SB Nation Houston - Rockets Net Courtney Lee, Savings And Lose Trevor Ariza In Four-Team Tradehttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/46691/houston-fave.png2010-08-16T12:26:11-05:00http://houston.sbnation.com/rss/stream/13818002010-08-16T12:26:11-05:002010-08-16T12:26:11-05:00Trevor Ariza's Departure Might Please Aaron Brooks
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<p>The Houston Rockets accomplished two things when they dealt Trevor Ariza to the New Orleans Hornets and received Courtney Lee from the New Jersey Nets in last week’s four-team, five-player trade: they saved a bunch of money and added an efficient three-point shooter who’s a better fit for Rick Adelman’s motion offense. But a new <a href="http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/articles/2010/08/15/rejuvenated_dalembert_cant_forget_native_haiti/?page=4" target="new">report</a> from Gary Washburn of Boston.com indicates it may have made star point guard Aaron Brooks, winner of last year’s Most Improved Player award, happier:</p>
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<p>The departure of Ariza may help team chemistry in Houston, as he had a troubled relationship with point guard <strong>Aaron Brooks</strong>.</p>
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<p>It’s tough to say what might have caused that rift, but there’s no reason not to trust Washburn, a veteran reporter with a solid reputation.</p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/2010/8/16/1625777/rockets-trade-trevor-ariza-aaron-brooks-reactionEvan Dunlap2010-08-12T12:54:01-05:002010-08-12T12:54:01-05:00Lee Happy With Trade To Houston, Says Former Teammate
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<p>New Rockets guard Courtney Lee, whom Houston acquired from the New Jersey Nets yesterday as part of a four-team, five-player trade, is “on cloud 9” following the deal, <a href="http://twitter.com/cdouglasroberts/status/20993637262" target="new">says</a> former Nets teammate Chris Douglas-Roberts:</p>
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<div class="bbpBox20993637262"><p class="bbpTweet">Right on Courtney Lee. Talked to C. Lee. Hahahahahhaaaa. Boy on cloud 9. Good luck my dog. Yes yess!<span class="timestamp"><a title="Thu Aug 12 17:46:51 +0000 2010" href="http://twitter.com/cdouglasroberts/status/20993637262">less than a minute ago</a> via <a href="http://www.echofon.com/" rel="nofollow">Echofon</a></span><span class="metadata"><span class="author"><a href="http://twitter.com/cdouglasroberts"><img src="http://a1.twimg.com/profile_images/1095622213/cdouglasroberts_normal.jpg"></a><strong><a href="http://twitter.com/cdouglasroberts">Chris Dougey-Roberts</a></strong><br>cdouglasroberts</span></span></p></div> <br><p>One might think Lee would be unhappy having to move once again—the Rockets are his third team in three seasons—but, to hear Douglas-Roberts tell it, the opposite is true. </p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/2010/8/12/1619773/courtney-lee-rockets-trade-reaction-chris-douglas-robertsEvan Dunlap2010-08-11T15:29:03-05:002010-08-11T15:29:03-05:00Rockets To Receive $6 Million Trade Exception In Ariza Trade
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<p>Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports <a href="http://twitter.com/SpearsNBAYahoo/status/20913821559" target="new">tweets the following</a>:</p>
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<p>Rockets also got $6 million trade exception in four way trade, Y! Sports has learned.</p>
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<p>That’s the icing on the cupcake. In short, this allows the Rockets to take back $6 million in salary if they were to make a trade. It’s a valuable asset, for sure.</p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/2010/8/11/1618191/rockets-trade-exception-ariza-tradeTom Martin2010-08-11T13:48:13-05:002010-08-11T13:48:13-05:00Lee Brings Versatility That Rockets Needed, On Court And In Wallet
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<p>Didn’t expect to see Trevor Ariza leave so soon? Neither did I. Seldom will you see a team sign a young, developing player to a five-year deal and send him out of town after only a season. But was Ariza really a <em>developing</em> player? From what we saw last season, it didn’t appear so. He simply found more opportunities, leading to better box score stats and a terribly inefficient season.</p>
<p>So Daryl Morey sold high. That’s about it. It’s the same line of thinking that was behind the Carl Landry deal, and not just because Kevin Martin and Courtney Lee look the same. Morey saw the chance to acquire a player that he had coveted dating back to the draft and came to the conclusion that A) Ariza wasn’t going to get much better, and B) Lee not only presents the Rockets with a more talented, smarter, younger player, but is also incredibly cheaper.</p>
<p>From that angle, sounds like the Rockets swung a winner, doesn’t it?</p>
<p>Lee will likely shift to the bench, allowing Shane Battier to return to his starting role at SF. This suddenly gives the Rockets a run-and-gun second unit that will throw Lee, Kyle Lowry, Chase Budinger and Patrick Patterson at opposing defenses. Battier never looked like a logical fit with that bunch. But now that Lee is in town? Watch out.</p>
