to speculate about as Rockets prospects. The fact that Payton has declared his intentions to go to LA is has almost assured that Karl Malone will go there too. What's interesting is that Payton is sigining for MLE and Karl will probably take the Veteran's Minimum. I guess that the big name FA's want to go to contenders, something the Rockets are not. So that leaves me with the question, who out there is willing to play for the Rockets? Of all the speculative reports so far, Houston is not under any FA's top consideration. Do the Rockets still have any attraction to player's out there? This may turn out to be a dull off-season for Rockets fans. Payton to 'follow dream' with Lakers -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ESPN.com Aaron Goodwin, the agent for Gary Payton, told ESPN's David Aldridge Tuesday afternoon that Payton has chosen to sign a free-agent contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, despite L.A.'s financial limitations. The Lakers, well over the NBA's $40-plus million salary cap, were limited to offering Payton a starting salary of $4.9 million for next season. It is believed Payton will sign a multi-year deal with the dethroned champions on July 16, the first day teams are permitted to formally sign free agents. "He could have taken a lot more money to go somewhere else," said Goodwin, referring to efforts by the Portland Trail Blazers to acquired Payton in a sign-and-trade with Milwaukee. "But he's going to Los Angeles to follow his dream." Payton selected the Lakers over Portland, Miami -- both teams made Payton substantial contract offers, according to Aldridge. Aldridge also reported that Karl Malone is still mulling offers and won't make a decision for at least another day, although Payton's decision to play for the Lakers does move him in the direction of the Lakers as well. http://espn.go.com/nba/news/2003/0708/1578233.html
IMO, Malone going to the Lakers does not do much for them but Payton will make them impossible to beat.
We can improve with the players we have and compete with the likes of Port, Pho. but we won't be able to challenge LA with Payton, Malone and Minn with Cassell, Howard. Those 2 plus SA, Sac and Dallas will be a notch above us. We need to reload with top notch or good FA(s)!
I wish. But nobody wants to come to Houston! Or we haven't been going after them! We're too laid back. I'd be satisfied if we just add one or two veterans like Steve Smith or Rasho Nesterovic or Chris Whitney or Charles Oakley or Derrick Coleman or Tyrone Hill or Darrell Armstrong or Kevin Ollie. I WANT SPEEDY CLAXTON!
Gary Payton/Fisher Kobe Bryant/Rush Devean George/Horry Karl Malone/Horry/Madsen Shaq Who in the hell is going to stop this team?
Absolutely! Rox is too laid back in the FA market. They let Howard go without a try, and they are letting PJ Brown go without a try, this is pissing me off. J. O'neal is reported to be about to sign with Pacers, so we can forget about him. Kidd is never on our rader. Even we make playoff next year, we will be unlikely to pass the first round!
Yeah, nothing at all happening this offeseason. only ditching the icon coach and hiring a high profile new one and a new arena and a new logo and color scheme and uniforms. How bland. Oh, and we didn't get Tim Duncan or Jason Kidd to sign here for the middle class exception, and we couldn't trade any of our untradable contracts. And then the sky started falling. sucks.
If you dont expect any major Roster improvement[I dont]then you might be pleasantly surprised by anything that the Management presents! I do however want them to upgrade but alas like most of the posters its only dreaming.
Do Payton and Malone actually think it will enhance their reputations to win titles with Shaq and Kobe? They will be known more for needing the help of the best 2 players in the game to win a title.
i can't see malone taking a 15mil pay cut to be the 4th option on the team. Then again he might become the 3rd option with Kobe doing time... Too many massive egos for them to work well as a team. Four player that all want to be "the man" - will become just like portland (IMHO)
Modern day oscar robertsons. I doubt malone goes anywhere. His love affair with himself and the scoring title will keep him from that.
Getting JVG brought a little bit of excitement for a short while. We have no significant draft pick to speak of this year. We have no bites or even a nibble so far in the FA market. I find the news of a "new logo and color scheme and uniforms" to be as big a deal as what I choose to wear to work every morning. The new arena has been in construction for a year now so what's new about that? Frankly Sam, you must be an easily excitable guy or you still have Xtacy leftover in your system.
Lakers _______Houston PG- Payton____PG- Francis SG- Kobe______SG- Mobley SF- Fox_______SF- Posey PF- Malone____ PF- Griffin C- Shaq_______C- Yao We lose at every position except maybe SF, and that's just a maybe.
All I know is the rockets better do something big or else I will not renew my season tickets. I have a feeling there are a lot of people who feel that way as well. It was almost painful to watch the rockets games last year and I will not show up at any game to see the same team on the floor. This team needed more than just a coaching change and everyone knows it. So if les wants to open the new arena to a lot of sold seats he needs to do something NOW!!
Well, he's 2000 points behind Jabbar. Whether he scores 20 points per game in Utah or 15 points per game in LA, it will still take more than one more season and less than two.
How on earth do you expect a team with no draft picks and no cap room, no depth , and very few valuable trade commodities to make significant offseason personnel moves? Of course no FA's want to come here: 1. We can't win a title next year; and 2: We can't afford to pay anybody. That's generally the same boat as 20 out of the 30 teams in the league. Welcome to reality. It's not like Houston "missed out" on Payton or Malone; we "missed out" on them about as much as we "missed out" on getting Tracy McGrady or Tim Duncan, it's just not happening. You guys remind me of a bunch of sugar craving kids with short attention spans, trade trade trade change! change! change! Remember the 1980's and early 90's? The most the Rockets would do in a given offseason would be to sign Mike WOodson or Lester Conner. You guys are spoiled from the big splash Pippen/Barkley Drexler days, or the Lotto Yao/Griffin Those were unique situations that are not likely to be duplicated again. Trust me, having lottery picks every single year may make the offseasons more "exciting" but it also means you suck. JVG is a completely different kind of coach than Rudy, and unless the players are total crackheads, it will show on the court.
