Rockets acquire Thomas Robinson; Morris traded to Phoenix; Patterson, Douglas, Aldrich to Kings

Feel like Ben Affleck in Good Will Hunting right.

Oh, I don't know that. Let me tell you what I do know. Every day I come by to watch you play. And you go out and grab a few boards, and take a few threes and it's great. But you know what the best part of my day is? It's for about ten seconds from when I open my laptop to when I get to NBA.com. Because I think maybe I'll get up there and I'll look at the roster and you won't be there. No goodbye, no see you later, no nothin'. Just left. I don't know much, but I know that.

See ya Patrick

 

Rockets are never done, it's that the other 29 teams are done with the rockets.

 

Ask and you shall receive

 

Houston: B+




As of Tuesday, the Rockets had a Kentucky player and a Kansas player as their rotation at power forward. Now, they still might have the same thing, only different players. Houston sent out starter Patrick Patterson and backup Marcus Morris, landing Thomas Robinson as the centerpiece of a three-player package that also includes a second-round pick.

Let's start with the obvious: Robinson hasn't been very good as a rookie. He has had a tough time dealing with shot-blockers in the paint and is getting more than 10 percent of his shots rejected, per Hoopdata.com, one reason he's shooting just 42.9 percent from the field. Surprisingly, Robinson's performance is more or less in line with his translated junior season at Kansas, which earned him consensus All-America honors.

Robinson was much more efficient as a sophomore, when he backed up Marcus Morris and twin brother Markieff, and supplied energy off the bench. There have been nights when Robinson has embraced a similar role for the Kings, but he'll have to do it on a regular basis to become a valuable NBA contributor. And he must cut out bad shot attempts and the overdribbling that has caused him to turn the ball over on nearly 20 percent of his plays. Having teammates such as Jeremy Lin and James Harden capable of setting him up will help Robinson, who has been assisted on less than half of his field goals.

The Rockets could take a chance on Robinson because of their depth and flexibility. The small lineup that started Wednesday's game against Oklahoma City, with Carlos Delfino at small forward and Chandler Parsons sliding down to the 4, probably will continue to get run. Rookie Donatas Motiejunas has started to play well, and Terrence Jones could also be in this mix. From this group, Houston will hope one power forward emerges.

Daryl Morey isn't done yet. The Rockets still have about $5 million in cap room to add an expiring contract for the playoff run before the deadline. They also might continue the pursuit of Josh Smith; Robinson and the other players they added (Garcia has a team option next season that is effectively an expiring contract) can be aggregated in a multiplayer deal because Houston is under the cap. Even if the Rockets don't do anything now, they'll be players this summer. Dealing Marcus Morris means Houston shaved $1.5 million off the 2013-14 payroll and now should have enough room for a max offer to Smith or Dwight Howard.










Sacramento: D




Let's start with the positive. Patterson is, today, a better player than Robinson. He's also plausibly a better fit next to DeMarcus Cousins because of his ability to space the floor. So the Kings have improved somewhat for the rest of a season that's on the Sleep Train to nowhere. All that will do is hurt their draft pick. Their focus, obviously, should be on the future, and there the story is much murkier -- even before we consider the pending sale of the team to new owners who don't yet have any say in operations.

First, Patterson has a year and a half left on his rookie contract. Robinson has three-plus cost-controlled seasons, and teams rely on the value players provide before hitting free agency. Second, Robinson is nearly four years younger than the 26-year-old Patterson, who has essentially maxed out his value as a fringe starter or quality reserve. As poorly as Robinson has played as a rookie, his upside is much higher.

We're not even eight months removed from Sacramento drafting Robinson over Damian Lillard and Andre Drummond and nobody batting an eye. So even if you believe Patterson is the better player and that he'll help former Kentucky teammate Cousins, that's not the only criteria for a good trade. It's hard to believe that, if the Kings had made up their minds to move Robinson, they couldn't have at least gotten some kind of draft pick or cap relief out of the deal. Instead, they prioritized saving money (about $1.3 million in payroll the rest of the season, plus $1 million in cash, according to USA Today) over a brighter future.










Phoenix: A




Of the three power forwards in this deal, Morris has the best three-year SCHOENE projection. If he keeps up his 38 percent shooting from 3-point range and can improve his strength to deal with bigger opponents, Morris has a chance to become a starter in this league. Getting such a player with two years left on his rookie contract for a second-round pick is excellent value. The only real downside from the Suns' perspective is that they suddenly have two brothers and only one power forward position. Marcus planned to move to the perimeter as a pro, but he has been more effective since becoming a stretch 4 this season. As a result, he'll battle twin brother Markieff for playing time. In the short term, Phoenix can make room for both by using Luis Scola as a backup center if Jermaine O'Neal is traded before the deadline.

 

That Suns' 2nd round pick is gonna end up being like a late 1st rounder that's not guaranteed.

 

he's gonna get traded for josh smith tomorrow, watch

 

We sold way low on Morris, but I guess you have to chalk that up as the opportunity cost of getting Robinson. Would be surprised if one of the three power forwards aren't gone by the deadline. Either Jones will be traded for a pick, or Robinson will be traded to a team that finds him attractive.

What a head scratcher for the Kings.

 

Excited to see Robinson in action with our starting unit. Great motor and finisher. Good head and heart. Really liking this trade

 

Nope. Smith, possibly TJones, and some of the rest of the Sac bunch. But not TRob.

Now, he may get traded for KLove. But that's doubtful right now.

 

Ty BigBird and moonsh0t.

