Golden State reportedly offering Rockets trade

Hi all, I am Eyad Saqr, this is my first of many blog posts about the Houston Rockets on thesportsradio.com. I am a native Houstonian residing in DC, and the Rockets are my addiction. So, here we go...

Earlier today, Marc Stein reported on NBA TV that the Warriors have offered the Rockets a deal involving Anthony Randolph and Golden State's #6 pick in this year's draft in exchange for the rockets #14 pick this year, the rights to the Knicks 2012 1st rounder (top 5 protected), and possibly Chase Budinger or another young role player.

This story is still unofficial and I have yet to find another report confirming it, although there have been various rumblings in the past couple weeks about the Rockets moving up in the 2010 Draft, anywhere from the #3 pick to the #6 pick, as Yahoo! Sports and the Chron have suggested.

Apparently, Rockets GM and Cult Leader Daryl Morey has yet to pull the trigger on this deal in the hope that by July 1st the Rockets still have a legitimate chance at signing their number one target this summer, Chris Bosh.

Now obviously, Bosh is the goal, but this trade would not be a lousy consolation prize, but a great investment in the Rockets' future. Let's take a look at the possible outcome of such a trade:

Randolph + 2010 #6 Pick

FOR

2010 #14 Pick + 2012 New York 1st RD Pick + Budinger/Hill/Other (for the purposes of this assessment, let's assume Budinger is included, it is the most probable outcome anyway)

WIth the #6 pick, it would be far from a stretch for Daryl Morey to take Greg Monroe out of Georgetown. As a fellow Hoya, this is a scenario I daydream far too often about. Monroe was by far the best passing big man in the NCAA this year, he has run the Princeton offense for the past two years, which is very similar to the offense Adelman's Rockets run, especially for a big man (heavy Pete Newell influence in both offensive strategies). Monroe excels passing out of the high post, moving without the ball along the baseline, and passing to cutters from anywhere inside 15 feet. He would fit seemlessly in Adelman's offense, and his tall, long frame would give the Rockets' frontcourt some much needed length, youth, and athleticism.

Randolph is a pretty raw but talented player. He is the definition of "upside" and has the arrogance to show for it. Though I don't really like his cockiness and brash attitude, I think it would benefit the Rockets greatly. It would certainly make up for any lack of aggressiveness or attitude from Yao. Plus, I think on a team like the Rockets (very different than a team like the Warriors), I think Randolph's arrogance can be harnessed and used for the best, with experienced veterans like Yao, Chuck Hayes, and Shane Battier to keep him in check. He may end up being the second coming of Stromile Swift; but he could also (and more likely) be another Chris Bosh, Kevin Garnett-type. I like the potential here, especially with the athleticism and aggressiveness.

Losing Budinger would hurt, honestly he has tremendous room for growth and he is such a unique player. But the Rockets are stacked at SF, I don't think losing him will really hurt the team's cohesiveness, offensive output, and certainly not its defensive presence as Budinger was subpar on that side of the ball. The prospect of having a solidified, reinvigorated frontcourt simply outweighs, no question about it.

So, with Randolph and Monroe, the rotation would look something like this (obviously by the time preseason starts, the roster will look quite different after Morey has worked more magic):

Yao/Monroe/Hill

Scola/Randolph/Hill

Ariza/Battier

Martin/SG MLE Acquisition/Taylor

Brooks/Lowry

EXTRA PIECES THAT COULD BE USED TO GET THAT SG: Hayes, Jeffries, Anderson, 2011 Knicks 1st Rd Pick

That is a very solid lineup, and the bench would most definitely be the best in the league, with Lowry, Randolph, Battier, Monroe, and Hill as definite options.

A couple of final points regarding this possible trade:

Randolph's contract expires at the end of next season, along with Jeffries', Yao's, Battier's, Hayes', and Lowry's. So if Morey has to reconfigure the roster next offseason and the Randolph experiment fails, Randolph falls right into place in the grand scheme of things. 

Secondly, the #6 pick the Rockets would get from Golden State would be just as good as any possible pick resulting from the Knicks in 2012. Since the Knicks' 2012 1st Rd Pick is top 5 protected, the highest it could ever be for the rockets is at #6. By trading for this #6 pick, we are basically ensuring ourselves the best possible outcome from the Knicks' 2012 pick and not leaving it up to how the Knicks perform in 2011 (the pick could be in the 20s if the Knicks get their act together). And instead of waiting for 2012, the Rockets would be drafting at 6 in THIS DRAFT, where its a big man fire sale in the lottery.

If Morey cannot lure Bosh to Houston, I love this trade as a Plan B.

In Morey We Trust.