I am usually on the Morey hate train, but I think he did pretty well this trading deadline. I would have preferred Mo Williams, but I think Prigioni is a guy who can give us 15 solid minutes off the bench. I would have liked an upgrade at the starting PG spot, but given what was available after Mo Williams went off the market, Morey did well. He didn't overreach for a selfish, whiny, me-ball Dragic. Didn't like the KJ trade at first, but he's young and can contribute right away. Would have liked to see a perimeter scorer and another big man, but I'm very leery about adding 4 new people to a playoff team. Harden's scoring will keep us there and hopefully Dwight comes back from injury and solves our down low issues. The only key, as usual, is if Harden can stay healthy given his workload. And honestly, part of my optimism is looking at the moves Philly made. Now there's a GM who really deserves the ire of the anti-analytic crowd. I'm not that big a fan of Dork Elvis but I can't imagine any scenario where he'd go to that length.
The moves that the Rockets made, if they were taken in a vacuum, would have been pretty decent. Prigioni is old, but he should be able to provide some playmaking off the bench when Harden sits. McDaniels is young, athletic, and has been a surprise player this season. I almost feel like Morey is trying to get a Parsons replacement with McDaniels- a pretty good player who isn't paid much as a rookie because he was a second round pick. So those moves themselves are fine. We didn't have to give up too much. The only reason I am disappointed is because I look at some of the other players who were moved. Dragic, Isaiah Thomas, Brandon Knight, Michael Carter Williams and Reggie Jackson were all traded? And we needed a PG? And we only got Prigioni? We didn't want to get Brandon Knight? Or how about Arron Afflalo? I really like his game as a 3 and D guy, and he went to the Blazers? Dang it!! He is going to be a really good player off the bench for them. So I think we got a little bit better. That's good. But I think other teams got much better than we did. So it just feels like we weren't going to keep up. But I think these moves are very typical Morey. Make us slightly better while maintaining flexibility to make that move for the star he wants to chase......
We really dont have the pieces to get a Affalo or Brandon Knight. Didn't you see the names involved in those trades?
Thomas Robinson, Will Barton, Victor Claver and a lottery protected pick (that will most likely end up being two second round picks assuming Portland makes the playoffs the next two years) for Afflalo? T Jones, NOP pick (protected but not as much), and maybe Papa would have been as good as a deal for Denver. Terry if needed as well. Maybe use a one or two of those second round picks that we traded if we needed to sweeten that deal anymore. However, then we would have had his contract as well. He doesn't really fit a need of our team, but he is a good player. A bench of Afflalo, Brewer, and Smith would be awesome. Fantastic defensivley. Still probably not quite enough to put us over the edge as title favorites though. And i guess that is Morey's end goal.
That would be way overpaying for Afflalo who would be a backup here and expiring at the end if the year...
The one thing people neglect to mention when talking about Afflalo is that he is an unrestricted free agent next year. So a first round pick plus some rotational players for potentially a rental of Afflalo is actually a lot to give up. I wouldn't have been opposed to giving up a first rounder for a potential rental of Dragic because that might have been the difference maker for the Rockets. But is Afflalo good enough to take the Rockets to the championship? No way. So that was a pretty high price for a rental of him (especially since he hasn't been great this year)
You have this backwards. The pick will go to Denver in '16 if Portland makes the playoffs. The only way they keep it and it turns into 2 2nds is if they miss the playoffs in '16 and '17.
KJ will contribute because he plays good defense. Watch the kid play. Tip dunks, rim runs, good defense, second rounder, improving jump shot who also likes to 'PUMP FAKE' and go LEFT! Who does this guy remind you of? He reminds me of that player we used to have before he went all Hollywood. I see some potential there.
Don't forget Ariza, Terry, and Papanikolaou. Off the top of my head I think the only rotation guys we have left from last year are Harden, Howard, Beverley, D-Mo, and Jones. For an off-season that was roundly dismissed as a failure for our team, it sure has been a success. And we're 3rd or 4th in the West even with an incredibly unlucky string of injuries. Props to Morey, props to McHale.
