36 replies to this topic

[thejohnnygold]

The call for Houston to add an unspecified 3 & D wing player has been bandied about for a while now.  I started to comb through rosters looking for realistic candidates and quickly realized a couple of things.  One, I don't know much about a lot of other teams' defensive wings.  Two, the ones I am familiar with are few and far between--especially when factoring in availability, and the ability to play both the 2 and the 3 position.

 

So, I thought I'd ask who you guys think we should acquire.  Remember, they have to be available, compatible, affordable, and a true upgrade.  Oh, and whatever team they are on has to want something we're willing to give up--so no trading Asik to teams with well established starting centers.

 

It has been mentioned by a couple of people that what we really need is for Garcia to get healthy and back to the solid 2-way play that we saw before.  I agree with this.

 

I'm curious to see which player's make the cut.

[Losthief]

The call for Houston to add an unspecified 3 & D wing player has been bandied about for a while now.  I started to comb through rosters looking for realistic candidates and quickly realized a couple of things.  One, I don't know much about a lot of other teams' defensive wings.  Two, the ones I am familiar with are few and far between--especially when factoring in availability, and the ability to play both the 2 and the 3 position.

 

So, I thought I'd ask who you guys think we should acquire.  Remember, they have to be available, compatible, affordable, and a true upgrade.  Oh, and whatever team they are on has to want something we're willing to give up--so no trading Asik to teams with well established starting centers.

 

It has been mentioned by a couple of people that what we really need is for Garcia to get healthy and back to the solid 2-way play that we saw before.  I agree with this.

 

I'm curious to see which player's make the cut.

One I would be interested to get if we didn't have to give up much (i don't know what NY would want for him) is Tim Hardaway Jr. He is only 21, shoots 39% on 3s, is 6'6 205 on a 4 year cheap contract. If we could dump ronnie brewer's salary on NY for him and trade them like 2 2nd rounders or something similar I think he's capable of being a good 3&D player one day soon. But they might want more than 2 2nd rounders for him.

 

Another guy I like is PJ Tucker on the Suns. He played at texas and that guy competes on defensive and this year he's shooting an impressive 42% on threes at only 800,000 a year for the year. He is 28 though, so might be gettable for a young assest like say covington plus cash.

Edited by Losthief, 22 January 2014 - 06:32 AM.

[Losthief]

I can't edit it, but just so they know why I picked those two, I choose to go realistic here: cause ideally i would love someone like Affalo or Jared Dudley or Martell Webster (but there teams are not trading them for scraps) So without including rotation players I would look at those 2.

 

But if we traded Asik/Lin and Brewer/Filler I still like my Randy Foye for 3 and D (more 3's than D, but then...isn't that rockets bball anyways?) and Wilson Chandler and Mosgov. (Though I'd imagine we'd have to throw in our 2014 1st rounder)

[rockets best fan]

Ideally A-Affalo is the perfect fit and he is attainable IMO. he was on the market earlier this season, but after not receiving the kind of offers Orlando expected has been removed. he doesn't fit with what Orlando is doing and by the time they are ready to compete he will be approaching free agency. rumor mill has it they want a first round draft pick for him.........sounds about right on his value........problem is they also want expiring contracts to clear cap space.

 

I also like PJ-Tucker, but Phoenix probably overvalues him right now and we don't have the pieces to connect in a trade without surrendering one of D-Mo or T-Jones........that spells NO DEAL to me.

 

someone I think we can get on the cheap right now is G-Neal in Milwaukee. not a perfect fit, but better than what wehave available right now.

 

also we could also get E-Turner from Philly......he shouldn't cost too much and he's on and expiring contract with a qualifying offer due next year

Edited by rockets best fan, 22 January 2014 - 08:48 AM.

[Steven]

Come playoff time the bench shrinks. Howard Jones Parsons and Harden will all play 40+ minutes. D-Mo will get 16 minutes or so as the one big reserve, and Lin and Beverly will get 28 minutes between the two (playing together some), while Garcia would have to play all of 8 minutes a game to give Hardin a rest. Yes this is barring foul trouble, but the Rockets will have a 8 man rotation come playoffs. No reason to trade anyone for someone who won't play but 8 minutes come playoff time.

