I think Lee will fit in nicely but it's hard to believe that the luxury tax implications didn't play a big role in pulling the trigger on the trade.
This is my biggest concern and would be a slap in the face after Morey told us Les is committed to bettering the team by going over the LT. I'm trying to hold my tongue on this until the Rockets make another move.
I think a better comparison of Courtney Lee would another former Rocket, Keith Bogans. Keith is already a top defender in the league. Both player are mostly defined as spot-up shooters on offense, but I suspect Lee is better than Keith at moving without the ball, and attacking and finishing around the basket.
You could of said the same thing when they made the trade for Lowry. A lot of people saw it as being reckless because Houston, at that time, was playing great. Sure there's things Morey is going to say to please fans but I do believe he'll use that TPE. We saw how important the TPE was this summer.
Well, I know there's definitely more teams in the NBA he would come off the bench for than start. The Nets clearly did not want him as their starter anymore.
to be honest dd gets on my nerves sometimes. if you really love the rockets u wouldnt be hating on players like jt and ariza. i mean sure every player has their negatives but it seems like u always got something smart allec ish to say. and chase budinger had a great rookie year and hes one of my fav players on the rockets but u keep making him sound like some star. well in my opinion u do. :grin:
and in my opinion courtney lee is alot better than luther. way better defense, better ball handler, better finisher, better team player. maybe head can shoot a bit better but thats about it
I like Dwyer but think he's off on this one. A few thoughts: 1. Gerald Madkins, who worked for the Rockets front office, just moved on to New Orleans. One would imagine Madkins knows everything that the rest of the Rockets front office knows about the guy-- inside stories, advanced stats, etc. I don't think Ariza is a "bad contract" as some here, and KD, seem to argue. Otherwise, Madkins would have plenty of info to disuade his new colleagues from taking Ariza on, let along giving up Collison for him (yes, they do get to dump Posey, but note that Ariza makes more money than Posey for more years). 2. The theory Lee being a scrub and Rockets just want to dump salary: If that were the case, why not just get nothing in return or even just a future 2nd rounder or something? Not taking on Lee's $1.35 mil would have brought them even closer to the luxury tax line. Why not just get Collison and Posey (they can probably swing another trade if they want to reduce salary)? Why not instead, say, add Jeffries to the deal and send Posey+Collison+Jeffries to Indy for Murphy? It seems clear that the Rockets got what they wanted out of the trade. The fact is, the Rockets did try to move up to get him a couple years ago, so it seems the interest in real. 3. I think a fair way to think about Ariza and this trade is that Ariza did well enough to justify his salary otherwise, Hornets, with Madkins no less, would not have wanted him. However, he didn't prove to be an obvious upgrade overall over Battier, Martin and Budinger at the 2/3 spot and it was gonna be hard to split the 2/3 minutes 4 ways if Ariza is to receive the starters minutes that he was promised. Thus, they ship him out for Lee, who will have to accept earning his minutes and who doesn't make as much money.
lol that was funny. i know huh i ducked up! but nah dd is coo just sometimes i disagree with him, but sometimes i think hes on the money lol
Tiny Baby Jesus, or the Infant Jesus? Keep following me around like a lost puppy Cheezy, it is what you do. DD
Welcome to the board Johnny ! I don't hate, it is just some people are so weak minded they can not understand the difference between having a critical opinion of a player and hatred........ I don't hate anyone, but I do have opinions on what is good for the Rockets..... JT...yes....I think that he is not long for this team.... BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH And you would be right. DD
So rotation is going to look like: AB, KMART, Battier, Scola, Yao? back up roster: K-Low, Lee, Chase, Chuck/Jared Jefferies, Miller? That leaves: Mike Harris, Jordan Hill, Jared Jefferies, Alex Johnson, Patrick Patterson, Jermaine Taylor. Seem right? Can't see the team not averaging less than 100 a night..
Again, it is very simple. Trevor Ariza was flat out just not a good basketball player for this particular team. He couldn't dribble, he couldn't shoot, he couldn't create, he couldn't make free throws, and by all accounts he was kind of a douche (surprise surprise coming from LA). He proved he couldn't handle the minutes they gave him at the beginning of the season. Simple as that. All those things adding up to Morey jettisoning his ass out of Dodge and clearing more salary, adding a decent player who plays good defense in Courtney Lee, and the 6 million dollar trade exception, putting the Rockets in better position to combine assets to acquire a big name come trade deadline time. As always, The Wizard stays two steps ahead of the pack.
