The main thing I've learned from this trade season is that Morey and the entire organization is high on Motiejunas. We could've easily made an upgrade to the PG position if we didn't believe in DMo's long-term potential. I know Dwight is hurt, but the signing of Josh Smith opened the door for DMo to be dangled in trades and the fact that he ultimately wasn't traded says a lot about how we view his future. He's a PF with legit low-post skills. He has a nice array of fakes and his little flick shots are so effective. And the fact that he's a decent 3pt shooter helps the spacing. He's been a 12/6 player this year who has elevated to a 15/7 player when Dwight is out. He has 18/8 potential. And not just a hollow 18/8, but a valuable one due to his scoring repertoire and ability to defend at a good enough level. I see a lot of people mentioning Pau, I don't quite see that kind of potential in DMo. Pau was and remains a hell of a player, a Hall of Famer. DMo just doesn't strike me as that kind of player. But he's definitely got some really valuable scoring skills and is the kind of low-post scorer that will really give this offense more options than "go James go" down the line. I'm glad we kept DMo. Outside of Kawhi, DMo is probably the starting player among playoff teams out West with the most room to grow. But that being said, I think we're closer to the 8th best team in the West than the Best team in the West. WC Contenders ranked by Top 5-Man Unit Code: [B]Team (Lineup) Pts/100 Mins[/B] GSW: Curry/Klay/Barnes/Green/Bogut +20.6 496 MP LAC: Paul/Redick/Barnes/Blake/Jordan +17.0 879 MP OKC: Russ/Roberson/KD/Ibaka/Adams +15.0 249 MP POR: Lillard/Wes/Batum/Aldridge/Robin +11.2 520 MP [COLOR="Red"][B]HOU: Bev/Beard/Ariza/DMo/Dwight +10.7 361 MP[/B][/COLOR] SAS: Parker/Green/Leonard/Diaw/TD +10.3 168 MP MEM: Conley/Lee/Allen/ZBo/Gasol +9.3 378 MP DAL: Rondo/Ellis/Parsons/Dirk/Chandler +2.0 279 MP - GSW have been the class of the West, match an elite starting 5 with great depth - OKC is the scariest team in the West whenever KD/Russ/Ibaka play, even scarier now they made those trades - LAC are the most top-heavy team in the league, great 5 + Crawford but pathetic after that - SAS don't rely on one 5-man unit, they are a super deep team that's just trying to be healthy for the playoffs - DAL is the biggest ? out West because of the Rondo experiment, struggling to adjust so far - Every team out West has more playoff battle scars than us - Every team out West has a better PG than us I don't think we can win the West this year with our roster unless Harden hits yet another level in the playoffs. We're just too dependent on him. A PG like Dragic/Lawson/Knight could've made a deep run more realistic. But we decided that DMo was just too much to give away for that chance. I like what I've seen from DMo this year, can't believe what a 180 I've done on this guy in the past 6 months. He's the 3rd most valuable piece to this team and has serious upside. Hopefully the decision to keep DMo instead of trading for a PG upgrade proves to be a smart one by Morey in the long run. Because in the short run, a PG would've helped more (especially since we have Smith). I'm disappointed we didn't make any big moves, but keeping DMo was a ballsy and smart move by Morey imo. TRADES Prigioni vs. Canaan KJ McDaniels vs. 3 2nd round picks For the long term, today's trade grades depend on KJ's contract situation after the season. He was drafted as the 32nd pick but has been playing like a Top 10 rookie, maybe Top 5 in this weak class. I'm not completely sold on him a as a prospect. He does have a little bit of a tweener undersized PF to his game, but if he can develop a more consistent outside shot then we are talking about a really nice 3nD player to put next to Harden. I like Canaan, but he's kind of limited because he isn't a true PG. In the short-term, I'd much rather have McDaniels than 3 2nd round picks that don't help my team this year. And in the long term, I'd much rather have McDaniels because he is flashing 1st round ability even if he has an odd contract. Prigioni vs. Canaan is interesting because of how different their styles are offensively. Prigs isn't really a penetrator but he knows how to run an offense. I've seen him play a bunch and I'd call him more of a QB more than a PG. A guy who doesn't bounce the ball on the floor too much, someone who just directs traffic and keeps it moving. He can knock down the open 3 and although he's not quick, he's got some defensive value as a pest who gets tricky steals. Canaan obviously has more scoring potential and I'd hate to see him average 15 PPG on 40% 3P shooting somewhere down the line, but I just don't see it with him. And in the short run, I definitely think Prigs' BBIQ and style will help more than Canaan's chucking. Both guys are going to be a part of the rotation, especially Prigs. 