This will probably end up being a case of betting that Greg Smith and Terrence Jones get better and figure it out.

Greg Smith has the makings of a serviceable backup center...and 15 min/game is about right for him.

Jones has the athletic ability and size to be a good perimeter defender, but he ain't there yet. I think he's a guy that is poised to become a key contributor, but it's betting on the come with him and to a lesser degree with Smith.

Is Anthony Morrow a free agent? That would be very nice to have him coming off the bench

Jones looked good today in the Summer League. I expect he will see a lot more time this season.

I've always been pro jones

Jones>>>>>>>>robinson. IMO

Assuming the ESPN report isn't drama, the Rockets will use Asik & Howard just like the Spurs did with Splitter and Duncan against big teams like Memphis. Against smaller ones, Asik is going to sit until Dwight needs a breather.

I'm not sure if this has been posted in this thread but I'm interested to see how the Harden/Howard dynamic will work out. As we saw with the Super Friends it can take time for new superstars to figure out how to work together. Unlike Wade/James, Harden/Howard play differently so maybe the pairing will figure it out day one.

Someone pointed out before in this thread that Howard will be poaching possessions from Parsons so I expect Chandler's numbers to go down as Howard will ask for the ball more than Asik.

On paper, Howard and Harden are a great pairing. Harden is an elite pick and roll ball handler, and Dwight is an elite roll man. I think Lin's numbers will be affected more than Parsons.

As for Jones, he's improving, but he still has a ways to go. He hit an early 3, but his other jump shots were ugly. He and D Mo will be a good battle to watch. Jones is ahead right now imo, but D Mo has a lot of tools and will improve as well.

A trade scenario I am sure Morey has considered that I read about is involving Chicago and Portland where we send Asik and some picks and we receive Boozer.

quote:

---

A trade scenario I am sure Morey has considered that I read about is involving Chicago and Portland where we send Asik and some picks and we receive Boozer.

---

Yes please

That would be money

Knowing Morey he probably has a specific player in mind to trade Asik for however he won't be able to get him until the trade deadline or next off-season.

quote:

---

Dwight is an elite roll man

---

except dwight doesn't like running P&R.

http://www.sports790.com/cc-common/podcast/single_page.html?podcast=FeaturedInterviews&selected_podcast=van_gundy_1373290589_31765.mp3

Jeff Van Gundy 790am interview on D12

[This message has been edited by CFTXAG10 (edited 7/8/2013 11:18a).]

I think dwighr doesn't like an offense that is strictly pick and roll. I think he'd prefer an offense where he posted up 20-30% of the possessions, like in Orlando.

^ I agree. He should also benefit from a lot of second chance point opportunities like Asik did

Pretty interesting write-up from Clutchfans about the steps that Morey took over the past 18 months to completely overhaul the roster.

http://rockets.clutchfans.net/4319/houston-rockets-from-yao-to-now/

quote:

---

I want to take a trip back to the end of the Yao Ming era in Houston and look at just how Rockets general manager Daryl Morey has taken this team from utterly mediocre to superstar-laden and brimming with potential.

To start, check out the Rockets roster at the start of the 2011-2012 season. This is the depth chart from about 18 months ago as the Rockets were set to open that lockout-shortened year:
Point Guards: Kyle Lowry, Goran Dragic, Jonny Flynn
Shooting Guards: Kevin Martin, Courtney Lee, Terrence Williams
Small Forwards: Chase Budinger, Chandler Parsons, Marcus Morris
Power Forwards: Luis Scola, Patrick Patterson, Jeff Adrien
Centers: Samuel Dalembert, Jordan Hill, Hasheem Thabeet

These are pretty much average starters all around, a bunch of “nice” players but nothing special. From the prior year’s team, Morey had made deadline deals of Shane Battier for a look at Thabeet, Aaron Brooks for Dragic and a pick, and let Chuck Hayes walk. They used the picks received from those two trades to move up and draft Donatas Motiejunas, and also drafted Parsons and Morris. They also picked up Jeremy Lin off waivers, but cut him shortly after to make room to sign Dalembert.

---

After reading the entire article, even the doubters have to admit that it's not just "luck" that guided Morey to the roster's current make-up. It was a combination of luck, skill, and a willingness to make enough moves and churn the bottom part of the roster until you get the exact right players for what you are trying to accomplish.

[This message has been edited by SuperAg05 (edited 7/9/2013 8:42a).]

