Excuse me for being vague, but I don't want to get myself in any kind of trouble. Recently I've received an opportunity to be a involved with the organization.. I've had some good conversations with some important people. Some of which was obvious, but was good to get some confirmation. Jeff Green "There is a HUGE conflict of interest with Jeff Green. Boston is interested, McHale and Morey do not feel the same about him." Ryan Anderson "All they need to do is pull the trigger for Ryan Anderson. They are high on him, and New Orleans likes the prospect of Asik next to Davis." Lamarcus Aldridge "Morey's dream is having Aldridge on this team, but it's not going to happen.. Portland is not interested in Asik or any of our reserves WHATSOEVER!" Again all pretty obvious but I enjoyed confirmation, from some dudes who see players and coaches on a daily basis.. ALSO The Christmas Day uniform.. "Players typically hate the sleeved jerseys but guys actually seem to like our Christmas Day jerseys." "Similar to the Spurs alternate it's all Red with a rockets "R" logo in the center and the sleeves and shorts have Black and Silver trim." Naturally I then asked so is the organization interested in rebranding at all? It seems like an opportune time and our current branding seems a bit outdated. "Believe it or not, most players actually really do like these uniforms.. However Les, and the advertisement department strongly desires a rebrand.. They know that there is a lot of money to be made that way, and actually tried to last year. The problem is Adidas, they do not allow a lot of changes that the Rockets want on the uniforms. They are working on a happy medium that fits the teams wants and Adidas's wants.. Everyone has to make money" For fun I asked about Faried and Durant.. "Manimal? No way in hell.. Haven't heard any talks about him, Denver would want too much.." "We will compete for Durant, our name will be mentioned a lot, obviously a lot will hinge on our ability to make cap for him.. But don't underestimate the power of good friendships in the NBA.."
So... If all we like Anderson and they like Asik, then why haven both teams pulled the trigger yet? My personal opinion: I like Ryan Anderson's game-- great shooter AND a high level offensive rebounder. Interesting combo. But I'd like to see if Casspi can be a fair enough knockoff version of Anderson first before giving up Asik for him. As for the uniform: Just change the shoulders and I'll be fine. The shoulders look ridiculous.
The only thing I really take from this conversation is that worst case scenario (kind of like worst case scenario was a draft pick for TRob), we are getting Ryan Anderson without giving anything unexpected.
Yes, our defense stinks as soon as Asik went to bench last year. Only trade asik in a package that nets you an all star.
I think it is clear that Morey has other prospects much higher on his list and wants to see how the season progresses so he can match the needs of whichever team that player is on. Let's say Dallas stinks it up. I know Dirk is loyal, but he showed strong interest in Dwight coming over to Dallas and even SAID he would play for VET's minimum. The only thing stopping this from happening is Cuban, not Dirk. But, what better way to lose games and make a star player angry than have Ellis on your team? Dirk would be the perfect fit for us (and likewise) and would not stop our ability to get Durant in the future.
I think you hit the nail on the head, Anderson is great. However, the league REALLY undervalues Omer Asik, if he was marketable and got a lot of the recognition he deserved last year, teams would be drooling at the opportunity to make a move for him.. I think a deal JUST for Anderson would be a little underwhelming considering Asik was one of the best big men in the league last year. PERSONAL OPINION: If we were to go for Anderson I think it will be in 3 team deal, so that we have the opportunity to get a least a little more in return for a guy who averaged a Double-Double last season.
Jeff Green would be interesting, but I don't think he's the answer at the PF position. He's too much like a more polished Terrence Jones. Their skillsets as tweeners are fairly similar. Anderson would be cool, but I'd rather just keep Asik till someone falls out of contention and gets desperate.
Because we needed to experiment with the Twin Towers. Who knows, what if it turns out greater than Anderson/Howard combo? So why pull the trigger in such a hurry while robbing our rights to experiment?
If true then what is the possibility that Anderson's summer issues are too concerning to pull the trigger (and what a lousy metaphor) until it is evident all is well with the player's head?
These are always fun. Can't believe you didn't as about Asik's place on the team or the Beverley/Lin debate.
Believe me I had MILLIONS of questions, earning the right to be heard right now.. I'll keep you guys updated on anything I hear.
My dream too for LMA! I also prefer LMA over Love. Two areas of need which Love can not fulfill: 1. He will perfect our our offense with his mid-range game. If he is option #2-3 on a team, he will be even deadlier from mid-range. 2. Back up center role. You can stack Dwight and Aldridge's minutes at 5, like we do with Asik.
Love is a FAR superior player to overrated LMA. It's not even close honestly. You're talking about the ~30th best player in the league compared to the ~10th best.
