I know that it's longer than a long shot but I would certainly give Tim Duncan's agent a call. No stone...
I don't think it's shortsighted to be looking for a C right now. Capela is said to be out 4-6 weeks. Add to that the fact that Nene isn't supposed to play back-to-backs and Harrell has little experience. We need more big man depth. This could be a year where we sacrifice some flexibility to make a push for the WCF or beyond. We're a top 5 team now and not sure where we'll be without Clint for a while. This is the type of team that we should be willing to give up flexibility and trade a draft pick to get someone who can fortify our frontcourt. If there's someone decent overseas then go for him. But are we comfortable with Nene or Montrezl starting? That's iffy to me. Trade for Miles Plumlee or maybe a Zeller brother (the one is Boston gets little run). Baynes from Det? Ed Davis from Portland? I like O'Quinn from NYK. I like Onuaku and think he'll be good someday. That day is not today. When Capela comes back then we relegate Nene to more spot minutes.
Here's a good list from the Ringer: https://theringer.com/the-nba-might-have-too-many-big-men-1a654d0b1dec#.8b3dkdvh0 The market is saturated with effective big man. If we so choose, it wouldn't cost much to land someone useful. Anyone know where to find advanced pick and roll numbers for these guys? I'd just pick the best pick and roll player honestly.
Tyson Chandler. I've been saying the same thing for weeks now because: 1. He knows how to execute and finish a PnR (see: time playing with CP3 in New Orleans, time playing in Dallas) 2. He's still a solid defender. Is he elite? No but he would still be the best defender on this team today. 3. He's rebounding the ball very well this year. Maybe it's because Phoenix bricks a lot of shots but the guy can still crash the boards. 4. He's shooting FTs at about a 70% clip. NOT the biggest attribute but he's not going to be on the bench during crunch time like a Capela or Howard for fear of hacking. 5. He's been down in the trenches before, playoff-tested. It's an intangible trait but you need vets like him on the roster come playoff time. He has two years left after this year for $26.5 million. Sure he's "pricey" but it's not like we're NOT going to need a big man on the roster next season. The other thing I'd like to say is that while this team won't be a lock to beat GSW or the Spurs in the playoffs but you can't help but have the feeling that this team can do some magical stuff in the postseason. That being said, I don't want not having a proven veteran with playoff experience hurt us (see: the year Juwan Howard was hurt and couldn't play against Dallas).
Tyson Chandler is the obvious choice. He has a long contract though - 2 more years. I wonder if he could un-guarantee 1 year like Ty Lawson did to facilitate the trade. I bet he wants out of Phoenix badly. Chandler for McDaniels and Brewer works
Noel has the agility and leaping ability to catch lobs off the roll to the basket. Look Daryl just get a long athletic big and give him to MDA & Harden and let them take care of the rest
I think Vucevic would be PERFECT, but you can't get him unless Clint was in the trade. (Yes I believe Vucevic is better than Clint) This option is out now Clint is hurt. I think they should try and make a package to Philly for Noel. 1st Pick and KJ, cash?
Tyson Chandler is an interesting one. He stunk it up last year and showed real signs of decline. The Suns were regretting signing him and he was outplayed by Len. He was really not worth his contract. But he has bounced back this year, his rebounding especially would be a huge contribution for us. If he can keep the same level of production playing close to 28mins a night, you could argue that his contract is more than fair and trade-able if needed. I think that Morey will really hesitate taking on that size of a contract. If it goes wrong (Chandler plays bad and we cannot trade his contract), we lose all flexibility for the next two seasons. But a productive Chandler can be the difference to a deeper playoff push...
It's funny how the Sixers, who really need a good guard, traded Jrue Holiday for Noel a few years ago and now they're probably gonna be offered a package centered around KJ McDaniels, whom they traded to us for Isiah Canaan, for the same Noel.
We do need to. I guess this win streak makes people feel invincible, even when injuries make us extremely shallow at a critical defensive position? When a big change happens, the past isn't the best predictor of the future.
I'm not calling you out but a lot of posters here think add Chandler's contract would hinder our ability to bring in anyone great in the next two years when it really doesn't. 1. You can't bring in a Chandler this year without moving Brewer. That's pretty much the bottom line. If Morey moves all three of Brewer, KJ, and Ennis off the books in order to get Chandler, there's about a +$3 million difference for the 2017-2018 season to keep Chandler on the books. 2. The 2017-2018 salary cap is projected to be about $107 million. As it stands right now, if we don't make any moves and keep the team in tact for next year, you're looking at $101 million already, leaving about $6 million. Bringing Chandler on (and replacing his salary with the combination of Brewer/KJ/Ennis' contracts) pushes it up to about $104 million. In other words, we shouldn't anticipate huge capspace to get a big fish next summer with or without Chandler. 3. 2018-2019 is where it, of course, gets interesting. The salary cap projects to move down to about $105 million. The Rockets have $76 million earmarked to Harden, Anderson, Gordon, Bev (picking up team option), Dekker (team option), Capela (qualifying offer), and Onuaku. That's 7 players where you're going to have to spending the rest of the cap (~$30 million) to fill 8 spots. Add on Chandler's $13.4 million and you're up to almost $90 million in salary cap for 8 players. Looking at the potential free agent market for the summer of 2018 RIGHT NOW (http://www.spotrac.com/nba/free-agents/2018/), even if you had that $29-$30 million to spend without adding Chandler, the team is going to be hard pressed to spend it on a big splashy free agent without having to dumpster dive to fill out the bench. I'm sure @BimaThug and other capologists can fact check me to make sure I'm not off my rocker but flexibility isn't really in the cards for the Rockets over the next two years anyway because the trio of Harden, Anderson, and Gordon takes up 60-65% of the caproom over that 2 year span. My opinion? With the way this team is rolling, you take a shot at a player like Chandler and not waste a year of Harden's superstar production.
Well, they traded Holiday (with a stress fracture in his foot) for Noel AND a 1st pick -> MCW -> Lakers 1st
Would love a trade for a true starter but can probably survive with a competent big that can catch and finish. I just doubt morey wants to commit to real money for multiple years
You could certainly make a run at some of these guys with how well some of Houston's young assets have looked this season. But I don't know that I would. Nene and Harrell have both proven that they're capable of giving you quality minutes in an NBA rotation. I'd roll with them and then maybe sign a veteran center like Amare to be that third emergency center. And I expect to see more small ball with Ryno at the 5, which has proven to be effective against certain lineups. That being said, if an offer is on the table to get one of these guys and add long-term value to the team, I'm still all for it.
