The problem is with timing. The Rockets have spent years retooling the roster to have the cap space they would have this summer. It is not likely to be filled with a max-contract free agent, but could be extremely valuable in a trade for the kind of star player the Rockets have lacked.

That kind of deal does not come quickly. Free agent decisions will likely move much faster. The Rockets would have to decide whether to keep that space or fill it with Dragic and Courtney Lee.

A good case could be made for bringing back the free agent guards, especially the way the Rockets are coming together and both are playing. But the Rockets would have to decide that they can live longer without that signature star. It’s still possible to make such a huge trade with the trade pieces they have, but it’s tougher when teams might only make that move to cut costs before the heavier luxury taxes kick in.

That kind of deal is far from a sure thing – or even likely – in either circumstance, but if it is difficult with loads of cap space, it is brutally tough without it, as the Rockets have seen the past two seasons of coming close but coming up short.

All things considered, the Rockets should give themselves until the free-agent signing date to make that kind of deal. If they can’t by then, keep what they have and keep trying.

First, this team as currently composed is not a title contender.  Don’t let this recent hot streak fool you.  Having said that, if the pursuit of a star means sacrificing one of Courtney Lee or Goran Dragic, count me out.  That small hope of a blockbuster–the one the team has been clinging to for several years–is not worth sacrificing a member of its core without compensation.

I’ve discussed trading Kyle Lowry.  In that scenario, the team would receive return of his value.  Losing Lee or Dragic, just for hope and chance, is a different case.

With the Rockets trailing by just four, Kobe Bryant checked in at the 4:23 mark and proceeded to miss a 3-pointer, a jumper and a fadeaway, and had the ball stolen away from him over the course of the next two minutes, during which Houston took the lead for good. While Kobe did recover to hit three awe-inspiring jumpers to close the game, the damage had already been done. Houston had sealed a 107-104 victory at the Toyota Center. The decision to abandon Sessions, who finished with 14 points on 6-for-9 shooting, was baffling.

Still, while Kobe may have caused that loss, he is one hell of a spectacle – the local faithful got more than their money’s worth:

Bryant dazzled the locals with an assortment of moves early on, going behind his back on one occasion to set up a left-handed jumphook. When he spun baseline to split two Rockets, the crowd got a taste of the greatness they so desperately craved. It was a reminder of why people come to watch.

I spoke with another writer at length last night about this, but there’s just something about watching a guy like that that you simply can’t put into words. He’s not Jordan, no, but you have to remind yourself, “enjoy this.  This is this generation’s guy and it won’t be around much longer.”  And ultimately, as I wrote for the mothership, men of his ilk are why we, or at least I, watch.  I like winning teams, don’t get me wrong.  But it’s why I’ve never really been able to get into college hoops much.  I watch basketball for individual greatness.  I’m just being honest – that’s why I fell in love with this sport.  While obviously, I’m nowhere near as good as anyone on the Rockets, in your own mind, you can sort of conceive of yourself practicing enough to be able to do the things they do at your own level.  But Kobe, and guys like that, just let you marvel…you could never do that.  Hit fallaway baseline jumpers with three men draped on you.  Hit hanging double-pump 3′s.   You move to the edge of your seat when this guy has the ball. It’s just art.

That was the great irony of last night.  Kobe might have lost his team the game. But he reminded us of why we watch.

The Los Angeles Lakers have traded veteran guard Derek Fisher to the Houston Rockets in exchange for forward Jordan Hill, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

The Rockets also will receive the 2012 first-round pick the Lakers acquired from the Dallas Mavericks in the Lamar Odom trade.

via Lakers trade Derek Fisher to Rockets – NBA – Yahoo! Sports.

The Houston Rockets have agreed to terms on a deal to acquire veteran center Marcus Camby from the Portland Trail Blazers, according to sources with knowledge of the deal.

The deal that has been submitted to the league office for approval, sources said, calls for Houston to send guard Jonny Flynn, center Hasheem Thabeet and a future second-round pick to the Blazers for Camby, who has maintained an offseason residence in Houston for some time and has always liked the idea of playing for the Rockets.

via Houston Rockets have deal to acquire Marcus Camby, sources say – ESPN.

I like this deal a lot.  Camby leads the league in rebounds per 48 minutes and is a massive upgrade to our bench.  I’ll have a full writeup later today with my thoughts once all the deals are in.

Jonathan Feigen’s latest this morning is filled with various nuggets of information, chiefly that the Rockets are certain to make a deal.

