What happened to the "big trade" that has yet to materialize?
by grungedave on Aug 28, 2009 10:04 AM CDT
in Random Commentary
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PrintSorry for the lack of recent updates. But don't blame me. Blame Daryl Morey or whichever GM refuses to answer phone calls when his receptionist says "it's a Mr. Morey on the line... he wants to talk about a trade." (Not that I don't understand why a GM would hesitate to take phone calls from our resident Boy Genius. No one wants to get fleeced, and that's all Mr. Morey seems to do to his colleagues.)
This time a year ago we were basking in the awesomeness that was the Ron Artest trade. Never before has a summer league game changed the immediate fortunes of a team so quickly. Thank you Donte Greene and the Sacramento Kings management. It made 2009 that much more fun for all of us.
Of course, that trade happened on July 31, 2008. Giving the Rockets plenty of time to get the roster tweaked before training camps started in October.
In contrast... this year the Rockets only seem to be losing players. Artest ended the experiment in July and signed with the Lakers. Tracy McGrady is still going to be out until January-ish recovering from surgery to his knee and shoulder. Yao Ming announced that his foot is sore he is going to take a one year sabbatical (and I'm just blocking out the thought that he is actually injured). Von Wafer then sulked his way to Greece. At least he got paid.
Yeah, sure we signed Trevor Ariza. And David Andersen (*yawn*). I just....... I just don't see either being a franchise player. It's not like the "impact" trade Les Alexander promised in 1993 when he bought the Rockets and then promptly traded for.... Mario Elie. Though with Hakeem, Otis and Horry already on the roster, this was a perfect trade. Obviously.
Nevertheless, when Yao was pronounced "out" for 2010, the belief was that the Rockets would do some major tweaking of the roster. (Hell, the NBA even gave us another MLE to encourage Morey to get another player or three!) Trades were expected. It seemed inevitable. Even Shane Battier was making public statements on facebook about how he had a feeling he would be traded during the summer. Yet none of that has happened. Which, for personal reasons, sucks - because it's given us no material to work with. I can only write fake conversations with Joey Dorsey so many times before it stops being funny!
So, I ask... where is the big trade?
I'd suggest particular players and options, but I'm not the GM of the Rockets. This is a good thing. As I would have already signed Robert Horry to a multi-year deal this summer. I'll leave the decisions up to Morey. I just didn't expect him to do nothing after the Andersen signing.
With my luck, I'll post this and an announcement will be made 15 minutes later. But, hey, I'll take the temporary embarrassment in exchange for the future of my favorite team!
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Oh I disagree
I can only write fake conversations with Joey Dorsey so many times before it stops being funny!
I must disagree with this. They’ll ALWAYS be funny!
by jasonmicron on Aug 28, 2009 10:19 AM CDT reply actions 1 recs
Patience. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if there’s no trade til much, much closer to the trade deadline, after the players have had a chance to improve their trade value and make more teams interested in trading for them. Remember: apart from summer league, the bargaining chips the Rockets have, haven’t had much of a chance to show anything.
Rockets were on hold
I believe Morey was stockpiling players until he knew when/if McGrady was coming back and whether he could play at a high level. If Morey believes McGrady comes back early enough and plays well enough to realistically envision the Playoffs,then Morey goes after one of the MLE priced Cs. If Morey doesn’t believe Mac can play early enough and well enough to help,Morey goes after young talent or draft picks.
It’s been 6 months since the microfracture,time enough to have a pretty good idea how the rehab is going. Now that Morey has gone to Chicago to see McGrady’s status for himself-and prob more importantly a frank talk w/Grover-he now knows which way to go.
Gotta trade
Trade anybody but Yao and Scola. Got to get a better center. PG too but center first. SF was the least need.
Waiting is best
Teams are still looking for a good deal at this point for their assets. The more we get towards the trade deadline, the more desperate teams will become to unload big contracts to save them from the financial hit at the end of the year. At least two teams are going to score really, really big at deadline.
To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.
No home runs
I think we’re better off waiting. Not every move is going to be a straight up home run trade. Because frankly, there just aren’t any All-Star Franchise players available right now. Unless you want Stephen Jackson, and I hope you don’t.
Seriously guys...
