Feigan: If Nene is plan A, what is plan B?

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We’ll assume, given the time constraints, the Rockets won’t be packing up a caravan of face painters in an effort to impress Nene.

 

It is not so much that the ploy failed last time, though the bandwagon did head to Florida when Chris Bosh was in Dallas. The idea was to get some attention for the pursuit of Bosh when no one seemed to be noticing. It did not have to accomplish much if it could do that. Maybe it did. It didn’t matter.

 

Daryl Morey did get his sit down with Bosh and Bosh later said he was impressed. We assume he liked the iPad, too. The Rockets could not, however, offer a chance to join The Heatles. Bosh went to Miami as if there never were a chance he would do anything else.

 

The interest in Nene seems similar, except that they would not offer Nene the max contract $17 million, even if they work out the salary cap manipulations necessary so that they could.

 

The results, however, will almost certainly be the same.

 

Nene is the Rockets’ top target. They probably won’t get him.

 

There is nothing wrong with trying to hit an unlikely home run. If anything, it would be wrong to not take a swing at it since the worst it would do is waste Morey’s time. The Rockets would seem able to make a good sales pitch. They can offer a chance to with one of the all-time low-post greats in Kevin McHale. And they might be the best team that could promise that no one else gets the ball in the low blocks when he is on the floor. He has never had that.

 

The Rockets are basically a mid-40-win caliber team. There are not a lot of those out there that don’t already have someone posting up. (Luis Scola does play with his back to the basket, but has shown in his time with Yao Ming that he can be at least as effective working around a big man inside.) There are of course better teams than the Rockets. Elsewhere, however, Nene would have to accept again playing a complementary role.

 

There’s nothing wrong with that. He might be fine with that. The best guess here, however, is that if he chooses to leave Denver, and he probably will, he will do it to hit the max-contract jackpot. He is probably not a max player, but someone (New Jersey?) will give him $70 million over four years. The NBA did not ban overspending in the long lockout negotiations. Someone will do it. Someone always does. And given the dearth of talented centers, maybe he can play at a level to make it a good deal, too.

 

All of that, however, will likely return us to the Bosh analogy. If the Rockets don’t get their top target, will they aim elsewhere?

 

Probably not, at least not in any way they can predict now. The other centers worth getting, Marc Gasol and DeAndre Jordan, are restricted free agents and are not going anywhere. The Samuel Dalembert types would not offer improvement significant enough to merit a multi-year deal that would cut into next summer’s spending room and would get better offers from teams ready to contend for something.

 

They might try another Bonzi Wells move, picking up someone left without a chair when the music stops at a huge discount. The stop gaps (Joel Przybilla, Jeff Foster) might help, but won’t change much or get anyone too excited. Beyond that, there is little motivation to make any move that would interfere with their cap room next summer, especially for a player that would not be considered a long-term asset. In that sort of circumstance, they might be better off playing the guys they’ve got, seeing what Hasheem Thabeet can be and keeping their first-round pick as a lottery team (along with the Knicks pick) if they don’t become something more significant.

 

The problem with that (unless they get lottery magic for one of the star big men likely in the next draft) is that if they remain a late-lottery team, they would not seem to have much buzz to attract the next star free agent. Sneak into the playoffs and win a few games and they could be viewed as a team on the rise. Stay stuck in neutral and all that cap space might not turn heads.

 

None of this sounds very encouraging, particularly with no apparent Plan B if Nene remains as out of reach as Bosh was. But Nene is not Plan A.

 

For five months general managers have been barred from talking to players there were allowed to talk to each other. Knowing that Nene is a longshot and with few other attractive enough free-agent options, it is a safe bet that Morey has been working the phones as if the trade deadline was approaching.

 

The Rockets have 12 players under contract (including their two with non-guaranteed deals.) They have three draft picks (including Donatas Motiejunas, who will almost certainly remain in Poland this season). They have a variety of ways to make deals.

 

Expect it. The odds of landing Nene might be small. A significant trade before Christmas is much more likely, say 50/50.

 

In the past year or two, Morey has chased trades for centers (Marcin Gortat, Tyson Chandler, Omer Asik) and full sized, physical small forwards (Gerald Wallace, Andre Iguodala.) He came close on Chandler and Wallace, not on Asik and Iguodala. It’s tough to predict trades, but given Morey’s long pursuit of Dwight Howard’s backup, he might keep up the chase of Joakim Noah’s. But if handicapping their chances, a trade seems much more likely than getting Nene this month or Dwight Howard next summer.

 

Even if they can’t get their first choice, there are other ways for Christmas to come Dec. 9.

 

http://blog.chron.com/nba/2011/11/if-nene-is-the-rockets-plan-a-whats-plan-b-they-likely-will-trade-for-it/

 

Rockets fans have been saying it since May, sign Nene or there the Rockets could once again be heading into the season without a 6'9 or taller center. The only other option is DeAndre Jordan but whether the Rockets have a chance at him depends how much the Clippers are willing him and that may require Houston to overpay unless they workout a sign and trade somehow.

 

Like Feigan suggests, a trade is probably the most realistic way we're going to get a quality center. The Rockets were treating the day before the lockout as a trade deadline and were working the phones though no deal came to fruition...yet. Its possible that the Rockets have worked out the framework of a few possible trade options, but we'll have to way and see for that.

[ChosenOne]

I love the idea of getting nene but the idea of him getting a max contract is completely rediclous. Honestly I would much rather prefer us saying our money if we aren't able to land Nene, Jordan or Gasol (only player I would max).

 

No other center Imo is worth a deal worth millions for multiple years. Might as well give our young guys like Paterson and Tabeet pt and try going small.

[Dash]

MarkBermanFox26 Mark Berman

Rocketa make contact with reps for a group of free agents including Nene and Chuck Hayes

 

And it begins!

[Dash]

Morey, however, had work to do. With teams permitted to speak with agents for the first time since the lockout began, he spoke to representatives of Nene, Tyson Chandler, DeAndre Jordan, Marc Gasol and Chuck Hayes, according to a person with knowledge of the discussions. Jordan and Gasol are restricted free agents.

 

http://www.chron.com/sports/rockets/article/Rockets-keeping-options-open-as-they-build-roster-2337106.php