Although I have to admit not knowing much about Oscar Torres other than the little I have learned post-signing, I wonder why we did not go after super Mario.. Here is a list of veteran free agents according to espn insdier The big smooth is gone. Sam Perkins is another victim of the dreaded luxury tax, which seems to be putting the big squeeze on numerous veterans. "Letting Sam go is one of the toughest decisions we've ever had to make as an organization," Pacers president Donnie Walsh told the Indianapolis Star. "Because of the financial system that all NBA teams have to work under, decisions like this become necessary sometimes." Perkins isn't the only one likely to find himself cut or still unemployed over the next few weeks before training camp. Free agent veterans Arvydas Sabonis, Olden Polynice, Hersey Hawkins, Otis Thorpe, Pervis Ellison, Chris Mullin, Billy Owens, Mario Elie and A.C. Green all remain unsigned, in part, due to issues related to the luxury tax. With so many teams teetering on the verge of the luxury tax, younger, cheaper players have an advantage over veterans, who under the league's collective bargaining agreement must be paid a considerably higher minimum wage. Players with 10 or more years of service must earn a minimum salary of $1 million a year. In a league that is getting increasingly younger, several players including Perkins and Sabonis, face the reality of retirement. Perkins has a few weeks to catch on with a new team, but his agent, Jeff Austin, isn't sure what the 40-year-old will do. Sabonis remains in Europe pondering whether he can get his battered body ready for another grueling NBA season. A league source told Insider that the Blazers are actively seeking a replacement for Sabonis, dangling Bonzi Wells and Dale Davis as trade bait. The Warriors will likely offer Mullin a position in the front office. But the agents for players like Polynice, Ellison, Owens, Elie and Green are still working the phones, trying to get them homes. "The old guys are getting pushed out," a NBA agent told Insider. "Teams are trying to get younger and more athletic . . . that's why the return of MJ is such an anomaly. Apparently experience isn't the asset it used to be in the NBA. Some of us warned the Players Association that this would happen. Higher salary guarantees for veterans is a double-edged sword. In this financial environment, it's a very lethal one."
I can't see Mario being a Houston Rocket ever again. He threw a fit when he was almost traded, and then tore the organization a new one. Then in subsequent games he showed up the organization, including screaming down Rudy T and the Rockets bench after a gaming winning shot in 1999, and then ripping into them in the back lockerroom of that game to the point where Spurs players literally had to drag him away from the cameras and into the lockerroom. He may be calling for work, but I doubt he has called the Houston Rockets.
When the Rockets won their two championships, I thought Mario Elie was the epitomy of having a huge heart. The way this guy was acting up until his leaving the team changed any positive views I had toward him. He pretty much quit on the team during his last season. Do not bring him back. He would be a locker room cancer when he didn't get the 25 minutes of playing time he thought he deserved.
If the Rockets bring "Super Mario" back, then Danny Ainge needs to come out of retirement so he can inbound the ball of Elie's face again!! I have to admit that was something that at the time pissed me off, but now looking back, it's pretty damn funny. And to think that I thought positive of him. Thanks, Rocks Millenuim for reminding me that Elie is an a**hole.
I know none of us have seen this Oscar Torres guy play, but hey he might turn out to be a pretty good player. I trust the Rockets on picking up this guy. The Rockets must had liked something about him, so I believe his not all that sorry as everybody might think. About "Super Mario" we have seen him play with the suns, and he didn't do bad, but he sure has gotten slow!
Can anybody actually remember a player that went back to a team to play for the same team the 2nd time around? As for the Rocks, the only one i can think of is Bull and Sam Mack. Bullard of course was a success but he got greedy the first time he left the Rocks. As for Mack, well no explanation there. But as for other players, has anybody actually succedded their second time around? The only players to me that come up to mind is: Sam Perkins: Lakers and I think the Sonics also Hershey Hawkins: Charlotte Hornets John Starks: GS Warriors (I really wouldnt count this cuz he was a nobody both trips to the team) Chris Dudley: Nets (who waived his poor playing ass after recieveing him again in the Jason Kidd trade) My point is that players that go back to a team that they already play for, play poorly the second go around. But then again, it maybe because they are a few years older. I dont think bringing back past Rocket players would be a good thing. For some reason though, I would love to see past players come back though (Thorpe, Horry, Cassell, etc....)
I wouldn't say *******... He is a very strong-willed person, maybe too much so occasionally. But he won us the championships, and he won the Spurs their championships. Not only was he a pretty good 2 in his time, but he had a great heart. Rocksmill, was it really a fit? I know he was very upset, but then so was Kevin Willis, noone wants to leave a city like Houston. Even when Elie left, where did he go? about 180 miles south of Houston. A 3 hour drive on I-10. At this point in his career, he may not be too valuable as a consistent shooter/Great defender, but he is still the kind of guy that can pull more out of a player.
