The Houston Rockets’ GM Daryl Morey has a reputation for making headlines whilst the trade deadline is looming. Possessing a beauty of a trading chip, such as the large expiring contract of the uber-brittle Yao Ming,  it was  easy to believe a major blockbuster deal with a team seeking expiring contracts would happen.

Morey instead opted for minor scale trades. Most notable is how Houston ditched the unidimensional Aaron Brooks to the Suns for Goran Dragic, a younger and more capable team player with some serious upside.

Don’t take it from me, take it from Steve Nash:

“Just landed in the T Dot and found out we traded my good friend Goran Dragic,” Nash wrote. “Great teammate and person. Has a chance to be great.”

Dragic is younger (Dragic 24, Brooks 26), and has been mentored by Steve Nash over the past 2.5 seasons.

At this point in his career Brooks is a known commodity: a three point shooter/scorer who does not think pass first.  Which, when playing the point,  is never accommodating to a team dynamic.

Once the Rockets established that Kyle Lowry, a more physical and defensive presence than Brooks (and also far more durable) would remain the starter, moving Brooks became paramount.  Brooks had a growing disruptive attitude, stemming from a lack of minutes, and was being disruptive.

Lowry’s has been effective when left open to the tune of .358 from three point range, gets to the free throw line, finishes in the lane, and ensures the entire roster is involved on offense. Brooks would constantly be pounded and could not handle the punishment inside.

In a competitive sport like basketball it makes complete sense that Brooks would be disgruntled after being relegated to a reserve role after his breakout 2009-10 season in which he received the NBA’s Most Improved Player award, but I find it shameful that he would remain professional and try to work his way back into the lineup.

Aaron Brooks of the Houston Rockets has been on the record stating he will likely miss four to six weeks of action due to a severely sprained ankle. This could be very bad for the 1-5 Rockets who are now facing a potentially devastating amount of time without their “most improved player” from last year now sidelined.

4-6 weeks fellas...

Kyle Lowry figures to step in and assume the majority of the minutes at the point while Brooks recovers, but with the Rockets thin at the Point, things are looking grim in Houston. However, Lowry is also recovering from injury at the moment, so it is uncertain what impact he might have.

Brooks was building on his breakout season and was posting 16.4 points and 5.4 assists per game.

Ishmael Smith will be thrust into prime time NBA action, ready or not, and try to help the Rockets stay afloat. Smith had 6 assists November 7th against Minnesota, another team thin at the point (even more ridiculous when you take consider how many PGs David Kahn drafted and signing Luke Ridnour), but Smith only connected on 3-11 shots, and is shooting .250 from the field for the season.

Houston looks to be facing grim times ahead if they can’t figure out a way to win without Brooks.

We are now only weeks away from the NBA trade deadline. Rumors are circulating, and the buzzing trade chatter is heavily amassing.

Some teams will be mortgaging young talent in order to take on expiring contracts in hopes of clearing cap space for the free agency fiasco in 2010.

Other teams will be looking to capitalize, and claim talent while dumping salaries. Other teams, realizing that their season is all but lost, will break up rosters that have not been able to achieve what management had originally envisioned.

Here are the teams with the most to lose/gain from the fiasco.

Portland Trail Blazers

Who can fill in for Oden/Pryzbilla for Portland? (Credit:picapp.com)

The Trail Blazers obviously need help in the paint. They have had the fortune of Brandon Roy willing his team to wins, but it is unlikely he can carry them all year. Juwan Howard’s body, at age 37, will likely not be able to secure the center position for the rest of the year before wear and tear takes its toll. The saying “You can’t teach height” must be racing through Kevin Pritchard’s head as he diligently investigates potential acquisitions to help the Blazers in the middle.

The Blazers have a wealth of depth in the backcourt, and a plethora of athletic, defensive-minded young forwards. The issue is Joel Pryzbilla and Greg Oden have contracts running past next season, so the Blazers brass must consider the adverse effects of another long term contract vs. salary cap space.

