He's been shooting the 3 at a solid clip with us. I always assumed he would eventually regress back to normal, but I'm beginning to feel otherwise. He's never gonna be Steve Kerr, but maybe he can maintain 33% or so. There is something to be said for repetition and confidence. For the first time in his career he's being supported in his desire to jack up shots. Plus all the 3's he shoots in practice now. He's become a real wild card for us. He has nights where he looks like a borderline all-star, and other nights where he looks like a complete scrub. As long as he isn't a foundation player, having a fews guys like that off the bench can be really good.
quality role players are so important and having those role players that step up in big situations can be critical to a play-off or championship run. Robert Horry was a role player that stepped up huge repeatedly in play-off and championship situations. The Rockets have multiple role players that have stepped up huge in championship situations (Trevor Ariza, Corey Brewer, Jason Terry). Now that Josh Smith is coming off of the bench in more of a support role than a lead dog role he has absolutely stepped up big in most of the games for the Rockets this season. We can certainly point to many games the Rockets probably don't win if not for the contributions of Josh Smith. He has don't it with blocked shots, rebounds, passing and 3pt shooting. I think Josh is proving that he is an extremely valuable piece and if he keeps this up in the play-offs then I definitely like the Rockets chances of advancing.
My only concern about retaining Smith and Brewer this offseason is Cuban. That deuche is always trying to screw us when it comes to the offseason but hey, we won Howard, he lost Parsons. I'm happy.
Cuban's got more important things to deal with like the Monta, Rondo, and Tyson Chandler situations. As long as the Rockets don't screw around and leave Brewer or Smith hanging(like they reportedly did with Lowry last summer), those guys should be happy to resign here.
If they continue to play like they have been next season can be really special with the development of johnson and capela this team can do big things.
Honest question, how likely do you guys think smoove will play this kind of basketball (deferential/off the bench) next year? I can't shake the feeling that he is trying to rehab his image considering the circumstances but he will revert to a version of his old self when doesn't have the same pressures.
He IS playing like himself. He's shooting the three's that used to make his home fans groan. He's trying risky passes that sometimes work and sometimes don't. He is just playing freely. You can tell he enjoys being here. He probably appreciates just 'being one of the guys' rather than the GUY. In Atlanta or Detroit he was an easy whipping boy, here he's a contributor but not subject to the same scrutiny that he faced in his previous stops. While I can't fault anybody for trying to get the most amount of money they can, I wouldn't be surprised if he elects to come back at a low salary next year even though he can get more elsewhere. He is about to be 30 and he's got $27 M guaranteed coming from Detroit no matter what.
This dude plays like Lin at times. Garbage 1st half and good 2nd half. I'm hoping for the latterbto continue.
Morey needs to find a way to retain Brewer and Smith. I like Terry, but he is the most expendable of the headband of brothers. We cannot keep on having a high turnover roster every year. This roster deserves some continuity. Add a starting caliber pg, retain the core players that led this team to have one of the best records in the league, and call it a day.
Or...he sees all the praise he's getting for playing the way he is, buys into that, and continues. I guess we'll find out, but I really hope he's back next year with Brewer. Wishful thinking, but hopefully.
If Brewer and Smith can stand one more season of being underpaid --- Smith more so than Brewer --- then they can get a nice pay raise starting in 2016. Sounds like the MLE this year will go to Llull.
The Rockets can offer Brewer a one year deal worth $8 million with his early bird rights. That should be enough to keep him around. It's up to Smith if he stays. He's not getting more than a 1 year $2.5 offer. I think he will stay and try to get a big contract in 2016. My guess is Terry (38 next year) will resign for the minimum. I'd be surprised if anyone offered more. So I could easily see those 3 returning. Then again, it's entirely possible none of them are in Houston. This team has so many questions. Does Capela grow into a legit backup center? What do you do with TJones and DMo? Can you trade for another star player? Who is your PG of the future? What do you do with the draft picks? How far are you willing to go to keep McDaniels? The only certainties on this team are Harden, Howard, and to a lesser degree Ariza. Everyone else is a prospect or soon to be free agent.
Funny thing about this is that Rox apparently asked Brewer to waive his player option. I'm a little unclear what we gained by doing so if the optimal (realistic) result is for him to sign an additional year approximating his player option. Bima's made clear the Rox don't expect to have significant cap room this offseason, so what's the point?
It's about the ability to have significant cap room, not the room itself. If the Rockets traded Ariza, that could give them the ability to open up $16+ million.
