, if that's the case.
No, you're right. I lost track of the conversation. If we let go of Ish and at some point we trade AB or Lowry, then yes we could be stuck in a situation where its one of the remaining true PGs and either Lee or Williams as the backup PG. I'm ok with that, as long as we're getting something good in return for AB or Lowry. I'm more concerned about shoring up our interior defense than replacing Ish as a backup PG.
I get ya. Personally, I would rather unclog the logjam at PF and Wing to get a big......I like where we are everywhere else. DD
Williams--> wing. Can be a top defender against SGs/SFs, I followed his draft and his D was being compared with the D of guys like Tony Allen or Iguodala, being a better rebounder than them and anybody at his position. He should be elite at this side of the court, as wing.
Look, people should stop saying that we have T.will and Lee as PG material... The CAN play in those positions, but if you are coach/GM, you want your players playing were they are more affective at, of course it is great to have players that can play equaly well in various positions, but those players are very rare, they have to be top talents to do so. But follow me: We have 3 PGs, and two of them are starting material, and the third one, is clearly what you want coming off the bench. Ish Smith fits like a glove as a backup PG going forward, he brings energy, he runs the floor, he has passing abilities, he gives easy points to our Athletic guys that come off the bench, he gives open shots to our shooters, and he plays D, he is PERFECT AS A BACKUP PG for many years And then you have 2 starting PG material, so for me it is obvious, you trade one of these two (if you can maintain the 2 you do it, but if you have holes on your roster you have to), because the possibility of receiving a starting material player in return is higher. You transform 2 starting PGs, in one starting PG plus any other player that will fit a team need. I think Morey already showed you that you don´t trade unproven talent, you will not receive anything in return, just look at the Jermain Taylor trade, we got nothing, because morey was obliged to trade him, even if Taylor was a scrub, if he played consistent bench minutes we would easily get a 2nd unprotected rounder for him. And by the way, T.will will be a stud in this league, not a SF, not a PG, a SG, mark my word PeAcE
I could be mistaken, but didn't we get T-Will in the Taylor trade? If so I woud say we got a nice return on our unproven talent.
