It's the off season. We're all anxious to watch what appears to be the most promising Rockets team in a long while, and I've been sifting through old threads and found an interesting one. In April of 2011 a user suggested that we pull off this scenario in a thread he created: I'm curious if you like our current team better or the proposed team. I try to avoid bumping old threads but I find this to be a very interesting topic revisit because we mocked this user for the idea that Thabeet, Scola, T-Will, and Miller could be moved for players of that caliber. Yet miraculously just 2 years later, Morey is sending out a roster that is likely better than this pipe dream of an idea. Speaks volumes about his rebuilding, and what he did with the "assets" he had at a time that many Rockets fans were sick of hearing the term "asset." Essentially (since Yao never returned), the proposed team 2011-12 would be: Dwight/filler Patterson/Hill Iggy/Budinger Martin/Lee Lowry/Dragic Would you rather have our current roster or this proposed deal that would have been impossible to pull off in the first place? Not trying to start a "Morey is a freaking wizard thread".... okay I sort of am, but is there any other GM that could have possibly pulled all of that off following that 2010-11 season? It's only TWO years later.
Tough call. I could sway both ways. Proposed Team: - Has some seriously great perimeter defense that our current team cannot replicate (Lowry and Iggy are so strong and can cover KMart's issues). This factor alone makes me 2ng guess our current team. - We also have a better bench in this scenario - PPat/Dwight fits like a glove. So does KMart/Iggy - scoring efficiency from the perimeter that we'd miss from Harden could still be there with Martin. Current Team: - HARDEN!!! To elaborate: - No true closer in the proposed team. Harden is our closer in this current team - Star Power means a lot. Outside of 03 Pistons, no team has won a chip without at least 1 Superstar Caliber player (maybe you can lump the '11 Mavs in with the Pistons). - To further elaborate, most chip teams have done it with 2 superstars minimum. The only ones who haven't are Rockets, 03 Pistons, and Mavs. So there are strong points on both sides. Logically looking at each player, The proposed team would be better.... but look at chip teams historically and our current team is better. I'd go with the chip, so that's my vote.
Well it looks like we traded Patterson for Perterson in that scenario, so obviously the edge goes to the proposed team and it's really not close.
Dwight Howard and backup is Yao Ming I seriously think we should convince Yao to give it one more try
Current one for sure! But I think if we could have a semi-healthy Yao, who could play those back up minutes maybe even start and play 30+ minutes once in a blue moon, then I might have to choose the proposed 2011 lineup. That team is really balanced. So excited for this upcoming season! Haven't been this excited since the 08-09 offseason after we got Ron Artest, so I'm wondering which lineup would you rather have, the current or the 08-09 roster. (INJURIES are NON-FACTORS) Aaron Brooks / Kyle Lowry Tracy McGrady / Von Wafer / Brent Barry Shane Battier / Ron Artest Luis Scola / Carl Landy / Chuck Hayes Yao Ming / Dikimbe Mutumbo I know the current roster isnt quite finished but, I would pick 08-09 in a heartbeat! Lolol. I remember thinking at the start of that season, that if everyone was healthy, we would be the champions! We could have been too, even without Tracy, if the injuries didn't take away Yao too.. We had everything! A big 3 in Yao, TMac and Artest, top notch defense and shooting, a DEEP bench.. Reminiscing.. I don't think the current roster is going to be completed for a serious championship run until next offseason, hopefully I'm wrong hahaha
In the NBA 1 great player is better than 3 really good players. So Harden>Lowry ,Iggy, Martin Not to mention Parsons is a better fit at SF than Iggy. Although the talents of this Perterson character do intrigue me
Dwight/filler Patterson/Hill Iggy/Budinger Martin/Lee Lowry/Dragic Or D12/Asik Smith/TJones/DMo CP25/Garcia/Casspi Harden/ Lin/PBev/AB/Canaan Center = big advantage to 2013 because of Asik PF = advantage 2013 because all of the players listed are better than PPat SF = small advantage 2013 because I think Iggy and CP25 are a wash while Garcia is better than Bud SG = advantage 2013 Martin is a borderline all star and Lee is a great back up but Harden is the best 2 guard in the league and a legit superstar. PG = advantage 2011 because both Dragic and KLow are borderline all stars and both are really good defenders. 2013 is better because that team has the best player in the league at 2 positions and Asik gives them a second Stud post defender.
JVG could not passed the first round with Yao-TMAC. That team will not win unless they find a real coach.
I think its a no brainer, the current team. That being said, I would love to have Lee. He is the type of guy that the Rockets are missing. Defensive minded with a solid offensive game and is willing to be a role player. He can defend 1-3. The few times I would go to the game, it was fun to see him D-up on the other side of the court when the camera hasn't panned over yet. Really gives you respect for the little things that make a difference in winning. That's why we love guys like Asik, Scola, and Lee. San Antonio found Green and Leonard and that is why they went to the finals last year, the big three was there the previous 5 years but they needed the Junk Yard Dogs to do the nasty stuff.
Positional match ups: Starters C: 2011 Dwight > Current Dwight PF: Scola > Jones SF: Iggy > Parsons PG: Lowry > Lin SG: Kmart << Harden Bench Hill << C Asik Patterson > DMo Bud = Garcia Dragic > Beverley I'd give a slight edge to the 2011 team, since the advantage in Asik will be under utilized. If we flip Asik for another really good player, I reserve right to change my mind.
If my memory serves me, Yao & T-Mac were both at 100% for only the Dallas series under JVG. For that series, we subsequently find out from Tim Donaghy that the refs were indeed pulling some string that series, plus there was the infamous Finley play. Anyways, none of that matters to me. What matters is that our starting backcourt was out of the league a few years later and our starting power forward was Clarence Weatherspoon, yet JVG still managed to get us to 7 games by finding a way to utilize one of the least talented players in NBA history - Ryan Bowen. Weatherspoon. Sura. Wesley. Bowen. Barry. I know we all love Sura but that's a joke of a supporting cast. Morey comes in, revamps everything in about 2 years and JVG never gets to benefit from it. Again - JVG almost won a playoff series with Ryan Bowen, David Wesley, Bob Sura, Jon Barry and Clarence Weatherspoon playing significant minutes + the league working against him. That's not a ****ing embarrassment, that's a damn badge of honor.
Why don't we ever draft parsons again And it's funny with the proposed team we could still pull of the harden deal and then never sign Lin in free agency haha
