Originally posted on 06/19/2014:

Quote Originally Posted by Fidel_CashFlow View Post
you have some valid points there H-Town.

I still think it would be a positive upgrade for them

you dont like this starting squad Parlayin?

PG-Beverly
SG- Harden
SF-Parsons
PF-Melo
C-Howard

sure there are holes in it if you dig deep enough,
but how are teams going to guard Harden and Melo 1 on 1 ?
You def cant over commit to double teams because Howard will punish int he paint
or Parsons will hit the open 3. The key is the point guard def.
I like Beverly's toughness and tenacity on the court man. He also hardly turns the ball over at all.
Melo is brilliant at creating his own shots and beating 1 on 1 coverage in space....
hard for me to believe that the addition of Melo would be a bad thing for the Rockets.


They can't have Melo and Parsons. They didn't pick up Parsons' cheap team option because they wanted to be able to let him walk to free up space for Melo. Of course, if Melo is a no-go, they will likely match another team's offer sheet and re-sign Parsons. But no chance both guys are on the roster next season IMO. I don't see the owner paying through the nose due to the luxury tax.

With or without Parsons, a lineup with Melo as your stretch 4 could be potent. Obviously, they Rockets would be among the toughest teams to stop, but they are already at that point without Melo. Melo would make their half-court offense run more smoothly because he can stretch the floor. Plus, Dwight can post to clear space and then kick it to Melo OR Harden and let either guy go ISO and do his thing late in the shot clock if a hard double comes.

Beverley does a solid job with the assist-to-TO ratio, but he's not a game-changer. The kid is tough as nails and plays his ass off. He also has a great attitude. But he simply lacks the talent to keep up with all of the stars at the point-guard position in the West. Look at the series Damian Lillard had against this guy. Look, Beverley is going to give you his all, but that's not always enough to slow down Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook or Stephen Curry. This is a brutal conference to run through at the present time, and you cannot have the worst starting PG among the eight playoff teams if you plan to have realistic championship aspirations.

I'm not saying Melo would make the Rockets worse, but he's not the answer to their problems. They need a better defensive presence and veteran leadership. They need Harden to care more on defense. They need Jones to continue to develop. I'd rather see them re-sign Parsons and look to improve in their two weakest positions in the starting five, because they are such key positions for matchup purposes during the Western Conference playoffs.