[redfaithful]

Steven - injuries are the main issue. We need the top-8 players to play less in the regular season, and in case someone is injured during there should be proper replacement. And there are matchup issues in the playoffs, where one rotation player is out-played by the opponent. So, there should be another solid guard on the roster.

Edited by redfaithful, 22 January 2014 - 03:03 PM.

[thejohnnygold]

OK, we've got a good start.  My first concern is that some of these guys are not going to want to move to the bench.  I think it is crucial that whoever comes in is happy to play limited minutes--especially in the playoffs as Steven mentioned.

 

I like PJ Tucker as well.  He has worked very hard to get where he is and reminds me of Mario Elie both in his game and his path to success.  I also think he would welcome the opportunity to contribute on a contender and wouldn't mind playing a reserve role.

 

I like Martell Webster too, but I'm not sold on his defense as any kind of upgrade.

 

Hardaway Jr. is an interesting thought--not sure about his defense.

 

Same for Wilson Chandler...I don't think his defense is worth surrendering an asset.

 

Gary Neal is a PG--not sure he could play minutes at SF.

 

Randy Foye certainly fits the 3 part of the equation--I am unsure about his defense....For me, this is all about finding an elite defender who can shoot...we've got enough shooters already.

 

Afflalo and Turner won't accept a bench role--no way.

 

 

I am intrigued by Tony Snell from Chicago.  He's got range, stands 6' 7" with a 6' 11" wingspan, and has excellent lateral quickness.  Also, he is 22 and a rookie.  Bulls might take Covington to augment the loss of Luol Deng?  Of course, that means we lose Covington...

 

Moe Harkless is another intriguing player--Orlando can't seem to find a use for the 6' 8" SF with a 7' wingspan...largely due to Afflalo and Tobias Harris.  His defense is raw, but the tools are all there.

 

OK, so we've got Tucker and Snell (I'm sold on him) as definite possibilities with Foye, Hardaway Jr., Webster, and Harkless as maybes.

 

Let's see if we can get a few more names on this list.  After that we can see if any trades make sense for both sides.

[Buckko]

Gary Neal has a bad contract and isn't much defense in 3 and D. Evan turner is neither, just a slasher that Philly wants a 1st for. Shumptert?

[thejohnnygold]

My concern with Shumpert is he is 6' 5" and may struggle at the SF position.

[Cooper]

Mike dunleavy, Kyle singler, kris Middleton, Meeks, Johnson or Henry from LA all come to mind for relatively cheap.jae crowder would be nice. could probably get hardaway jr or shump from the Knicks for a pick. Afflalo would be great but that means moving asik to a third team to make salary work, which makes it difficult. Tucker or green would be availible if the suns fade. Not sure how much the jazz value Alec burks. Problem with Evan turner is his qualifying offer is over 7mill:

[timetodienow1234567]

Lol at snell? He's worth at least a 1st since the bulls aren't ready to give up on him yet. So I don't think the rockets are getting him on the cheap.

[thejohnnygold]

I agree that we would have to give up a bit to get Snell, but not too much.  Covington alone wouldn't do it, but I think it's possible and worth a first.

 

Everyone, Evans and Afflalo are not coming here to back up Harden/Parsons.  I'm sorry, but this is not a video game.

 

I like Dunleavy and Singler, but neither of them is a lock down defender in my book.

 

Middleton is NOT a good defender.  He's a good scorer when given minutes.  Same with Wesley Johnson.

 

Is Jae Crowder a good defender?  I've never thought that about him...am I wrong?  Plus, could he spell Harden?  I am very dubious of this.

 

Gerald Green is a possibility--I'm unfamiliar with his defense as well.

 

Remember, it's D first and then the 3....we've got 3 covered already--we need a wing stopper not a scorer.

 

Who plays crazy good defense and can knock down an outside shot, but is buried on somebody else's bench?

 

Do we think we could get Draymond Green from GS?  Would they even trade with us?  Is Chris Copeland a good defender or is he a product of playing in Indiana?  Playing behind George and Granger makes it hard to tell.

