196 replies to this topic

[Mason Khamvilay]

Mayo's got an ETO (early termination option) I believe....does anyone know the deadline for him opting out?  Would anyone here trade T-Rob straight up for Mayo?  Their contracts are similar and that would allow us to still make a sizable offer to another certain someone from Atlanta....

I know T-Rob doesn't look like much right now, but he has the potential to be an all-star caliber player. Alot of people (including John Hollinger) were saying he's the 2nd best player in the draft, and it was no secret Morey was trying extremely hard to trade up in the draft specifically to get Thomas Robinson. There is no way in hell Morey will trade T-Rob for Mayo.

[Stephen]

Re Mayo.

Most of what I've read from team writers and the Dallas site that seems plugged in assume Mayo is bailing on his contract and looking for a long-term deal.(Could still be in Dallas.)

On court,Mayo gives you an excellent 3pt shooter,a pretty good defender and the propensity for atrocious decision making w/the ball at the worts possible moment.

It'll be interesting to see what he gets. It should be the same kind of $5mil deal Courtney Lee got,but Mayo has a few things going for him that could earn him more. He has a "name" that boosts a franchise selling improvement w/his signing. He's still fairly young.

He's a much better defender than the other scoring FA SGs.

And this yr will be a favorable one for FAs in that the minimum team salary is going to jump some $5mil,and right now a third of the League is looking at being at least $12mil under the prospective salary minimum.

[Mason Khamvilay]

I don't know why people are saying Mayo is a good defender when he's average at best. According to 82games.com the Mavericks defense is better when Mayo is on the bench.

[timetodienow1234567]

I don't know why people are saying Mayo is a good defender when he's average at best. According to 82games.com the Mavericks defense is better when Mayo is on the bench.

 

We're comparing him to Harden....Lol.

[Mason Khamvilay]

^{Harden's defense isn't that bad when he puts the effort in. Mayo puts in effort and still sucks.}

[thejohnnygold]

I think the attraction to Mayo is not solely based on his individual talent.  Rather, the dynamic he would bring to our offense with his specific skill-set adds depth and potency to our already stellar attack.  Defensively, I don't see him as a liability and that's fine by me.

 

He provides another player that helps hold defenses accountable and limits their ability to pack the paint and/or double team Harden.  I'm not sure what kind of money he would be looking for, but we would have to spend wisely as he would be a role player for us--albeit a strong one.

 

As far as my earlier question about trading him for T-ROb goes...I was just curious...I don't think I would make that trade, but I thought it was an interesting thought given the additional bonus that it allows us to retain our huge cap space.

 

Having him play alongside Harden and Lin makes sense in certain situations, but I think he could dominate as a 6th man playing against opposing bench players.  He could still get 30 minutes a night playing this role as well as some small-ball with Harden and Lin....I don't see why it would be an issue.

 

At that point, James Anderson becomes expendable as does Francisco Garcia (will he even be retained at all) and they could be traded for future picks.

 

This would further solidify our roster and make the team that much more attractive to Dwight Howard (not likely) or Josh Smith.

 

A starting 5 of Lin, Harden, J. Smith, D-Mo, Asik?  OK.  Second unit of Beverley, Mayo, Parsons, T-Rob, G. Smith/Ohlbrecht.  Yes, please.

 

Talk about being able to "go with the hot hand"....We can match-up, and mis-match any team.  Small speedy teams?  No problem.  Big Interior teams?  We got that too.  If Josh Smith's poor shooting percentage from 20 ft. is our biggest problem then I think we will be doing just fine.

 

Defensive unit?  Beverley, Mayo, Smith, Robinson, Asik.

 

Offensive unit?  Lin, Harden, Parsons, D-Mo, G. Smith.

 

Discuss...

[rockets best fan]

thejohnygold:

if we acquire j-smith that does NOT make us contenders to me. i'm not going to bash j-smith because I really like him as a player. also I think the pro's and cons have already been debated of what he brings to the table. if we settle for him (and that's what it would be doing sellting for a 2nd teir star rather than having the chance at batman and superman) I don't think championships are in our future unless d-mo or t-rob fly off the charts at that point. we can NOT waste this chance to pursue a max player in both money (j-smith) and talent. if we are unable to get one of the LA duo (cp3/howard) nothing else on the market is worth the flexibility to prevent the rockets from waiting until the following year when a much better crop of FA's are available. barring a cp3/howard signing I expect the rockets to go with temporary team upgrades and set themselfs up for the following summer

[Cooper]

Mayo almost certainly opts out to get more years and probably a little more money per year.

[Freebird]

While I enjoy both Smith and Mayo as players, I'm not sold on either of them.  What I *am* sold on is the fact that we have good assets, a lot of cap space, and a GM that is very active - and is GOOD at being active.

