So with the looming gutting of the team like we did with Lowry and Scola before getting Harden I am truly wondering again about how much Morey, the organization and you all feel about: chemistry, fit and the all-star pursuit. First off, I am happy with what Morey has done recently. He has tried and succeeded in getting the right roster for MDA to work with. That being said, it seems that Leslie and Morey are ready for another round of going after the biggest fish. Now I cannot argue with this approach necessarily, since with the Warrior dominance you can only pose a threat with talent. System and fit be damned it seems, just try to get any star player at all cost. We should be happy we are at least in the game and not wasting anymore seconds of Harden's prime years in Houston. I am honestly worried though about chemistry and ending up empty handed , while dumping Anderson and more importantly Beverley. Bev has been the emotional leader, our defensive identity and even more of a true leader on and off the court than ever before. Now I would hope Morey will think hard before trading a guy like that. I fear his departure is inevitable though and we will likely not see him in a Rockets uniform anymore. I get that if you replace him with CP3 or even Paul George that from a talent standpoint you do it every single time. Also it is a business and this is probably the most value he will ever have. Still, the guy has improved his 3pt shot, his floaters, his decision making and finally back to a great defender. With regards to chemistry, I think trading Beverley is a big mistake. He is the one guy who sets the tone, doesn't require the ball and balances out the defensive liability of Harden. I think this is equal to if we had traded Maxwell away and we all know we would not have won that 1st trophy without him! Now with regards to fit, I understand Beverley sees himself as a starter and he should! So if we have a real shot at CP3, I get that he might not even want to stay. However, does CP3 fit the best? I'd be inclined to believe a lineup of Bev - Harden - PG13 / Hayward will do better than a CP3 - Harden - Ariza / Dekker one. Considering chemistry, leadership and fit. I'd like to think if we pay Bev he'd accept a back up role if he sees we can truly contend. He should still see his 30 minutes with the small ball lineups. When considering guards CP3 is the only realistic chance though I think LAC and SAS are more likely teams he signs with. We should forget about PG for obvious reasons: chemistry, fit with Harden and PG's personality/ ego. Lowry is a choker and not a huge enough difference maker. This brings me to the forwards, fit and also chemistry. Hayward is a good option with Ariza's decline though I doubt he gives up on the Jazz since they are on the rise and he gets the most money. Then there's Millsap and Blake, two guys I'd pursue first over any other. They fill a need, fit in our team easily though S&T with Millsap is probably difficult. However, if you want him, just go all-in for him. Blake you wouldn't need to give up much, though finding a team for Ryno will be difficult as well. Ryan is a great shooter, but I'm sure the team understands his contract situation. Keeping Bev + Gordon or Ariza while adding a Hayward, Blake or Millsap and losing Ryan is a winning off-season. Adding two stars is highly unlikely and gutting the roster is bad for chemistry, especially with Harden's personality. He seems close with some of the guys and if we get rid of all of them for 1 / 2 alpha males seems irrational and too risky! The right alpha male could work with him hopefully. Why do you guys think? What is our approach? Are you worried about fit and chemistry? Is Morey concerned about it? How likely is it that Morey guts the roster in the all-star approach? Who should we pursue and can it work? Thoughts on Beverley?
Yeah, I'm gonna say replacing Patrick Beverly with Chris Paul is not going hurt leadership. I'm also confident Morey isn't looking to get rid of Bev for the sake of doing it. He's just not going to allow Bev's story to undermine his search for Championship pieces. Bev won't ever be the third or even 4th best player on a Championship team.
A. It's unclear how much Morey is in control and how much of driving force is Le$, when it comes to star chasing. B. For me, i can't see us winning unless we put 3+ stars that fit each other, good rotational players, good bench and etc, such as coach that knows that defense wins in playoffs. C. For me, if we can't win now we should rebuild? but we can't rebuild with Harden, so we either gotta trade him (won't happen) or star chase, which is what will happen year after year. If we don't get CP3 and/or another big name guy, we will do same BS next year, you just have to accept that. To sum it up, we are going to chase stars because that's how our front office views winning and/or selling tickets, so we as a fans just gotta roll with it.
While I'd love to keep Bev around and as stated he's not being moved for the sake of being moved, but we need star power on this team and while Bev would be a great 6th man off the bench... he's not the type of PG that will help bring in other stars to play with him and he won't become a superstar in his own right. Plus it sounds like he'd welcome a trade according to a few comments he's made recently.
It's not that Les&Morey try for just any free agent superstar on the market, but more that their choices are limited since the team doesn't play in Cali or NY, and doesn't have the famous Spurs FO/coach/system. Consequently, we're stuck with leftovers. Remember that Harden wasn't a superstar when he joined us, nor was he a FA. He's made Houston his home because we gave him the chance to bloom and become the #1 guy. As for superstars-vs-chemistry, I think Morey will try to bring on any superstar he can who in some way matches a big need according to DM's statistical models. Dwight, in theory, would have given us a strong defensive presence inside, steady rebounding, and an impossible-to-stop pick and roll combination with Harden. Morey may have badly misread Dwight's personality, but he wasn't the first GM to do so -- that otherworldly athleticism can blind you to the problem areas. One Les and DM find their 2nd (and maybe 3rd) superstar, I think that's when they worry about chemistry and system fit. They'll fill out the roster with guys to supply the glue and make things work around the stars. Until then, I think getting the superstars is -- and should be -- their focus.
I love bev but you kind of answered your own question with the Mad Max comparison. We did bring in a star to take Mad Max position even though Maxwell was the pit bull like bev. And what happened was we won a championship without him. Talent wins everytime in the NBA. All great team have talent and a lot of it not grit and grind guys like bev and maxwell. Those type of players are luxury players that you love to have but you don't need them in order to win titles and history time and time agains proves this. Everyone loves these type of players there blue collar grinders show a lot of Heart and usually seem to care the most. But they really don't move the needle when it comes to championship.
this is the best time to trade beverley. he's coming off a career year, and is still locked up for 2 more years on a cheap deal way below market value. he's been a professional about not demanding a trade, but we know he wanted one since MDA was hired. we cannot hold on to a role player because he's a fan favorite or an emotional leader of the team. harden has to be the emotional and vocal leader. its all on the best player. we definitely cannot hold onto him if it costs us a chance at an all star level player. he will be one of the few that actually deserve an appreciation thread, and we will always remember him in the same vein as sura, scola, and other fan favorite role players. no one else will ever appreciate him more than us. he gave us his best years, but its time to move on. fit, chemistry, leadership, etc... will not make a difference. talent makes a difference, and so long as we upgrade that, we'll be better.
