Quick Thoughts On This McGrady-To-Knicks Trade Rumor

Houston Trades: Tracy McGrady, Joey Dorsey, Brian Cook, 2011 pick

Houston Receives: Jordan Hill, Jared Jeffries, Larry Hughes, Knicks' 2011 and 2012 picks (or Houston keeps Cook, gets Harrington)

It's just a rumor. But it's a rumor that I like. Very much so, in fact.

First, let's start with Jordan Hill. His popularity seemed to peak on draft day, and has slowly dwindled ever since Mike D'Antoni decided that he wasn't worth playing, despite the Knicks' horrible record.

Great. Send him to Houston, Donnie Walsh. We'll take that problem off your hands, thanks.

For anyone that didn't keep up with Hill since he left Arizona, here's some analysis courtesy of Seth Rosenthal of SBN's Knicks blog, Posting and Toasting.

You'd be getting a very likable, very promising prospect in Hill. In the minutes he's played, Jordan has demonstrated a solid ability to run the floor, a tireless commitment to rebounding, and an offensive repertoire far more polished than you'd expect. That includes a nice midrange jumper and some pretty advanced footwork. He doesn't have the best hands and he's given to the occasional brainfart, but I really think Jordan Hill's gonna amount to something.

Sounds promising enough to me. I wish I could comment more on the situation, but truth be told, I haven't seen a minute of Hill this season. But Hill was a lottery pick for a reason, and it's not everyday that a team can acquire a lottery pick less than one year removed from his college days. Hill is no Caron Butler or Kevin Martin, but he has nowhere to go but up. He also gives us another option at power forward if re-signing Luis Scola becomes too difficult.

As for the picks, they could turn out to be in the top ten, or they might fall out of the lottery (heaven forbid). Either way, the Rockets don't have to use a single one of them. Say the opportunity to trade for a big name comes up in the next few years. Everyone loves Knicks picks.

The only problem is Jeffries, but there's going to be that "ew, I don't want him" player in just about every deal. Moving the former Indiana star has been the Knicks' number one priority since day one of the Walsh era, and it's the only reason they'd be willing to part with a guy like Hill. Yes, Jeffries would somewhat handicap our cap situation next year, but it's not like the Rockets were going to be able to sign a max free agent anyway. They'll still have the MLE to use on a mid-tier free agent.

And even then, it's not like Jeffries is a typical Isiah Knick. TrueHoop had a nice piece on how valuable he can be earlier this year, actually.

Again, it's still just a rumor, but if it indeed plays out, I'm all for it. Harrington or Hughes are worth stomaching for one season if it means securing assets for the future.