Daryl Morey said on the radio something that really shocked me. If the Rockets made the playoffs this year, they would be the 5th youngest team to do so since the NBA merger. It really puts things in perspective about this team. No longer are we the mediocre older team that can't get over the hump with no star players. We are now a very talented young team that has a star to build around with some great role players in place, with a lot of cap room moving forward.

I don't see us making a big splashy trade any time soon, considering that we don't really have any big tradable assets to move (like Kevin Martin's expiring contract). I've played around with the trade machine enough to know that no trade that would significantly improve this team can realistically be done without sacrificing our young core that we probably won't touch.

I don't see us signing Dwight Howard this offseason, even if he shirks LA. Just never get the feeling he's that interested in us. Atlanta was the team that's rumored that he'd like to sign with a while ago that had the space to get him, but I don't know if that's true anymore.

I think the most likely thing is that we'll pursue an offensive-minded post player free agent like Josh Smith, Al Jefferson, and Paul Millsap. The one who seems most like a moneyball player and the person I'll stick my neck out for is Paul Millsap. You could mask his size deficiencies by pairing him with Asik and Parsons and he would be the dynamite low post scorer that the Rockets are currently lacking. Millsap is 5th in PER for PF at just above 20 and is also 5th in Estimated Wins Added with 5.9. I haven't watched Millsap enough to know if he'd be a good pick and roll partner with Lin and Harden, but that's something that's sorely needed on this team.

Getting back to estimated wins added, that just goes to show how frustrating this whole thing is. Getting Millsap would be a good deal for the Rockets and would make them better. According ot the EWA stat, by plugging Millsap in for Morris/Patterson, we'd be about 4 games better. That probably puts us in 4th/5th seed territory. Then what do you do? Hope that Lin finds the aggressiveness and mid range shot that made him a star in NY and that Asik continues to develop his offensive game to where he becomes a player other centers can't cheat off of?

FWIW, Harden is 4th in the league EWA with 10.7. Pretty nice pickup, even if he doesn't score 40 points a night.

I didn't want to be the guy to start a trade machine thread. But I'm glad you did.

Here's what we can do!
http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=b9nr4na

Haha, well I hope that the Seattle ownership group wants to clean house before bringing in the Kings/Sonics, then! I would honestly love to have Demarcus Cousins.

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Haha, well I hope that the Seattle ownership group wants to clean house before bringing in the Kings/Sonics, then! I would honestly love to have Demarcus Cousins.

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Big-time risk/reward with Cousins...he's a very talented knucklehead, and knucklehead may be generous. Maybe he'd keep his head screwed on straight when he's on a team with some promise, but it's hard to imagine a team with Cousins and Royce White on it...that could drive a coach nuts.

Royce white will never play any significant minutes in an nba game

I almost started this same thread yesterday. I agree that the only area of need is at the "asset" position (PF). Also, isn't ironic that this is the main position of need considering how many we've drafted?

In my opinion, as the Rockets are currently constructed, their equilibrium point is about the 6-8th seed in the West, and over the course of the next 3 years, if everything stays intact, Lin, Harden, and Asik will really start playing well with one another and they will be a solid playoff team in the 5-6th seed range.

So, I agree that adding talent at the PF could improve them to the 4-5th seed range. I'm hoping that D-Mo will find his role in the next year or so, that way we can build from within, but adding someone like Millsap would be valuable.

Beyond that, I think it's going to take several lucky breaks in the playoffs to get to the Finals (i.e. Harden going bonkers for 2 weeks in the playoffs and averaging 40 points, or Lin recapturing Linsanity, or the Spurs and Thunder getting bounced out early).

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Haha, well I hope that the Seattle ownership group wants to clean house before bringing in the Kings/Sonics, then! I would honestly love to have Demarcus Cousins.

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THIS.

Harden and Milsap don't place nice together. Plus Milsap isn't that good.

Hopefully Portland tanks. LaMarcus Aldridge is the guy I want. He's still on the right side of 30 and averages just under 21 & 9. And he's got another 2 years on his current deal. We get him and I think we are a real contender.

I really don't see him becoming available.

I like the young group we have. These guys are all young and still have some upside. But more importantly, they have even more upside as a team. Almost all of our team, minus Parsons and Patterson, are new here and have never played together. In addition, to Lin, Harden and Asik, I think Parsons is equally a big part of our future.

I believe our two greatest weaknesses is the PF position and depth. I like Patterson, but he is undersized and not a great post-scorer. He would be a great guy to bring off the bench for 20 mins a night. Marcus Morris can play the 4 or the 3, but he is undersized at the 4. Morris is another guy I like as one of your top 2 or 3 off the bench, but only playing the PF position as a stretch 4 when the match-up is right. I like the Terrence Jones and D-Mo, but they are a long away away from realizing their potential.