Among the highlights:

The Magic, however, had not shown much interest in the Rockets’ roster. The Rockets have been among the most aggressive teams in trying to work a deal, but the Magic have generally looked the other way.

The Rockets have insisted they would not move Lowry even in a deal for Pau Gasol, their preseason target. One front office executive said he believed the Rockets would make that deal, arguing that they had to hold out something to offer at the last minute and Lowry is the only way to up the ante.

With Martin’s contract expiring next season, the Rockets believe they would be best served to get him going again, at least to some degree, and they have handled negotiations that way for weeks.

There was expected to be more talk about Lee and Martin today than anyone on the roster, with much of that heating up on Tuesday. The Bulls and Clippers have sought a shooting guard. Rick Adelman’s Timberwolves would love Martin, but will likely wait for him to become a free agent.

The Rockets still want to upgrade inside and went hard after Andrew Bogut, but their inability to close that deal might show an unwillingness to move Martin, and maybe Lee.

Goran Dragic seemed the most likely player to be moved in a deal like last season’s.

Finally, via Adrian Wojnarowski, with the news on Howard, the Nets now have turned to efforts to surround Deron Williams with talent.

The timing of this ultimatum seems particularly averse to a Rockets move thanks to a bacterial infection that has Lowry chilling in a hospital bed watching NCAA games at the moment rather than eking out victories in Oklahoma City, but he’ll be back in action in less than  a couple of weeks, making his trade value relatively unchanged. Still Lowry’s seen a big drop in all of his numbers since the beginning of the season, when the baby-faced bulldog routinely posted almost-triple-doubles and stood among the league leaders in PER. Those falls have shown up in places other than Lowry’s always shaky jumpshot, as well (February actually showcased Lowry posting up fantastic  percentages from the field, 47% overall and 43% from the arc); instead, Lowry’s passing has been suspect, declining from the league leader in assists in mid-January to a measly 4.8 per game in the Rockets’ latest losing streak.

If a Dwight Howard rental legitimately becomes an option for Houston, even with a lousy Hedo Turkoglu kicker, disregard that entire last paragraph. All this talk of trading for a star and collecting assets would have its truest validation if Howard spent even half a season in Rockets red.

Houston’s efforts to acquire Bogut would be a less complicated, two-deal deal with Milwaukee in which many scenarios have been discussed. Among them, Milwaukee would get Samuel Dalembert, Courtney Lee and draft picks, sources said. The Rockets also presumably would have to take back Stephen Jackson, who has clashed with Bucks coach Scott Skiles and is owed $10 million next season, or the Bucks would need to find another home for him.

As I tweeted earlier, Bogut’s defensive numbers are sparkling.  Last season, against Andrew, opposing players scored on only 29% of their isolation attempts; against Dwight Howard they scored on 39% of their attempts.  In those scenarios, they shot 33% from the floor against Bogut; against Dwight they shot 39%.

When healthy, he’s a top-3 center in this league and inarguably the second best defensive center.  He’s a young, true franchise cornerstone.  The problem is that he’s rarely been healthy.

If for a deal built around Kevin Martin, this would be a no-brainer.  But losing Lee and potentially the New York Knicks pick (now #9) hurts.  Still, I think I would do it.  Skilled 7 footers are the one thing you can’t really seek out and get on the cheap – you just have to luck into them.  Would the #8 or whatever the Knicks pick ended up being be a better player than Bogut?  It’s unlikely.

I’ve heard the Bucks have been offered a “young, All-Star type point guard” for center Andrew Bogut. If that is true, and the Bucks took up that offer, would that mean current point guard Brandon Jennings could be jettisoned as well? Yes, it would.

That sounds a lot like Kyle Lowry.  In fact, Steph Curry is the only other possibility that comes to mind in fitting that description.

Stephen writes:

Total speculation,but have we gone from Lowry is untouchable to he’s being included in trades for a big? What changed? Is there a hidden problem between Lowry and McHale?(I was struck by how long Lowry and Adelman talked after the first Minn game and how Adelman seemed to be trying to encourage Lowry.)

I agree; it’s interesting.  I think the organization sees its real chance at an upgrade and hopes to capitalize, avoiding a repeat of the Aaron Brooks value deflation fiasco.  They’ve seen how tough it is to land a star, they’ve seen Lowry’s production drop, and they’ve seen Dragic fill in beautifully.  It might be the time to cash in while demand remains high.