 

That said, I'm more interested in who we want, rather than who's available via FA.  These are not mutually exclusive, but the priority should perhaps be placed on the former.

 

I think I'd target either Lopez brother, McGee, Anderson or Noah - assuming we want to pursue a front court addition.  I guess the question to decide whether we want this is whether the offense changes to accommodate a better front court.  Our manic style is not one that is easily adaptable by most bigs.  Do we want a player that fits our style, or does the style change?  I believe this is why D12 is our top pursuit - he can do both.

 

For back court additions, I wouldn't mind addition some quality depth, but I'm not sure we don't already have it.  Bev seems to be coming into his own - he lacks a shooting touch and is inconsistant, but that's expected of a guy who's new to the team\league, and is easily improved in the offseason.  Brooks, Anderson, Garcia and Delfino are fillers, and will probably remain as such.  I wouldn't mind keeping Delfino - he's a better player than I thought, and I like him here.  I could settle for Mayo, but not spending much on him.

 

I think we really need depth at the 3.  Garcia and Delfino fill in, but are really just tall 2's.  Getting a Webster or Ilyasova would be prime, would push Parsons to be better, and would be less of a drop off when the 2nd team hits the court.

[thejohnnygold]

Round and round we go....

 

For those of you tooting the "wait for 2014" horns--tell me what it is you want, and expect, to happen here.

 

Here is the list of players available

 

Oh yes, it is chock full of big names.  I'm not impressed.  A lot of these guys are old.  Do you want Dirk Nowitzki?  Vince Carter?  Duncan, Gasol, Stoudemire, Camby????

 

Next, are the guys who aren't going anywhere: Lebron, Wade, Bosh (I'll almost believe he is leaving...but not really), Tony Parker, Kobe, Paul George, and Carmelo aren't going anywhere--sorry.

 

So, who is left that you would be willing to give a lot, or all, of this money to?

 

I listed players earlier in this thread that would warrant a good, long look: Demarcus Cousins, Larry Sanders, Chris Johnson, Derrick Favors (forgot him the first time) and Bosh (a big ? for me).

 

Everyone else on that list is either at a position where we are set or not good enough to warrant consideration.  Of this list, Cousins is the only one that has "star" potential--right now--but will he have matured by then?....Sanders and Johnson both can be elite defenders....Bosh (if he leaves) would cost a lot of money and at that point he will be 30 years old.

 

So, what is so appealing here?  I just don't see it.  I see a lot of hype and hoopla with a few gems floating around....Maybe Ed Davis?....is he a star by then?  Doubtful...

 

Here is a nice article that gives a pretty solid picture of this year's star free agents and what their contracts will look like.

 

Bynum is taking the money from Philly.  Good.  Paying him $20M plus having to pay his medical bills is not a good deal.

 

Chris Paul is not leaving LA.

 

Dwight Howard is almost a lock to stay in LA

 

Brandon Jennings is going to get some GM fired.  You can lock that in.

 

This leaves Josh Smith who, ironically, fits the description of the need you said we needed to fill--Small forward.  I will refer you to the JSMOOTH thread to read all about why I believe in it (I am sure you have all read it).

 

I don't blame anyone for disliking the Smith Idea--it definitely has its' risks.  For me, after close examination he is everything we are lacking on this team, plus he just happens to be the best option out of what is available this year and next.

 

I welcome counter arguments, but you gotta give me a better alternative--you can't just poo-poo my ideas without offering any of your own....I want what's best for the Rockets so convince me

[Mario Peña]

I like all the research you have found and I agree the 2014 class is overrated. You got me on the Josh Smith train now as well.

 

I do wonder if some of those unrestricted players get moved for assets though? You never know.

[thejohnnygold]

While I enjoy both Smith and Mayo as players, I'm not sold on either of them.  What I *am* sold on is the fact that we have good assets, a lot of cap space, and a GM that is very active - and is GOOD at being active.

 

That said, I'm more interested in who we want, rather than who's available via FA.  These are not mutually exclusive, but the priority should perhaps be placed on the former.

 

I think I'd target either Lopez brother, McGee, Anderson or Noah - assuming we want to pursue a front court addition.  I guess the question to decide whether we want this is whether the offense changes to accommodate a better front court.  Our manic style is not one that is easily adaptable by most bigs.  Do we want a player that fits our style, or does the style change?  I believe this is why D12 is our top pursuit - he can do both.

 

For back court additions, I wouldn't mind addition some quality depth, but I'm not sure we don't already have it.  Bev seems to be coming into his own - he lacks a shooting touch and is inconsistant, but that's expected of a guy who's new to the team\league, and is easily improved in the offseason.  Brooks, Anderson, Garcia and Delfino are fillers, and will probably remain as such.  I wouldn't mind keeping Delfino - he's a better player than I thought, and I like him here.  I could settle for Mayo, but not spending much on him.

