Nice last post by Spacemoth. What critics of the deal (DD) don't seem to understand is just how hard it is to get really high level players. Gasol isn't Lebron, but most drafts don't even yield ONE player in the Kobe/Lebron/Duncan tier. Consider the fact that Gasol was the rookie of the year from his draft class. Trading Scola and Martin is like going from two B+ players to an A. Think how much harder it is to get an A in class than it is to get a B+. That's what we're dealing with. So the deal for us is: 2 B+ players (Scola and Martin), a good backup pg, and a mid-to-late 1st rounder (on average worth a B) for an A player and an A- (Nene). That's good trading. Sure there's risk, but all trades have risk. This trade does not make us the top seed in the west, but we are solidly in the 3-6 range now. If we want to be in the 1-2 range, we will need to risk trading all the rest of our young players once this team gels, too. That's how you go for a championship window. Honestly, we've been spoiled by all the #1 picks we've had. Better models for our team's buildup are the Rasheed Wallace Blazers, the Stockton/Malone Jazz, the Nash-led Suns, or the late 90's pacers. Those were good teams with a chance to win the championship. It's true they didn't quite make it, but all of them certainly had a shot.
I'll withhold judgement until some names come out. If it's some replacement level guys like Flynn or Hill, I really won't care.
Let's try to break this down with a little deductive logic: 1. We know the Rockets, as currently constituted are a bottom rung playoff team, at best, with no real chance for contention. Salary cap aside, if the Rockets were to add the best probable FA this summer, Nene (Gasol is not probable), would we be any better than 5th in the West? 2. We COULD tank. Stockpile draft picks. I am not against this, but let's look at what this really means. No team is trading for any of our talent (young or old) for anything better than a middle of the 1st draft pick. I trust Morey would try to target out teams that would underperform, thus improving our draft order, but it's still unlike we could get a <8 pick in this draft. Everyone knows the talent level is pretty deep in this year's class. However, I do have faith in Morey's drafting and dealing. Whatever reservations everyone in the GARM has of Morey as a whole, I think few would be able to knock Morey's draft day prowess. So... even if by some divine intervention, the Rockets draft a true super-duper star player (Derrick Rose, Kevin Durant) where would that leave us? I don't think we would be able to follow the Bulls model: Super coach hire (Hard to find the next Thibodeau), super FA signing (Boozer, didn't work out... yet), with a super defensive front court all ready in place (Gibson, Noah). With Rose, they are competing in his second year. Chances of this happening are probably 1-100 aka not happening More likely, we would look to try to model ourselves after the Thunder. Which would take the great drafting three years in a row (Durant, Westbrook, Harden, and their miss: Green), great late drafting (Ibaka), and smart salary cap structuring. I have much more faith Morey could pull this off... but OKC is now in year four of this process (which people are amazed that they progressed so quickly) and are only just now in the conversation of contending. For us to even contemplate this model we would have to subscribe to losing. Not just this year, but for our foreseeable future. People think that just tanking this year will magically right our woes with one high draft pick. The Sonics/Thunder had to meddle through five straight losing seasons, get lucky with two star trades (Allen, Lewis), get lucky for 3 out of 4 drafts, and show NO signs of improvement for 3 solid years (only way to secure top draft picks 4 years in a row). This tanking thing is no joke, it's hard to pull off. Ask the: Raptors, Sixers, Kings, Wizards, Bobcats, Bucks, etc. etc. 3. People that are b****ing that we aren't trading for superstars: Gasol and (maybe) Nene aren't star quality players. I hear you. These guys are definitely not. But how well does this "Trading for Superstars" theory really work? The Knicks signed a semi-superstar in Amare, traded for a superstar in Melo, and now this year have signed the 2nd best available FA in Chandler. Does anybody think they can compete with Miami or Chiago? They are 3a or 3b with Boston in my opinion. And they are locked into that nucleus for 4 more years. And you want that? We can also examine the Lakers. First we must account for the fact that the Lakers had an initial talent pool that was much more enticing than the Rockets. Then we have to understand that regardless of how competitive Houston is, we will NEVER be a "Destination City" the way NY and LA are. People say that once we are competitive stars will be dying to come hook up with the Rockets. Except... look at how good OKC and Chicago are, and I don't hear any of the stars clamoring to be traded to them. Not to mention that the Lakers are hurting themselves with this Paul grab. I guess now it depends on what additional pieces are being moved, but with what the initial trade proposal was... I think they were a worse team than last year. And anyone thinks that the Miami model is anything more than a fluke in history that will never repeat needs to get their head checked. 3. That only leaves us with one option... try to make a NEW model. I've already made the case that we can't follow the past models for success. What we have to do is create the "Houston model" for the future. I don't know what this is... maybe it's trading for Gasol, maybe it's not. But at least Morey is trying. I don't know how you guys can fault a guy for trying things when you clearly have NO BETTER ALTERNATIVE. Who here thought that the middle of the pack Nowitzki and his aging, middle of the road Mavs could compete for a title last year? Sure we all scoff at the fact that Nowitzki is not a superstar (granted he is a MUCH better player than Gasol), but the point is that history writes itself AFTER the point. Hindsight is 20/20. I think you could make a VERY strong case that a Lowry/Lee/Gasol/Nene/Patterson nucleus is better than what the Mavs fielded last year.
Read this somewhere else but Stern and his cronies are trying to play GM over Dell Demps who is actually a GM. This league is a joke
If we are giving up more, we gotta be getting SOMETHING else back! Willie Green maybe... Idk if thats possible, id even take an LA draft pick at this point!
Hold onto your one article? I gave you three - Zach Lowe, ESPN consensus and John Hollinger. http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/hollinger/statistics You haven't even given me one. You're just talking out of your ass. I haven't heard Carmelo in any "top player" debate - folks pretty clearly understand that there's a level (if not two) between he and the LeBron/Wade/Kobe tier. And since when was Carmelo in an MVP debate? He didn't even receive a single vote. Not even for fifth place. http://www.nba.com/2011/news/05/03/mvp-award/index.html Moreover, Gasol was voted onto the All-NBA 2nd Team. Carmelo? Not even to be found on the 3rd...
If we're sending out MORE (unless it's driftwood like Thabeet or Hill) we should be getting more back than just Gasol. The NBA is bending us over when the whiners like Gilbert were complaining about the Lakers end of the deal, not ours.
A new proposal has been submitted.....I hope we keep Scola....I'd like to see Scola/Gasol/Nene frontcourt. Not ideal but whatever, if we are going for it then why not keep our best big.
That's putting a negative spin on it. Why not say we are paying them Joe Johnson and Amare Stoudamire money. There, better. See?
LOL, owned. Lakers didn't even want to trade Gasol for Melo last year. They insisted the Nuggets take Bynum instead and the Nuggets declined.
