I like Cam as a developing prospect on a rookie deal way more than Cam Johnson on a bloated salary. I wouldn't do that deal.
Bloated? Johnson salary is still lower than it should be because he was a RFA. I can understand not wanting to do the deal depending on how one feels about Whitmore. Johnson's ability at the cost of his contract is a major reason Johnson is desirable. If the Rockets add a star in the offseason, his contract is low enough that the Rockets shouldn't have 2nd apron issues.
The Rockets desperately need shooting, and Cam Johnson’s contract is very reasonable. I like Whitmore, but where do decent minutes for him come from once Jabari Smith Jr is healthy? He’s not playing over any starter. Amen Thompson and Tari Eason are the first two wings off the bench. He’s going to be the ninth or tenth man in the rotation, just like he was early in the season.
Bloated contract? Johnson will make about 20 mil for the next three seasons while averaging 19 points on 49/42/90 splits. If anything, he’s radically underpaid.
This assumes JSJ stays ahead of Whitmore in the rotation. I'd guess if the Rockets traded for Cam Johnson, Johnson and Amen are the starting forwards. That would like leave Tari as the primary 4 backup. I'm not sure the Rockets would try to keep Brooks throughout his contract if they added Johnson. If both Whitmore and JSJ aren't in a trade for Johnson, I'm not sure which one would be higher in the rotation. JSJ has incumbent status, but Whitmore has one more year under rookie contract, costs less, and might fit better.
Until Whitmore shows more consistency on the defensive end of the court, I’d expect Jabari Smith Jr. to comfortably be ahead of him in the rotation when he returns. Also, I doubt Brooks gets removed as a starter this season. For this season, I think Brooks and Johnson would start, with Amen going back to a 30-minute super sub role, and Jabari would become the backup four and small ball five.
I don't see every game. I don't want every player every defensive play. Since Amen has become a starter, the defensive breakdowns have been typically when Cam isn't in the game. I've been watching Cam more on defense lately. He's not always doing much, but he's not been letting guys backdoor cut him and he's been making low man plays. He doesn't get tested much POA (4 points is the most that have been scored on him in a game while he's guarding his man such that he's really only giving up points when he messes up). Maybe he's screwing up when I'm not watching, but when I've watched, he's been fine on defense over the last 10 games or so.
We desperately need length and rim protection right now -- you can see it in our defensive stats since JSJ went out. And on the offensive side, the touches need to go to Jalen and Sengun with FVV as a secondary facilitator and Amen running breaks and cleaning up the slop. The fifth guy (Dillon or a PF) just need to catch and shoot - and JSJ is better at that than Cam, whose best strength is creating his own offense with the ball in his hands. Whether or not he is a better player or has a better future, Whitmore is a fundamentally different architype than JSJ and doesn't provide the balance that the starting lineup needs. Cam Johnson, on the other hand, overlaps heavily with Jabari ... but they could combine to give 48 minutes of PF / stretch C.
Whitmore has improved his attention to detail and effort on defense, which is why a defensive-minded coach in Udoka continues to give him minutes. That said, I’m still very confident in saying if neither Jabari or Cam were involved in a trade for Cam Johnson, Smith would be ahead of Whitmore in the rotation. Jabari is the better defender and rebounder, and the Rockets aren’t relegating the former #4 overall pick and a starter before his injury to spot minutes because he got hurt. Not to mention, Jabari has the height to be a small-ball center that Cam doesn’t. Whitmore would need to be better than Dillon, Amen or Tari to get decent minutes.
I would take several players from Chicago (Ball , Vuc, Coby, Jalen Smith, even Giddey) If we sent out Landale, Tate, & Cam for Coby + Jalen Smith + THT or Torrey... that could be a win. Play initiator who can hit the three on cost controlled contract (Coby) Active big man who can shoot from outside & block shots (Jalen S)
So Whitmore playing better than JSJ would not get Whitmore minutes over JSJ? You're probably right that JSJ will probably be above Whitmore when he comes back as he's got better chemistry with the starters and coaches are slow to change. I get chemistry is important which is why coaches typically wait until they are absolutely certain a guy is deserving of being moved up. That said, I wish pick status and incumbent status didn't matter more than who was playing better. Maybe Whitmore reverts back to who he was, but he's had a very impressive 10 games or so in which he's closed most of the defensive and rebounding gap.
Whitmore is a shooting guard or small forward. Smith Jr. is a power forward and small-ball center. They aren’t in competition for the same minutes. That said, if Whitmore is outplaying Smith Jr. when Jabari returns, Udoka can give him Jabari’s minutes and use Tari Eason exclusively as the backup power forward. Jabari Smith Jr. was firmly ahead of Cam Whitmore in the Rockets’ rotation before his injury. Unless Whitmore plays out of his mind and forces Udoka’s hand while Jabari is out, he’s not going to be ahead of Jabari in the rotation when Jabari returns. Also, the Rockets need Jabari’s length in their rotation. Players don’t lose their spots just because of injury, and they certainly aren’t going from being a starter to getting spot minutes or DNPs because they got hurt. If Jabari returns and struggles, the door becomes open for Whitmore to seize his minutes if he plays well.
I agree. While I love Cam and what he brings on the offensive end, he doesn't show the best effort on the defensive side of the ball. Even though, his recent gripes have subsided now, I'm afraid that they will only get louder and louder as the team improves and his PT either remains stagnant or he outgrows his role. There will be only so much PT to go around for our young bunch, especially if we end up adding major pieces in the near future. He might end up being one of the odd men out... along with Tari (injury concerns).
It's kind of weird that you've been so low on Jabari (even though I remember you denied that he didn't like him). You first pushed him below Amen, then Brooks, (and Tari?). Now you pushed him even further down to beneath Cam. Cam is clearly not at Jabari's level overall. Cam of course has the potential to be a better player than Jabari. But to say that when Jabari comes back from injury, he will have a chance of playing behind Cam in the rotation is a bit of a stretch to me.
I think people underrate Cam Whitmore a ton on this site. I'm a big fan and there's no way I'd trade him for most of what's being offered out there. By my count, there are 27 other 20 year old NBA players and Cam is better than all of them except Coulibaly, Lively, and Missi. And he might be as good as those three. He's 20 and won't hit his prime for probably five years. For the Rockets, I don't want Jabari or Cam going anywhere. I can see FVV and Brooks moving on or accepting lesser roles eventually. If Amen can play PG (and I don't see it yet), then we could go Amen, Jalen, Cam, JSJ, Sengun someday. That is not next year but maybe in two years.
