Starting PF: "There's better players available through trade."

If nothing else works, I heard 'The Worm' is looking to get back into the league...

 

yea ok lets power up miami. they replace kapono and we get chuck hayes the 2nd

 

Would just like to point out that we have no 1 to-be-rookie PF on our roster.
We are in a begging position, not even a buying position. i'm not saying that is morey's fault, but it means that no matter who we trade for, we will probably have to overpay.

 

right now, the number one power forward i would like to have, especially because he won't likely come that expensive, is joe smith.

adding rashard lewis and joe smith would be awesome.

 

this is one of the worst trades i have ever seen.

 

Drew Gooden needs to get rid of that squirrel thing he's got on the back of his head if he dons a Houston uni

 

#1 Camby
#2 Shelden Williams
#3 anyone not named Joe Smith

Trading Rafer is a must! Need to clear guard clutter while receiving a 4 is the best option for us. As stated before Rafer+Sura+Snyder wouldn't be too bad financial wise for the Nuggets. Tossing in a future first and second would be acceptable in my book considering our track record with the draft lulz

 

Great, let's also pick up Karl Malone and Charles Barkley in the process.

 

- i doubt we have a shot at a lot of those guys on the list.

- of those we have a shot at you have to remember that the rockets are looking for speed so forget about guys like kurt thomas.

- then remember that morey wants a PF who's skillset differentiates from that of hayes.

- lastly, morey is moneyball, get rid of overpriced guys like kenny thomas.

you will then be left with these guys:

Ike Diogu (2 yrs., ~$5.5M remaining)
Brian Cook (3 yrs., $10.5M remaining)
Nick Collison (4 yrs., $26M remaining)

of course collison might be a bit out of reach. seattle really likes this guy and the rockets dont have much to offer. on top of that he might also be a bit overpriced considering his production.

there is a reason the rockets most frequent rumors are so frequent. diogu and cook are the most likely options.

 

What about Battie?

 

To me, Haslem or Gooden would be ideal. They both rebound, they both have legit mid-range strokes, and they're both not old men. Of course, I prefer Haslem because he's not a bonehead, and because his D is better. But Gooden has the edge in athleticism, and he hasn't had as many injury issues, IIRC.

Am I the only other guy here who doesn't hate this trade, apparently? I wouldn't give up Bonzi, but to me, Alston, Novak, and Landry are all pretty expendable. Heck, we're not even giving up Head or Battier. And of course, our power forward problem would finally be solved. It's worth giving up a lot to make that happen, IMO.



Don't think Atlanta will give up Shelden. They may have too many forwards, be he's one of the few F/C types.

Wouldn't mind Battie, Collison, or Diogu.

 

I think we're leaving out the best possible fit, IMO, in the entire league at PF: Charlie Villanueva.

This guy would fit so perfectly at PF. I didn't think he'd be a possibility earlier because he was the starter, but reading an article about Yi Jianlian, the GM over there is constantly talking about what a great fit Yi is alongside Bogut. It's not looking like Milwaukee are giving Yi up.

Additionally, CV had some injury problems last season, but all in all, he's been impressive in his last 2 seasons.

Obviously, we don't have the assets to acquire him outright, so what we would have to do is take on Bobby Simmons. This guy didn't play all of last season. What we know about this guy is he's a good defender, hard worker, can hit the 3-pt shot and a decent rebounder for his position. He's also quicker on his feet than Battier, so I can see him as more of a SG than Battier (good considering we want to move Mac to the 3).

Basically, a deal like:

Simmons + Villanueva

for

Battier + Alston + Head

They need a PG because all 3 of their are FA's and they certainly aren't goingto re-sign all of them. Alston gives them depth at a very good price tag. Battier steps in for Simmons, cheaper, a better defender at the 3, no injury problems. Head gives them a backup 2, which they seem to be lacking, and some 3-pt shooting, which they were lacking last season. Overall this deal fills 3 needs for them.

I think, for us, this risk is worth taking with Simmons. He's had a serious injury and it's risky, but chances are he'll be back (at least) almost as good as before. We have a roster which will allow us to nurture him back to fitness (Mac, Snyder, Bonzi, James can all play the 2/3). He also makes a lot of money, more than Battier. But I think it's a risk worth taking because Villanueva is worth it.

Yao
CV
T-Mac
Bonzi
James

Opens up minutes at PG and swingman while giving us what I think is the best fit in the league at PF.

 

How bout David Lee. Right now, it might actually be realistic that the rockets could trade for him. With Randolph in NY, he has become more expendable.

 

WTF did you just say?

 

lol for real we need some attitude. he's like 42 now too so he be perfect with JVG.

 

- then remember that morey wants a PF who's skillset differentiates from that of hayes.

you will then be left with these guys:

Ike Diogu (2 yrs., ~$5.5M remaining)

I think I like Sheldon Williams better than Ike, but I am wondering if there really is a big difference other than Ike should be some less expensive to attain. I want to think and dig more about these two and post tomorrow if Sheldon is a much stronger choice or if they are close.

I still wouldn't mind Cook (certainly more than Joe Smith), defintely a different skill set. Wouldn't feel horrible about going in with Hayes/Cook/Landry. Wouldn't feel good about, but not horrible given atleast with James/Brooks/Bonzi you would think our backcourt punch is a lot better..

 

I would prefer the alternatives mentioned in this thread, trade for:

1) Channing Frye
2) Charlie Villanueva
3) David Lee

Any of the three would be a great complement to Hayes.

 

i don't think we have what it takes to pry him from orlando. the only bigs they have are howard, darko, and battie. why give up one of only 3 bigs for some guards from the rockets bench? plus orlando has plenty of young perimeter guys. i just don't see why orlando would be interested in this type of deal.

 

LOL, I agree 100%, didn't think anyone would think of him, the guy would complement Yao so damn well, cause he plays the outside game so well, plus he's a better than average rebounder/defender - I'd take this guy over Rashad Lewis.

I saw him play in his rookie season and he showed he's going to be good, and I mean 20pts 10rbs good....he just had a horrible year due to injuries. This kid will be an allstar in a few years.

 

To expand, I would try for one of the Bucks 3 PFs:

Villanueva
Yi
Ilyasova

Same with the Blazers, they are loaded at the position (even w/out Randolph):

LaFrentz
Aldridge
Frye
Outlaw

As for Rashard, I still advocate going after Artest over Lewis:

Artest is a better defender/rebounder, possesses the requisite demeanor currently lacking on the Rockets AND is already familiar/successful in an Adelman system.