Courtney Lee

The Rockets traded Trevor Ariza for Courtney Lee. There were two other teams and other players involved, but that's what it came down to for the Rockets. Smart move? Yes.

Lee is a role player in the mold of Ariza, but with more upside. Ariza proved last season that he cannot carry a team, but was being paid as a star at over $6 million per season. Lee makes only $1.3 mil and is almost as good as Ariza already. The Rockets also got a $6 million trade exception and Les Alexander has already given Daryl Morey the green light to spend it. Let's face it - championships are won with money, and this gives Morey some flexibility.

As does Ariza, Courtney has his flaws. He does not score well off the dribble and as Martin's backup, he will be called on to do that. Lee shoots 83% from the line, so I'm sure Adelman will be working with him to get him there more often. He is a good set-shooter and can hit the three, especially when the defense collapses on a driving Brooks or sags down on Yao and Scola. Mostly, though, Courtney Lee plays defense. Defense doesn't pay as well, but it wins games.

So the gameplan looks like this. Start Martin and Battier. Offense and defense. Bring in subs Lee and Budinger. Defense and offense. As long as you have both roles on the floor, you can always shut down an opposing scorer.

Ariza is a good player, but he is a luxury. An all-around player that specializes in defense is a boon to an already great team, as he was to the Lakers. But he is not a go-to guy and therefore not worth $6 mil. Good decision, Daryl.

Is This The Team?

Barring a trade, the team looks like this:

Point guard: Kyle Lowry, Aaron Brooks
Shooting guard: Kevin Martin, Jermaine Taylor
Guard/Forward: Trevor Ariza, Shane Battier
Small Forward: Chase Budinger, Mike Harris
Power Forward: Jordan Hill, Alexander Johnson, Patrick Patterson, Jared Jeffries
Forward/Center: Luis Scola, Chuck Hayes, Brad Miller
Center: Yao Ming, David Andersen

That's two players too many. Alexander Johnson is a long shot to make the team at a crowded position, so that leaves one more that has to go. Jermaine Taylor has talent, but doesn't seem to want to play within a system. He scores points, but the team is not better with him in the game. Jared Jeffries is a journeyman with a star's contract. That makes him hard to move and even harder to eat his contract and waive him. Rookie Patrick Patterson has a promising future and there is no way Morey would give up on him before at least two seasons have passed. David Andersen served his purpose last season as a stopgap for Yao, but he will never be an elite center in the NBA. With five players that can play center, David may be the odd man out.

Is the Rockets' core roster set now? Most all the free agents have signed with other teams. Are there any deals out there that could be made? Sure. Everyone is always looking to make a move. With this team, assuming Yao plays significant minutes, the Rockets will make the playoffs. They will even get to at least the second round. But this is not a championship team. Yet.

Welcome Brad!

The Rockets signed Brad Miller to a three year deal to back up Yao Ming at center. Was this a good signing? Absolutely! Miller was one of two centers that I would have been glad to see coming. The other was Zdrunas Ilgauskas. Both are in the last few years of a serviceable career and can still be productive either as starters or back-ups. Shaq would have been fun to watch, but he would cost way too much and does not have the work ethic to fit into this group of over-achievers.

Brad had his best years in Sacramento under Rockets head coach Rick Adelman. In Adelman's high post offense, Miller averaged about 20% higher than his career numbers in every category. Coach and player got along beautifully and remain friends. This was a good choice and bodes well for the next few years. Good job, Rick and Daryl.

Cheat Codes

LeBron, Dwyane and Chris decided that leading a good team to greatness was too tough. So they chose to go online, search for the hacker cheat codes and enable "God mode." Rather than accepting the challenge of winning fair and square, they instead just lowered the bar and made winning easier.

This is exactly what the salary cap was designed to prevent, but there are so many loopholes, exceptions and back-door deals, that if you have enough good lawyers and accountants, a way can be found to stack the deck. Let's hope Mark Cuban can convince the rest of the owners to amend the collective bargaining agreement to make it impossible to buy a championship.

I certainly don't blame Pat Riley or the Heat ownership for trying to get the best team they can, but my opinion of the players involved has gone down a bit this week.

Bosh to Miami

Chris Bosh announced today that he will team up with Dwyane Wade in Miami. Nice try, Daryl. You can't win 'em all.

Now what? Who's left of the free agents that could help the Rockets? LeBron? Ain't happening. The reasons are irrelevant at this point. He would be perfect for Houston, but then again he would be perfect for almost everybody. Nowitzki is staying in Dallas. Johnson is staying in Atlanta. Stoudemire is going to New York. Boozer agreed to terms with Chicago today. Gay is staying in Memphis.

