margodydek
Well-Known Member
I'm don't consider myself an expert on Euros, but I've always liked Motiejunas, and that's probably where we differ.
houston's plan b?
- Thread starter theNBAnerd
- Start date
I'm don't consider myself an expert on Euros, but I've always liked Motiejunas, and that's probably where we differ.
I really,really Motiejunas is going to be chucker. He is skilled but inconsistent. He is also physically weak which will make him an inferior rebounder and defender. I don't want any part of him.
On the subject of the Calderon trade it does some good thinks for use but we would be a very small team going forward.
Millsap 6'8"
Evans 6'9" and super skinny
Favors 6'10"
Kanter 6'11"
T. Jones 6'9" (I like him better than White or Motiejunas)
This would kill use against teams with size- Thunder and Lakers for example.
Also this would force Favors to play big minutes at the 5. I has stated more than once he doesn't want to do that.
theNBAnerd
Well-Known Member
found this from one of houston's press guys on rockets.com about how houston is trying to put itself in position to acquire a star:
the obvious first question to ask after reading that is, "do they consider al a star within that definition?" as i've pointed out elsewhere, mchale sounds like a believer, but i'm not sure morey is.
but even if the answer there is unfavorable, there is a second question that could still convince houston to do the deal -- "what puts them in a better position to obtain a future star: a bunch of middling PF prospects who don't get enough individual minutes to shine, or a 19-and-10 guy who can be marketed at the trade deadline either as a post scorer to help a team trying to get over the hump OR as an expiring contract to help teams avoid the punitive tax system just around the corner?"
i really think the argument could be made that al gets them closer to obtaining a star than they'll get by holding onto literally 9 young power forwards. not all those guys can play anyway, so let's make it work - calderon & jones to the jazz, jefferson + watson to the rockets, martin to the raps.
the obvious first question to ask after reading that is, "do they consider al a star within that definition?" as i've pointed out elsewhere, mchale sounds like a believer, but i'm not sure morey is.
but even if the answer there is unfavorable, there is a second question that could still convince houston to do the deal -- "what puts them in a better position to obtain a future star: a bunch of middling PF prospects who don't get enough individual minutes to shine, or a 19-and-10 guy who can be marketed at the trade deadline either as a post scorer to help a team trying to get over the hump OR as an expiring contract to help teams avoid the punitive tax system just around the corner?"
i really think the argument could be made that al gets them closer to obtaining a star than they'll get by holding onto literally 9 young power forwards. not all those guys can play anyway, so let's make it work - calderon & jones to the jazz, jefferson + watson to the rockets, martin to the raps.
2 questions for Nerd about your proposed trade:
Why aren't we viewing Al the same way you propose Houston should be viewing him? While we probably once were, I think many of us are now satisfied to get the short end of the talent stick in return. Why would things be better for Houston?
While I agree that Toronto hasn't gotten great SG production in the recent past, do you think they're interested in giving Martin minutes that could be going to Derozan & Ross?
Why aren't we viewing Al the same way you propose Houston should be viewing him? While we probably once were, I think many of us are now satisfied to get the short end of the talent stick in return. Why would things be better for Houston?
While I agree that Toronto hasn't gotten great SG production in the recent past, do you think they're interested in giving Martin minutes that could be going to Derozan & Ross?
theNBAnerd
Well-Known Member
fair questions, and i certainly anticipated the first one.
the quote i shared above says that every move should have the goal of acquiring or developing a star. chances are, houston doesn't have a future star on its roster right now. we're in a different situation. for us, it could be just as much about clearing the way for guys like favors & hayward to play a role as it is about acquiring talent. favors can't get the minutes he needs with al on the roster, and hayward can't get the opportunities he needs as long as our system is predicated on the ball spending half of every possession on the low left block.
in short: houston might be thinking of al in terms of a means to get a star, but i'm just interested in getting him out of our potential stars' way.
they are currently getting almost no scoring from their wings. i mean, their depth chart at 2 and 3 kinda sucks. derozan is an athlete, but has very little scoring ability outside the paint. ross is supposedly able to help address that need, but he's a rookie, so who knows what they'll get out of him. most rooks in his draft range are lucky to hit the 20 mpg mark, so there are going to be minutes for somebody else.
but more than anything, i'm looking at it from a standpoint of what do they need more: a third point guard, or a wing player who automatically becomes their best or second best wing, probably their second-leading scorer, and provides them with a component to their offense that they lack right now?
who knows if they'd do it, though.
the quote i shared above says that every move should have the goal of acquiring or developing a star. chances are, houston doesn't have a future star on its roster right now. we're in a different situation. for us, it could be just as much about clearing the way for guys like favors & hayward to play a role as it is about acquiring talent. favors can't get the minutes he needs with al on the roster, and hayward can't get the opportunities he needs as long as our system is predicated on the ball spending half of every possession on the low left block.
in short: houston might be thinking of al in terms of a means to get a star, but i'm just interested in getting him out of our potential stars' way.
they are currently getting almost no scoring from their wings. i mean, their depth chart at 2 and 3 kinda sucks. derozan is an athlete, but has very little scoring ability outside the paint. ross is supposedly able to help address that need, but he's a rookie, so who knows what they'll get out of him. most rooks in his draft range are lucky to hit the 20 mpg mark, so there are going to be minutes for somebody else.
but more than anything, i'm looking at it from a standpoint of what do they need more: a third point guard, or a wing player who automatically becomes their best or second best wing, probably their second-leading scorer, and provides them with a component to their offense that they lack right now?
who knows if they'd do it, though.
I understand the desire to move Jefferson to make way for Favors and others. I'm just not quite as sold on the idea that Houston will have better luck turning Jefferson into young talent than presumably we have been.
On Toronto: I'm not sure why you see Calderon as 3rd PG on that roster. He's surely better than Lucas III, isn't he? And currently the Raptors SGs are Derozan, Ross, and Fields (whom I had forgotten). Their real lack is at SF, though perhaps Kleiza will be improved after a solid Olympics. Maybe one of the three SGs can move up to SF, but I'm doubtful that they see a strong priority in bringing someone like Martin in.
On Toronto: I'm not sure why you see Calderon as 3rd PG on that roster. He's surely better than Lucas III, isn't he? And currently the Raptors SGs are Derozan, Ross, and Fields (whom I had forgotten). Their real lack is at SF, though perhaps Kleiza will be improved after a solid Olympics. Maybe one of the three SGs can move up to SF, but I'm doubtful that they see a strong priority in bringing someone like Martin in.
theNBAnerd
Well-Known Member
yeah, you're right, i should have worded that better. what i mean is do they need 3 PGs or 1 guy who can make a 20-footer? obviously if they go into the season with all 3 of those points, you'd have to believe the pecking order is lowry-calderon-lucas. but i think that's kind of a luxury for a team that lacks any scoring on the wings.
fields is good (not great), but his strength isn't really shooting/scoring, either. high basketball IQ guy, for sure, and a nice pressure release valve in that he can hit a spot-up jumper when defenses leave him. but he doesn't attract all the attention away from the paint/post the way someone with martin's shooting ability does.
point is, they have a fairly weak wing rotation (derozan-fields-kleiza-ross) if you look at the 2 and the 3 together, and it might be worth sacrificing the uber-depth at point for a way to shore up that rotation and provide some actual scoring from the wings.