Our new Rocket, Omri Casspi, averages double-double in 3 games with national team this week

Agreed. For guys like Casspi, confidence is everything. Confidence used to be Parsons' problem, but McHale did a great job trusting him and giving him opportunities.

Ultimately it's up to Casspi to make the team, but I agree we need to be all about encouragement. Guys like Williams and Casspi need that to help resurrect their careers.

 

Sure there are COFs here, and I am among them. I mean, as someone who has lived in Houston for a number of years, I have always sympathized with the Rockets and rooted for them to do well, but I never really called myself a Rockets fan (I mostly rooted for the Celtics because of Rondo and the Spurs because of Manu). As an Israeli, Casspi joining the Rockets has elevated my interest in the team, which is why I joined this board, but I've been an NBA fan long enough to know to be an annoying douche about it.

Of course, there is also at least COH (I'm looking at you, Prof. Rosso) who joined this board specifically to hate on Casspi, but he has declared himself as objective on the subject, so he must be right...

 

Oops, I meant "long enough to know NOT to be an annoying douche about it"... Is there any way to edit posts here?

 

Yeah I mean story is quite the same here as well,I never really favored the Houston Rockets,never really rooted for it but also never loathed it and prayed for it to lose or something like this,it has been just another NBA team for me,but as someone who follows Casspi's career in the NBA Houston will be one of my top priorities when it comes to watch and to be updated in the NBA,I will obviously start to follow it and watch games when I'm able to and I will be rooting for them.

Don't get me wrong here though,I'm not blind and I'm aware of Casspi's strengths and weakness,and as much as I'm rooting for him and support him I'm still familiar with his limitations in terms of basketball,as a new Houston Rocket fan,I wish Casspi will contribute as much as he can to Houston,and may Houston be crowned as the NBA champion and will have the honor to hoist the most coveted trophy in the league.

 

I've been a Rocket fan for a long time. I remember the days when The Dream, Sampson, Rodney McCray etc. played and I specifically liked Robert Reid. In the end he developed into a deadly 3pt shooter after tranferring from a SF to a SG.

I don't have a clue if Casspi is going to make it in the Rockets, but when I'm thinking about his place in the team, Reid comes to mind. Casspi has the talent and a BB IQ, but he is very sensitive to pressure. He needs to feel at home in order to perform.

Watching the films I noticed (again) that, despite his clumsy look, he runs the floor really good. If the Rockets play the way they did last season, that will help Casspi a lot.

Let's see if he makes the rotation first and then we can have a better look at his function in the team.

 

Perfumed Roses.....that's really sharp....
why don't you run along now and add some more content to your signature. Just so we know who you are, who you are not, and what exactly are you doing here.

 

Casspi should have the best stats as a Rocket player so far with the national team

 

What happens if a) Daryl Morey is unable to make a quantity fot quality trade (e.g., Jeremy Lin, Donatas Motiejunas, and the rights to Kostas Papanikolau to Milwaukee for Ersan Ilyasova) prior to final roster deadline day in late October and b) Omri Casspi outplays Motiejunas and/or Terrence Jones during practice and preseason games, thus demonstrating he is more worthy of a rotation spot than Motiejunas and/or Jones? Doesn't this mean that Morey will look to trade whoever he outplays for a first round pick prior to roster deadline day? I say yes. First and second year players in their early twenties, especially big guys, are perceived to have "upside," and thus have significant trade value. However, the more time that goes by and they fail to fulfill their perceived potential, the more their trade value will diminish. I think Houston can fetch a first round pick for either Motiejunas or Jones right now, but if either spends another season rotting in the d-league, probably not. You always want to buy low and sell high.

The Rockets are interested in competing for championships starting this season. They are going to put their best players on the floor. If Casspi is one of their best players (i.e., if he earns a spot in the rotation over one of these two guys), then it really makes more sense to quickly (i.e., while other teams still perceive "upside") flip the outplayed second year player for a first round pick. This allows you to both put the best possible group of players on the floor while building for the future. This also clears a roster spot for either Robert Covington or B.J. Young.

Another scenario is the suggested trade for Ilyasova AND for Morey to flip Jones for a first round pick, if he is outplayed in October by Casspi. In this scenario, you get your big upgrade at PF AND you add a first round pick to your barrel of assets, while putting the best possible team on the floor. And you would then be able to keep BOTH Covington AND Young.

Let's say you also flip Greg Smith for a projected high (31-40 overall) second round pick. Here are the assets getting shipped out:

Jeremy Lin
Donatas Motiejunas
Terrence Jones
Greg Smith
Kostas Papanikolaou (spelling?)

Here are the assets hauled in:

Ersan Ilyasova
First round pick
Second round pick

Final fifteen man roster:

Starting lineup

Patrick Beverly
James Harden
Chandler Parsons
Ersan Ilyasova
Dwight Howard

Other rotation guys

Omer Asik
Isaiah Canaan
Francisco Garcia or Ronnie Brewer
Omri Casspi

End of the bench

Francisco Garcia or Ronnie Brewer
Marcus Camby
Aaron Brooks
Reggie Williams

Stashed in the d-league for the season

Robert Covington
B.J. Young

Waived

Jordan Henriquez (will be on the d-league roster if/when he clears waivers)

I get kind of tired looking at these depth charts that list third- and even fourth-string players, as if third- and fourth-string guys even touch the floor, barring injury. The best 12th man in the league is nonetheless a 12th man. I'd take a draft pick over my 12th man any day of the week, and so would Daryl Morey. You always want to consolidate your assets!

 

Is it just me or is every other one of rogower's posts a random trade idea?

 

Based on his postings across the different threads, I'd have to say he's beginning to sound like a broken record. Ersan Ilyasova is obviously rogower's most coveted piece to bring to to Houston and he seems bent on offering the aforementioned players in return.

Take what I say with a grain of salt; I only joined a couple of weeks ago.

 

My point here was a point that hadn't really been made, which is that either Motiejunas or Jones will be rendered a useless piece (a non-rotation player) if Casspi beats either of them out for a rotation spot, and that the logical cap/roster move would be to swap that player for a draft pick. It doesn't make any sense to let prospects waste away in the developmental league beyond their rookie season. If you don't need the guy now then move him for a draft pick which can be used to either draft somebody later on who you will need, or which can be traded somehow for somebody useful. And I think it's likely that Casspi is a better ballplayer right now than Motiejunas. Maybe not Jones.