Free Agency is basically over. So... now what?
by grungedave on Jul 21, 2010 10:43 AM CDT
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PrintHallelujah! I never have to hear the words "the Rockets should sign LeBron!!!!" in the comments ever again!
Free agency is basically over and the Rockets successfully kept their roster intact and added a legitimate backup center in Brad Miller. Meanwhile, the draft brought yet another athletic PF in Patrick Patterson. I think it's safe to say it has been a good offseason so far. Especially for Les Alexander's accountants. They've been busy.
That said, the Rockets roster at the moment is like those early-season NBC "super-sized" episodes in recent years: you get a lot of a good thing, but that may actually be to the detriment of the overall product. Just think about it for a second. Daryl Morey and Rick Adelman have a deeper roster of talent than most any other team in the NBA. It's like the Rockets are Evil Cartman to the Miami Heat's original Cartman (as in, we are strangely nice and likeable while they are a bunch of Spookyfish assholes).
Seriously, look at this roster:
C - Yao / Miller / Andersen
PF - Scola / Hill / Patterson / Hayes
SF - Battier / Ariza / Budinger / Jeffries / Harris
SG - Martin / Taylor
PG - ABZ / Lowry
FYI - that's 16 players. We only get to keep 15 at any given time last I checked. That also does not include the fringe players like Alexander Johnson that are going to get invited to training camp in the next couple months.
Translation? There are still changes to be made. Additionally, in keeping with the Evil Cartman theme, the Miami Heat are a top heavy roster with three excellent players but not much else. The Rockets have one potential HOF worthy player in Yao, but no other all-star types. And do not start with the "Aaron Brooks could be an all-star." He's not. Let's just end that charade right now. He's good, but he's not Steve Nash, Deron Williams, Chris Paul or even Tony Parker. Same for Kevin Martin - among the Western Conference SGs, Speed Racer is damn good but he's not an all-star. I'm still glad to have him on my team though...
But something still has to be done. The teams that did not win the LeBron/DWade lottery are going to have some itchy trigger fingers in an effort to appease their respective fanbases. Shit, the Clippers are considering signing Tracy McGrady... which is just hilarious and I hope it happens for entertainment sake. As always, I expect Daryl Morey to exploit the desperate for his own benefit. I just have no idea who or what he might be targetting - especially since David Kahn gave away his best player to Utah for just draft picks. Freakin' Utah?!?!
There's been a lot of talk about the luxury tax, too - since the 2011 Rockets payroll is around $78M right now and the luxury tax kicks in at $70M (approximately). To Mr. Alexander, that's a $86M roster without a super stud player (sorry, but given Yao's injury we have NO idea what kind of player he will be upon his return. I love Yao and am optimistic, but I'm also not blind - he's a 30 year old center). This roster also lacks a shot-blocker and a starting SF that can actually dribble the basketball without kicking it away. So there remain noticeable holes... and they need filling. Whoa - that totally sounded like the tagline of a porn movie. Anyway...
My point, if there even is one, is that the Rockets have about 3 months to make a major transaction. For some crazy reason, because Batter and Jeffries are playing on expiring contracts totalling about $15M, I would not get too attached to them as a fan. They are the most valuable assets the Rockets have. One or both of them will definitely be gone by the February trading deadline - if for no other reason than to reduce Mr. Alexander's tax liability.
I just hope whomever we bring in fits with the Evil Cartman personality. In the meantime, I will greatly enjoy hating on the Spookyfish Miami Heat. Pat Riley orchestrating that setup just seems so fitting.
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It's going to be a long and boring couple of months...
Dave, we need something like “Ruminations from the bench” to keep us entertained lol
by Carlos_HoustonSportsFanatic on Jul 21, 2010 11:18 AM CDT reply actions
hey
if only the Rockets would have traded up and drafted DeMarcus Cousins like I’d hoped…… we’d have material for a decade. Oh, well.
Just a thought
But I think Battier and Miller could be great for “Ruminations from the Bench”. Both bench players, duh. Miller like to hunt, fish, and not sing karaoke. While Battier is pretty much the opposite of that. Could make for some pretty entertaining stuff. (Especially considering Miller said he was NOT going to Battier’s house.)
"voted for the Jazz"
ooooh, that’s like being a pedophile – it never goes away. //grudgedave//
by ressaliance_00 on Jul 21, 2010 2:16 PM CDT up reply actions
There has to be a team in need of a SF that could also use cap relief and also has a shot blocker we could use
I could get ridiculed for this but i’m ready. Battier, Jeffries, and Taylor (hate for him to go but this is a business) for Batum, Fernandez, and Pryzbilla. I know there is something wrong with that but i dont know what it is so i’ll be waiting to get ridiculed.