The rest are second tier players, some of which could help the Rockets, but none of which will set the world on fire. Udonis Haslem may want out of Miami now that Bosh is coming, but the Rockets already have Battier at that position. David Lee is a fine, underappreciated player that could make a great backup for Yao, but it's unlikely he will want to go to a team that won't promise to make him a starter. Wouldn't it be fun if Shaq would come here to back up Yao? He's available, and if the Cavs re-sign LeBron, they may not be able to afford Shaq, assuming they still want him.

Hang in there, Daryl. You're going to have to do it with role players again. Pick a couple that will bust their ass for the team and I'll stick by you.

It's On!

Free agency began at 11:00 PM last night and the jockeying for most of the greatest players in the game begins today. Daryl Morey has already visited with Chris Bosh in Dallas to let him know that the Rockets are more than interested in his services (like Bosh did not already know that). I love Bosh as a player, I just hate to see Luis Scola coming off the bench. In a sign and trade deal, the Rockets will have to give up 20-something million dollars in salaries to get Bosh and I fear that much money may come from areas that will leave them very strong at power forward, but weak at other positions. Unless, of course, Scola is a part of that trade. I would hate to see that because $ for $, Scola is a bargain and his salary will not scratch the surface in a trade for Bosh. If it was just a straight swap of Scola for Bosh, well, there would be no discussion. But it would be some combination of Scola, Ariza, Martin, Battier, Jeffries, Lowry, etc. totalling over $20 mil.

Have fun Daryl, but be careful. Don't give away the ranch to sell some season tickets.

The New Guy

Patrick Patterson was selected by the Rockets with the last lottery pick in this year's draft. He is a big, tough power forward from Kentucky that should be able to earn some playing time sooner or later. The Rockets' brass keeps saying how well he fits into the Rockets' "locker room", meaning that his attitude is good and he works and plays well with others. Team chemistry is important of course, but why did they choose another player at what is probably their deepest position? Luis Scola, Jordan Hill and Chuck Hayes are already stacked up there.

The answer would seem to be that they are covering themselves in case Scola bolts in free agency, but Daryl Morey has stated categorically that Luis will be back. Perhaps the team has decided that the Knicks were right about Hill when they traded him halfway through his rookie season. Maybe Rick Adelman wants to use just Yao at center and back him up with Scola and Hayes. That would leave more time for Patterson, but put David Andersen on the bench. Then again, some coaches and GM's say that you just can't have too much talent at the big positions.

All of that assumes that Morey is jockeying to put together a team with the players at hand. The true story may come next Thursday when the free agent marketplace opens its doors. That's the real story of the coming season and may well determine the next champion.

It's time

I've missed this blog, but the way the team ended last season was frankly a little depressing, so I had to take some time off for the playoffs. But now draft time is upon us, so it's time to ramp up the site again. Let's talk BBall!

What should the Rockets do with the 14th pick? It's a pretty deep draft, so what would normally be a mediocre first round pick may end up being someone with enough talent to not just make a roster, but make a difference. But at number 14, that's hardly a given, just a possibility. There may even be a player or two that could fill a need.

So what are the Rockets' needs? Backup center heads the list. Yao may not be back to full strength for some time. There's not even a guarantee that he will be back at all, but indications are that he will be in camp ready to play at least part time. That leaves 25 minutes per game or more for a capable backup. Luis Scola filled the gaps admirably last year, but he is not a true center. David Andersen is a likeable journeyman, but will never be a star. They need another big man.

I'm not a huge fan of Kevin Martin. The team made its mark on the league last season by playing determined, gritty defense, at least up until "the trade." When Kevin came to town, his lack of defensive intensity seemed to make the other players surrender. Maybe that's too harsh, but that's just how it seemed to me. I wouldn't mind seeing Martin traded. The team could use another scoring guard.

The point is adequately manned with Aaron Brooks and Kyle Lowry. Power forward Luis Scola is a strength of the team. The combination of Battier/Ariza creates a defensive small forward that can shut down opponent's scoring forwards. If Yao is healthy, center is obviously under control. Projects Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill are still unknown factors that may prove to be fine investments in the future. So as I see it, the Rockets need to add a big and an SG.

All that said, none of it will happen, probably. This year is one giant wild card awaiting July 1 when almost all of the biggest names in the league will be free agents and can negotiate with other teams. The Rockets hope to be players in that arena. If so, the team will be shaken up in a huge way. It is likely that no one will be untouchable and whoever they draft will be an afterthought. OK, Daryl. Line 'em up and knock 'em down. I'm ready for changes.