2 rotational players for 3 2nd round picks and a guy you think belongs in the DLeague, although not major it's definitely a plus for the Rockets' playoff hopes. KJ getting hot from 3 could be a huge x-factor that gives this team another dimension. Longshot he makes a big impact this year though. PS, I want to see the Brewer/Harden/Ariza backcourt be experimented with more often this year. The Rockets' alleged interest in Afflalo means that they considered acquiring AA and putting him in the backcourt next to Harden/Ariza. Brewer isn't as refined an offensive player as Afflalo, but he's an energetic slasher who can spend some times on PGs. Ariza has also proven capable of guarding PGs. The length of the Brewer/Harden/Ariza backcourt would be insane. Add Josh Smith and Dwight Howard to the mix and you have a super athletic group with great length. Brewer and Ariza's shooting would hurt the group a bit if they're slumping, but they're capable of hitting the open looks Harden gets for them and go on hot streaks of their own. I love Bev, but with his tenacious D taking a step back to "kind of average D", I think we should explore other backcourt variations. Prigs will give us a new option, but I think putting Brewer next to Harden/Ariza would be a more interesting option.
I like having KJ McDaniels. We might not be able to keep one of Brewer or Josh Smith after this season, so getting a high upside, similar player on a miniscule contract is great. It would be great if Brewer/Ariza can take him under their wing and essentially develop him quickly. Canaan wasn't getting much burn anyway, and it is nice to see him have an open shot on the Sixers.
This was who Kobe had when he won his first three champoinships. 2002 - Shaq , Derek Fisher , Big Shot Bob. 2001 - Shaq , Derek Fisher , Big Shot Bob , Horace Grant , Ron Harper , Brian Shaw. 2000 - Shaw , Derek Fisher , Big Shot Bob , AC Green , Ron Harper , Brian Shaw. If you go back and look at those guys at the time they won, other than Shaquille Oneil they were nothing special. I could do the same for the bulls roster. BJ Armstrong was the starting PG for Jordan his first three championships. Lol. This team has enough talent if Howard comes back for the playoffs and Harden lives up to his MVP status.
Yes we improved both offensively (Prigioni) and defensively (McDaniel). We also improved young talent wise, (McDaniel) and we also improved cap wise a bit. The improvement may not be earth shaking, but most of the top teams like us did not make great moves either.
Super excited to see Pablo running the second unit tomorrow, or perhaps the next game. If we can get some fluidity out there with that group on offense, WATCH OUT...
The lakers had more talent when they had eddie jones and nve, but they realized that shaq and kobe needed the ball so they got a bunch of role players.
No not really, other then 'flexibility'. The thing I hate the most is not using that pick. Hell I would've used it on Jamal Crawford. We need a guy who can hit the three and a true SG off the bench. That guy is clutch, can be relied upon and especially cause he's a Clipper, would've made a double-win move.
The only thing I want to touch on your point #2 is that this year anyone can be booted out in 1sr round. The west is that good this year so I wouldn't put 2 much in it based on this year results
I can't imagine the Clippers giving us Crawford for that pick. Especially since we're a conference rival and they have very little depth to begin with. Besides, we can still trade that pick down the road. And barring an injury to Durant, it's almost certain to be in the lottery, so its value won't decrease as we get closer to the draft.
Are you guys Stupid? We Finally got a player that can throw an accurate and On-Time Post Entry Pass.. Not to Mention Run an Offense. Don't Forget James Harden was once one of the Best Off Ball Players in the League.
