John P

So the question is, what do you do with TJ then....as I think most of us agree that for this team, spending 15M or around there is too much.

 

My thoughts are (in order of preference):

 

1) trade him when possible for a decent young replacement.

 

Yeah.  I am done.

 

I think that if we do trade him, who or what do we trade him for.

I think that with Dwight, Capella, and Chuckwagon manning the C position, DMo is the only playoff ready PF on the list.

Do the rookies work out?  Who knows.

But maybe we go with a decent big wing vs. a traditional 4, to play more small ball.   As long as that person can play decent D on the Aldridges of the world then it could work.

 

You know....for all of the PFs that Morey drafted over the last 5 or so years, you would think we would be super deep at the position, but alas we are not.

 

Regardless, I think a larger wing, or even just maybe playing Ariza at the 4 for some minutes, could be preferrable to Jones in the playoffs.   So with that in mind, we can adjust our expectations of what we want back accordingly.

when I think of buying a team, I think of going out and spending on every free agent that is a good player, and putting together a frankenstein team that way.   The Nets push with KG, Pierce, Johnson, etc... is the perfect example.   

I am a total homer, but it feels like the Rox are simply building through draft and development (Bev, DMo, TJ, Capella), trading smart (Harden, Lawson, Brewer last year) and also signing good FA where they can (Howard, Smith last year, etc...).   

That is just good...no great, team management.  All players cost money and we are paying for good players, but I don't feel like we are just buying our way to a ring.   This has taken time, luck, and great GM management.  We haven't ever taken a short cut, unless you count signing Howard in FA, rather than building a center from the ground up.

The pieces fit together....assuming that Lawson fits next year.

 

Hell, even the spurs just bought LA.   The eternal internal development squad just made their best or second best player a FA signing.

really love it but I must say, the weight is really on McHale and staff to make this work.

I think if you get the rotations right, then it should.

 

I think holding Harden and Howard to 35 minutes a night would be ideal....if not more for Howard.

That leaves 13 minutes where Lawson and DMo/Capella are running while the big guys rest.

 

Starting Harden and Lawson together should work, but I would rest Lawson quickly, after say 6 minutes or so, to save him to run the 2nd unit.

 

Its the perimeter D that will suffer of course. but that is to be expected. 

 

I know everyone cites Prigs and Terry's D as evidence we can still be strong with Lawson in there with Harden, but I hope the egos on the team stay in check so that if Bev ends up being the better fit in clutch D moments, all are ok with him being out there.  Probably not a big deal.

 

I think also, one should mention Terry (has he resigned yet?) and Chuck's presence will be a huge benefit for the team.  They can play quality spot minutes but more importantly, help guide this team and help them keep their heads.

 

Chuck's help with Dmo and TJ down low, playing immovable post and rebounding, could potentially be huge. 

Hopefully we can bring the Chuckster and all of Houston a championship.

Really, when you think about it, the lineups are a laundry list of possibilities.

 

Fast breaks: Lawson, Harden, Jones, Brewer, Capella or Howard

 

Defense: Bev, McDaniels, Howard, Ariza, and DMo

 

Offense: Harden, Lawson, Howard, Dmo, Ariza

 

Clutch: Harden, Lawson, DMo, Ariza, and Howard

 

Small Ball: Lawson, Harden, Howard/Dmo/Capella, Brewer, Ariza

 

Second Unit: Lawson, Jones, Brewer, Capella or DMo, Terry or McDaniels (the weak link)

 

Shooting: Harden, Ariza, Terry, Brewer or Lawson (weak link) and Howard/Dmo/Capella

 

I can keep going if you want to.

 

Is the season starting yet?

 "My opinion is that Jones excels at a couple of things that Motie doesn't (particularly Off. rebounding and getting to the rim on cuts which lead to dunks and foul shots).  Those things bump his off. ratings (like PER) as well as his fg%'s.  Motie takes far more threes, and far more 3-10 shots while also creating more of his own offense.

 

Jones is a really good role player who plays off of others very well on offense.  On defense, he is lacking in overall effect despite his very nice block numbers.

 

Motie is not as good as Asik defensively, but their style is similar in that it lacks the "wow" factor, but gets the job done.

 

I like Jones with the second unit.  A group with some combination of Bev/Lawson, Thornton/McDaniels, Brewer/McDaniels, and Capela plus Jones will be fascinating to watch.  I think relegating Motie to the second unit, while useful in it's own right, is less useful than it can be with the starters."

 

 

 

This above from Johnny Gold.  This...a hundred times this.  I could not have said it better myself.