Sacramento Kings

Will Martin mesh with Tyreke? (Credit: picapp.com)

Kevin Martin might return to the floor as early as Friday after missing the last 32 games after suffering a fractured left wrist. He has been practicing, and now coach Paul Westphal has a blessing of a dilemma in discovering if Martin and super rookie Tyreke Evans will be able to coexist in the backcourt.

There is zero chance Tyreke Evans is dealt anywhere. If there are any hiccups between the two stars having any negative impact upon team chemistry, look for Martin to be shipped out immediately. Look for Martin to be sought after by teams with inadequacies at the shooting guard position. Phoenix and Dallas immediately come to mind. Both teams are looking for a chance at contention this season, and would be willing to trade prospects and draft picks in order to land Martin’s scoring skills.

Toronto Raptors

I hear the weather is always nice in Los Angeles. (Credit:picapp.com)

Chris Bosh rumors are surfacing aplenty, with recent chatter mentioning Bosh heading to Los Angeles in exchange for Andrew Bynum. This deal would be a huge gamble for the Lakers, but Bosh puts L.A. over the top in the Western Conference.

It is hard to imagine Bosh signing elsewhere after winning an NBA Championship and tasting the Los Angeles lifestyle. He might even put his All Star promotional video production skills to use and land himself work during the off season.

Bynum would find himself in Toronto as a focal point of a rebuilding franchise with Hedo Turkoglu, Andrea Bargnani, and Jose Calderon. Bosh is a weak interior defender, so adding Bynum would give the Raptors a long-term defensive solution. Bynum tends to disappear when Pau Gasol is playing, so in terms of his career thriving, this could be a dream come true.

Chicago Bulls

Does anyone want Hinrich? (Credit: picapp.com)

You would have to be living under a rock to not know the Bulls are trying to unload Kirk Hinrich. Everyone and anyone knows this, to the point of detriment to his trade value. Hinrich is a solid defender, outside shooter, and an all around decent NBA player. The problem is Hinrich has 2 years remaining on his contract after this season, worth $17 million.

Also not boding well on his value is the fact that he is shooting a career-low 37% from the field and 71% from the line this season. When your specialty is shooting, and you are not shooting well, it is hard to retain trade value. The Bulls have indicated that everyone on the roster except Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah to be available, as long as Hinrich’s name is included potential deals.

Houston Rockets

Iggy could do this for the Rockets, instead of against them. (Credit: picapp.com)

The Tracy McGrady saga is difficult as he has the largest contract in the league ($23,239,561). This is the ultimate situation for teams looking to dump contracts and create salary cap space for the free agency fiasco of July 2010.

The teams falling into this category are: the Washington Wizards, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, and Chicago Bulls. Of these teams, Philadelphia has the best package to offer Houston in terms of immediate roster help.

Philadelphia could package Andre Iguodala with Samuel Dalembert in exchange for McGrady. This is the most logical deal for the Rockets who are without Yao Ming for the season (if not longer) and in need of a center who can rebound and block shots.

Iguodala is an immediate impact player for the Rockets. This deal could put the Rockets into contention this season. The Rockets can assign Ariza, Battier, or Iggy on any teams top offensive threat. Adding Iggy to the offensive attack of Aaron Brooks and Carl Landry will make life hell for opponents during the 4^th quarter.

]]> http://protectthepaint.com/2010/01/13/nba-trade-talk-chris-bosh-andrew-bynum-tracy-mcgrady-and-more/feed/ 0 http://protectthepaint.com/2009/11/11/houston-rockets-bright-future-straight-ahead/ http://protectthepaint.com/2009/11/11/houston-rockets-bright-future-straight-ahead/#comments Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:04:30 +0000 Adam Sedie http://protectthepaint.com/?p=3211

The Houston Rockets are playing their hearts out these days, winning games with tough defense and solid fastbreak basketball.

Houston fans should cringe upon reading the following update: Tracy McGrady has announced that he is coming back November 18th.

He then rescinded and called it a target date.

Does Houston need T Mac, or Yao Ming for that matter, moving into the future?

Yao, you should consider retirement. (Credit:picapp.com)

Sure, McGrady has put up big numbers during his career, but has he helped his team go anywhere when it counts?

It is a huge asterisk to his career at this point. Coming in close at second: missing X-Amount-of-games due to Variable-Injury-Y.