Yes, Prigioni is a much better version of the Terry PG expirement. Now Terry can go back to being a shooter and not a ball handler. Also this puts pressure on Bev as he never had any fear of Canaan seriously taking minutes. KJ adds another defender and rebounder although I don't think he'll play much. His shooting %'s are terrible but everyone improves their shooting when joining the rockets so hopefully this will be the case for him.
The elite pg's in the playoffs will run circles around Prigioni. He's 37yrs old. The worst thing he wants is to be there running up & down the court chasing Lillard, WB, CP3 or Parker in a fast paced game. The kid is 6'6 and probably has great potential. I just don't know why he was traded here knowing our lack size in a conference with huge frontlines. Our immediate needs weren't addressed. We don't need another wing defender
I'm still a little leery of the move to bring in a 37 year old PG, but if PP can keep the ball out of Bev's hands by setting guys up for easy shots and playing halfway-respectable defense, I'll feel better about it (not that anyone cares how I feel, lol). Don't get me wrong, I love Bev's tenacity and effort, but a good passer he is not. KJ seems like somewhat of an odd move... I'm not sure how much he will be able to contribute this season, and all it would take is for one team to offer him a poison pill contract and the Rockets lose him for nothing.
I'm going to be really mad if Clyde Drexler continues to call this Rockets team a young, developing team like he has plenty times this season. he keeps saying that when we are far from young. Right now we are one of the most experienced teams in the league with seasoned vets.
He's only missed like 10 games this season getting 19 min a game. From someone who has watched a lot more Knicks games than most on here (sadly) he hasn't looked good. Hopefully he plays better and can help out, all I'm saying.
Bev will be the one doing the chasing, that's why we have him on the squad. Pablo's job is to playmake so the offense doesn't tank when Harden sits down, he will be running the 2nd unit of Smith, Brewer/K-Pap, Terry and DMo/Dorsey. Mcdaniels is probably an asset grabbing move, he is a good young cheap player and you can always use a good young cheap player. I don't really see what immediate need you are talking about, the playoffs don't start till 2 months from now, decent centers cost 8M+ to get what would be the point of getting one when he won't get PT when Dwight comes back?
We are not privy to the foes information, but it is reasonable to assume we could have gotten at least 3 out of the 6 pgs that were traded yesterday ONLY if D-Mo were included in any of those trades. The fact that we don't have enough healthy bigs tells me Morey was limited in what he could get us. Like many of you, I would have loved to have paired Harden with a young, established or promising pg. Prigs will help, but with his age, he is at best a bandaid this year. All is not lost, we still have the Nola pick which will be a lottery pick. Instead of going for BPA, Morey could draft a stud pg instead. If we are lucky, Morey might nail one that is NBA ready. In short, I am disappointed by yesterday's action, but I understand and accept the moves. One more thing, if it was ever possible, we became even more defensive minded with KJ and to a lesser extent, Prigs. I say increase the variance and run a 9-men rotation and suffocate the opposing team with stifling d.
Only 8 hours away from the first "Prig Suck Ass" thread in CF. Well that's assuming he will get some garbage time to play in a blowout loss by the Rockets.
A slow 40yr old Prigioni is not the answer at backup PG. If that's the case, I'd rather bring back Mark Jackson out from retirement. If our options were really that limited, keeping Canaan should've been the move. I'd rather have Nate Robinson backing up Bev Well for one, guys like Dalembert are not making 8M+. Second, we don't know what shape Dwight will be in when he gets back. He won't be playing no 40 minutes a nite coming off knee injury. Then you factor in foul trouble. When Dwight goes out our rebounding & defense gets extremely soft. Did you by chance see the Clippers game? DeAndre Jordan DESTROYED Motiejūnas & Dorsey. Our lack of size is a HUGE issue. We can't afford having a 6'6 center playing against GS, OKC, Portland, SAS, LAC or Memphis in rucial stretches in the playoffs. Please explain to me who we're playing when Dwight goes to the bench? Who's gonna give us rim Protection & rebounding? Who's gonna keep those bigger centers off the boards? What's the strategy you think we're gonna use?
