Houston looking at Jefferson?

[dunkonu21]

http://www.thedreamshake.com/2010/4/27/ ... -jefferson
http://www.red94.net/houston-rockets-al-jefferson/1896/


this guy bringing it up somehow has the net buzzing.

[AQuintus]

Reading through some of the posts in those blogs, I have to say that Rocket fan's do lead some pretty interesting fantasy lives.

[LordBaldric]

For what?

[Klomp]

My guess is one of Ariza or Martin as the centerpiece. Based on Kahn's stated opinion of Martin's contract in the past, it would likely be Ariza. He does have triangle experience, which is helpful. He is signed to a longterm MLE deal, about half the salary of Al's.

[Foye]

That should be a three-way trade. I don't think I'd want to swap Jefferson for Ariza

[shangrila]

Maybe a back up to a Bosh deal. If I had to pick I'd like Battier and one of Hill or Budinger, or both.

[Calinks]

If I am trading Al I am looking for something a hell of a lot more enticing than Ariza. I can see why the Rockets want him though, they can appreciate how he balls all over Yao's dome every game we play them.

[cpfsf]

I like Budinger, Hill, and all those draft picks. I would consider trading Kevin Love to the Rockets just to keep our options open

[slinky]

We need to understand that Jefferson doesnt have quite the value he used to. So any deal probably isnt going to bring back what we want him to be worth. But I think the below deal is part salary dump/part asset pick up.

Jefferson
#23

for

Ariza
Jeffries
#14
2011 or 2012 Knicks pick

I dont like the length of Ariza's deal, but I like him as a player and fit with Rambis. We take on Jeffries for 1 year, he essentially replaces Gomes spot on the roster, and than we move up 9 spots in the 1st round. Plus we get a future NYK 1st pick, which will be very valuable when they add Joe Johnson and David Lee next summer, and thats it.

Now I am not sure this is better than the DET deal for Prince/#7, but I also like the fact that we are adding a guy for the long term. Maybe that guy shouldnt be Ariza, but at some point I think we need some continuity from year to year and we need to stop turning over our roster every year. Even if we added Ariza in this deal we would be looking at 20-25mil in cap space in the 2011 offseason. Not sure how much more cap space we need when our roster looks like this...

Rubio/Flynn
Turner/Ellington/#16
Ariza/Brewer/#16
Love/Pekovic/#14
Darko/Pekovic/#14

[shangrila]

Even if Al's value has gone down it doesn't mean the team has to accept anything they're offered. If you got a deal like that, I'd rather keep him and push a Love trade harder.

[karch34]

Agree with Slinky that we're not going to get what we feel is full value for Al in a trade. the trade you listed isn't terrible, but I prefer Prince & #7 and others more than an Ariza deal. Mainly because I'd rather have the expiring than Ariza and the #7 this year vs what might or might not be a good pick from the Knicks.

Don't dislike Ariza, but I don't view him as anything more than a 4th/5th option at best.

[C.lupus]

Even if Al's value has gone down it doesn't mean the team has to accept anything they're offered. If you got a deal like that, I'd rather keep him and push a Love trade harder.

Exactly. There is no reason for the Wolves to take that offer. If that's the best offer, just keep Al and Darko together as your frontcourt and pursue a Love for #3 or4 trade (which I would probably prefer anyway).

[PeeDee]

If we're not getting fair value, we shouldn't trade him. It's pretty much a forgone conclusion that, barring injury, he's going to increase his value in the 10-11 season. Better on court production, better teammates, shorter contract = more value.

DON'T TRADE HIM FOR PEANUTS. It's that simple. You will regret it.

[Krapinsky]

I don't see a fair deal between the teams. We want to package for better players, not break down for multiple pieces.

[southern wolf]

If Al was going to be traded for a wing player, i'd want him to be able to shoot the ball. Ariza's not the answer there. I like Battier, but he'll be 32 before the start of next season. Brooks is great, but I don't think Al will be shipped out for another point guard. That leaves one man...

[shrink]

I don't see how HOU provides enough value, considering Al's elite rebounding and low-post scoring.

However, Rockets GM Daryl Morey has impressed me in the huge rewards he was able to get in the past, most recently the McGrady trade. He's been amazing in his ability to get every possible bit of value from his assets by sending them to the specific teams that desperately require what he has to offer -- and we do have some desperate needs.

Anyway, I would normally say that Jefferson in a rockets uniform won't happen, but with Morey, let me downgrade and say I would be surprised by it.

[Varejao17]

Even not in his best days Big Al is way more valuable than this...

[PeeDee]

Even not in his best days Big Al is way more valuable than this...

Than what?

[slinky]

I don't see how HOU provides enough value, considering Al's elite rebounding and low-post scoring

Agreed, but right now Al is not an elite rebounder or low post scorer. As I have said on the trade boards, there is a difference in what we expect him to be and what he is currently. I am confident Jefferson can regain his game. I have defended him alot, and i think with a little rest he will be back to normal next year. He has a good size contract, he has some injury 'concerns', he lacks a bit defensively, and his offense struggled this year. Obviously we know it had to do with recovering from injury, and he should have more value than that, but I just dont think we can overlook all those concerns and base trades on what we think he should be worth.

So I ask, is Jefferson the right fit for this offense? I personally am not sure. I would like to believe that once we get better talent in here that Rambis will mold his philosophies around the team's strengths and having a great low-post scorer would be invaluable...but if the offense stays as is I think Love is a much better fit than Jefferson.

And thats why I dont believe the argument of Jefferson's value is low, so that means we need to trade Love because he brings back more value. If (the) Love fits, than we rock with him. But if we conclude that neither fits, than we get rid of both of them. Love because he brings back good value and Jefferson because 42million over the next 3 years, is a lot for us to spend on someone who doesnt fit the team's philosophy.

I wouldnt do the HOU team deal either, but thats the best I could come up with, but I also dont think Jefferson's value right now is as high as we might want it to be. I like the DET deal better, and I dont like the length of Ariza's contract, but given what I see Jefferson's value as and what the rockets have to work with...that was the best i could find.

[Calinks]

The way I see it if I am going to move Big Al I want to do it for something close to what I believe is fair value. I am not trading away a 20 and !! player with excellent low post moves for a couple of role players. The wolves are not currently strapped for salary or looking to bring in a mega free agent. I would rather wait until Al bounces back this fall and trade him at the deadline or if need be, next off season. Al's value is low right now be we know he is a valuable player. If we are going to move him, let's wait until the market is ripe for selling.