That mediocre **** doesnt work. Sorry..its been tried the past couple years. You either have to be really good or really bad.
It's sad, yes. Ultimately, it has little correlation to his future performance on the basketball floor. That's what I care most about.
Good comments, again from Orlando here, I agree that Dwight may not be able to lead a team to a championship, but he almost did against LA a few years back. I am wondering how Howard will respond to this whole ordeal - if he'll focus more or what he'll do. He just has so much talent that a mediocre effort will allow him to dominate because of his talent, but it would be nice to get a Kevin Garnett performance out of him - he was solid, but I would have liked some more attitude out of him. Dwight can get a team deep in the playoffs, but can he win it all - certainly he can, but I think he needs to be more resolved and toughen up with attitude - he might do that, but he is a rare talent. Now, I hate Howard, but to be fair he has been, up until the last year or so, shown to be of decent character. After the drama is over he may just get back to work and become a somewhat normal person he was before - not so much the prima donna jerk he has become. I agree, that if he really continued to be a jerk with Houston, I don't see it, but say he was I think a deal could happen between Houston and NY or LA. I don't see him walking to one of the teams that could sign him - Dallas would seem like the only option, but it doesn't look like an attractive landing spot as they are in decline - Atlanta could happen, but he doesn't seem to want to be there.
You mean like the Celtics? Oh, wait... they won 24 games in 2007, picked up a superstar and a great second option, and won 66 games and an NBA title the next year. There's no point to trying to "make the playoffs". If the Rockets had a couple extra bounces go their way this year, they'd have been in... and it wouldn't have changed our current position or long-term outlook one iota. To contend for an NBA championship, you need at least one superstar. If you don't have one, your primary strategy should be to best put yourself in a position to acquire one. It's that simple. There are three methods to do it - being bad enough to get a high lottery pick, giving yourself cap flexibility and acquiring young, cheap prospects that are easily movable. Teams like Denver and Indiana are doing the none of the three. They're locking themselves into expensive, long-term contracts with good-but-not-great players that can't win them a ring. They have no star now and no reasonable means to acquire one. I'd much rather go with the Houston plan and at least have hope.
The odds of drafting a HoF player with the #1 pick is pretty good, actually. Going back 10 years, you have: Yao Ming Lebron James Dwight Howard Derrick Rose Blake Griffin Then you have guys who we haven't seen enough of yet to make a prediction: Kyrie Irving Anthony Davis Jury's still out on John Wall. Then you have Andrew Bogut who would be a multiple time All-Star were it not for injuries, Greg Oden who had HoF potential, but floundered because of injuries, and one bust in Andrea Bargnani. Considering we have one of the best drafters in the league, if not the best, I would rather take my chances (15% chance at the #1 with a bottom four record) than having zero chance of keeping Dwight.
Yes but to get the top pick you have to get close to the worst record and then you only get a 25% chance of getting it. Then you have to multiply by the chance of the pick being Dwight level.
Fair enough, although I wouldn't say our chances of keeping him is at 80%. I think you are too optimistic.
I think the odds are only around 50-50. That said, it's still much higher than the chances that tanking will get you that next superstar.
The chances of tanking and land a superstar is lower than you think. First there is the lottery. Let say 15%. According to history, 1st overall superstar-bust is more than 50%, which leave you less than 7.5%. You also have to factor in that even landing a franchise superstar, he might not win any chips his entire tenure with the team (Yao, Ewing, AI). For the last 20 some years, only three first overalls, Shaq, Duncan, and LeBron won titles as a franchise player. But superstars isn't determined by first overall. It's really like a roulette wheel with luck plays a major part. I mean every bottom dweller team wanted to be the OKC. How many have succeeded? Thunders didnt have a first overall but they have 2 young superstars and an allstar. What are the chances of that happening? Extremely low! Clips, Wizards, Griz, Magic, and Cavs were teams that kept drafting number 1's. Seems like they all took turns for decades and nothing ever got them out of the rathole. Sure dont want Rox to fall into that catagory!
@knappy, thanks for the reponse and teh perspective of someone who saw him everyday. I can see where you would have a little more insight on his abilities, drive, desire, and his resolve. But can't help but hearing that old saying that saying that elders say "how you meet your spouse, is how you lose your spouse... So I think to myself, do we really want to gamble on that? There are plenty of people that support tanking and developing young players, and make a move for a superstar when the time is right. There are too many variables that could go wrong, or really just not quite right that wil put us in a "one step forward, two steps back" scenario....