[Buckko]

Snell would be valued much higher than Covington and the suns would want to keep tucker.

[Steven]

Snell would be valued much higher than Covington and the suns would want to keep tucker.

So nice you had to say it thrice?

[Cooper]

Dunleavy and singler certainly aren't lockdown guys but I'd take both over Garcia plus singler is young. Crowder has the tools/effort to be a very good defender at sf but you're right he's probably a little slow for the 2. Never been super impressed with Copland but if the pacers were basically giving him away he's worth a shot.
Otto porter has been pretty terrible so far but maybe the wiz would be open to trading him. Might be something Morey addresses through the draft instead of loading up on Pfs, because anyone that can play really good d and shoot is starting somewhere.

[Buckko]

Internet connection, sorry for the repetition of my last message.

[Steven]

Internet connection, sorry for the repetition of my last message.

We've all done it. Just jabbing you in the ribs when I can.

[rockets best fan]

@JG

I disagree with the assumption that Affalo and Turner won't come here and play a reserve role. while each are starters now, they are in loosing situations. besides if we acquire Turner and he doesn't work out we simply don't give him a qualifying offer next year and release him for the cap savings. as for Affalo.......I think he is a veteran who understands how winning teams work from his time in Denver. a rotation of Harden, Parsons and Affalo between the SG/SF position would be deadly. while I do believe Affalo is harder to obtain than Turner, he is also a better player.

 

before we break off into trade possibilities I think we all can agree that either the Rockets will salvage the situation with Asik or we are also going to need a backup center. we might also look for some possible replacements in that as well. IMO said player must be able to play center and some PF in a pinch. however we do need another big body

[thejohnnygold]

Man, I think you guys like Snell more than I do.   For the record, I was implying I'd give up Covington and a first (we won't necessarily want them in the next couple of years and it's not wasted on a rookie picked 20th overall that fills one of our needs).

 

I'd liken Dunleavy and Singler to solid team defenders, but is that what we're shopping for?  I'd rather hang onto Frisco.

 

RBF, I know you love Afflalo, but I just cannot imagine a scenario where Orlando trades him to us without demanding a large haul in return.  On top of that, he is at the peak of his career--I am doubtful that he is ready to "sacrifice" for a championship just yet.  On top of that, he is 6' 5" which again raises the question of can he guard SF's effectively?  On top of that he is making $7.3M which you view as cap savings once it expires, but I see it as a loss of assets when he walks because we can't afford to pay him what he is worth.  To me, this is pie in the sky and simply doesn't have a solid basis for serious consideration.

 

Otto Porter is intriguing and is buried in Washington which already has Ariza, Webster, and Chris Singleton.  Ariza would be great, but he makes $7.7M and is playing some of his best ball right now.  He is in a contract year and, with 9 years under his belt, is looking to cash in one more time.  Washington probably let's him walk at the end of the season.

 

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, by all accounts I have heard, is an excellent wing defender...unfortunately his offense does not receive the same praise.  At 6' 7" and 230 lbs I'm not sure he can move with the SG's of the leage.  Still, he's got a decent mid-range from the right wing and can finish at the rim...in time he could become a serviceable shooter.

 

As for bringing in another big man, RBF...you're not wrong, but until Asik is gone and Greg Smith/D-Mo fully prove that they cannot do the job I'd rather focus on just the wing defenders right now.  We still have Timothy Ohlbrecht stashed in the D-League...not sure how he is progressing.

[BallSoHarden]

My favorite has always been Wilson Chandler because he's a versatile defender who can guard some PGs and PFs. He's also an athletic guy who can come off the bench and provide a spark, while hitting 3s. Not sure if he's on the trade block or what Denver wants to do with that roster.

 

An option that wouldn't cost any big assets would be with the Knicks. Shumpert would be an upgrade for sure, and good enough to take Garcia's 18-20 minutes. I'd also want Kenyon Martin thrown in as a veteran option who understands defenses and can play some in case Terrence Jones gets abused in the playoffs.