Anyone who has ever played team basketball will tell you that nothing disrupts team chemistry like an injury-plagued player. Sure, you know the talent exists, but is he going to be too sore, off his game, rusty perhaps?

McGrady, in a “Forrest Gumpian” sense, is similar to a box of chocolates: You never know what you’re gonna get.

Houston plays noticeably better without Yao slowing them down in transition. Sure he is the biggest giant in the league, but he also has the slowest feet to match that body. At least in Yao’s defense, you know what you are going to get, and the guy would try to play on crutches if he was allowed to.

Trevor Ariza is playing like an All-Star these days, and is thriving in his new starter status. He has doubled his scoring output with the offense now running through him.

Chuck Hayes gives the speedy young rendition of the Rockets everything a team loves and heralds most. Hayes is all defense and hustle possessing a strong will to battle with any big in the league. Hayes is a constant disruption to teams and they must focus on him, or pay the price.

Hayes creates multiple fast break opportunities with his whopping 2.43 steals per game. His solid passing skills allow Aaron Brooks and Trevor Ariz to score easy buckets using their speed on transition in the open court.

When speed cannot match an opposing teams strength, the Rockets have Kyle Lowry and Luis Scola to equalize with tough, gritty muscle.

Carl Landry is playing out of his mind. Maybe getting shot last year woke up his inner beast, as near death experiences tend to do so in most people. Knowledge of seeing solid minutes all year also boosts confidence, and he is making his mark as the Rockets’ best reserve.

It’s unfortunate the Rockets have $39 Million invested in T Mac and Yao this year.

It would be nice if the Rockets trade McGrady’s expiring contract to a team in need of cap space for 2010. With $22 million in trading chips, the Rockets could add depth to their roster with the talent they could net for McGrady.

Furthermore, if Yao can’t play again due to his injuries, the Rockets are currently proving to be in a solid position without him.

I speculate McGrady gets traded to one of several teams who are in the forthcoming LeBron James sweepstakes in 2010.

This past Thursday, Trevor Ariza verbally committed to a 5-year, mid-level exception deal good for $33 million with the Houston Rockets–a much more lucrative deal than the Los Angeles Lakers, his former team could offer. As irony would have it, he joins Houston hours after former Rocket Ron Artest agreed to a 3-year, $18 million deal with the world champs.

Ariza reportedly decided to make the move to Houston after L.A. declined to make an immediate offer once the July 1st free agent market officially commenced. Ariza should become an immediate contributor with Artest leaving, and Yao Ming out indefinitely. Tracy McGrady is also reportedly on his way out via the trade market.

Ariza was the glue for the 2008-09 Lakers team. (Credit: nydailynews)

With the Houston youth movement unexpectedly beginning because of the injury to Yao, the Rockets essentially are planning for Ariza to be one of the focal points of the offense. Aaron Brooks, Kyle Lowry, Carl Landry, Luis Scola, and Ariza represent a solid nucleus for years to come.

The Rockets will further alter the landscape of their roster by moving McGrady, although his value can’t be that high because of injury issues and the fact he’s never been on the roster of team that advanced out of the first round of the playoffs. New York seems interested in McGrady and has young players they could include in a deal.

Ariza and Kobe's friendship will have to be maintaind on the phone or via twitter now (Credit: ABC)

Ariza took the riches over a chance to win another title, and who could blame him. He capitalized on his maximum NBA free agent value after being one of the key guys on a team that won the NBA Championship. The Lakers obviously had a backup plan knowing they could sign enforcer Artest for less than Ariza.

The former UCLA Bruin was the “glue” guy for the champs. He did all the intangible dirty work, the stuff that doesn’t necessarily show up in the box score. He didn’t need the ball in his hands to be effective.

Trevor Ariza is a tenacious and active defender showing no signs of mental instability (Credit: lakers.topbuzz.com)

Ariza earned himself a nice paycheck and he will see the floor a lot more in Houston. At this point, he has more upside than Artest, but the question is how effective–without Kobe–can he be as a “go-to” guy.

Click here to vote for the best free agent move of the summer!