If trading Lowry, what would come of Martin?  It seems he almost must be dealt at this point, but the Lakers would appear to not have any use for the frail-framed shooting guard.  At this point, the only way I’d keep Martin is in the event of a Dwight Howard rental.  I worry his trade value will drop even lower as this season continues.

Another note: one ironic consequence of the Jeremy Lin fiasco is that it just might save the Rockets.  New York was the one team out there that desperately needed a point guard and might have offered Goran Dragic a full MLE deal this summer.  Now, with Lin filling the spot, the Rockets might rest a bit easier in dealing Kyle Lowry, liking their chances at retaining Dragic.  Speaking of the Knicks, they’ve lost 6 of their last 7.

How many here would take on Emeka Okafor’s contract for the rights to the Hornets’ draft pick?  The Rockets could theoretically trade Dalembert and some combination of the 09ers for that New Orleans package, and then still make the Gasol trade.  That would leave them with an Okafor-Gasol frontline and an incoming likely-top 5 pick in the summer.  Many things can be done with cap space.  Let’s hope the Rockets make good use.

As we wrote last wk, ATL might be Dwight Howard's hometown, but it offers no allure, and ORL wants PG Kyle Lowery in a HOU rental.

March 9, 2012 8:16 am via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@MagicInsider

Brian K. Schmitz

UPDATES below.

In other tweets, he also says that the Thunder have balked at an Ibaka/Harden asking price, and that trading Howard to the Celtics for Rondo would be Eastern Conference suicide.

If this report is true, it would be a no-brainer, especially given recent developments in the standings.  The Rockets could swing for the fences and if striking out over the summer and losing Howard, they’d have a fresh slate with which to rebuild.  The mediocrity train would be averted.

UPDATED: I’m pretty skeptical of this report.  It’s not saying that “if the Magic were to trade Dwight to Houston, they would prefer Lowry.”  It’s insinuating that, in contrasting against a Hawks offer, that they prefer and covet a Houston deal centered around Lowry over anything else in the field.  That’s really pretty hard to believe, but stranger things have happened.  If I were Orlando, I would take Bynum or just play out the season with Dwight.

In any event, if the report is true, it’s a no-brainer for Houston.  Dealing Lowry for Pau is a major risk, and one I probably wouldn’t take, because it potentially perpetuates mediocrity.  With this, if Dwight leaves, the Rockets would have a fresh slate, something they desperately need.  Right now, unless Les Alexander sells the team or Morey leaves, I don’t see any other way for the team to deroute from this current track.  They’re simply too good at talent evaluation to be organically bad.  They have to swing for the fences.

Depending on who all would be sent to Florida, you could make a run for the playoffs this year with Dwight, Dragic, Martin, and Scola, hoping to convince the big man of his surroundings.  Then in the summer, you fly in Hakeem, dust off the phonebook of Chinese contacts, and pray for the best.  If the Mavs are unable to trade Shawn Marion next week, they will not have the capacity to sign both Dwight Howard and Deron Williams.

If the plan fails, the team is lotto-bound, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, given the current state of affairs.  If all works out, you could end up with a nucleus of Williams, Martin, Howard, one of Scola/Patterson, and certainly at least one of Lee, Morris, Budinger, and Parsons.

UPDATE: Now that I re-read it, I actually think those two clauses are meant to be taken separately ie: “If Orlando were to take a Houston deal, they’d want Lowry in it.” which isn’t anything we already didn’t know.

The two points I wanted to discuss pertained to ‘tanking’ and trades.

1. Hearing that interview, in concert with other public statements made by Morey over the past few months, makes me almost positive that the decree to ‘keep a foot in both doors’ and try to rebuild while remaining competitive came down from Les.  Listening to Morey, assessing his tone, I think you’d have to infer that were he to have his choice, he’d take the path of least resistance and sink to the bottom for a quicker rise to the top.  He says to Simmons, regarding the ‘dual-approach’, that “it’s actually frankly never been done.”  Later, while responding to Simmons’ supposition regarding avoiding the middle path, Daryl says, “we’re adding a degree of difficulty to our turnaround,” though adding “I do think it can be done.”

A numbers guy like Morey isn’t going against the odds.  Reading between the lines, it’s pretty clear Daryl is telling us that this is probably not the way he would have done things, but that he is trying to do the best he can with the orders he’ve been given.