Very good writeup

Excellent read!

The best deal for Morey in all this is still the Harden trade - and at the time there was still doubt if Harden was really a max player. To get Harden he needed to send a viable Harden replacement with an expiring contract (Martin), a potentially high lottery pick (Raptors #1, obtained for Lowry), and other picks plus young assets.

And this chart is awesome but it missed at least one other good move - Morey acquired the protected Dallas 1st round pick from the Lakers via the Derek Fisher trade in 2012...EDIT: nevermind I forgot Jordan Hill was sent to the Lakers for Fisher+pick so the chart is correct



[This message has been edited by InternetFan02 (edited 7/9/2013 10:42a).]

basketball.realgm.com/article/228727/Grading-The-Deal-Dwight-Howard-Chooses-Houston

quote:

---

Howard’s presence on the defensive end allows the Rockets to more easily build their roster as floor-spreading perimeter shooters like Ryan Anderson become less of a liability on defense.

---

When did Ryan Anderson become a Rocket?

i dunno but i glossed over that and pretended he mistakenly misspoke

So the Lakers traded three first round picks, two second round picks and Andrew Bynum for a season of dwight howard and the right to give Steve Nash a 3y28mm deal at the age of 39.

and people think that kupchack is a good GM? He's not even that good

Howard went to The Breakfast Klub for lunch today and paid for everyone in the restaurant. Chump change to him but still a cool move.

I really don't want to see Ryan Anderson in a Rockets uni throwing up 7 threes a game and grabbing 6 boards.

quote:

---

Howard went to The Breakfast Klub for lunch today and paid for everyone in the restaurant. Chump change to him but still a cool move.

---

Good stuff

Current Roster:

Point Guards: Jeremy Lin, Patrick Beverley, Isaiah Canaan
Shooting Guards: James Harden, Francisco Garcia
Small Forwards: Chandler Parsons, Omri Casspi
Power Forwards: Omer Asik, Terrence Jones, Donatas Motiejunas
Centers: Dwight Howard, Greg Smith

That's 12 players, with no guarantee that Canaan will see any PT, and will likely spend most of the season with the RGV.

Some available FA's that Morey should look at, that could possibly be convinced to come for the vet min:

- PF Tyler Hansbrough - Psycho-T could be a great, high energy big off the bench for 10 min per game.
- SF Ronnie Brewer - Another young, hustle guy for the bench. Not really sure why he has bounced around so much. He's not great at anything, but he's decent at a bunch of things.
- SG Anthony Morrow - He can hit 3's
- PG Nate Robinson - Don't laugh. He's a fireball that, when correctly coached, can light it up for the 2nd team.
- PG Chauncey Billups - Could be a great veteran presence on the team to help keep the "kids" feet on the ground.

Do y'all think Asik and Howard can play together? It just seems like we would rather have somebody like DMo or TJones in there alongside Dwight so we can have better spacing and flow offensively.

That would no doubt be a great defensive duo down on the block, though

quote:

---

Do y'all think Asik and Howard can play together?

---

Nope.

quote:

---

That would no doubt be a great defensive duo down on the block, though

---

You need someone to guard the other team's PF 18 feet from the basket and to defend the PnR.

Yea they're definitely not starting together, but they might play together for certain matchups like Memphis.

Thing to remember about the PF position is that we may play a good chunk of minutes with no PF at all, choosing to run small with 4 shooters and a post. There are only a few teams in the NBA that can really penalize you for that and probably more teams choosing to play the same way.

This could also be interesting:

quote:

---

Adrian Wojnarowski ‏@WojYahooNBA 40s
The Orlando Magic and Hedo Turkoglu are progressing on contract buyout talks, league sources tell Y! Sports.

---

quote:

---

Thing to remember about the PF position is that we may play a good chunk of minutes with no PF at all, choosing to run small with 4 shooters and a post. There are only a few teams in the NBA that can really penalize you for that and probably more teams choosing to play the same way.

---

I think you go with what you got. Easier to find a good shooter than a good post nowadays. I would think if Kevin McHale had a good power forward, he would pound it in to him. But he isn't doing that with Royce//Patterson//JordanHill//MarcusMorris//DMo//GregSmith//etc.

i really love turkey glue

I really like d-mo in our offense if he xN be more consistent on both ends.

He can really space the floor and make other pf's chase him all over the place.. and he has the speed and quickness to keep up on d.