Rumor Mill in Full Swing
With the economy still struggling, GMs and coaches alike are on short leashes in terms of owners’ tolerance of losing. The most successful of teams historically in the department of ticket sales are struggling with the best of them. Teams that haven’t had the need to have give-a-ways or any other promotions to attract fans are scrambling around trying to do anything and everything to get fans in the stands. Needless to say it comes as no surprise that many owners could go on their very own ‘firesales’ if their respective clubs do not turn the tide with their losing ways.
Teams that could see major roster overhauls include the Washington Wizards, Philadelphia 76ers and Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls. Furthermore the Nuggets have said that the only untouchables are Melo and Billups. The Jazz have said that Deron Williams is the only player they are unwilling to deal away.
So what does this mean for the Rockets? There are deals to be had. 
The Rockets have a nice piece to trade away in Tracy McGrady. It has been well-noted that McGrady will not be playing in a Rockets uniform when the dust settles (unless it’s for 8 minutes or less that is). The Rockets are in a unique position for a couple reasons. Most of the time, expiring contracts that are traded away are of players that are mediocre and overpaid or past their primes and still riding contracts earned for previous seasons. McGrady has all the value of being a huge expiring but also is arguably still an elite talent in this league.
Another factor that must be considered is that the Rockets are in the midst of making a playoff run without Yao Ming but in theory, will have the big guy back next season. Historically speaking, it is difficult to make any noise in the playoffs without having a post presence. The Rockets really don’t have a true center on the roster. I don’t want to take anything away from the effort that Landry and Hayes give or Scola’s ability that he has demonstrated to hold his own. Nevertheless, to say that this team, as currently constructed, could go toe to toe in a seven game series with the likes of the Lakers, Mavericks, Nuggets, and Spurs would be ridiculous.
That being said, should the Rockets look to deal for a big man to roll with heading into the playoffs or should they just stand pat and know that Yao will be back next season?
My opinion: They should somehow get a serviceable big man back in the McGrady deal or a supplemental ripple effect trade that follows the trading away of McGrady. The big will be replaced with Yao next season and will come off the bench as a back-up. In the meantime, the big man can start and give the Rockets a fighting chance in the present.
In an interview with Chris Broussard on ESPN’s NBA FastBreak, Broussard alluded to a deal with the Wizards that would be along the lines of Mike Miller, Randy Foye, and Caron Butler for Tracy McGrady.
The Rockets recently released Mike Harris before the deadline in which his contract would have become guaranteed for the remainder of the season. That leaves the Rockets with a roster of fourteen currently.
A deal the Rockets should look into would be to include either Brendan Haywood or Fabricio Oberto into the deal. I would lean toward Fabricio Oberto because he’s accustom to playing back-up, he’s played with Luis Scola for years, and the Wizards would probably be less reluctant to part with him seeing as he’s the third string center and rarely sees much playing time.
The deal would end up looking something like Tracy McGrady, Brian Cook, and Chuck Hayes for Caron Butler, Mike Miller, Fabricio Oberto, and Randy Foye.
This move would fill in many of the gaps for the Houston Rockets. Caron Butler has the ability (when committed) to be an elite defender in this league. He also has polished his offensive game throughout the years and has become a more-than-capable scorer. Butler is a two-way player that can also handle the ball enough to run some point. This would allow Brooks to be utilized more as the pure shooter that he is.
Mike Miller is a very good rebounder from the SG/SF position. He historically finishes among the top ten in rebounding as a SG/SF, and is an underrated passer as well. Miller is lethal from long range but again, would offer the flexibility of running the half-court offense and allowing Brooks to play to his strengths (catching and shooting).
Randy Foye has shown that he can be a very solid contributor. A three-headed monster between Brooks, Lowry and Foye would be an impressive guard rotation. Furthermore, at a legitimate 6-4, Foye would give the Rockets more flexibility to use 2-guard line-ups without being exposed too much defensively. As effective as the Brooks-Lowry tandem has been in certain games thus far this season, there have been others where it has just been a disaster due simply to their lack of size. Having a 6-4 Foye to throw into the mix and run some point would do wonders for this team.
Lastly, Oberto would be a great addition to this team because he’s a seasoned veteran that knows how to win. He played several seasons with the Spurs both as a back-up and starter but no matter what his role was, he was a solid contributor when he was in the game. The familiarity between Scola and Oberto would likely shorten the learning curve and would allow for Oberto to get acclimated into the system much more quickly since the two are used to playing opposite one another on the Argentinean team. When Yao gets back next season, Oberto would simply shift to the bench.
The additions of these four players would really bolster the bench of this Rockets team and not only would they be able to compete this season, but they would set themselves up nicely to be a contender once Yao returns next season. Is this trade likely to happen? No, but hopefully reading this article will give you a bit more insight as to just how many different variables there are to consider when the Rockets look to deal McGrady.
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