WHEELING AND DEALING

Texans trade Tackle Brown to Seattle for DB Lane, draft picks

Brien O’Donal
Oct 30, 2017, 6:42 pm
Duane Brown was shipped to Seattle in a trade on Monday. Tim Warner/Getty Images

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Bob McNair looks like he is not someone to be trifled with. Duane Brown sat out seven weeks of the NFL season because he felt that his contract -- that had no guaranteed money on it -- was not worthy of his status as a top tier left tackle. The only reason he returned to play in week 8 was because the Texans would have been able to void the current year on his contract if he didn't show up by that deadline.

He played well against the Seahawks in his first action back after a long layoff, and now it appears that was an audition for the team he would be traded to.

In a surprising, but not too surprising deal just before the deadline; the Texans have now traded Brown to those same Seahawks for immediate help on the defense and some long-term picks in the draft. Reports indicate the trade consists of the Seahawks receiving Brown and the Texans receiving cornerback Jeremy Lane and a 2018 5th round pick and a 2019 2nd round pick.

Right off the top I see both teams immediately benefitting from the trade. If the 41-38 shootout didn't make the Texans secondary problems obvious then I don't know what to tell you. Lane adds another piece to that group that may help them to long run. In addition, they can surely use all the draft picks they can get after trading away so many to the Cleveland Browns to get Deshaun Watson and to get rid of Brock Osweiler.

Obviously, the Seahawks get a great left tackle to help them shore up their offensive line problems and that can help them stay alive for another playoff run. The Texans will lose their best offensive lineman but since they have managed without him in the first 7 weeks, I don't think they saw it as too much of a loss. 

Brown was also critical of McNair after his now infamous "inmate" comments.

This looks like a win/win for both teams. Brown is a top tier left tackle so the Texans were right to get plenty of compensation. Lane may help them now and Romeo Crennel might be able to put him into the right situations to help the defense. The additional draft picks are always great because the more chances you have to pick good players, the more chances you have to hit on a winner. The Seahawks get to improve up front with a guy who doesn't have guaranteed money on his contract and the ability to negotiate fresh for the few years he has left in the league. The Texans get help now and the chance for more in the future.

 

 

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ROCKETS FALL TO WARRIORS

Critical takeaways from Rockets' 105-103 loss to Warriors

Rockets fall short against Warriors. Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images

This wasn't the typical Houston Rockets-Golden St. Warriors game when Mike D' Antoni and Steve Kerr were having an offensive battle of wits. James Harden, who plays for the Brooklyn Nets, was nowhere in sight for the Rockets Friday night. Although the Rockets are in rebuild mode, it was still an interesting game. The intensity was high throughout the entire game. Emotions between Stephen Silas and Kerr were heavy, as they were yelling and jumping up-and-down along the sidelines.

A series of runs and back-and-forth scoring gave a slight reminder of the old rivalry between the Warriors and Rockets. Steph Curry was having a tough game, but with 5.1 seconds left, he was able to create great separation from a step back and drained an incredible midrange shot over Kevin Porter Jr. It was heartbreaking because Porter played great defense on Curry throughout the entire game, with Curry only making 6 out of 22 shots. Porter had a tremendous first-half defensively on Curry and recorded an 88.9 defensive rating. Porter had a good feel for guarding Curry, he didn't allow himself to switch away from him. He anticipated passing lanes and ripped Curry a couple of times.

Besides Porter playing great defense, the Rockets played good as a whole. They finished with 10 steals. Their main technique was to switch everything on defense, and Kenyon Martin Jr. and Christian Wood did a good job. It's never easy staying in front of Curry and Jordan Poole, but if they could hold their ground for five seconds, it became possible. Porter did a great job at times by communicating on defense, so he could tell Jalen Green and Eric Gordon when to switch.

And speaking of Green--- he had a strange night offensively. He went 0-11 from the field but made two great plays in the fourth quarter. Instead of Silas keeping Green on the bench because of his cold hand, he kept him in the game for learning purposes. Green made an outstanding play on Curry at the 2:52 mark in the 4th quarter. Before that, he missed a shot from three but fought hard for the rebound, then found a cutting Wood towards the rim. Green might of struggled, but the effort was there.

This was a tough loss for the Rockets, but they are steadily improving. The Rockets are 3-5 in their last five games.

Up next: The Rockets face the Spurs on Tuesday night.

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