2.  Simmons says that no team in the West stands out and that the conference is there to be taken.  This is something I’ve been saying for some time to the incredulity of some.  Since I’ve been watching basketball in 1994, this is the weakest the West has ever looked.  Oh, there’s parity alright.  But gone are those superteams of the past–the Kobe/Shaq Lakers, the prime-Duncan Spurs, the old-school Mavs etc.–that simply could not be beaten by the Rockets.  It’s different now.    And that’s what makes the Gasol trade so painful.  Had it been allowed to pass, with Nene, this team almost definitely would be contending for the conference.

MVP: Monta Ellis did basically anything he wanted, scoring 33 points on 13-for-23 shooting. No one on the Rockets seemed to have a chance. He tossed in seven assists as well.

Defining moment: With less than a minute remaining, and the Warriors’ lead down to six, Monta Ellis floated in a runner with Kyle Lowry draped all over him. That shot told the tale of this one.

That was … unfamiliar: Rockets head coach Kevin McHale appeared on the sidelines with a freshly grown, well groomed goatee. No word yet if the new look is a long-term solution.

Nevertheless, Kobe was chatting Rondo up for most of the fourth quarter. Rondo’s a player who so intrigues Bryant. Who wouldn’t want him? But he isn’t available to the Lakers. Everyone knows the Lakers need a point guard, and the price of a top playmaker remains the same: Gasol. The Houston Rockets still have a longing for Gasol, but the Lakers would want a player the Rockets are most reluctant to part with: point guard Kyle Lowry. The Lakers could probably pry a combination of Kevin Martin and Luis Scola for Gasol, league sources said, but it’s doubtful they’ll move Gasol without solving their point guard problem. Lowry has developed into one of the league’s finest point guards, but Rockets general manager Daryl Morey isn’t trading him.

via Latest chapter of Lakers-Celtics rivalry nears end – NBA – Yahoo! Sports.

MVP: The Rockets’ bench. The bench mob erupted for 66 points, saving this game. Patrick Patterson shut down LaMarcus Aldridge, Chase Budinger hit shots, and Courtney Lee and Goran Dragic accumulated floor burns.

LVP: The Blazers’ starting bigs. Aldridge and Marcus Camby combined for 13 points and 10 boards. On this night, the “bigs” played small, giving the Blazers close to nothing.

That Was … Scary: Kyle Lowry left the game in the third, running straight to the tunnel, his arm hanging awkwardly out of place. Reports are that he suffered just a bruise, but it looked a lot worse.

The New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers have contacted the Houston Rockets about acquiring Jonny Flynn, according to league sources.

No deal is imminent with either team, but both clubs are in desperate need of a point guard and have Flynn on their radar.

The Knicks have shown the most interest, sources say, and discussed a possible deal involving Renaldo Balkman and Mike Bibby. The Rockets were not interested.

This was pretty surprising as Flynn is one of the worst players I’ve ever had the misfortune of seeing in red and white.  I wouldn’t take back Bibby–or anyone with future salary obligations–but if the Rockets could somehow bring back a second round draft pick from a deal like this, you’d have to count your blessings.

It’s also interesting that Flynn actually has value and teams interested.  If the Rockets can make a deal, it would make that Motiejunas trade look even better, in hindsight.  This sort of shows the value of taking risks on former busts.  While it may not work out for you, there’s a chance they retain value and can be passed onto a different buyer hoping to make it work in new surroundings.

SI had reported that the Rockets’ offer involved Hasheem Thabeet and Jordan Hill and could also involve Patrick Patterson, Jonny Flynn, and Terrence Williams.

It’s unclear whether Berman means the report was wholly inaccurate, in terms of the players mentioned, or that the specifics were merely a bit off.  Is it still structured around ‘the busts’ or is it fundamentally different, involving, say Luis Scola?

How many here would trade Scola for Kaman if that were the price?  Such a deal would give the team room to sign two max free agents in the summer (when Kaman’s deal expires.)  The team could achieve the same objective by simply using the amnesty provision on Scola this summer but in that event, they’d still be on the hook for his remaining real salary obligations, an outcome owner Les Alexander would no doubt want to avoid.  In terms of production, would Kaman suffice as a short term replacement for Scola?

General manager Dell Demps no doubt is partial towards Scola, from past evidence, but would Stern approve such a deal?  He killed the Paul trade simply because…well, it was an absolutely awful trade for a team in that situation.  But this is different.  Perhaps Scola is the most value that can be squeezed from the expiring contract of Kaman; perhaps Scola can be moved elsewhere for some younger parts that could help in the long term.

Trading Luis would allow the Rockets to move forward Patrick Patterson into the starting lineup where he flourished last season.  This would shore up the defense and allow them to bring Kaman off the bench to serve as the new inside threat.

