P.S. I don't think it's even arguable that Mobley's our second best. Yao is #1, followed by Francis and JJ, then Mobley. I'm sure a poll would reveal that VEEEEEERY few people regard Mobley as the 2nd best player, if ANY.
Well as long as we're looking ahead. How about Antaawn Jamison? Rebounds well, and is a silent assassin from the field. Man and he made NO COMPLAINTS about PT in Dallas. I think that's cool because clearly he's better than 'Toine. He won't be in Dallas anymore... but he's making the max right? That's kind of a problem but maybe he can be the solid second option we seek? I mean I'm not sure he makes more than MoT and Spoon combined. Having him would make those guys unnecessary.
Spurs have a team option on Robert Horry for next year, but I think there's a good chance they might not pick it up so that they can have money for both Ginobli and Turkoglu. There are younger guys we could go after, but Horry's game is good for the Rockets (like any other team built around an interior big man) and he would fit the cheap veteran signing trend of last year.
crap i went and checked and you're right... his contract is longer than i thought. maybe we can trade them cato and somebody? nah forget it we don't have anyone they want. but say we unload francis... we can support another max player and still get yao to resign right? i don't know much about it.
Just a note about Marquis Danies is that he has been starting for the Mavs since they started small ball. Josh Howard has been coming off of the bench. Daniels has been playing exceptional and getting about 40 minutes a game. As a starter Danial has been averaging 15 points, 1.5 steals, 4 assists, 5 rebounds and hitting 50% of his shots.
A trade of Cato for Jamison isn't as outlandish as you'd think. The Mavs need a Cato-type and will trade Jamison if they think it will improve the team. I think it's more a question of what direction they want to go in. On the other hand, Daniels isn't going anywhere. The Mavs love him and won't let him run off to another team as long as money is the issue. Resigning Yao won't be a problem because we will have his bird rights. As far as the cap is concerned, it's a non-issue. The luxury tax likely won't be a problem in the future, but Les isn't Cuban and won't sustain a payroll like the Mavs. But as long as Yao is perceived as being worth the max, there is no way we'll have problems resigning him unless he absolutely doesn't want to stay.
Steve should be our second best player, but his tendancy to turn over the ball, make bone headed plays, dominate the dribble too much and overall lack of focus keep me from putting him there. Francis has had a couple of nice games lately, but the bottom line is he doesn't get it and probably never will. He belongs on a team where he can dominate the ball(ie. Iverson). You can make a case for JJ, I suppose. He and Mobes have helped keep the team competitive and even win a few games, but I still think Mobley could do alot more than he is doing, if called upon. JJ is giving everything that was expected of him and possibly more.
The Mavs have no say about it. They only signed Daniels to a one year contract and he is a free agent this summer. Daniels can go where he wants and Mavs can't outbid anyone because they do not have bird rights on him.
The question to ask about Daniels is : "Is he worth a significant portion, or even all, of the MLE?". Because, even if it is only a desperation move, some team will throw that money in his face.
I think he is with out a doubt. He is a rookie and has cracked the Mavs starting rotation. He hits almost 50% of his shots, plays good D, handles the ball well and is averaging 4 assists a game as a starter. I made my case early in the year to trade SF for Jamison and Daniels because I thought Daniels would be a stud. His current level of play is no fluke because he has been doing all year long including the pre-season.
If I had a vote the 2nd best player on the Rockets team I would have to go with Francis, but if the poll was on who was the 2nd most valuable player on the Rockets, I would vote for Mobley. Mobley is an ideal fit on this Rockets team under JVG and I think that there is no chance he would get traded in the offseason unless he was involved in a package to bring in an obviously better player like a Kobe Bryant. That would be an interesting poll to start though because I'm curious as to who people would vote for also. I'm just too lazy to set one up.
Offseason Wishlist: 1. Rasheed Wallace (FA) or Boozer (pipe-dream). 2. Brent Barry (FA) or a backup PG (Duhon?). 3. Rashard Lewis (big trade) or Shawn Marion (pipe-dream). If you're going to build your team around Yao, these are the right guys at the right position we need. And most of all, it just seems that if the Rockets play their card right, some or most of these things could actually get done.