Ok, point taken, but again, why make that our problem? Listen, if the guy was healthy, the trade came about cause Orlando just wanted to make moves instead of DH demanding a trade, we would have to sell the farm (what ever farm we have left) and the posture out of "his camp" or "people close to him" is that he would bolt as soon as free agency came along... by all means, do the trade. But to give someone that much of a chance when we don't know how he will come out of all of this? It's not like the guy is healthy, he is stuck on the Clippers about 5 years ago and he was being ignored and mistreated. He's recoverying from back issues, He couldn't decide if he wanted to opt in or out of his contract, he was at odds with his agent, he demanded a trade from a team htat has listen to his request and tried building around him (how ever futile) before the end of his contract, he's (indirectly) indicated he doesn't want to be here? So why do we want him? But you are suggesting to give up way to much on too many "what ifs." What if he does resign with the Rockets? What if he does fully recover? What if we can sign a second star or superstar? What if we can do a sign and trade with a bigger market team and get something for him?[/ B] So I ask: What if he signs with any other team (not a big market) in spite of the Rockets? What if he doesn't fully recover? What if we give up rookies and picks and someone becomes very good out of those "assests"? What if no deals with us to get fair market value for him and we end of in mediocrity... again? What then? I am all for make moves and not holding back, but for something that is a little more of a calculate risk, not a pipe dream.
A lot of people are pulling their hair out over nothing. There is the distinct possibility that Howard can be had for nothing more than Martin, Patterson, TOR pick and maybe a second rounder. In fact, because Morey wants to add a second piece, I would say that the odds that the price ends up being much beyond that are very slim. And there also seems to be nothing else out there that benefits the Magic more than that. It would be more realistic to proceed under the assumption that if Morey is going to get Howard, it is going to be for the absolute minimum. If a trade doesn’t happen, it will probably be because Morey didn’t want to fall into the predicament that all of the naysayers are cautioning. If he does land Howard, that will be the time to start dissecting the trade and determining whether or not the price was worth it or not. It’s just hard to understand how anyone can be against the trade at this point without having a clue what the price will be.
Well, a few things have tipped the hat in what Orlando hasn't taken to this point. With all the picks we had in the first round this draft, the Toronto pick, the combination of players we have ready to offer and the contracts that is reported that Orlando would expect us to take back, not to mention that we have been at this table begging for how long now? How many deal have we've tried to envolve or get envolved with. It has been rumored that we have revised how many offers? I agree, it's all speculation and media hype, but come on, doesn't take a rocket scientist (pun intended) to see that the writing on the wall as far as asking price from Orlando. I agree, we can wait to see if the deal goes down to distect if it was a good trade, but you're missing the point of my position. Anything short of the Rockets fleecing Orlando with a bunch of nothing and not taking on their "bad" contracts, would not be worth the time or effort... IMO...
But the fact that a deal hasn't been made indicates that Orlando isn't happy with Morey's offer (meaning they feel it is too low) and Morey has refused to increase the offer. The fact that no other team has come in and made a deal also shows that there may be no need to increase the offer. The fleecing of Orlando is still very possible. It's that possibility that makes it worth the time and effort. And let's not forget that time and effort toward such matters are what Morey is paid handsomely for.
if we can get him without giving up lamb then we should because we are gonna have a hard time scoring and protecting the rim this season. Regardless if people here dont care about rockets looking like s*** on the court, Les and Morey dont want this team to be laughing stock like they are now
1. If it happens, it happens. We tried to get a superstar, we failed. That's all there really is to it. There's not much difference between and suggesting "what happens if it turns out that Donatas and Lamb actually suck?" 2. Possible, but he's been healthy throughout his career. 3. Irrelevant. Jazz fans love Favors, and literally seem to think he's the next Dwight Howard. Does that mean the Deron deal was bad for the Nets? No. It would be bad if one of the guys we trade for Dwight ends up better than Dwight..... but I would be stunned if it happens with any of them. 4. I think the "We can trade if things go bad" argument is an utterly stupid pro-Dwight argument, and I'm a huge "Get Dwight" fan. The ONLY scenario I think where we trade Dwight at all is if he completely pitches a giant, complete fit which would permanently wreck his reputation ( Has ANYONE had a positive opinion of Vince Carter since he left Toronto?) and hurt his earnings, legacy, you name it. I mean, I guess it's possible he would do it. It's also possible that we trade Donatas and he becomes a even better version of Dirk, but I'll take that chance.
