I can't believe all the Brand bashing going on!! Everyone complained all last year (and rightfully so) that there was no production from the 4 spot, no one stuck up for Yao, Yao couldn't bang under the boards, etc. Then the prospect of landing a proven 20/10 guy comes along and y'all say the deal doesn't make sense?! Is everyone missing the point (no pun intended)?!?! Yao and Brand would be playing TOGETHER, like on the same team, people--if Brand likes it under the basket, SO WHAT--YAO DOESN'T or hadn't you noticed?? Brand would free up Yao to play a mid-range game like Hakeem did with OT down low or Duncan/D-Rob--all the way to the championship (granted Hakeem was great enough to do it w/o him, too). Yao's not at that stage though and it is CRUCIAL to our team and Yao's development to have a strong PF. We can always move MoT or Cato to fill in the hole at guard.
By: Desert Scar Man, you must have a scar on your brain cause you have no sense of humor. You so-called fans who "know it all" and HATE Steve sound so Stupid, and I was only pointing it out. Don't get upset cause YOU are one of those dumbasses.
How does an over-priced PF suddenly become a valuable trade bait that will net us a nice PG? I must of missed something, when did this became a prospect? The McGrady thing is a prospect (though, I never did think we had a chance to get him), but I've never heard any rumors out there that linked us with Brand or that Brand is on the trading block. ===== I think Brand can be an asset to our team, but I don't think he is the difference maker that will push us over the top. If we were to make such a trade, I wouldn't be against it, but I wouldn't be over joyed either. The thing is, I just don't see why the Clippers would do it. We complain that the zone defense has crippled Francis' strength, well, the last time I checked, the EC also plays zone. We complain that Francis has low basketball IQ and that he is dripple happy, so much that all the national commentator & writers has at one time or another made note of it. Why wouldn't the Clips "realize" this too? Which one is better: A) Brand (proven with the current team) + Rookie PG (unproven) + something else (for trading down) -- or B) Francis (upproven with the current team) + Rookie PF (unproven) Many here says Brand is greater or equal to Francis, so why should Clippers make this trade?
As someone without a sense of humor as you say and someone with a sense of humor as you imply you sure thrown around "HATE" a lot. Me, I don't "hate" Steve Franics. I simply think he would benefit from going to a team that didn't have a Yao Ming or comparable inside #1 option so SF can free wheel, AND I think the Rockets would be better off getting comparable value where that value better meets the need of the team (loads of toughness & physical presence, plus interior post defense and all around play out of the 4 spot). That is why we are talking about trading Francis for an All-Star, that is not hating, that is gripping with the reality of what is best for the Houston Rockets. To answer your question Moonbus, the possibility for a Brand Francis trade to the Clips perspective is Francis is a much more high profile and "exciting" star, and you could argue is a better 1st option in an offense. Brand has never shown the ablility to run the offense through him. In short, I do think Brand is the better overall player--but their are some things Francis does better and no question he is more marketable. Remember Brand has been traded for Tyson Chandler. Everyone knows he is excellent but they also know he isn't and never will be a TD, KG or Yao Ming. The Clips also have Wilcox and may draft a PF with the #2 pick--I would consider this trade if I were them because there is no obvious Steve Francis (dominanting looking scoring guard) in this year's draft and players like him are not frequently available.
Francis is more proven in a big man system (where he's not the big man) than Brand. We don't know if Brand would work out with Yao - for all we know, they would take from each other's game.
We don't need a great offensive powerforward. Just someone who can play hard-nosed defense and knock down open jumpers. Cato has little offensive skill and is too slow to defend opponent power forward. His defense as a power forward is overrated. Mo's bad at defense too. So the biggest problem with our power forward is defense.
One of the things I love about Brand is that he finishes around the basket. How many blown layups and even dunks did we see this season? Yao would have a gas passing him the ball and when Elton gets it, he knows what to do.
Brand would be a tremendous upgrade, but Mo would have to be dealt somewhere at the same time or the redundancy with cap implications would be frightening.
I just like the idea of knowing that with Brand and Yao on the court, the Rockets are going to dominate the paint pretty much every single night. The Lakers and Spurs have proven what a huge advantage it is to having a dominating presence inside. I don’t think that Yao or Brand individually will ever reach the level of dominance of Shaq or Duncan, but collectively they may be able to have the same impact on the court that Shaq and Duncan do for their teams. If the Rockets could get some perimeter players that can hit the open shot, they would be set. But I still think the chances of getting Brand are slim.
Let's qualify this by adding that he was with a completely terrible post Pippen & MJ Bulls team then traded in too short of time to guage, and then was traded to arguably the worst team in professional sports. Put him on a a franchise who is competitive and allow him an opportunity to grow on a team and there is good a chance the result may be different.