<p>As a player, Lee is different from Ariza… how? For one, he’s smaller, making him a legitimate shooting guard. If he were to play alongside Kevin Martin, Martin would likely shift to the small forward, not that it matters, really. Lee’s also a much more coordinated player than Ariza. He can create for himself, can shoot the three at a good percentage and is a generally smart player. The high-flying athleticism that Ariza brought to the Rockets is gone, but to replace it with a more controlled, younger player is a smart move.</p>
<p>Lee’s no slouch as a defender, either. Stan Van Gundy referred to him as the best defender on the ‘09 Magic Finals team. As a rookie. That’s some high praise.</p>
<p>What else does this trade do for the Rockets? It basically nullifies any money that we spent to acquire Brad Miller and brings the Rockets closer to the luxury tax threshold, as Chad Ford notes in the post below. Les Alexander, how ’bout that deal?</p>
<p>The one knock? Most likely, it’s the fan reaction, which I wouldn’t expect to be overwhelmingly positive at this point. It’s an interesting PR move to trade a newly signed player so quickly and could cause fans to question the direction and stability of the team. Which is absurd.</p>
<p>The Rockets made a sneaky-good move here. Lee may not provide the over-the-rim show that Ariza could on any given night, but he’s the better fit, the better player and ultimately a solid find for the Rockets. By no means does this defer from the “win now” strategy that the Rockets have employed this offseason, which is comforting.</p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/2010/8/11/1618027/courtney-lee-rockets-trade-nets-arizaTom Martin2010-08-11T13:15:38-05:002010-08-11T13:15:38-05:00Rockets Land Courtney Lee In Four-Team Deal
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<p>The Houston Rockets have traded F Trevor Ariza to the New Orleans Hornets and will receive New Jersey Nets G Courtney Lee as part of a four-team deal that also involves the Indiana Pacers.</p>
<p>Yahoo!’s Mark Spears<a target="new" href="http://twitter.com/SpearsNBAYahoo/status/20903523225"> broke the news</a> via Twitter:</p>
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<p>Hou,NJ, NO, Indy trade done and trade call taking place now, source tells Y!. Hou gets C Lee, NO gets Ariza, Indy Collison-Posey, NJ Murphy</p>
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<p>The deal will also save the Rockets enough money to place them near the luxury tax threshold, <a target="new" href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5455472">according to <span class="caps">ESPN</span>.com’s Chad Ford</a>.</p>
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<p>For the Rockets, aside from acquiring Lee, the move is largely a salary dump. This summer the Rockets spent a lot of cash signing Luis Scola, Kyle Lowry and Brad Miller to free agent contracts and their payroll ballooned to $81 million. Before the trade, the team was bracing for a $10 million-plus luxury tax hit. The deal would save them $28 million on the life of the contracts and $10 million this season, including luxury tax considerations.</p>
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<p>Lee averaged 12.5 points per game last season with the New Jersey Nets in his second year out of Western Kentucky. Ariza is in the second year of his new contract and should add depth and experience to Chris Paul’s Hornets. Indiana lands a starting point guard for cheap, and New Jersey gets a buffer in Troy Murphy to allow rookie Derrick Favors to develop at a slower pace.</p>
<p>It’s a win-win for everyone involved, on the surface. We’ll have more analysis soon: stay tuned.</p>
<p><b>UPDATE (2:07 p.m. CT): </b>The trade call has been made and the deal is official, <a href="http://twitter.com/chadfordinsider/status/20908534303" target="_blank">according to Ford</a>.</p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/2010/8/11/1617951/rockets-trade-nets-ariza-courtney-new-orleans-pacersTom Martin2010-08-11T12:18:27-05:002010-08-11T12:18:27-05:00Report: Rockets Working To Trade Trevor Ariza, Land Courtney Lee As Part Of Four-Team Deal
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<p>ESPN's Chad Ford <a href="http://twitter.com/chadfordinsider/status/20901006642" target="new">reports</a>, via Twitter, that the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thedreamshake.com/">Houston Rockets</a> are part of a four-way trade being worked on presently. The Rockets would send <span>Trevor Ariza</span> to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba/teams/new-orleans-hornets">New Orleans Hornets</a> and receive <span>Courtney Lee</span> from the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba/teams/new-jersey-nets">New Jersey Nets</a>, according to Ford; Indiana is the fourth team in the deal.</p>
<p>Stay tuned to this StoryStream for more information about the rumored deal as it becomes available.</p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/2010/8/11/2319178/report-rockets-working-to-trade-trevor-ariza-land-courtney-lee-asEvan Dunlap