Really though, the upside to a Scola deal would be about this summer and flexibility.  Any other scenario that would give the team room to pursue two max free agents would require them to either swallow significant real financial obligations (remember, the amnesty provision only removes a player’s salary slot from the team’s cap; it does not relieve the team completely of the real obligation unless a similar contract is signed with a new team) or experience a drastic drop-off in short term on-court production.

Outside of Luis, I can’t even really see who else could be involved in the talks.  Lowry is off-limits.  Trading Martin would be a step back.  In my opinion, dealing Dalembert for Kaman would also be a step-back.

It’s also possible that the offer was centered around Hill and Thabeet, but rather than Patterson/Williams/Flynn as the throw-in, it was one of Lee or Dragic.  Those latter two are also free agents this summer and it’s in question whether the team would have desire to re-sign them to what they will likely be offered.  But losing either would be a huge step back in the playoff chase this season.  Atleast with Scola, for Kaman, similar production could be achieved.

The Houston Rockets have had extensive discussions with the New Orleans Hornets about center Chris Kaman and appear to be in the lead to trade for him, numerous sources told SI.com.

…

While no deal is imminent and the pieces are still being discussed, sources said the talks have involved the Rockets’ two top-10 picks from the 2009 draft — center Hasheem Thabeet (No. 2 by Memphis) and power forward Jordan Hill (No. 8 by New York). The Rockets have other young former first-rounders who could be included as well, among them second-year forward Patrick Patterson, third-year point guard Jonny Flynn and third-year small forward Terrence Williams. They also have a 2012 first-round pick from the Knicks that the Hornets would love to obtain.

I’ve been engaging you all about such a trade for some time now on Twitter, so many of you already know my thoughts: if it’s just for some combination of the ’09 busts, the deal would be an absolute no-brainer.  No deal if they want Patterson or the Knicks pick.  Those two are off limits.

The Rockets have two goals right now and Kaman fits neatly into both: remaining competitive this season and maintaining flexibility next summer.  With his low-post repertoire, Kaman gives the Rockets a serious frontcourt rotation (depending on what happens with Patterson) while also keeping alive the Dwight Howard dream in July; Chris’ $14million comes off the books at that time, putting the team where they would have been had they/if they just stand pat with the ’09 busts.

I’ve said since the Dalembert signing that this team would make the playoffs.  If they can land Kaman, I don’t think a second round appearance is out of the question.  He’s one of the most skilled low post threats in basketball and with Dalembert and Scola, would give the Rockets one hell of a big-man combination to take on the West.  His numbers are down, but the skillset meets the ‘eye’ test.  Kaman is a load inside, with the ability to hit fadeaways off either block off the glass from strange angles (something I noted back in 2009 during a Clippers-Rockets game.)

Patterson and the Knicks pick should be off limits.  Those violate the goal of maintaining the future.  But an ’09 bust package should be automatic from Houston’s side.  Let’s hope Daryl can get it done.  Management clearly feels that competitiveness is the right choice to make this city a more attractive destination.  Landing Chris Kaman would go a long way towards that.

UPDATED at 2:50PM CST:

There’s really no opportunity cost here to a deal like Thabeet, Hill, Flynn.  It’s not like you’d be playing Kaman instead of promising youngsters who need development time; those youngsters would be the ones traded and the team has already decided that they’re not worth the effort anyway.

I realized I left out mention of Flynn above – if he’s included, I would drive him to the airport myself.

The only potential problem I see pertains to the chemistry concerns of bringing on another ‘starter’ quality player.  Dalembert has earned the job, but by all accounts, Kaman wants to start.  If he’s coming off the bench, you could see some issues.

More thoughts: To my fellow pro-tankers, the dream is and has been over for some time.  The winning streak destroyed any chance of this team landing a top lottery slot.  With their draft position sufficiently screwed, the team now has no choice but to go all in without mortgaging the future.  I don’t buy into the team’s theory of ‘make the playoffs to attract Dwight’, but if that’s the goal, you at least have to support such a deal.

On Patterson, Knicks pick, maybe Budinger: no.  These guys/entities, except for maybe Chase, are off limits.  While he’ll make a huge difference, even with Kaman, this team won’t win the title this season.  There is no point in dealing off a young piece in his acquisition.  The ’09 busts have no value anyway, so they are a case of making lemonade from lemons.

HOUSTON – Houston Rockets guard Kyle Lowry has been charged with one count of misdemeanor battery by the Clark County District Attorney’s office in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Las Vegas Justice Court issued a summons for Lowry to appear before it on Feb 2.

