Even though I have no expectations of this year, even these pre pre-season practice briefings are givin me goose bumps
That would be a huge steal. The Rockets trade two non-rotation players for a starting caliber NBA Center? This would be a great deal if Yao was around (Gasol would be the best backup C in the league) but without Yao it's the very definition of a steal.
Wow, you guys want Gasol AND you don't want to give up anything of value. Allen Iverson is going to sell tickets. Who would buy tickets to see Joey Dorsey? Just because he played in Memphis? I could see it if they won the championship and he was a high lottery pick. Hell, he was part of the group that got the school on probation and not exactly a model citizen.
You couldn't even get Darrell Arthur for Cook/Dorsey. You probably have to pay someone off just to take Cook anyways.
Nice NBA.com blog posted today from Jason Friedman (thanks if you're reading, by the way). Not sure I'm allowed to create a thread for it, JF being a Rockets employee, so I'll just link to it here: http://my.nba.com/thread.jspa?threadID=5700042704 The post exudes optimism, and I can't wait to see these guys in action. [rquoter] ... But let’s face it, what you really want to know is how the guys are looking on the court. So let’s get right to it. Shane Battier and Luis Scola arrived in town last weekend and they’ve since joined the 5-on-5 scrimmages which have been taking place at the Toyota Center practice court the last several weeks. Right now, everyone on the roster (including recent signee Garrett Temple, Will Conroy and Pops Mensah-Bonsu) is there except for Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, Carl Landry and Kyle Lowry. It’s quite a sight to see these guys going at each other day after day and I’m happy to report that everyone clearly busted their butts to get into great shape for the upcoming season. Chuck Hayes in particular looks trimmed down and fantastic and it was no surprise to see his team (which also featured Chase Budinger, Jermaine Taylor, Temple and David Andersen) all four games I witnessed Tuesday. The Chronicle’s Jonathan Feigen compared Hayes to Magic Johnson for his fearless forays which witnessed him going coast-to-coast on the break, and while that’s obviously a bit of playful hyperbole, it does speak to the fact that the Chuckwagon has clearly put in serious work this summer to get himself primed for a season when his team will need him more than ever. What else stood out: Battier and Scola are in great shape as well; no surprise given the fact both guys are consummate professionals. No doubt Battier benefited from a full summer of rest and training, as opposed to last summer when he had to deal with rehab and a subsequent set-back in his recovery from offseason surgery. And speaking of being in tremendous physical condition, Trevor Ariza is a greyhound out there who can seemingly run for days without breaking a sweat. Also worth noting: he supposedly dominates the Rockets’ pre-scrimmage tag drills (brought to the team by new Director of strength and conditioning Darryl Eto) thanks to his incredible combination of quickness and length. Can’t wait to see how Coach Adelman unleashes Ariza this season. As for the rookies, Taylor and Budinger look like classic Morey draft day steals. Budinger is just ridiculously smooth out there, always playing under control and making the right decisions. And while there’s no way he’ll come close to duplicating his jaw-dropping summer league percentages from three-point land (he shot .727 from beyond the arc in Vegas), his lightning-quick release outside jumper is still finding the bottom of the net far more often than not. Budinger is the first to admit that he needs to get stronger ("I'm playing against men now," he says) and there's no question expectations should be tempered until we see how he fares when the real games begin, but it's tough not to be tantalized by his potential. Taylor, meanwhile, is much more of a slasher, who’s carved-out-of-granite physique allows him to finish at the hoop even when sustaining copious amounts of contact. Don’t pencil him into the Von Wafer role just yet, but if he continues to progress, Coach Adelman has shown himself willing to give players opportunities on gameday once they earn them during practice. Finally, don’t sleep on the newest signees, Garrett Temple and Will Conroy. Conroy tore up the D-league last year and really knows how to run an offense, while Temple is a smart, athletic guard with the potential to be a lockdown defender in this league some day. Right now they’re long shots to make the team simply because there’s not much wiggle room on the roster but both players have a lot of fans within the Rockets’ organization and if they don’t happen to stick coming out of training camp, rest assured Rockets’ brass will be keeping a very close eye on them should an opening appear later on ... [/rquoter]
