Is Gordon's time up?
Exploring trade possibilities for the Rockets and Eric Gordon
Oct 13, 2020, 2:19 pm
Time to make a deal? Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images.
Here's why the Rockets love what they're seeing from Eric Gordon
The Rockets could possibly make a splash in the upcoming offseason, which is needed because the Western Conference will get tougher. Since the end of the Rockets' season, GM Daryl Morey has been consistently looking for the next head coach. In this week coming up, Morey has interviews with Ty Lue, Jeff Van Gundy, and John Lucas. After the coaching search is over, Morey will possibly look for trade companions before next season starts.
So, will Morey decide to deal Eric Gordon and/or Danuel House to bring in more acquisitions for the Rockets?
Possibly trading House and Gordon for Myles Turner or Bradly Beal is a great idea if Morey decides to go after them. The 24-year-old Turner provides length inside the paint, can stretch the floor with his shooting, and is a great finisher inside the paint. Turner finished top five in blocks, shot 34 percent from three, and was 75 percent at the free-throw line last season. In his career with the Pacers, Turner averaged 13 points per game, including 7 rebounds as well.
Tuner would use his abilities to shoot and slash towards the basket for the Rockets, including being a great lob partner for James Harden. Bringing Turner to the Rockets will bring a slight reminder of Clint Capela because of his ability to run the floor.
The 27-year-old Beal could be a longshot for the Rockets but it's worth a try. Offering Gordon and House could be an eye-opener for the Wizards' front office. The Wizards have still not broken the barrier with John Wall and Beal. In the last eight seasons with Beal, the Wizards made the playoffs four times, and only making it to Eastern Semifinals twice, including Wall missing the last two seasons because of injuries. Beal also decided not to join the Wizards in the bubble after the NBA's four-month hiatus.
It's no surprise if the two-time All-Star decides to push for a trade in the offseason. Beal averaged 31 points per game last season for the Wizards, which was second behind Harden. In the Rockets' offense, Beal has enough ability to create his own shot and make open looks. If the Rockets' offensive system is built for creativity and iso ball, Beal would be a perfect fit. This trade also depends on the Rockets' next head coach and flexibility in finances. Harden and Westbrook are desperately looking for another consistent scorer, so why not Beal?
The fact that Gordon had a career low in shooting and struggled with injuries this season, should not be ignored by Morey. During the playoffs inside the bubble, House reportedly violated the NBA's visitor rule, meaning no unknown guest in the hotel room. As the situation occurred, House was eventually removed from the bubble, which hurt the Rockets against the Lakers.
In the end, dealing both players would make sense for the Rockets if they want to remain relevant in the Western Conference.
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With the Astros now officially ten games under .500 for the season, manager Joe Espada is taking a lot of heat from the fanbase for the team's struggles.
While we don't agree with the sentiment, we even hear fans clamoring for the return of Dusty Baker and Martin Maldonado, thinking the Astros wouldn't be in this mess if they were still here.
Which is ridiculous. First of all, Maldonado has been awful for the White Sox, hitting .048 (even worse than Jose Abreu's .065). And for those of you that think his work with the pitching staff justifies his pathetic offense. Let me say this: Where was Maldy's game calling genius for Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, and Framber Valdez last year? All of them regressed significantly.
And as far as Baker is concerned, we have no idea how much a difference he would make, we can only speculate. Baker would also be dealing with a pitching staff ravaged with injuries. And let's not forget, Baker was the guy that refused to move Jose Abreu down in the batting order, even though he would finish the regular season with the ninth-worst OPS in baseball.
The reality of the situation is managers can only do so much in baseball. Which leads us to something else that needs to be considered. Is Espada being handcuffed by the front office? Espada and GM Dana Brown both said recently that Jon Singleton was going to get more at-bats while they give Abreu time off to try to figure things out. Yet, there Abreu was in the lineup again in the opening game of the Cubs series.
It makes us wonder how much power does Espada truly have? The Astros have some other options at first base. Yainer Diaz may only have eight games played at the position, but how much worse could he be than Abreu defensively? Abreu already has four errors, and Diaz is obviously a way better hitter. Victor Caratini isn't considered a plus offensive player, but his .276 batting average makes him look like Babe Ruth compared to Abreu. Let him catch more often and play Diaz at first. Starting Diaz at first more often could also lengthen his career long-term.
Maybe that's too wild of a move. Okay, fine. How about playing Mauricio Dubon at first base? I understand he doesn't have much experience at that position, but what's the downside of trying him there? If he can play shortstop, he can play first base. He's driving in runs at a higher rate (11 RBIs) than everyone on the team outside of Kyle Tucker and Yordan Alvarez. And he's producing like that as part-time player right now.
The other criticism we see of Espada is his use of Jon Singleton to pinch hit late in games. Let's be real, though, who else does Espada have on the roster to go to? Batting Abreu late in games in which you're trailing should be considered malpractice. Espada can only use who he has to work with. This all really stems from the Astros poor farm system.
They don't have anyone else to turn to. The draft picks the club lost from the sign-stealing scandal are really hurting them right now. First and second rounders from 2020 and 2021 should be helping you in 2024 at the big league level.
Maybe they go to Astros prospect Joey Loperfido soon, but after a hot start he has only two hits in his last six games.
Finally, we have to talk about what seems like a committee making baseball decisions. Lost in a committee is accountability. Who gets the blame for making poor decisions?
As time continues to pass it looks like moving on from former GM James Click was a massive mistake. He's the guy that didn't sign Abreu, but did trade Myles Straw (recently DFA'd) for Yainer Diaz and Phil Maton. He also built an elite bullpen without breaking the bank, and helped the club win a World Series in 2022.
The reality of the situation is Dusty Baker and James Click are not walking back through that door. And all good runs come to an end at some point. Is this what we're witnessing?
Don't miss the video above as we hit on all the points discussed and much more!
Catch Stone Cold 'Stros (an Astros podcast) with Charlie Pallilo, Brandon Strange, and Josh Jordan. We drop two episodes every week on SportsMapHouston's YouTube channel. You can also listen on Apple Podcast, Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.