Hah, I remember GATER. Wasn't he perpetually annoyed even before the trade happened? Here's a good thread if you want a reminder of how negatively the board reacted to the Battier trade: http://bbs.clutchfans.com/showthread.php?t=114469 It's actually kind of hilarious, I b****ed up a storm when the trade went down, and yet in what's stupid thread about Gay showing the world he's on Durant's level I have like, 15 posts talking about how overrated and overpaid he is.
Absolutely Moreys fingerprints were all over it. I am not anywhere close to an insider but did get to ask a fairly unimpeachable source on this question and he gave me a very straightforward answer. It was a stats driven deal and they had to talk Les into it.
Dont think that battier trade was a bad one. we were a team on the verge of becoming a contender. Battier was the perfect fit for that team.
1) I think I initially didn't like the trade, but my opinion changed. Going for it all with TMac/Yao and getting rid of Swift's contract made since. Doesn't hurt that we were let down be Eddie Griffin, who was at one time a potential number 1 pick of fell to the middle of the lottery, similarly to Gay. 2) Scottie Pippen quit on the team, and publicly threw teammates (Barkley) under the bus. I remember in the playoffs Pippen dribbling the ball off his leg out of bounds on the next to last possession of a one point game in game 1 of the NBA finals (Mobley would have a driving floater blocked by Shaq on the final possession). He shot the ball like garbage throughout that series. 3) Injuries aren't what cost TMac his Houston fans. It was pouting, and quitting. If he wasn't healthy enough to play, he shouldn't have been out there, and he should have said as much. He shouldn't have announced his decision to have surgery to the world before the organization. Yao was always invested in the team, but TMac wasn't. TMac was all about TMac, and it cost him the goodwill he had built with the fans early. McGrady in 2007 before the Jazz series: "If we don't win this series, it's on me." After the series: "It's my fault. It's my fault we missed free throws. It's my fault we lost both games. Blame me. It's my fault we fouled to tie the game up. That's my fault. It's my fault they get easy layups. It's my fault we're not executing well on the offensive end. It's my fault a couple people in the stands ordered Heinekens and they got Budweiser. It's my fault. I'm sorry."
