196 replies to this topic

[Rahat Huq]

There are different projections as to how much Houston could have under the cap this summer.  That amount could approach up to $15mill.  

 

Let's say they strike out on Howard.  If you could, would you trade Lin and sign Mayo and Millsap?  Play Mayo and Harden in the backcourt together...?

 

That gives you a lineup of Millsap, Parsons, Asik, Harden, and Mayo.  Mayo came into the league as a point guard but couldn't cut it.  Here, Harden would be the playmaker, while they'd both just loft 3's.  They are also close friends.  That lineup would be a nightmare to defend.

 

Thoughts?

[rocketrick]

Would it really be wise for the Rockets to start effectively two 2's and no 1's? Sure, Harden is a natural playmaker with the ball but he doesn't lead the fastbreak like Jeremy Lin can with his speed and quickness going down the court. I think bringing the ball up after the other team scores the entire game would wear on Harden over the long season and would detract from his overall performance, too. I think giving Jeremy Lin this upcoming offseason (hopefully to be much later than we think) to improve his outside shooting stroke makes more sense. He is a hard worker obviously dedicated to becoming a better player. In regards to defense, I'm not sure that Lin might not actually be better than Mayo, that is when Lin really puts in the effort on the defensive end like he did last night on Rubio.

[Cooper]

It depends on what you get for Lin in that situation. I think harden and mayo could work they are both decent passers at least and millsap is solid pf, it would be a pretty weak defensive lineup but its not like we're a juggernaut defensively anyways.

[timetodienow1234567]

This is just my position, I'd rather get Mayo put him at the 2, move Harden to the 3, move Parsons to the 4(he'd need to gain 20 pounds), and keep Asik at the C. Sign a defensive specialist to close out games and if Lin is having a bad game you can put Mayo in at the 1. Then you could have 4 out of your 5 guys who can kick and drive and shoot 3s(only Lin needs more work at the 3 point line). Or we could pick up a Millsap and put him at the 4 and become more of a traditional offense. I'd rather have a good defender at the 4(which Millsap is NOT), but he's an upgrade over DMo and TRob. But if we got both Mayo and Millsap, we'd easily be the deepest team in the league.

[Rahat Huq]

I always thought Mayo was very good as a defender.  They pointed out his defense on Paul in the playoffs a year back.  

 

I don't know.  I'm just really intrigued at the thought of pairing Mayo with Harden, for some reason, given both guys' age.  Just have Mayo bring it up.  

[rocketrick]

Who guards the smaller and quicker PG's around the league, then? I do like the possibility of adding a true shooting guard like a Mayo and I think Millsap brings a lot of positives on the offensive side of the court as well. I'm just not sure either is the best fit going forward with the current Rockets roster.

 

What about remaining patient until after the 2014 season. If memory serves, there is a long list of available free agents then. Perhaps Morey can find a couple more Delfino type role players this off season as more and more teams cut salary to get us by until the summer of 2014. It's not like the Rockets are going to be favorities to win the NBA Title this year or next anyway. Staying patient for the right player makes more sense in my opinion.

[cjuice28]

The more talent you can acquire in 1 player, the better. Its much easier to fit role players around stars, than try to fit a bunch of B+ players together. Max players are generally undervalued as well. I think this has become common knowledge...so with that said I'm not sure about this offseason.

 

Chris Paul or Dwight Howard would be the first preference IMO. All indications are CP3 is resigning with the Clippers. I'm hoping the Lakers make the 8 spot. My thinking is that Howard will be more inclined to leave if they make the playoffs, because there won't be lingering thoughts about what could have been, if only they made it to the playoffs. If the Rockets sign Howard, I think you have to look at dealing Asik.

 

I think I would throw a Max deal at Brandon Jennings, and see if the Bucks let him go. He might not be worth it, but he'd only be overpaid $4-5M a year. He is young, and would fit pretty well...he is shooting 38% from three. Would that make the Rockets title contenders? Not for sure, maybe in 2 years when everyone is peaking.

 

If you strike out on all 3 of those, I think Mayo and another player package is the best. 2014 free agency doesn't look great unless you think Miami will break up its team.

[Rahat Huq]

I was with you until you mentioned Brandon Jennings.  Lin at 8 is infinitely better, in my opinion, than Jennings at max.

[Cooper]

Giving Jennings the max would be crazy.

[Mason Khamvilay]

Lin has really grown on me, especially with performances like last night where he dominated both ends of the floor. The way he works so hard makes him really hard to dislike, I think he epitomizes Rockets basketball so well that anyone who says we should let Lin go and sign Jennings for the max should be sent to sit in a corner to think about what he did wrong.... bad bad Rockets fan...

 

In regards to Mayo's defense, from what I've seen he is very mistake prone, even at this stage in his career he still makes the kind of dumb fouls you would expect from a rookie.

 

I like Rocketrick's idea of waiting until 2014 (assuming we don't land Dwight or convince Josh Smith to settle for 12m because he's not worth the max). Chances are that Bosh could opt out to sign with Houston otherwise he will be traded anyway because Miami can't afford to keep all 3. Other possible free agents include Pau Gasol, Paul Pierce, Luol Deng, Marvin Williams, Carl Landry, Jordan Hill, Iggy, Monta.

