In this segment, we're going to be looking at the noteworthy stories from the previous day and I'll give just a few of my daily thoughts. Hope you enjoy.
With Jeremy Lin officially introduced as the Rockets' starting point guard and Omer Asik potentially to follow, the Rockets have seriously salvaged an off-season that could have left the roster in shambles. The number one priority remains the same, but if Morey can't find a way to get Dwight Howard in Houston, where do the Rockets go from there?
With a presumed lineup of Lin, Kevin Martin, Chandler Parsons, Patrick Patterson, and Asik paired with an intriguing bench, the Rockets will have built a young and talented roster. Judging the young players by their performance in Las Vegas, Donatas Motiejunas, Jeremy Lamb, and Terrence Jones could be ready for big minutes immediately.
The prospect of a season to watch young talent develop is exciting in a lot of ways, but without other significant moves, the Rockets are still caught up in the dangerous dead zone right around .500. Given Daryl Morey's temperament, standing pat seems extremely unlikely. However, even armed with a pile of young assets and payroll flexibility, which superstars could become available?
That's the seminal question for the Rockets and a huge part of the reason that I expect the Rockets to come out on top in this Dwight Howard sweepstakes. Anyone discussing Morey's pursuit of a star player would be remiss not to mention Andrew Bynum, but the trade talks seem to shifting away from the Rockets being involved in any three-way scenarios.
Los Angeles, New York, and Miami can always count on star players to want to come their way in free agency, but it is so incredibly rare for the Rockets to have a chance to land a star, especially a top five player like Dwight Howard, that I expect Morey to give the Magic everything he can. Morey simply cannot come up short again.
Jump for your links!
Rockets Trade Discussion
Lakers, Cavs In Howard Talks, But Magic Still Not Moved - CBSSports.com
Ken Berger writes that the Magic may not be making many friends in the league with their trade practices. Putting Morey and Hennigan together on a deal could be dangerous.
Dwight Howard Ready To Commit To Extension With Lakers - RealGM Wiretap
Jarrod Rudolph reports that Howard would re-up with the Lakers next off-season if he's traded to them. This could be the break that pushes LA in front of the Rockets as they enter the trade discussions in full force.
Howard Playing Waiting Game He Volunteered For | Pro Basketball News
Tony Mejia reports that he still expects the Rockets to come out on top in the Howard sweepstakes.
Report: Rockets Trade Courtney Lee To Boston Celtics - The Dream Shake
Tom Martin has the story of the Courtney Lee trade for TDS.
Update: Courtney Lee Deal Done - CelticsBlog
Jeff Clark of CelticsBlog has one of the blog's three stories on the Courtney Lee acquisition here.
Jeremy Lin Presser
The Houston Rockets Introduce Jeremy Lin To The Houston media | Red94
Rahat Huq gives an interesting account of the media circus that was the Jeremy Lin presser.
Ultimate Rockets " A Complete Transcript Of Jeremy Lin’s Introductory Press Conference
Want to read everything Jeremy Lin, Les Alexander, and Daryl Morey had to say at the Lin press conference? The Houston Chronicle has you covered.
Daryl Morey
Ball Don't Lie's take on the funny Josh Innes-Daryl Morey spat on 610 Sports Radio.
The Inbounds: Daryl Morey And The Point Of No Return | ProBasketballTalk
Matt Moore hits the nail on the head with this piece on Daryl Morey.
Miscellaneous Junk
NBA Free Agent 2012 Scoreboard - Peachtree Hoops
Jason Walker at Peachtree Hoops is maintaining a free agency database this off-season of every signing across the league.
Houston Rockets Summer League: What We Learned - The Dream Shake
If you haven't already read Tom Martin's take on the Rockets Summer League squad, go do it. Now.
The DreamCast: Everything You Need To Know About Omer Asik - The Dream Shake
The Dream Shake's Tom Martin talks all things Omer Asik with Matt from Blogabull.com
This is just the first go at this daily piece, so if you have any suggestions for improvement (especially a permanent name for the series) feel free to leave them in the comments. And if you see a noteworthy article that you want to be featured in this post, feel free to email me at pnharrel@gmail.com or tweet at me @PatrickHarrel.