http://chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/4043336.html When Mike James turned down the Rockets on Tuesday, Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson began formulating a free-agent Plan B. "But we just started," he said. "Plan B started yesterday. "We'll go on down the road. We'll find the next guy. We'll get our share here." When MJ said 'No' to the Mavs they signed Buckner. Fast. They were prepared. They had their 'Plan B'. No moss grew under their damned feet. When MJ said 'No' to the Rox they began formulating a Plan B. Advantage: Not Houston. Problem: Houston. Best in the West? No, third in Texas. I have always been a CD man, 'but' - it's one deal at a time. We never has seemed capable of thinking beyond the one deal he is working on. Then, move on to another. A little slow, a little short. Panaceas? MLE, TEs, Euro maybe, 'but' with no depth and no active player trade chips. I love my Rox and I am prepared for Lotto '07 because the West is loaded with quality teams and we have three quality players.
Can we FINALLY admit CD is not a good GM???? Even worse, the Rockets organization is run by committee, which is not a recipe for success. CD never played pro ball and is clueless when it comes to scouting talent. To make matters worse, he is not very shrewd and inevitably gives away the farm to make his myopic deals happen. There is no way you include Swift in this deal. You play him, pump up his stats and dump him for value. ARGH!!!! I wish CD was a car salesman, I'd come out like bandits.
I am deeply troubled. this whole time I spent trying to convince myself the Rockets weren't stupid enough to think that they needed no "plan B'' and that they would be prepared for this here situation. Now I find out it was true, we have the slimmest of pickings and the offseason's looking lost. Mike James would of helped us , but we should of had something in the works beyond him anyway. Roll on Draft '07. Greg Oden time. I can see the "lets tank" threads starting up by say, Christmas-New Years.
Wow... you people are such pessimists. We have Yao Ming and T-mac. If T-mac is healthy and Yao Ming plays like he did at the end of last season we could get to the WCF with Ryan Bowen, Juwan Howard, and Keith Bogans starting. Fortunately we have Battier, Alston, and Head... plus whoever else we pick up in free agency and a possible rookie breakout in Novak. I don't know why you're all so doom and gloom. We have two top 10 players on one team! Do people forget how amazing this team can be when it's healthy? Jesus everyone, calm down and let the whole MJ thing go. He would've been a great addition but he decided to go elsewhere. There are some interesting options left in the FA market and I'm sure we'll pick up a couple of players that solidify this team's depth and talent. Now everyone relax... it is going to be okay.
Two quality players and scrubs are not enough and never have been. Jordan always had Pippen and a stud PF - Rodman and earlier, Grant; he had shooters on the wings, he had defensive stoppers at PG, he had bench help. Other examples abound. Most importantly, great teams have great, forward thinking GMs, who never paint the organization into a corner. I fear the Rox organization pays lip service to winning and just wants to win enough to be profitable.
The 95 Rockets starting lineup against the Suns was: Hakeem, Drexler, young Horry, Kenny Smith and Chucky Brown. Two quality players are 3 scrubs. Sorry to call Horry a scrub all you loyalists but at the time he was very young, underperformed during the regular season and unproven. It's not like Horry was a 18/8 guy ...he never was that. Kenny Smith was CONSTANTLY the team goat as being subpar, IIRC. It wasn't until after he retired that he got the name The Jet. Chucky Who? Dream and Drexler largely carried that team. The 2000 Lakers were Shaq and Kobe. Who else was on that team? A bunch of people that are now retired or have not done anything anywhere else in the league. As long we have a healthy Yao and TMac, keep hope alive.
DING, DING, DING!!! We have a winner!!! Thanks for writing that, homey...I get tired of all the whiny hoes on this forum......