This has been a very productive summer. A massive, tremendously useful summer. In typical Morey and Rockets fashion, it doesn’t look like much. Neither did our trade for Scola, drafting of Brooks, or Landry, etc. Wait and see.
Just because the Rockets haven’t shelled out a boodle for a big name doesn’t mean we didn’t improve (aside from the Yao situation, anyway).
Think about stuff we needed, and got, ok? Last year sometime I made a list that included things like:
A mobile center to defend other mobile center-types, run with a running unit and generally do stuff Yao doesn’t do.
Well, I was thinking of a mobile defensive center, in the mold (or person) of Camby, but Andersen will do nicely. He’s got range, and he can move, and will complement Yao very well indeed – as he could also move over to PF against teams like LA or PDX from time to time. Utah’s SF playing center won’t be able to run, hide and shoot on Andersen nearly as much. Same with Nowitski.
And here’s the thing: Andersen is regarded as a top notch Euro player, and we got him CHEAP.
Next…
A swingman who can make open threes, and run the floor, and create shots from time to time.
Either of our 2nd rounders qualify there, pretty much. And now we own a D League team (a move that should not be underestimated), so if they go there, they will learn the Rockets Way (ie – play D or don’t play).
And then it turns out we needed a replacement for Artest. I’d say the best years of Ariza’s career for the MLE is a pretty shrewd bargain. Ariza brings the same defensive intensity as Artest, and the trend line on his career is pointing up, not down like Artest. Unlike Artest, he doesn’t see himself as #1 option. But yet, it seems like every time LA needed a shot, or a stop in the playoffs, he came through.
I’d argue that LA couldn’t have won the finals without him. I started our series with LA not being impressed by him, I finished sort of hating him and all the crap he did for them.
It is possible that the Rockets can field a mobile defensive unit the likes of which has not been seen in a long long time in the NBA: Lowry, Ariza, Battier, Hayes, Dorsey. That unit could cause certain less stable elements in the NBA to completely lose it. I’m not kidding. (No one breaks 80 pts, but still.)
So be of good cheer. We didn’t sign any stupid contracts (Hedo, RonRon). We didn’t make any dumb trades. We used the advantage we have right now (money, brains) to leverage our talent by simply paying for picks or players.
This team lacks star quality, but all the supporting cast is in now place for a title. Believe it.
"So do you keep open 3pt FG percentage?"
"Yeah, we'd have everything you'd want, Bill."
"I hate you."
Bill Simmons/Daryl Morey Podcast 5/8/09
I disagree
I think the priorities were wrong. Should have traded up one spot to get Pendergraph or just taken Cunningham. And I am guessing there were free agents center available who will be better than Andersen.
Gortat?
Gortat was/is the only quality FA Center and he WAS Morey’s first target. Gortat wanted more than the Rockets were willing to pay.
After that who’s left? david Lee is 6’8",and wants $10mil/yr kind of money and Lee is no C.
Jason Collins? Petro?
Hindsight being what it is,the big mistake was taking Dorsey last yr instead of DeAndre Jordan.
Rocket thinking on Cs was prob influenced by 2 yrs ago when they made the run w/out Yao-and Deke only got some 15 minutes or so a game w/Scola and Hayes holding down the middle.
I agree..
David Anderson was probably the best deal for a big that could have been made. This year (and almost every, frankly) was a year where market bigs were not meeting demands and, thus were being overpaid.
In this climate, it was an overlooked “Boy Genius” transaction that Daryl Morey was able to sign David Anderson, by all accounts a serviceable NBA rotation level/bordeline starter true big, for a reasonable deal. Marcin Gortat for what…$7 mil a year or something? No thanks.
Only thing is, I’m an Aggie, so I want to DeAndre to be what he could be as much as anyone, but the jury is still out if Dorsey is a bust or not (DeAndre too, honestly. Though he looked good in limited minutes last year). And keep in mind: The dude was a second rounder. If he busts, we’ll live.
Center options
They could have tried to get Birdman Andersen or McDyess with the middle-level. Maybe not likely but don’t know how hard they tried.
Or Lionel Hollins for about what they paid David Andersen.
Or tried to pry Haddadi loose.
And there were / are other things within the realm of realistic possibility.
David Andersen might be a better player but I am not sure he is a better fit than Hollins or Haddadi.
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