In news first broken by FOX 26's Mark Berman, the Rockets have signed NBDL player Marqus Blakely to a non-guaranteed three-year contract. He'll be in uniform for Houston tonight. Apparently the Rockets first offered the deal to Mike Harris, but Harris was non-committal. Not a surprise given how much more NBA journeymen can make overseas.
↵We turn it over to Ridiculous Upsides' Scott Schroeder for a report on Blakely's strengths and weaknesses:
↵↵↵The 6-foot-5 former college power forward (transitioning now into a small/combo forward), aside from showing that he can step up and score when needed in the absence of Jeffers, Taylor and Sims, showed that he was pretty versatile in the ways that he can score as well. While the chemistry between he and Stinson in the pick-and-roll showed through the most, Blakely also showed off some advanced post moves when playing down low as well as a knack for being in the right place at the right time as teammates cut to the basket.
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Sounds like Blakely has successfully transitioned his skills from a small college power forward, and he may yet have some upside. It's a nice pounce for Rockets GM Daryl Morey, who may just be trying to get things as settled as possible for what happens after the NBA emerges from it's (likely) lockout following the season.
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