It's apparent that the Milwaukee Bucks do not intend to hold on to both Tim Thomas and Glen "Big Dog" Robinson. Thomas will be asking for anywhere in the neighborhood of $7-$9million this summer, and they already have roughly $12million tied up with Big Dog. Big Dog is an All-Star and the incredible talent that Thomas is is well on his way. The Bucks are not going to tie up $20 million between their two star caliber small forwards, and finding star minutes/touches will be a problem. One of the two is definitely out the door. The Bucks need interior defense. They pursued Isaac Austin this trade season, but backed off later. My question is this: Do you trade Kelvin Cato+BryceDrew+(a later draft pick) for a newly signed Tim Thomas? This is a fairly reasonable trade scenario with the Bucks filling their biggest need in Cato, and unloading one of the small forwards. The Rockets' risk would be signing Thomas to a big contract based on potential. Do you couple Cato with the trade exception in exchange for the Big Dog? Both scenarios make incredible sense for the Bucks. They add the interior presence they lack and even out their roster. Now Big Dog is a potentially explosive scorer, but he is 27 already. I would think real hard about Tim Thomas however. Damn, he's impressed me this postseason. Would you pull either of these deals or back away? ------------------ thacabbage: Proud President and Founder of the Theo Ratliff Fan Club. [This message has been edited by thacabbage (edited May 04, 2000).]
I would love to get Tim Thomas, I always liked him. He has some really nice game and can really fit well with the offense here in houston. He is athletic and can shoot the ball. I would do the deal. ------------------ President of the Moochie Norris FAN CLUB
What about Cato + some of the trade exemption for Theo Ratliff? ------------------ You can't have everything.Where would you put it?
I'd do both of those deals most likely, but I would do the one for Tim Thomas in a heartbeat. I think Tim Thomas is an emerging star in the NBA. He has the ability to play so many positions, and his height of course is a huge advantage. To me, I would much rather have him over Rashard Lewis. He has athletism, a good shot, and an ability to create on his own. I think he'd be a great fit here. Robinson, who is getting older, is somewhat of a slower player, and I don't think he'd be as good a fit as Thomas. I think Thomas' potential is higher than Glenn's, and he has more years ahead of him in the league. However, Robinson is an All-Star, and he could fit in somehow. Even though I wouldn't do it in a second like the Thomas deal, I would most likely still consider it. ------------------
I dont think we need a small forward like Glenn or Tim rite now. If we get rid of Cato who is going to be starting. You cant count on Hakeem to play all 82 games. Plus I am happy with Walt starting at small for us anyways. Cato plus Drew is a little too much for Big Dogg or Thomas. ------------------ Now introducing the starting lineup for your Houston Rockets: Starting at Center, from Wake Forets TIM DUNCAN...
If you are going to get one of those two you have to get the Big Dog. I am not too big of a Tim Thomas fan. I think he is a decent player but Robinson is much more of an impact player than Thomas. While we are doing this why not add another dimension to it all. How about Cato + Drew + Rogers(maybe) + 4.5 million trade exception for Glenn Robinson + Ervin Johnson + somebody else dependent on salary figure of the trade. You get a small forward and a replacement at center. Then again as bad a rap as he gets I would rather have Antoine Walker than Glenn Robinson, thats just me though. ------------------
I really like Tim Thomas's game but, I think it's not good to trade a big-man for a smaller player, especially when Thomas isn't that type of "Franchise" 3. We'll really have trouble dealing with the larger teams in the west, as no one will be able to hold the big men off the block. Thomas is incredibly athletic, and I hope some of you saw what he did for Milwaukee this post-season. Elie17 ------------------
While I agree that we shouldn't have too much redundancy at any position before we have suitable starters for all 5, I think that giving up a marginal starter at Center for a player who probably will be in the top 5-10 at his position seems like a good idea to me. Everyone seems to be worried about the size of the team regarding Cato, but then... next year will NOT be Houston's year, unless a miracle happens (read: Tim Duncan). So, I think we should look for upgrades at any position, rather than trying to have a space filler at any one position. Evaluating players on a need basis usually fails in the end, unless the need is severe, and immediate. Cato will perhaps a decent center, but I'd rather improve the rest of the roster substantially than keep him-which one would do be acquiring Thomas or Robinson. I'm not convinced that Cato would be THAT hard to replace-if we had a good lineup outside of the center spot, I think we could succeed. I think that one needs one front court player who rebounds and CAN score when necessary-and I'm not convinced that Cato will ever do either. Size alone isn't enough. ------------------
I like the Big Dog's production (points/ rebounds), but a slight concern of mine is in the pro's he never has seemed to be able to elevate his game--especially now to be expected in that age wise he should be in his prime. He also was completely unimpressive against Indiana as well. So I have some mixed feelings about him. TT has looked good, but I don't know about 9 mil per year good either. He is pretty young at 23 which is a big plus though. I would think about trading for either TT or BG. But I would prefer to involve KT and not Cato (unless we could get at least Moiso or Prybilla in the draft) + Drew + some kind of draft compensation (I would offer for compensation for TT). If we had to give up Cato without some replacement (after all he is still our only shot blocker--and is pretty young at that) + #9, I would not be inclided to do such a trade. [This message has been edited by sir scarvajal (edited May 05, 2000).]
