Season Low Point?
As of right now, the Rockets currently are on the outside looking in. They are sitting half a game out of the playoff hunt behind the Phoenix Suns for the eighth and final playoff spot in the west. The Rockets have trudged through the month as they have gone 4-7 thus far in January. I realize that it’s only mid-season right now and the playoffs don’t start until the end of April, but the recent woes beg the question “Is it time to get some help?” The answer is yes.
The best way to get help is by trading Tracy McGrady. He currently isn’t doing anything for the Rockets other then collecting paychecks and not playing any basketball in the mean time. You could say that currently, he’s about as useful as Erick Dampier in a non-contract year.
It’s debatable how much value he has beyond the scope of his huge expiring contract. Teams like the 76ers, the Heat, even the Bulls have claimed some interest simply because of the enormous salary relief that would result from such a deal. So now that a market has been established and there is certainly a cluster of organizations interested in acquiring McGrady the question becomes “Where can the Rockets get the best bang for their buck?” In my opinion, the list should start with the Chicago Bulls.
A trade of intrigue would be if the Bulls could send Brad Miller and Luol Dang to the Rockets for Tracy McGrady. The salaries match up, such a move would allow the Bulls to be a bigger player in this summer’s free agent class, and it would allow the Rockets to upgrade their personnel. The Rockets’ frontcourt would benefit through the added size and a little bit of shooting at center that Brad Miller would inject. Luol Deng is a player who is still tapping into his potential and although he’d be a long-term commitment contractually, he’s a two-way, team player who is alright with playing within the scope of a team. If I were the Rockets’ GM and this deal were on the table, I’d pull the trigger.
While on the subject of the Bulls, another point to make note of is that the Bulls recently parted with Aaron Gray in exchange for Devin Brown. Although the deal may seem insignificant, the implications that follow are what interest me as a Rockets fan.
Here is an excerpt from a blog from the Daily Herald in Chicago
By trading center Aaron Gray to New Orleans for veteran guard Devin Brown on Monday, the Bulls are clearly hoping to move John Salmons or Kirk Hinrich before the Feb. 18 trade deadline.
The idea is to trade one of those guards for an expiring contract and create even more cap room to pursue free agents this summer. Such a deal won’t be easy, because few teams are willing to take on add salary to their payrolls right now, two sources confirmed.
That being said, with both Hinrich and Salmons being available at pennies on the dollar, I think dealing with the Bulls becomes that more attractive. Furthermore, as a GM, Daryl Morey would be foolish not to explore this option further.
Regardless of what deal the Rockets make, if they want any chance at making a playoff run this season, they need to have a big man heading back to H-Town. Just because you have a team who works hard and hustles on every play isn’t enough in this day and age in the NBA. Those things help and will certainly be extremely valuable come next season when Yao Ming is back. Nevertheless, I think we can all agree that the status quo needs to change. Complacency is a good team’s worst enemy and something needs to happen in order to give this grinding Rockets team a chance, a realy fighting chance, come playoff time.
As a unit they pushed the Lakers last season to a game 7 even after Yao went down to injury. So clearly the talent and roles are there, all they need now is that difference maker. Stay tuned Red Nation…
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