If convicted, Lowry faces up to six months in the Clark County Detention Center and/or a fine of not more than $1,000.

“We have confirmed a criminal complaint charging Kyle Lowry with one count of misdemeanor battery has been filed with the Las Vegas Justice Court,” said Tess Driver, DA’s office spokeswoman, in an interview with FOX 26 Sports.

According to the charges, the allegations stem from a basketball game Lowry was playing in between NBA players on Sept. 22, 2011 in Las Vegas.

The female victim, Infini Robinson, was one of the referees in the game.

The declaration of warrant/summons said, “At the end of the game, Lowry approached the victim and threw a basketball at her striking her in her torso. The victim picked up the basketball and tossed it back at Lowry. Lowry became upset and stated, ‘B****, meet me outside. I will kick you’re a**’.”

The warrant goes on to allege that after Lowry walked away, Robinson went to the designated area for officials to change shoes and clothing, and she was hit with a basketball at a high rate of speed.

Also according to the warrant, Charlotte Bobcats forward Corey Maggette apologized to Robinson on behalf of Lowry and that Lowry also approached Robinson and said, “I’m sorry. I truly apologize for what I did. I let my emotions get the best of me.”

The warrant also said the two other referees involved in the game, Bobby McRoy and Herb Rafuse, confirmed what happened and identified Lowry as the suspect.

According to the warrant, McRoy told investigators, “Lowry was abusive with him as well and believes that he has an anger problem. He said during the game Lowry was verbally combative and confrontational to the victim leading up to the incident where he battered her twice with basketballs.”

Deborah Ruiz, an investigator with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, writes, “in that the victim was acting in the capacity of a referee during the game, she is considered a protected person. The suspect knowingly threw a basketball at her after the game ended for calls he didn’t agree with. The victim and both witnesses believe that his intent was to hurt her and that he could have hurt anyone of them by his actions.”

Lowry has been in the NBA for six years.

He was traded by the Memphis Grizzlies to the Rockets on Feb. 19, 2009.

Lowry and his agent Andy Miller have not been available for comment.

“We are aware that a complaint has been filed in Las Vegas against Kyle,” said Daryl Morey, Rockets general manager, in a statement issued by the club. “We will work to get clarity on the situation. As this is a legal matter, we will not comment further.”

In Daryl Morey’s never-ending quest for a franchise cornerstone, will he now pounce?  Cousins is troubled, but skilled bigs don’t grow on trees.  I personally would offer the Kings everything on this roster except for Lowry.

Rockets 5-on-5

Hayes was signed by the Kings to a four year $21 million dollar contract on December 9th.

The complete details of the physical have yet to be released, but the preliminary reports suggest that the Kings’ team doctors found a heart abnormality.

The implications of Hayes’ release for the Rockets are potentially auspicious. Should he pass a Houston physical, the team remains $9 million dollars under the NBA salary cap and could possibly resign its former player.

@WojYahooNBA: Houston’s close to signing Marc Gasol to max-contract offer sheet, working a sign-and-trade with Memphis to secure him, league sources say.

Wow.  Talk about a contingency plan!

UPDATE:

@WojYahooNBA: Memphis is probably inclined to match the sheet, but if not, they can work a sign-and-trade with Rockets to get something for Gasol.

UPDATE: I’d be shocked if Memphis doesn’t match this offer.

UPDATE:

@Jonathan_Feigen: Rockets pursuit of MGasol still a longshot. Memphis likely to match, unlikely to do sign-and-trade. It’s a Hail Mary after trade collapsed.

This makes a lot more sense.  I don’t see how Memphis would let this guy walk, unless he clearly indicated he wanted out.  I would think they would amnesty Rudy Gay before sacrificing Gasol.

This is an absolute disaster for the Rockets who now, after having gone all in, are left with some pissed off players.  The dream of a Gasol/Nene frontcourt is now gone and we’re back to the drawing board.

Worst of all is that Les won’t let this team tank.

Just filed to ESPN w/@Chris_Broussard: New trade framework of original three-team CP3 deal has been submitted to league office for approval

followed up by Woj:

In restructured 3 way deal, Houston still sending Kevin Martin, Luis Scola, and 2012 picks to Hornets, sources say.

The structural changes in deal will come between Lakers and Hornets, source says.

I have no idea what just happened.  This has been the most bizarre six hours of my life.  That’s all from me today – I’m going to go do something productive.