 

Personally, besides Dwight, Bosh is the guy I would most like to see in a Rockets uniform.

[thejohnnygold]

My love of bringing in OJ Mayo is no secret.  I think we can sign him at a reasonable enough rate that we may not need to deal Lin--I like this because I still think Lin has not reached his peak.  If we got Mayo I'd actually be content to leave the PF position alone as I think he can help with our need at perimeter defense (a huge reason I love josh smith).  Last night, Minnesota came at us with a 3 guard attack and for a while it was working.

 

If we brought in Mayo, I'd prefer to deal Delfino's expiring contract and maybe look for a defense-oriented back-up center.  We would be loaded with talent.

 

Lin/Beverley/Brooks

Harden/Mayo/Anderson

Parsons/Garcia (he is 6'7")

D-Mo/Robinson

Asik/G. Smith/Ohlbrecht

 

Plus, Terrance Jones is still lurking...

[Mason Khamvilay]

Problem is, with that line-up (considering the inexperience) I doubt we would win a championship without several years of fall short and growing from that. With Dwight, Bosh, or a humble Josh Smith, we could win the ship in 2015. 

[thejohnnygold]

I'm not nearly as high on the 2014 class as everyone else....I really don't see the Lebrons breaking up...maybe I'm crazy....if it does happen, it would be Bosh and I would need to see how a 30 year old Bosh is playing and what kind of $$$ he'd want....plus, is he better than D-Mo at that point?  T-Rob?

 

The four guys I would really look at, as of now, from the 2014 class in order are: DeMarcus Cousins (if his head is right), Larry Sanders, Chris Johnson, and Bosh.  Not interested in anyone else from that list.  Essentially, hybrid center/pf types.  I don't feel like any of those are must-have players.  (prepare broken record)  This is another reason I am loving the Josh Smith idea more and more and more.....

 

I like Carl Landry...but not sure he would make sense with T-Rob already here and hopefully playing as well as Landry can.

[thejohnnygold]

Problem is, with that line-up (considering the inexperience) I doubt we would win a championship without several years of fall short and growing from that. With Dwight, Bosh, or a humble Josh Smith, we could win the ship in 2015. 

 

Agreed, I think we would be looking at a solid first year, followed by a minimum of WCF's, and then who knows....that's about the same path the Thunder took.  I can dig it.  We're young enough to be patient.

 

You know I love the J. Smith plan....I think that puts us a year ahead of the above schedule.

[blakecouey]

I like the OJ Mayo portion of the scenario.  I would rather see what we've got in our 3 young PFs instead of Millsap, though.  

 

I wouldn't be so sure of the Heat breaking it all up in a couple years.  Wade will be dwindling by that time(although playing really well lately), and would likely be willing to take a cheaper deal.  I wouldn't be surprised if Bosh gave a small discount as well, as he's been the weakest part and he knows he would be the first sent out if the need arose.  If Wade did in fact settle for a smaller deal, we will see the Heat in the finals several more times.

[thejohnnygold]

I like the OJ Mayo portion of the scenario.  I would rather see what we've got in our 3 young PFs instead of Millsap, though.  

 

I wouldn't be so sure of the Heat breaking it all up in a couple years.  Wade will be dwindling by that time(although playing really well lately), and would likely be willing to take a cheaper deal.  I wouldn't be surprised if Bosh gave a small discount as well, as he's been the weakest part and he knows he would be the first sent out if the need arose.  If Wade did in fact settle for a smaller deal, we will see the Heat in the finals several more times.

 

Agreed.  I think this is much more likely.  They went out of their way to play together...they won't let the CBA ruin the master plan.

 

Also agree on Millsap--given our current PF situation I have lost interest in signing him to any kind of big $ contract.

[Mario Peña]

I am not so sure the Rockets need to attempt to finalize a specific trade. I seem to think Morey probably has had an ongoing conversation with teams across the league about a half dozen players on his A list and in the next couple of years teams will make moves to adjust to the new CBA and/or to acquire assets so that they do not lose players in free agency for nothing. This period will be Morey's window to clean up with cost effective deals and still have flexibility to partake in risk reward moves as well. So any number of players could be joining the Rockets as this team still has room for lots of moving parts but I do hope they strike a balance with some stability. Morey did hint at stability in some of his statements around the trade deadline.

I am starting to believe that the Josh Smith move would be the top move. Johnnygold brings up a lot of great data and I just can't help but think that the Rockets would maximize him with the appropriate schemes offensively as well as defensively.

[Steven]

In Morey I Trust!!!

That being said, the scenerio I'm hoping the Rockets are waiting for is KLove's availability. Trading whatever it takes, excluding Asik Parsons Hardin and D-Mo. They wouldn't want Lin, but a package of Jones Robinson and picks might get it done (we are talking about KAHN!!!!!!). That away the big man rotation of Dmo Asik and Love all play 32 minutes (+- a few for production/ foul trouble/ injuries and the like). With Harden and Parsons on the wings and Lin at the point, the team would score 115 points a game.

[thejohnnygold]

I like Love, but I am averse to trading for him...I think we would have to give up more than he is worth.

[Mario Peña]

Right, I think it is more likely Morey will stay in a position where offers come his way as eveidenced already by the Harden trade and the Robinson trade.