What kind of deal from the Rockets would it take to pry CPIII and Okafor from New Orleans?

Really think that bringing Okafor in gives depth at the 4/5 and Paul gives us a PG with more size and all around ability.

You think adding Okafor and CPIII would be an improvement?

That's some deep analysis.

You are going to have to do something ridiculous. Remember that NO and Houston are in the same division. You generally don't want to be on the losing end of the talent side of a deal with a division rival.

You are probably looking at something like:

Yao
Battier
Brooks
Hill
Knicks Picks

for

Okefor
Paul
Posey

That would give the Rockets:
Okefor/Andersen/Hayes
Scola/Jefferies/Patterson
Ariza/Posey
Martin/Budinger
Paul/Lowery

Give the Hornets:
Yao/Brackins
West/Songaila
Wright/Peja/Pondexter
Battier/Thornton
Collison/Brooks

Knicks Picks
Probably $3mm

New Orleans would also have the Bird rights to Yao, Battier and Brooks and only have Pondexter, Brackins, Wright, Collison and West under contract (well, team options on Wright and Collison.) Plus the two decent picks next year (their own and the Knicks.)

They would have enough cap room for ~2 max FAs.

[This message has been edited by Guitarsoup (edited 7/13/2010 12:42p).]

quote:

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Paul gives us a PG with more size and all around ability

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I agree. He'd be an all-around great backup for Aaron Brooks.

quote:

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Yao
Battier
Brooks
Hill
Knicks Picks

for

Okefor
Paul
Posey

---

LO ****ing L

Your basketball knowledge and insight just keeps getting better.

Yeah, what do you think it would take for NO to move Paul to a division rival? Enlighten me, smart guy.

GS, I know you tend to know things, but even YOU should know that the Rockets would never trade Yao, and it wouldn't take Yao to get CP3.

That said, it would take a bunch of other young assets (Patterson, Knicks Picks, Brooks, Bud, Hill, etc).

But even YOU know it wouldn't take Yao.

I didn't say what Morey would give up. I said was NO would demand.

NO has a team that can probably win 40-50 games. That puts them in the hunt for the playoffs and they aren't paying luxury tax. Unless you give them a ridiculous deal or CP3 forces their hand, they aren't going to move him, especially to a division rival.

quote:

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But even YOU know it wouldn't take Yao.

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It would because CP3 isn't going to be dumped without Okefor and Posey. If they lose their only star, they are immediately in rebuild mode. So they want to cut salary, get picks and young talent.

Yao is the only big salary on the Rockets, so to get the big salaries of Okefor/Paul/Posey, he is going to have to be included. They don't have the giant TMac salary anymore.

TO make salaries work, you could do:
Ariza
Martin
Brooks
Jefferies
Hill

Would you really want to do that?
Leaves you with
Yao/Okefor/Andersen/Hayes
Scola/Patterson
Battier
Buddinger
CP3/Lowery

Leaves NO with:
Songala
West/Hill/Jefferies
Ariza/Wright/Peja
Martin/Thornton/Head
Brooks/Collison

That's ugly for both teams.

soup is right...

new orleans is under no real pressure to trade paul and would likely have crazy demands to do so.

and i've never heard anyone talk about "prying" okafor from them. the talk i usually hear is more like "if you want paul, you have to take okafor and his 4yrs left at stupid money."

so i can't imagine morey would give up good players and cripple himself with okafor's contract just for 2yrs of chris paul before he leaves for NY.

i could MAYBE understand that for a team that adding chris paul would really put them over the hump, but i don't know how many teams would qualify for that after giving up what NO is likely to demand.