There has been another trade:
CHA sends 1/23 and 6/23
HOU sends 2/17 and 4/14
In my effort to comment on every trade made... I like this one quite a bit better for Houston.
A bit of a gamble on my part. Going against my usual strategy of sliding down to acquire assets. Hoping two big guns will win the Southwest.
I don't think it's that big of a gamble; giving up a mid-fourth to move up 20 slots is pretty darn good value on its own, let alone getting a 6th to go along with it.
(Of course, KC is a good manager, so I'm sure he knows what he's doing, and will make me look stupid for questioning him.)
My reasoning was pretty simple, with the exception of one player who inexplicably fell and won't again this year, the difference between players taken at or after 23 and at or near 17th in the second round is small. In reality is there that big a difference between LaMarcus Aldridge and Emeka Okafor? Kevin Martin and Vince Carter? There is, however a huge difference between Kenyon Martin and Craig Smith.
I think there is a large difference between Aldridge and Okafor as well as Kevin Martin and Vince Carter.
Carter won't go that high this year though.
Aldridge Scores, but doesn't rebound, refuses to play in the paint and shoots a horrendous percentage. Okafor is less capable offensively but is a superior defender and rebounder. Really not that much difference at all.
Kevin Martin, while a capable scorer hasn't played in more than 61 games per season in 3 years. He also hasn't proved himself to be capable of leading a contender team in scoring. This is all very similar to Vince.
The only difference between these players are in perception and how you use them.
http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/tiny.cgi?id=5xcpiOkafor is more frequently injured, essentially has become a C, his defense has fallen of markedly, and is an offensive liability if asked to do anything other than be a garbage man. Aldridge is a below average rebounder, but he's servicable. He's respectable on defense and is a well balanced offensive player.
One is a role player the other is a upper level starter. Both are overpaid, Aldridge's contract sucks worse than Okafor. That's why they're roughly equivalent in the real NBA. But money doesn't matter for the purposes of the game.
Kevin Martin is an elite scorer who is frequently injured and a bad defender. Vince Carter is no longer an elite anything who is frequently injured and a bad defender.
Furthermore you can do better than all four of those names in the first round, much better in the case of three of them.