I am not thrilled with not using a TE we gave up draft position and picks for, and I also prefer James or Jones over Sura, but I like this deal and overall the shape of the roster. The Rockets have no gaping holes in the line-up now. The PG situation I would call weak, but with Lue, Ward and Sura, I think we can get by. Mutumbo can still play some quality sub minutes. Our defense does not lose that much taking Yao out now, a very vaulable thing Mutumbo can do. When we want O, we have MoT or JH slip to back up C. This move provides a lot of flexibility and costs us nothing buy guys who were obsolete. We also still have a 1.6 mil exemption for another swingman shooter, but we really only need this if Boki regresses. Boki did shoot as well as Pike from 3 land--and a whole lot more upside. Lue (excellent 3), JJ (excellent 3), Ward (good 3), Boki (Ok 3, maybe "good" next year) and Tmac (OK 3) should be plenty to spread the floor for our big guys.
Good post Desert Scar. Padgett can also shoot the 3 well. Pike didn't shoot well at all so Boki's performance wasn't good but I hope he will get better.
So the team is set : Yao/Mutombo JHoward/MoTay/Weatherspoon JJ/Nachbar/Padgett Tmac/Sura/Gaines Ward//Lue
Howard is not tall enough, plus he will likely start at the 4, so him playing extra minutes at the C isn't good, w/o adding a guy like Deke. Taylor?? Barely 6"9 and can't rebound. C'mon. What we as fans will find out this season is how effective Deke will be at 15 mins a game, compared to the demands of playing more minutes as a starter.
Mutombo can't be worse defensively than those two guys. It would be a layup drill if we played those two together.
The one thing I do like about this is that we traded a guy with 2 years left on his contract and two guys on the last year of theirs', for one guy on the last year of his contract. If you add what the Rockets have when Deke's contract ends next offseason to what the team gets when Lue's contract ends, they have roughly $6.1 mil. to go after a PG they really want next year.
I really like what the Rockets have done this year. The only person I dont like on our roster is spoon. I guess he is better than moochie >_<
let the knicification continue maybe we can send a future pick and a TE to new jersey for Zo so we will have the Hoya triumvirate as well i have a feeling now also that any game that is on tnt that coach thompson is gonna be one of the commentators
love this trade. Sorry that pike had to leave, but it's ok. We're old, but we still have youngs guys who could turn out to be real good. T-Mac, well, he's a superstar, Yao is the next big thing, Boki has shown in the few minutes he played that he can play and be our SF, and Reece Gaines could still develop into a great pointguard. If luck is on our side, we'd have PG,SG,SF and C set for a long time. Don't forget badiane, even if he won't make it as our PF and complete our future team, he could always be our backup C
IMO, with this being JVG's team, and all, Padgett is used more often than Nachbar... and I sure as hell know Gaines will have some sort of tendinitis the whole year... And those are the two players i am looking forward to see this coming year...
I love this trade. Pike sucked big time last season and Padgett and Boki can do what he was paid to do for cheap. The ROX needed a back-up center behind YAO and thinking Taylor or Howard as a Center is a "freakin joke". Wilks and Griffin were both going to be camp fodder and cut before the season started anyway. I think the ROX got over like rover on this deal. DEKE will only have to play about 10-15 minutes a night if nothing else, he will rebound and block a shot. That exactly what the doctor ordered for this team.
Smart pickup. Pike was wasting on the bench and the others are very much expendable. Deke gives Yao some veteran help and he gives the Rockets a true enforcer. Deke's well past his prime, but his leadership, experience and defensive instincts could prove invaluable. I really like the team Dawson has cobbled together this summer. He taylored his pickups around Van Gundy's veteran-friendly system, ensuring that maximum value is achieved. Excellent off-season.
I don't know about you, but I am kind of excited about that McGrady fella and that tall kid from China.
why would you say that ?!?! - true centers (not like Dream) rarely get invovled in the running game If Yao/Deke can clean the defensive glass (like they should) and get the ball to a sura or lue - you get T-mac and Boki/JJ on the wings running the break with MoT or Howard as the trailer (say what you will about their D, all our PFs can shoot) its textbook. (not to speak ill of our last PG,,,, but) you just got used to the Cat SF3 fast breaks where Francis made up his mide to attack the basket 1-on-1 as soon as he crossed mid-court instead of waiting for the defense to commit to him and then passing to the wing
I respectively disagree. Rebound, outlet pass to a guard, everyone run to the opposite basket and if nothing happens of it then Yao/Deke will catch up to run the half court offense.
