Do you guys really think Othella is the answer? I thought Othella was good with us and all, but if you look at the stats, he's not exactly tearing it up as a starter. Last time I checked (fairly recently), he was only scoring about 12 points or so (not bad at his FG%), but with only about SIX AND A HALF REBOUNDS. That's a very poor figure for a power forward as y'all already know. That's been one of Vancouver's big problems if I'm not mistaken - rebounding. Plus, Othella's not that great of a defender either, so I don't know if he would be all that much better than Kenny Thomas. Still, I definitely would not complain if he was in a Rockets uniform again, esp. at that contract, but I also don't see him as being the missing piece of the team. I also don't see Vancouver trading him back to us for anything we have to offer though. ------------------ [This message has been edited by oakdogg (edited April 09, 2000).]
oak: Good points. His one main problem as I saw it was that he didn't take enough shots (he shoots something like 54% FG). He has the capacity to be a big scorer. I also was not aware of his current reb avg. I'd have guessed it would be around 8-10, but... 6.5 is way lower than I thought. Still, he's a bruiser, and I think that's what the Rox need right now. They need someone who can get really physical in the low-post, and Othella always did that for us. I dunno. I'm just looking for answers to our current 4/5 shortcomings. I think he can help for a moderate price... ------------------
I'm having so much fun right now watching this team; I want to agree with everyone. Even Crisco. Everyone in this thread is correct!! And I claim the Fan Flag Waving Amnesty Act which protects me from hypocrisy and allows repeated statements about the Jazz: The Jazz BLOW
heypartner: Not to mention that the contracts for the "excess" players (Augmon, Shaw, McLean, Gray) from the Pippen deal will expire. And Maloney's contract is finally gone from the books. Also Hamilton's salary is gone, as well as (probably) D. Gray's and Pig's, unless they don't find another PF/C with all that money... (next season will be sort of like an accountant cleaning house) Now, these are all relative chump-change contracts, but they add up - to the tone of about $10 million ($9.43 mil) for Houston. I think we can get something decent for that. And this all from players we never (or rarely) use... But to get the real cap space $ we need to land a greedy superstar, we'll have to wait until 2002. Save that for next year's BBS... I still think Duncan's a possibility this offseason - he wants to leave, Houston virtually matches what he wants to go to, and (my personal impression) he's not that greedy ($ terms). ------------------
oops treeman....i decided to delete my calculating salary cap post. it was too boring for this thread. But, yeah, spending the $4.5m exception mean adding more salary. We might want to eat it instead, as a salary cap maneuver for 2001. Crisco is correct: very very soooooooon!!! and did you notice they didn't have a dunk today!!. can you imagine being the fan of a team that BLOWS and who can't jump!!! They won't get any NBC time. hahahahahahahaha!
Treeman - Maybe. I'm all for trading up. But Rudy hasn't failed us if he doesn't magic up Tim Duncan or Grant Hill into our starting lineup. And as for trading Drew and TMass and maybe a pick, (not our top pick this year) I'm all for that, too. But let's be realistic. Other teams know these guys are dime a dozen players just like we do. If they're expendable on a lottery team, why would anyone give us real quality for them? On the other hand, it's certain that CD and Rudy will likely bring in a new big man, one way or the other. But I think we're diluting ourselves if we're expecting an immediate saviour just yet. Saviour's don't come for the price of Drew, TMass, and a draft pick, unless in extreme situations when a player is demanding a trip out of town. If the right deal comes along, I have faith that the management will make it. I agree, these guys are geniouses. In the meantime, I repeat, if NOTHING happens at all, let's not all go and slit our wrists. We don't have a championship team yet, but we have something to build on. And it's a sure thing that our cap will be more flexible at the end of next season. So all is not lost if we have the patience to allow this team to be great. Let's not sell ourselves short out of panic. ------------------ "There are three kinds of lies: Lies, Damned Lies, and STATISTICS..." - Mark Twain -
Yeah, that might be a good idea. I'm sure Cat will ask for more money (and he deserves it), and I'd put retaining him above landing a FA. But if we shed some of the dead weight from our nominal and fiduciary rosters, that'll leave alot of $ left over to go after someone like Duncan or Hill. Maybe enough to balance Orlando's offers, who knows... ------------------
I whole heartedly agree with all of your intuitions heypartner. who can beat this team? the Lakers? (okay probably the Lakers) we've beaten the second and third best teams in the league with the current lineup in the past week. A couple of months ago Kelvin handled Shaq via block and dunk to push for a win over the Lakers. This team has the spirit and the ability. You guys have been watching hollywood movies too much. The damsel is in distress, and only the 270 lb. Arnold can come in and save the day. Cha. Start paying attention to the Mystery Men, where teamwork saves the day. What's happening with the current team is amazing. I would love to listen to Rudy compare what's happening with Moochie, Cuttino, Shandon, Walt and Kenny with the Rockets' previous impulses to add a drastic cog to the team a.l.a. Pippen, Drexler or Barkley. Aren't you guys tired of watching one or two players drastically dominate the game? This is team ball. All players need to be competent. I dread the day that we ever become entrenched with 'give so and so the ball' again. Grant Hill shot 4-14 from the field the other night; his team lost, because he is the team. Whatever Rudy's espousing after the ol' rum & coke is working. He's got the bad news bears fighting the world, convincingly. Let them grow, please. ------------------
Darkhorse: That's kinda what I'm getting at. Why / Who would want Drew, TMass, etc? First, our pick this year is irrelevant. No one in the draft THAT WE HAVE A CHANCE OF GETTING this year will make a real difference on next year's team. And very few of them show long-term potential as superstars. This is pretty much a role-player draft, and we have no need of role players - except maybe a C with good blocking/intimidation skills (and Mihm won't do there). So, our draft selections are pretty much useless to us right now. Second, Drew is not a bad backup PG, and a lot of scouts know it (even if we don't). There are alot of teams out there in desperate need of a real PG, and Drew will do for many of the more post-oriented teams (like the Spurs). Avery needs to rest at times... Third, since some of the top guys are currently looking for better jobs, and their teams (and lawyers) know it, AND because the Rox will have alot of leftover $ starting next year, huge trades might not even be necessary to land a respectable FA. Money might be all it takes (tho I wouldn't bet on that). Point is, we might not have to give up too much to get a big FA, and the opposing teams might actually want what we have to give. Again, I would not be surprised if Rudy pulled a Duncan out of his hat this offseason... ------------------
Treeman, I'm sure we can find some good guys that can contribute with the #10, #14, and #15 pick. Don't you remember when we got Dickerson with 14, Drew with 16, and Mobley in the second round? Besides the mistake with Mirsad Turckan, #18, their picks really contributed to the team. ------------------ The clock is winding down, and Scottie has the ball, Cato is sprinting towards him, Pippen shoots and here comes Cato. Man did you see that block?!!! Ouch it hit Scottie right between the legs. ITS FINAL!! THE ROCKETS ARE THE CHAMPIONS OF Y2K!!!
Dane: True, we could come off with a golden nugget like Cat (at #44, I think), but is it worth gambling on at this point? Remember, last year we supposedly had our championship team already together - Dream, Barkely, Quitten, etc - so we could afford to gamble. But now? No, at this point we only need a couple of additions (one competent big man, mainly); and if we don't need it, we shouldn't take it. Like I've said, Martin will be virtually unobtainable, and everyone else is undesirable for our system in one way or another. And nothing good is free. Were there a realistic chance of us getting a really good C or PF in the draft this year, then I'd think differently. But as it stands, our picks are currently nothing more than icing on the trade cake. Anything good we get this offseason will be a FA signing. ------------------