With that said, do we go out and sign a Tier 2 PF like a Millsap? Or do we wait for a Big-time FA? Or do we hope to allow the team to develop and grow, hoping to improve each season, because we believe that Jones or DMo is the answer, while continuing to improve the bench?

I think PG is a position we need to address again in the next few years. I just can't see Lin being the best option.

Kyle Lowry and Goran Dragic both developed as Rockets quite nicely, so I hope lin does the same. He's just a lot more effective when he has the ball all the time running pick and rolls and a LOT less effeftive off the ball playing next to another star. With Harden on the team, Lin does have to develop his off the ball game

cousins is averaging 17/10 this year which is impressive..... but would he end up punching out asik at some point in the season just because the poor oaf tripped in the game and stumbled into cousins thus rubbing his sweaty turkish armpit on his face

Paul Millsap is a great complimentary player in the right situation, but doesn't Houston already have a ton of undersized outside/inside PFs?

Halfway through his third season, Cousins has already been suspended 4-5 times (3 this season alone), demanded to be traded, and gotten a coach fired. Supremely talented (although Duncan put him in his place earlier this season, leading to one of Cousins' suspensions), but a headcase. If he ever grows up like Zach Randolph did, some team is going to hit the lottery, but it hasn't happened yet.

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cousins is averaging 17/10 this year which is impressive..... but would he end up punching out asik at some point in the season just because the poor oaf tripped in the game and stumbled into cousins thus rubbing his sweaty turkish armpit on his face

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I like Asik, but I would be completely okay with this. Cousins is a young kid from Alabama with some definite maturity issues. But he's playing in a city that's probably more cowtown than any place in Alabama with ownership that has been shopping the team for the last 8-9 years. No coaching staff worth mentioning nor vets worth playing with.

If he played in Boston or San Antonio, this guy would be in the MVP conversation. Not exaggerating. Aside from Pau Gasol and Zach Randolph, he's probably the most talented big man on the offensive side of the ball. His upside is limitless.

I would be thrilled if the Rockets got him. If we could handle Artest, DaMarcus Cousins is a walk in the park.

You don't "handle" Artest, you hold your breath and hope the coin doesn't come up tails until he has moved on to someone else's team.

For a 10-day contract, you "handle" somebody. For an entire season(s)? You don't deal with someone for an entire season hoping that you get an optimal version of them. That kind of tenure requires good coaching, good teammates, and a good environment. All of which the Rockets gave Artest. You could see it in W/L column, you could see it in the chemistry (especially when McGrady was out), and you could see it in his effect on other players. Scola came in as a seasoned professional his rookie year. I had never seen him play with as much aggression and effort (keep in mind Luis Scola is a player characterized by his effort) as he did when Artest was here.

We just couldn't keep him. Instead we got Trevor Ariza.

josh smith will be a free agent this summer

sign his ass, morey

I want Cousins too. Charles Barkley need to talk to him and let him know he's is going to be the best big man in the NBA if he get's his attitude right.

Smith's FG% went from 50%, to 48%, to 46%, to 45%. I don't like the way he's trending when he's supposed to be in the peak of his career at 28.

I don't think he's worth a max deal which he'll likely require to get him here.

as a jumpshooting PF, i'll take him

Josh smith is anti money ball

D-mo is going to be a good one.

Supposedly Dwight likes Houston more now that we have Harden. I think he is priority #1, Josh Smith #2. Smith scares me though. He's an upgrade and fits the roster pretty well, but not sure he'll be worth the money. Regardless of which one we get, we need to use the remaining players to trade for an upgrade to one of the other positions. I don't think upgrading one position will cut it.

I think Patterson is coming into his own. He's playing very well.

He's not a jumpshooting PF.
I expect him to be a rocket before the deadline. Patterson and more for J-Smoove. If we can't get a deal done, we will either trade for a Utah big or sign one of em in the offseason.

Word is Josh Smith is going to stay in Atlanta and recruit Dwight to play in his hometown.

Where did you hear that? Everything I've read is that Atlanta is going to trade him after he rejected the extension they offered. Atlanta might be hoping Josh will attract Dwight though (it won't).

Whatever team gets Josh will not win a championship. He is veerrrryyy overrated for the kind of money he will be getting. There is no way he is a 1, and I don't think he is even a 2. If he is your third best player, then you can start talking.

I think of him as a Shawn Marion type. He is a good player, but not a go to guy.

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Where have you guys heard that Dwight now likes Houston? I've only ever heard of Dallas and New Jersey on Dwight's preferred list.

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That was before Houston got Harden. Allegedly he likes Houston more now because of that. Not sure how the numbers look, but I bet he stays in LA to get that 5th year on the contract. Atlanta, Houston, and Dallas are expected to be the three teams pursuing him. New Jersey can't afford him.