GO ROCKETS, GO TEXANS, GO ASTROS (EVEN THOUGH THEY SUCK)!!!
ummmm
Batum is French.
Fernandez has already said he wants to go back to Spain and leave the NBA
and Przybilla would be adequate but wouldn’t get much playing time with our roster even after this hypothetical trade.
Pryzbilla
same goes for Anderson, Jeffries, and to some extent Battier so we get rid of 2 dead weght guys for 1 that is more usefull of a need
GO ROCKETS, GO TEXANS, GO ASTROS (EVEN THOUGH THEY SUCK)!!!
my bad not Anderson ( although he is dead weight and since Miller is here he is really useles)
I meant Taylor, even though Fernandez says he wants to go back to Europe so did Darko. These guys change their minds alot.
GO ROCKETS, GO TEXANS, GO ASTROS (EVEN THOUGH THEY SUCK)!!!
Blazer fans insanely overvalue Batum.
I think we could dump half our roster for the kid and they’d still say no.
Minnesotan Rockets fan
i wasn't aware of that
still give it a shot though
GO ROCKETS, GO TEXANS, GO ASTROS (EVEN THOUGH THEY SUCK)!!!
Great Article Sir
Harris is gone, and I think something is going to happen by Feb. I think Andersen is also a candidate to be traded, unless he does what Luis did and improve a lot in his second year
i will take all bets
on whether or not people think Anderson will actually be better than last year with Yao and Miller now on the roster. We have absolutely no use for that paper weight with Miller and and so many PF’s. He and Harris are gone in my dream and i hope we get another guard who can handle the rock.
nah
Andersen is gone. Or at least tied to the bench. He has a decent shot, but unlike Scola, he hasn’t learned how to be a competent defensive player at the NBA level. Which makes him one-dimensional and useless to a Rick Adelman team.
He makes just enough to be useful as a throw-in for any trade, so that’s a nice bonus, too.
This is actually one of the times I kinda don't like how good the Rockets are at trading and drafting.
Andersen can absolutely play in this league, as shown in the few games he got minutes (after he lost the rookie jitters and before he got hurt). And Houston brought him over for probably less than he could have gotten in Europe, I’m sure with the “you’re our only true center, Chuck’s short and Yao’s hurt so you can really show your stuff in the NBA” argument foremost in his mind. Now, he’s likely stuck on the bench for the next 2 years.
I hope
the Clippers sign McGrady just so I can read about how annoying he is in Simmons’ articles.
"I am from one of the top 15 cities in the world. Buffalo, New York." - TrentEdwardsHoF2018
In a suit, on the sidelines, next to Brian Cook...good for him
"voted for the Jazz"
ooooh, that’s like being a pedophile – it never goes away. //grudgedave//
by ressaliance_00 on Jul 21, 2010 9:05 PM CDT up reply actions
i desagree
about Aaron Brooks not being a allstar because last year who did he have to help im out anywhere?? but really at the center like a big guy who playes like a big guy not like Luis Scola, chuck Hayes?? no! well when we did that trade in the middle it help a lot but then tey started to get injured sooo now no nobodys injured and we have YAO MING and Brad Miller and a full season of Jordan Hill and Partrick Patterson! soo a lot more big guys that really helps Aaron sooo i think this year hes going to be a real allstar or very close
come on they even had him on the amauds mad nba world show thinging!
but maybe its just me who thinks this way! lol
AB an All-Star? Not A Chance
AB is a great player with a very valuable ability to spread the floor for Yao, and has solid NBA level talents as far handles, passing, and he’s very good at setting up our offense. This, in my book, makes him a starting level PG in the right system (like ours).
He is not, however, a must start NBA player by any means. His D has been much maligned on this board, and for good reason. And while PG is the hardest position to consistently defend for anyone, I still think of him as a Calderon/Nash level player as far defensive anemia.
For people who can’t take criticism of their player crushes (not a reference to Rocket…AB):
I’m not an AB hater by any means (I’m actually a huge fan of the guy). His effect on the game is his scoring threat. I think his numerical (aka meaningless) stats will go down this season, which will preclude him from being considered an All-Star, but I don’t think that makes him any less valuable to our roster.
"The French Army: Better defender than David Lee" - JE Skeets, in response to David Lee getting a vote for Defensive Player of the Year.
All star
How many all stars can you have from the Western Conference? The problem is that you can be very, very good and still not be an all star. There is Nash, CP, Kidd, Parker, Billups, Deron, etc … lots of great PGs and perhaps all good enough to be “all stars” but some of them won’t be. Aaron Brooks best chance of making the all star team comes from being Yao’s teammate. Tmac almost made it last season. But is AB one of the 2 or 3 best PGs in the West? No. The article is correct on that account.
you dont have to be an ALL-STAR
to be a STAR
GO ROCKETS, GO TEXANS, GO ASTROS (EVEN THOUGH THEY SUCK)!!!
by batman713 on Jul 21, 2010 4:52 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Preach on Godfather...
