Let me preface this by saying Gasol would be a pipe dream considering he's lived in Memphis since he was a teenager so he might want to retire a Grizzly. That said, Gasol should be Morey's main priority until it's clear he doesn't want to leave Memphis. Then I would focus on upgrading guard or forward as a Plan B. Marc Gasol should be our #1 target because: The window of contention for the Rockets widens significantly. Like his brother Pau, the Gasol brothers because of their offensive skills, versatility, and height will allow them to remain a top 10 NBA center in their late 30s or even 40s if they want to play that long. A Gasol/Harden combo could give us at a minimum 5 years of true contention status. Widening the window of contention I'm sure is a priority to Morey. With the Harden/Howard combo, how long can we really say this pair lasts? 2 years max? Howard is breaking down and missed half the season. Odds are he will continue to deal with injuries, and with his total lack of a jump shot and horrid postup skills, his quality of play will drop as he loses his athleticism. On top of that, does Dwight even want to stay in Houston long term? His hometown is in Atlanta, he clearly lacks chemistry with Harden (who has taken away most of his spotlight) on offense, and his agent might also try to steer him in another direction (join Parsons in Dallas?). Are you frustrated by the lack of offensive play-calls that involve both Harden and Howard? That won't be an issue with Harden/Gasol, since Gasol has a mid-range shot, so pick-and-rolls/pops can be run all day. Gasol and B. Lopez are basically the closest centers we have in the league to Yao, so you could expect to experience some flashbacks to TMac/Yao PnRs. Marc Gasol is straight up a better overall center than Dwight Howard and like I said above, would be a better long term option. Dwight is a little better on the defensive side, but on offense it's not even a contest. Not only does Gasol have an actual jumpshot with touch, his postup skills are significantly better, and he shot nearly 80% from the free throw line! Concerned about an awkward twin towers combo with Gasol and Dwight? I think it could work. Gasol could be a 4 on the high post while Dwight specifically focuses on defense and rebounding. Whichever one you call a PF, either one is a massive upgrade over the options we had in the playoffs. And if either player goes down to injury, you have a great backup C. If the Gasol/Dwight pairing just doesn't work out for the Rockets, then Morey can put Dwight on the market, and you can be assured that the Rockets could get incredible value for an elite rim protector. We could get 2 very solid role players at a minimum or perhaps flip him for another star (perhaps a true stretch 4), or Morey could trade him for a series of draft picks and free up cap space for the next offseason (imagine a threesome of Harden, Gasol, and Durant
your best player is asking clearly for help at guard and you want to give him a center? you surely like to make things complicated, dont you?
Weary of Centers who shoot sub 40% in the playoffs Shot 39% this year...ehhh Against Portland shot 41%... yeaaaaaa
Marc Gasol is my favorite player to watch in the NBA and would be fantastic with Harden. If we could get him, we have to. It's unlikely of course, but he's one of the few bigs skilled enough for a twin towers lineup. The NBA is trending towards skilled playmaking big men that can find shooters. The "playmaking 4" as Zach Lowe called it. Gasol is a five, but still represents that. Not to mention being a dominant defensive player. Dwight next to Gasol would certainly work on offense with Marc playing the high post and in pick-and-pop type plays. Then Dwight would hover the baseline, play in the pick-and-roll, and DOMINATE on the offensive glass. Defensively, my only worry is team's going small on us, but without adjustment, we would kill on the offensive side of the ball and rebounding-wise. Dwight can also guard stretch 4s somewhat easily, and the rim protection would be second to none. It would require a little adjustment, but not a huge issue overall. There would also be the flexibility to move Dwight for a star 1 or 4 if the "twin towers" idea doesn't seem likely. Dwight's age and player option make him less valuable, but he's still Dwight Howard and would be able to snag us a few nice pieces or a star that is unsettled. Bottom line: if a talent like Marc wanted to come here, you find a way to make it work and figure out the rest in time.
Also disclaimer: PG is the biggest issue by far and we should be working to solve that, but Marc Gasol would be a secondary playmaker and would negate some of that need for our PG to be a quality playmaker. With Gasol, he just needs to be serviceable and play defense. Maybe hit 3's at a non-embarrassing rate. (Aka Chalmers, Bev, etc.)
i'd rather morey go for the attainable upgrade rather than blow it up for gasol, love, LMA, etc... if he had gone for the attainable last summer we would've landed lowry. #1 target should be trading for the best PG he can: lowry, lawson, jennings... #2 target should be retaining our FAs: smith, brewer, beverley, terry. #3 would be incase we can't resign beverley... S&T him for a TE which we can use to S&T for a replacement such as lou williams, mo williams, aaron brooks, etc...
nah need backcourt depth. i like brandon knight or george hill. both can play with ball in their hands and ball off their hands
Wouldn't be surprised if the Rockets went after him. They did before and signed him too except that Memphis matched