If Carrol Dawson had not traded trash to get Mike James two years ago, this wouldnt even be an issue today. Dawson is not a great gm, but he isnt a bad one either. Should he have traded James last year? No, but I don't know how not wanting to giving him a trade kicker (which sets a bad precedent for future negotiations "If he has one, why can't I...") is so wrong. Are Cuban and Nelson, Jr. morons too? Having said that, the Rockets do need to hurry up and find a reliable...player, somehow. There is no time to sit back and wait.
Unfortunately, those comparisons are null and void, pretty much made useless... FIRST, by that "if we have a healthy tandem" majory issue Two, by the fact neither is Hakeem Olajuwon... Yao isn't even a prime championship Shaq... yet. 22/10/1.5 is nice but, not good enough to start bringing up Jordan/pip, Hakeem/Drexler, or even Shaq/kobe.. We have yet to see if Yao can get even better than those numbers and not once EVER look back.. All a healthy Yao and T-mac really gets us as they are NOW, with the Bowens, Alstons, and battiers of the world, are a good 7 game first round playoff series, possible win and maybe another win or two in the second round if lucky.. IF lucky.
Like who? The Miami organization that was widely panned for bringing in a bunch of aging and ego-driven vets, then seeing their head coach mysteriously "Resign"? Or the Detroit organization that replaced Larry Brown with Flip Saunders, trade former #2 overall pick (for whom they passed up Carmello Anthony!) in order to free up cap room to sign Ben Wallace, then see Wallace bolt for Chicago? How about a Lakers' organization that won three straight titles, traded away one of their stars because he couldn't get along with their other one (despite Shaq being the far more likeable, team-driven star), and they basically have Lamar Odom, Kobe's 80-point game, and a first round exodus to show for it. Sure, you can talk about San Antonio, Dallas, and Pheonix, but it's also easy to say that because they are both coming off very good seasons, but do you think Dallas fans were happy when the team made the big offseason splashes of Christie, Diop, and Griffin? Those fans were pissed. Same for Pheonix when they gave up Joe Johnson, settled for a Boris Diaw, and dealt their other wing plus a 1st rounder to get Kurt Thomas. That seemd to work out fine. Now, I readily admit that Dawson sounds like a moron when he says things publicly about being caught off guard and now formulating a new plan. A fall-back option should have been in the works, and I truthfully think it has been and he is just playing coy, but it still sounds stupid. Regardless, if we were coming off a 51-win season and made this move, people would be proclaiming the Battier deal as what will put us over the top. Had we signed Mike James, we might be touted as the surprise team of the year, but now we have to make a couple of hard decisions with our remaining options. But to act as if this organization is idiotic two years after it trades three average to above average role players for one of the best scorers and clutch players in the game is tunnel vision with an agenda.
No Plan B? Not to worry. Take all of the NBA players making equal to or less than 125% of Juwan Howard...sort downward from oldest to youngest...check for the oldest player with the highest $Ball rating...if FA, contact agent...if under contract, contact team.
Plan B sounds like signing Shawn Kemp -- he's a former All-Star; he's old; he will do or say anything JVG wants in order to get another chance; he would be inexpensive; he lives in Houston; and he would be perfect for some positive (what else?) Chronicle stories. There's one signing. Next in line is DaJuan Wagner. He was a #6 pick. He has some experience. He scored 100+ points in a high school game (similar to Al Bundy only in basketball). He is available. He's inexpensive. He will do or say anything JVG wants in order to get another chance. He would be perfect for some positive (what else?) Chronicle stories. There's a combo guard. Next is Jason Williams. He's a former #2 pick. He has some experience and came from a very good college program. He's inexpensive. He will do or say anything JVG wants in order to get another chance. He would be perfect for some positive (what else?) Chronicle stories. There's our point guard.
This Thread has nothing to do with either player, any player. It has to do with "When Mike James turned down the Rockets on Tuesday, Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson began formulating a free-agent Plan B." If you're ok with that then fine. Me? I am frustrated and upset. I love our guys, because they're my guys. I just want the management to be in position to maximize the talent and skills and basketball/team IQ of enough guys to make me dream of June -- and not the draft.
