Then the Rockets should TRADE for a center. My point is that, unless Nene (the ONLY truly good free agent center who is realistically attainable in free agency) wants to come for ~$7M, the Rockets likely CANNOT acquire a top free agent big man with the cap where it will likely be set. Tyson Chandler is going back to Dallas, especially if a true hard cap is off the table and if Cuban can amnesty cut Brendan Haywood. Marc Gasol is a restricted free agent. We're not getting him in free agency. DeAndre Jordan is also a restricted free agent. We're not getting him in free agency. I actually prefer Chuck Hayes to any other currently-available free agent center. Obviously, though, Morey will be scouring the waiver wire after all the amnesty cuts, as there might be some intriguing names there. So maybe I'll retract my earlier statement, with the caveat that only if a truly better player than Chuck Hayes gets amnesty cut AND is willing to take a "more reasonable" salary from Houston would I want to part ways with Chuck Hayes under a reasonable new contract. Of course, this is pure conjecture. We have no way of knowing whether they'll change how they calculate the salary cap as a function of BRI under the new CBA.
They did last year, that is how we have Thabeet. Also, I suspect they are hoping that some decent centers shake loose via Amnesty. DD
ChrisMannixSI Chris Mannix Tick, tock and I haven't heard a whisper about any meetings or calls between players and owners. Just can't see a deal getting done by Mon.
No hard cap - Hurts my feelings as a fan of the game. I want to see competition across the board rather than the Lakers and Celtics participating in greater than 50% of the Finals series ever played.
Is the amnesty rule a guranteed feature of he next CBA? if so it opens the door to more options. Emeka Okafor - Exactly what the rockets need, and while im purely speculating here with the reduced cap and whatnot, should be within our price range. Kaman/Beidriens/Brand are also options that could be cut.
DD, do you have a lot of faith in McHale and the Rockets staff, or do you think Thabeet just needs the minutes to be able to produce? Just curious to get your opinion on this. I think we'll see some impact players get cut during this Amnesty. Owners and their respective GM's are going to be looking really hard at their bottom line once they come to an agreement with this labor issue. I think the one thing that will benefit the Rockets in one aspect is having some cap room to sign a player or two. They really don't have to many long term contracts left on their books after the 2011/2012 season other than Martin, Scola, and Lowry. I do agree that the Rockets do need to commit to either rolling the dice on giving Thabeet the minutes or making an upgrade at the center spot either through FA or trading. Realistically, the NBA is all about matchups and Hayes is an important player to have on your roster. I'm just not sold you can have him as your starting Center for a whole 82 games.
No kidding. Players get to say they win, because they get a higher %, and owners get what they want by reducing how much they pay by a decent margin.
I'm with DD,on this. I like chuck and he's earned his way into a rotation, but id rather see what thabeet can do guarding the rim. I know what chuck can do and that's fine, but he's better off on a team that is ready to do something now. The rockets aren't going aywhere anytime soon until they can protect the rim. Scola,martin,and chase are poor defenders. Lowry has been very avg as starter defenfinsively. They need to see if thabeet can do what he did the las 20 games of his rookie yr so they can make a decision on him after the season.
Guys, these goals are not necessarily mutually exclusive. The Rockets can both re-sign Hayes AND give more time to Thabeet. The front office and coaching staff can make a very informed decision if Thabeet even plays 10 mpg. Hell, a full season of practices may even be enough for them to decide. I'm not necessarily advocating going to war with only Hayes and Thabeet at center. I agree that Morey should look hard at some of the amnesty cuts (as I mentioned in my post before DD posted on it above). I'm just saying that a Hayes/Thabeet combo is still a possibility. With Thabeet only having one year remaining, and with the Rockets better positioned to make a splash in 2012 free agency, that's not the end of the world.
I don't. Its not a secret, Thabeet isn't good and he wont get much better. He isn't good guys. Not good. No matter how much I practice... I wont be good. I really cant make it any simpler than that. Not good.
I like Hayes a lot, but if I were him, I would consider long and hard signing somewhere like Miami where he can compete for a ring. He is an UFA, he should take advantage of that, and see where he wants to take his talents, if it is here in Houston, and it is a good deal, great....but I think he should do whatever is in his own best interests, and IMO, that is not resigning in Houston. DD
You might be right Ziggy, but I have not seen enough of him on the floor to know, yet. He came into the league and did pretty well, for a time, then was stuck behind a good young center. I think you have to play the guy, and see what his ceiling is...or isn't..... DD
Thanks for the sense. Thabust will be traded or kept inactive. I hope Chuck stays in Houston. He's settled down and likes it here. He doesn't strike me as a Miami type of guy but you never know.
Hayes is not that important of a player, he is a solid defensive role player, but if the team is relying on that type of player to compete, they aren't really competing for anything anyway. DD