That said, the Rockets roster at the moment is like those early-season NBC “super-sized” episodes in recent years: you get a lot of a good thing, but that may actually be to the detriment of the overall product.
True story brotha. Depth wins you a regular season, but a great eight wins you a title. Just look at the paper thin depth chart of the Lakers and Celtics (Sheldon W, Scalabrine, and Michael Finley’s corpse don’t strike fear into the heart of many).
I know DM doesn’t like calling our players ‘pieces’, but we have to believe he’s building pieceplayers, looking for that opportunity to find aggregate value.
"The French Army: Better defender than David Lee" - JE Skeets, in response to David Lee getting a vote for Defensive Player of the Year.
Good stuff, Dave
When I was doing my breakdown of the roster on my latest podcast (which should be posted tonight) I actually forgot about David Anderson at first because the depth is so ridiculous. Some good young players are going to get absolutely no minutes. Hell, they may even be inactive. Looks like another year of shuttling between Houston and Rio Grande Valley for JT.
But, this is a problem good teams have. TOO MUCH depth.
Which is why I would be okay with Jordan Hill being packaged in a potential blockbuster now. Just because I don’t see where he’s going to play.
With Miller, and Chuck Hayes
David Andersen’s 2.5 mill has to come off the books. And i also see Battier or Ariza moved either before, or during the year, for Bud can get his minutes. I also think Jermaine Taylor will get a chance to play as well. I like AB but he turns the ball over too much, and is a defensive liability on defense. I feel its a chance he might be moved this year, after resigning Lowry, and because he is due a big raise. Hill or patterson could be dealt as well, with our deep roster. I did not think that expiring contracts are worth as much as they were last year, with next years free agent class not being no way near this last one.
by since86rocketsfan on Jul 21, 2010 2:28 PM CDT reply actions
expiring contracts are always valuable
Teams always want cap room…. until there is a new CBA, the “expiring contract” concept will always have value to any team over the cap.
Yes but the
relief does not come to after the season ends. So when it ends they can either sign a player with the money, very rarely does a team not try to improve and does not aquire anybody with the money they just recieved from that players contract expiring. New York wanted Tmacs expiring contract to try to get Lebron.
by since86rocketsfan on Jul 21, 2010 2:46 PM CDT reply actions
Excellent post
The Rockets have a lot of good “pieces” but only Yao is a true bonifide “star” and even that depends on him returning 100%, which is far from a sure thing. Sure the Rockets have put together a big group of good “pieces” but these guys are only useful to fill in the puzzle after you have the main parts figured out. You can have 10 or 100 of these “pieces”. It doesn’t matter because only 15 stay and only about 8 or 9 really are significant. The Rockets won’t make the playoffs unless Yao returns strong.
I keep thinking
that I hope Morey is really patient.
Let’s just consider that Yao, like Ilgauskas, comes back just fine from the surgery and can now remain healthy. Then, this team looks similar to and actually talent wise (everywhere but center) much better than the team that won our first championship. And as talented, considering Glyde was on the downhill slide, as the second championship team.
This team has every bit as much talent as the Detroit Pistons team that went to the ECF for 5 years and captured a title.
Having depth can be a true secret weapon, IF you that depth has different skill sets. You can use players in games and situations that require their skill sets. If your coach is flexible and smart and your players work together and hustle as a team, you really can have a rotation that goes very deep into the bench with spot skills.
Basketball is a matchup game, if you have lots of parts to win matchups and you can get them to buy in to the team game, you have a potential winning formula.
I hope we get to ride this season with this group and see what they can do, without shaking up the roster for a star.
well, not quite
I do not see Robert Horry (or his equivalent) on the roster.
Plus, Big Z had his surgery in his early 20s… whereas Yao is already 30. Considering that few, if any, players bigger than 7’4" have had lengthy careers and Yao is already on the downside of his, we cannot just presume that he’s going to be the Yao of 2007 again.
That Detroit Pistons team you reference also played in the East – which regularly allows sub-.500 teams to make the playoffs. Hard to compare.
The only team since the late 70s to win without a sure-fire top 10 player was the 2004 Detroit Pistons. And you’ll never convince me that they actually beat the Lakers… because the Lakers beat themselves when Shaq and Kobe wouldn’t play nice. Oh, and karma played a large role in that as well, considering that Karl Malone was on the team. Just sayin’.
