ESPN insider's take on mo

According to ESPN:



The Rockets' high hopes this season came in for a crash landing Tuesday when they learned that recently signed forward Maurice Taylor had torn his Achilles tendon.

The Rockets will be scrambling over the next few weeks to find a replacement for Taylor, who will likely miss the entire season. Could Marc Jackson or Anthony Mason be the savior the Rockets will now be seeking?

While Taylor flew into Houston Tuesday night for an exam by team doctors, the Rockets were already planning surgery for today. Depending on the extent of the tear, the Rockets may be able to seek relief in the form of the elusive NBA medical exception. The NBA has been very stingy with the exception, granting it only when league officials feel the player will miss the entire season or longer. Approval typically takes weeks of review, so don't expect a quick announcement one way or the other. If allowed, that exception would permit the Rockets to spend $3.25 million on a replacement for Taylor.

The exception, if granted, could be good news for both the Rockets and several free-agent big men still looking for homes. Jackson, whom the Rockets looked at briefly during free agency, is a definite option. Teams have shied away from the Warriors forward partly because most don't believe he's actually a center. Insider talked to several teams that worked him out and feels he's a four, not a five. However, Jackson is still a restricted free agent. The Warriors have threatened in the past to match any offer for Jackson up to the $4.5-million exception. The Rockets are slightly under the cap, but can't combine cap space with the medical exception to get above that 4.5 number.

Mason would give the Rockets something they've lacked in the last few years -- toughness and strong rebounding up front. A free agent, his situation with the Heat is complicated. Heat GM Randy Pfund told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that the franchise might use only part, or none, of its $3.3 million trade exception because of its goal of remaining below the impending luxury tax. That could be bad news for Mason, who's looking for a multi-year deal and whose agent, Don Cronson, is still working with the Heat. Mason had talked with the Bucks, Sixers and Pacers, but the more reluctant the Heat are to take on salary the harder it gets to do a sign-and-trade..

Or the Rockets could cut their losses and just stay put. Kenny Thomas looked like he was coming into his own before the Rockets brought in Taylor last year. Houston also has rookie Eddie Griffin, who could spend some time down low. Griffin is an excellent rebounder and shot blocker, but his slight frame and inexperience would hurt the Rockets if they are still serious about contending for the playoffs this season.

The loss of Taylor, who signed a six-year, $48-million deal last month, is the latest in a series of blows to the Rockets. The team also lost free agents Hakeem Olajuwon and Shandon Anderson. The Rockets also have had difficulty coming to a deal with free agent Moochie Norris, though Norris seems optimistic that a deal can be done. Norris told the Houston Chronicle that he still hopes to be a Rocket and is not negotiating with any other team.


I beleive the Rockets should stay put with Kenny and Eddie at the four. Let's think of this as an opportunity to test Kenny's worth and developp Eddie's nba savy. The rockets were not getting past the Lakers this year anyway so this will allow us to look at our options for the future. How about a possible Collier, Cato combination in the lineup??