Is getting Rashard still an option...or do we not need him?

No we could not give his payday until after Rice is gone which is two years from now. If he would come here for the MCE, then I would love to have him but to pay close to the max for a guy that hasn't even made it the all-star game is crazy. Nachbar can do everything Lewis can do and more for a lot less money.

 

Exactly, please stop discussing Rashard coming here. He wants too much money and isn't as good as you all think. Let's see how Nachbar works out and stop worrying about it for the hundredth time. And, no we can't trade for him...look at one of aelliott's 50 replies to why we can't...

 

If the Rockets' Brass are shooting for carrying only 3 max contracts(or equivalent) for salary cap purposes then:

max contracts next year (Rice, combo{ of MoTay, Cato, Cat} take other two spots)

In 2 yrs (Francis and the combo) Rice is gone.
Same For in 3 yrs.

In 4 yrs (Francis, Griffin, Mo Tay) Must make decision between Cat and Cato for at least one year.

In 5 yrs and on(Francis, Griffin, Ming)

Middle class NBA players are:
-Improving players who haven't reached their peak yet
-Declining players past their peak (duh)
-Roleplayers/backup specialists
-Hometown/city-adopting discounters
-head cases/pot heads/injury-bit/low self-esteem
-Under the table dealers/blackmailed

So can we get any new quality players for this team in the next few years? It would take a sacrifice or a trading coup, or else they better be middle-class. I think we'll be stuck with projects and unknowns for now.

 

I thought this year is Rice's last year. Am I wrong?

 

Yep, Rice is under contract through the 2003-2004 season.

 

I would ONLY be interest in Lewis,if we can do a sign-n-trade deal,that would get us the rid of one of our max contracts (Taylor,Rice,Cato).I would agree on a Rice-Lewis swap,and i would even throw in KT,if we get someone decent in return (Jerome James or OUR GERMAN PETER FEHSE).

GRF

 

Do I want Rashard and can he help this team....YES

Do I want Rashard at max dollars...NO

If there was someway we could get him without max dollars, I am all for it. But as good as Rashard is, he is not worth max dollars.

 

Just my opinion, but while Lewis could help this team, just as he could help many others, and while adding talent is always good, I just do not think pursuing Lewis is a viable worthwhile option. Unless we do a sign and trade, we can only offer the MCE. I do not think Seattle will do a sign and trade and I do not think Lewis will go for the MCE. But if he did, it gets us in a dangerous contract situation down the road. With the luxury tax looming and talented stars on our team now that are going to be in consideration for the max in a few years, getting Lewis, and knowing you need to give him big money later may jeopardize the teams ability or at least quash its desire to sign role players in the future. As this team grows and some the outrageous contracts we have expire, the money committed under them is going to hopefully go to very expericenced and exposive veterans, Ming and Griffin (Francis will have his deal this year). Again, hopefully! If this team is sitting at or over the luxury tax level, signing a player for the MCE, assuming it is $4.5 million, would actualy cost them double, $9.0 million, with the dollar for dollar tax that is payable to the league for all amounts in excess of the luxury tax threshold.

I would rather develop the talent we have and try to achieve or preserve some salary cap flexiblity in the future to fill any holes or get any specialists that we need. If everyone develops as hoped, in a few years, Steve, Ming, and Griffin may all All Stars together. If that is the case, I think all we will need is some other talented role players to put around them.

 

We don't need Lewis. If we thought we could lure him in, we would not have snagged nachbar. Obviously Rudy has big plans for this guy. He talked him up a lot. Nachbar will be starting if Rice goes down.


Lewis will cost us too much, and will therefore reduce our options in the short term. Why pay Lewis when we have Nachbar???

 

http://espn.go.com/nba/s/2002/0701/1400986.html

Actually ESPN thinks that the Rox would LOVE to get Lewis and do a SIGN and TRADE for him. But if Nachbar is as good as everyone says he is, then we have NO NEED for him!

 

Are you sure about that? RealGM says he has 2 years left on his contract but it also says that Francis has 2 years left so it must be thinking in terms of last year.

 

Yes, Rice still has two more seasons till his contract is over.

 

I don't think getting Rash ever really was an option.

And no, I don't really think we do need him. Personally, I think Nachbar will be just as good as Rash, if not better, and w/o the hype(and consequently the HUGE payday). Depending on his health, Rice will be a good backup/starter sf for a couple of years. Mebbe TMo will develop, if not, it's not that difficult to get a backup sf.

oh, and if he did come for the MCE, he would have to sign for 3 years for the rocks get his bird rights cuz they wont be able to pay him big $$$ w/o the bird rights. A one year deal would accomplish nothing for Rash. I guess if he agreed to do that then we would have to sign him, though you know there'd be another wink wink I'll get my MOney deal goin on there.

 

If we could get Rashard starting at about $6.5 and no more, then I'd jump at a sign-and-trade possibility.

I'm still confused about BYC here; seems other sign-and-trades have gone down w/o that coming into play.

If we could dump salary and get Shard, I'd say sure, depending on Nachbar: is he more of a Peja or a Turkoglu? If the latter (which is still very good), we could use Rashard here. If the former, no go.

To get value for Rashard, a third team would have to be involved, especially if BYC affects the trade.

 

The question is: WOULD YOU PAY RASHARD GLEN RICE MONEY?!??!

Cause i think We'd have to Trade and preferably Rice.

Rocket River

 

In order to get Rashard we would have to give up a "bad" contract. I don't know if Seattle is willing to take one of our bad contracts.

 

Seattle has no incentive to do a straight Lewis sign-n-trade for Rice. Houston would have to throw more in to get Seattle's agreement.

The extremely difficult cap hurdles are a separate topic......but if Seattle said they would do a sign-n-trade of Lewis for Rice + KT + future #1 + the Drew obligation from the Bulls.....would that be a good deal for Houston?

Lewis as a Rocket this season is quite unlikely.



Mango

 

http://espn.go.com/nba/columns/hughes/1401019.html

So, you know who is out there? Rashard Lewis.

It's funny, because while this guy can play, and while he is one day going to be very, very good, I would venture a guess that most fans in most NBA cities have no idea who he is. By the way, he plays for Seattle, and his game is similar to that of Tim Thomas. And yet, Lewis has asked for a seven-year contract for $102 million. I asked an NBA scout one day if he thought Lewis was worth it. Would he pay him? His answer: "No, he's not worth it. But in this league, you can't let your talent get away. You have to pay him."

So Lewis will sit there for a month, waiting for teams to call his agent and woo him the same way Jason Kidd and Tim Duncan are going to be pooh-poohed next summer. And then he is going to realize that no offers are forthcoming, and the Sonics are going to say, "Listen, we love you, the rest of the league loves you, but we can only afford to offer you $75 million." And then Lewis is going to have to change his tax bracket by $27 million.

Oh, you may see other smaller signings, like a Donyell Marshall or a Devean George or a Rodney Rogers. But nothing that is going to sway the strengths of either of the conferences.

And then, after a summer of relative inactivity, I say: Lakers in four.

 

Ch13 showed Lewis practicing at Westside tonight, he reportedly had nothing to say.

Maurice Tayor looked to be in playing shape, and he sounded very excited about the up-coMING season.
Go Rockets!!