 

I think we really need depth at the 3.  Garcia and Delfino fill in, but are really just tall 2's.  Getting a Webster or Ilyasova would be prime, would push Parsons to be better, and would be less of a drop off when the 2nd team hits the court.

 

Oops, totally forgot half of your premise here...

 

OK, talking trades is a whole other animal.  I like Webster and Ilyasova, but at what price?  Milwaukee won't give him away for nothing?  Webster is another player I like...Again, what does it cost?

 

I'm not real enthused about any of the bigs you mentioned....

 

What else you got?

[Rahat Huq]

JohnnyGold: You have me pretty much convinced now too.  

[thejohnnygold]

I like all the research you have found and I agree the 2014 class is overrated. You got me on the Josh Smith train now as well.

 

I do wonder if some of those unrestricted players get moved for assets though? You never know.

Yeah, there will be some surprises for sure.  As outsiders, our speculation can only go so far...who knows what those guys are thinking?

[Mason Khamvilay]

It's pretty rare to see anyone change their mind about anything in a sports forum, typically people are very stubborn and closed minded, so it's impressive you changed like 3 or 4 people's minds about Josh Smith lol

[cjuice28]

I think the question remains though whether Josh Smith gets you titles. If not, do you take a chance on 2014?

[Mason Khamvilay]

We're one of the best offenses already and will get even better as our guys develop, we just need to be better on defense and Josh Smith is one of the best defenders in the league. Makes sense to me. 

[thejohnnygold]

It's pretty rare to see anyone change their mind about anything in a sports forum, typically people are very stubborn and closed minded, so it's impressive you changed like 3 or 4 people's minds about Josh Smith lol

 

Thanks. It's a testament to the nature of this forum.

 

I think the question remains though whether Josh Smith gets you titles. If not, do you take a chance on 2014?

 

That is THE question.  I don't know.  Until you see it on the court there is no way of knowing how well it will work.  Chemistry is hard to gauge.

 

Even if the chemistry is good that guarantees us nothing.  There are still great teams to contend against.  I do think Smith puts us in that mix of great teams.  From there, who knows...

 

As previously stated, our 2014 chances are not that great....the only player that stands out to me is Cousins...do you want to pin your title chances on him?

[thejohnnygold]

To look at it from a different perspective, it goes like this...

 

First, we have to be able to make the playoffs.  With Smith we can check that off.

 

Second, we have to be able to beat a myriad of teams with tons of talent once we get into the playoffs...OKC, LAL, LAC, SA, MEM, GSW are going to be there, POR has a strong group, MIN with Love...it's daunting.  With Smith, we have a player that can lock down on defense and take pressure off of our offensive stars.  His versatility allows us to better match up with the different styles we will face in the playoffs as well.

 

Assuming we pull that off, the next step is to beat Miami--until an East team rises up to rival them--in a seven game series.  That's even more daunting!  Think of it.  Even if we had Howard and J. Smith would you say we were a lock to pull that off given the competition?  Smith gives us a player that can at least portend to match Lebron physically and, hopefully, can make him work on the defensive end some too.

 

Does Josh Smith give us a championship?  Given the above gauntlet--who does?

[rockets best fan]

thejohnnygold:

snap snap snap ......wakeup your dreaming  josh is already on a team with talent .....are they going to win it all? i'm still not going to bash josh I told you already I like him as a player. josh is a 2nd teir star plain and simple. is he in your top 10? how about top 15? does he have the upside to break into the top 10? NO on all counts. you expect to win a championship with josh? with him do we beat OKC ? NO.....how about the clippers? NO.....heck i'm not even sure we could beat the spurs or denver. josh is not superman(that guy is in LA) 

 

as for poo poo on your idea without offering other lambs for the slaughter........all you have to do was ask

1.if we are going the settle for a 2nd teir stars mipsap or jefferson are better options at a cheaper price

2.some believe we are out of the running for howard....I don't. the man changes his mind like I do underwear

3.cp3 may not come here, but we would be foolish not to at least kick the tires

4.waiting till 2014 opens a hold different ballgame......by then I expect k-love to be on the market. he alone is a better option than josh, but there is plenty of star power. if you believe you can't get any of these players then you can't because you have already thrown in the towel without throwing the 1st punch. stars change their minds all the time.......nothing is set in stone. nothing beats a failure, but a try. settling for 2nd teir stars and thinking you can win championships is out of the question to me.

 

now as for me and what I want to see the rockets do? chase howard/cp3...if you get 1 great problem solved......if not make temporary ungrades to the team and wait for the following year. lets see if harden can help land an olympic team mate.