 

Another Parsons type player in the making. Lol

 

just woke up and saw these deals. all i can say is sigh at the Kings, sorry for their fans and this might be the best of Morey's smaller (non star) trades, in terms of value...

it doesn't even matter if Robinson becomes legit or not - i like him, i thought he was just lost and doing too much on a team where everyone was lost and doing too much - but anytime you turn Patterson into the no.5 pick from half a year ago who's shown glimpses of talent, you win...

 

not gonna read this entire thread but anybody remember this video.. it was posted here before to basically insult rockets fans and say we couldnt rally like this..

<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/6PGQbb8gaN8" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560"></iframe>

 

.
It depends on the colour, quality and size of the diamond. As an investment, I'd say no. Buy for the beauty and enjoyment eg Rolex. Better off with gold or silver. Real estate maybe?

 

I think terrence Jones is better than TRob though. Plus Smith is better than keeping an undeveloped rookie.. Hawks wants a young guy PF to replace Smith.

 

Kinda reminds me of when we got Jordan Hill.

Get a 6'10" power forward, then see if it pans out.

If it doesn't work out, at least we're only stuck with him till next year.

 

I'm OK with a second rounder for Morris. If it's the suns pick then it will be an early second rounder, which I think Morey likes more than a late first rounder. I don't think Morris was worth a mid first rounder.

I can't believe we got Robinson for PPat. PPat wasn't anything more than rotation player that could shoot jumpers. Robinson has the potential to be much more. We now have Robinson, D-Mo, TJones, and White. So I'm not going to miss PPat or Morris.

 

Robinson was said to have more talent and more brain

 

I guess you missed PPat's explosion towards the end... he was shooting fadeways and making decisive plays just was not consistent but it definitely got better

 

Houston: B+

As of Tuesday, the Rockets had a Kentucky player and a Kansas player as their rotation at power forward. Now, they still might have the same thing, only different players. Houston sent out starter Patrick Patterson and backup Marcus Morris, landing Thomas Robinson as the centerpiece of a three-player package that also includes a second-round pick.

Let's start with the obvious: Robinson hasn't been very good as a rookie. He has had a tough time dealing with shot-blockers in the paint and is getting more than 10 percent of his shots rejected, per Hoopdata.com, one reason he's shooting just 42.9 percent from the field. Surprisingly, Robinson's performance is more or less in line with his translated junior season at Kansas, which earned him consensus All-America honors.

Robinson was much more efficient as a sophomore, when he backed up Marcus Morris and twin brother Markieff, and supplied energy off the bench. There have been nights when Robinson has embraced a similar role for the Kings, but he'll have to do it on a regular basis to become a valuable NBA contributor. And he must cut out bad shot attempts and the overdribbling that has caused him to turn the ball over on nearly 20 percent of his plays. Having teammates such as Jeremy Lin and James Harden capable of setting him up will help Robinson, who has been assisted on less than half of his field goals.

The Rockets could take a chance on Robinson because of their depth and flexibility. The small lineup that started Wednesday's game against Oklahoma City, with Carlos Delfino at small forward and Chandler Parsons sliding down to the 4, probably will continue to get run. Rookie Donatas Motiejunas has started to play well, and Terrence Jones could also be in this mix. From this group, Houston will hope one power forward emerges.

Daryl Morey isn't done yet. The Rockets still have about $5 million in cap room to add an expiring contract for the playoff run before the deadline. They also might continue the pursuit of Josh Smith; Robinson and the other players they added (Garcia has a team option next season that is effectively an expiring contract) can be aggregated in a multiplayer deal because Houston is under the cap. Even if the Rockets don't do anything now, they'll be players this summer. Dealing Marcus Morris means Houston shaved $1.5 million off the 2013-14 payroll and now should have enough room for a max offer to Smith or Dwight Howard.


Sacramento: D

Let's start with the positive. Patterson is, today, a better player than Robinson. He's also plausibly a better fit next to DeMarcus Cousins because of his ability to space the floor. So the Kings have improved somewhat for the rest of a season that's on the Sleep Train to nowhere. All that will do is hurt their draft pick. Their focus, obviously, should be on the future, and there the story is much murkier -- even before we consider the pending sale of the team to new owners who don't yet have any say in operations.

First, Patterson has a year and a half left on his rookie contract. Robinson has three-plus cost-controlled seasons, and teams rely on the value players provide before hitting free agency. Second, Robinson is nearly four years younger than the 24-year-old Patterson, who has essentially maxed out his value as a fringe starter or quality reserve. As poorly as Robinson has played as a rookie, his upside is much higher.

We're not even eight months removed from Sacramento drafting Robinson over Damian Lillard and Andre Drummond and nobody batting an eye. So even if you believe Patterson is the better player and that he'll help former Kentucky teammate Cousins, that's not the only criteria for a good trade. It's hard to believe that, if the Kings had made up their minds to move Robinson, they couldn't have at least gotten some kind of draft pick or cap relief out of the deal. Instead, they prioritized saving money (about $1.3 million in payroll the rest of the season, plus $1 million in cash, according to USA Today) over a brighter future.


Phoenix: A

Of the three power forwards in this deal, Morris has the best three-year SCHOENE projection. If he keeps up his 38 percent shooting from 3-point range and can improve his strength to deal with bigger opponents, Morris has a chance to become a starter in this league. Getting such a player with two years left on his rookie contract for a second-round pick is excellent value. The only real downside from the Suns' perspective is that they suddenly have two brothers and only one power forward position. Marcus planned to move to the perimeter as a pro, but he has been more effective since becoming a stretch 4 this season. As a result, he'll battle twin brother Markieff for playing time. In the short term, Phoenix can make room for both by using Luis Scola as a backup center if Jermaine O'Neal is traded before the deadline.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story/_/page/TradeGrades-130221/nba-grading-trade-deadline-deals