The Rockets, as currently constructed, should win about 57 games, but they would never survive the playoff gauntlet against the likes of the Lakers or Spurs or even the Thunder.
Dave,
you of all people know there is No equivalent to Robert Horry :) He also developed into Robert Horry over the course of those seasons, remember he was almost gone but for Sean Elliott’s failed physical.
So, some Horry-lite could be on this team and we could see it if they played together.
We have to assume a reasonable healthy Yao, or no discussion about the Rockets future makes any sense. Your points are valid, and we just have to see how that plays out. But the Rockets have gone all in on Yao being healthy so it is a fair assumption to work with.
I would never underestimate the Malone karma :)
I think this roster, with the whole deep spot skills idea can take the Spurs in a series. We took this Laker team to 7 with less talent, so I think it may be a tossup on whether we could take the Lakers.
As for the Thunder, that team is scary if they keep rolling. But aren’t they doing exactly the formula I have suggested? Except that Durant is younger…
biggest difference
Durant is a no-doubt-about-it Top 10 player in the league.
We don’t have one of those.
True.
But in that Lakers series, Durant did not have a great series. He was good and the team was super around him. It really reminded me of Yao often in the playoffs.
and...
Odds of that ever happening again? I mean… he was 21 years old. It’s not like Durant is going to get worse.
I don't think Durant is getting worse for a decade.
I think the Thunder are a scary team as I said. I don’t think anyone is going to beat them regularly for a long time without some luck either good for opponents or bad for the Thunder.
I was only saying that the Thunder pushed the Lakers with an underperforming star. We pushed the Lakers 2 years ago with Yao and then without.
Kobe is more fragile, Bynum is still fragile, Fisher is still Fisher.
I was really just expressing that I think this team is in the mix at the top. A bit of fortune, a great chemistry and good coaching of matchups could produce miraculous things.
Do we win a ring, who knows. But really who ever knows. Playing high quality basketball with deep playoff runs is a pretty good deal. I am a bit reluctant to risk a very good chance of that outcome on the hope that a star will agree to come, will fit in well, will not cost too much and will make the difference.
Really, I would just like to see how this team could do if given a chance without a major shakeup every 6 months or so.
I'm calling it right now
Bud will develop into the second coming of Horry this year. In the play-offs we will be calling him BSB or Big Shot Bud.
Miss-placed Houstonian living and going to school in the wilderness of Wyoming.
You may be totally right
He could become the next Robert Horry, I can see that. Will have to up his D skills alot.
funny
I was looking for the YouTube clip of when Shaq tried to punch Miller…
anyone that can piss off Shaq that much is a guy I like.
not the best quality
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqJt_2BXPzc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9KXtrOwfSM
The BANHAMMER delivers the real justice
That's just turrible
Andersen and Harris gota go
luv Mike but he wont get PT and David, well enuff said.. Id like to see Ish Smith signed as the 3rd PG to replace one of the spots.. and one other thing about your lineup, Bud will see most of his minutes at SG, we cant have Taylor as the #1 backup at the 2 he needs to develop a bit more Buds more polished at this point
Rockets-Texans-Dynamo-Longhorn fan.. used to be Astros too, but not sure there a pro team anymore
Story on Chris Paul wanting out
on probasketballtalk.com. He wants to play with another superstar and he is going to pressure the Hornets to trade him before the season starts. Hopefully Morey is already on the phone
sadly
Sadly this might be one way in which Yao being Chinese is a detriment… as apparently the entire USA basketball team wants to play on each others’ teams now. Yao was busy carrying China and not interacting with these guys… :-(
He's too busy preparing to kick their asses.
You know, like superstars are supposed to do instead of going all buddy-buddy and being more concerned about their cameras and brand as opposed to playing the freaking game.
Minnesotan Rockets fan
by Barragan on Jul 21, 2010 10:45 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
+100001
rec’d
"voted for the Jazz"
ooooh, that’s like being a pedophile – it never goes away. //grudgedave//
by ressaliance_00 on Jul 22, 2010 12:47 PM CDT up reply actions
CP3 just informed N.O that he wants out!
He wants to play for Lakers, Knicks, or Magic. I think the Rockets have the assets to get him.
by inquisitiveman on Jul 22, 2010 12:28 AM CDT reply actions
Seriously
The Rocket may be the ONLY team with assests to get him. And I believe he and Lowry are friends.
I want to get excited about this, CP3 is my favorite player in the league, but I’m going to stay down for now. That way if the rumors start heating up I don’t go crazy
www.TheDreamShake.com Co-Founder and Writer
Edit
*Rockets, not Rocket, that’s not Morey’s new nickname or anything.
www.TheDreamShake.com Co-Founder and Writer
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