POINT BLANK
Joel Blank: Is it possible for the Rockets to still salvage the off-season?
Jul 30, 2018, 7:24 am
Daryl Morey still has some work to do. Rockets.com
How would you rate the Rockets off-season so far? Do you think they are done wheeling and dealing, or is there still time to make a move or two even after they sign Carmelo Anthony? What if Daryl Morey was somehow able to find a new home for Ryan Anderson? Can they still be a top defensive team having lost two of their top five defenders to free agency? Training camp is a couple months away and these are some of the more pressing questions that remain.
It's kind of hard to deem this off-season as anything other than disappointing when the conversation started with the possibility of bringing Lebron James to Houston. After the King decided on Hollywood and Chris Paul resigned in H-town, fans were still hopeful of big things and big names coming to Houston. Instead, Trevor Ariza signed in Phoenix and Luc Mbah A Moute got tired of waiting and headed back to the Clippers. For all of those experts who said the Rockets would be just fine if they were just able to bring everyone back from last year, those hopes and dreams were thwarted by the exit of key rotational players.
Clint Capela’s negotiations dragged out for the majority of the month, and somewhere along the way fear and doubt crept it—assuming he wouldn’t sign a long-term deal. Thankfully, both parties reached an agreement last week and now it looks like Carmelo Anthony will be the next piece to fall. With free agency all but over, the experts in Vegas have the Rockets slipping to third in the power rankings and odds to win the title next year. By their standings, the team has dropped a notch in quality and Boston is the biggest threat to Golden State. I guess bringing Boogie nights to the Bay Area and a healthy Uncle Drew accentuate the opinion that in Houston there is still work to do? (Notice I did not say "there was a problem")
What if Houston finds a way to get off of Ryan Anderson’s final two years and $40 million? After all, Anderson has become public enemy number one in Houston due to his lack of production and inability to live up to lofty expectations. Not since Brock Osweiler or Kelvin Cato have we seen the city turn so quickly and adamantly on a local athlete. If Daryl Morey could somehow find a new home for "Rhino" and give the team some much needed cap flexibility in the process, I don't think the city would care if they got a bowl of soup back in return. If they were able to get a defensive minded and playoff experienced wing player like Iman Shumpert in the process, fans might suggest Morey should get a max deal as a reward. Before we go too far, let's keep in mind he was also the guy that signed Anderson to the deal in the first place.
If you read between the lines above, you can figure out that the Sacramento Kings might be interested in a trade for Anderson and could possibly include Shumpert in the deal. Anderson is from California and has said he would like to finish his career in Sacramento. Shumpert is a square peg in a round hole as an expensive veteran on a young and rebuilding Kings squad. So if you are holding out hopes of salvaging the off season and believe the glass is still half full, let's hope the Kings and Rockets have each other on speed dial and somehow, some way, there is still hope they can salvage what's left of the summer and be ready to run it back at the Warriors and the rest of the league next season.
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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.