As we all know, the Rox still have half the MLE to spend, and an empty space on the Roster. I was sure we'd be resigning Hawk, but with the signings of AGriff and Pike, it looks like Juaquin will be somewhere else next season. So let's take a look at the best FAs still on the board(that the Rockets have a chance at signing). Mark Jackson, PG (No one else seems to want him, he should be available.) Kenny Anderson, PG (Traded six times. Definite Headcase. Still a top talent) Jacque Vaughn, PG (Spent too long backing up Stockton. He's been corrupted, IMHO.) Voshon Lenard, SG (Good shooter.) Steve Smith, SG (Maybe too pricey, but he can certainly still play.) Raja Bell, SG (Tough defender, occaision offensive threat.) Stephen Jackson, SF (Longtime Rocket fan. Denver doesn't want him. Mistake prone, but talented.) LaPhonso Ellis, SF (Good defender, decent rebounder, will know the system having played under Pat Riley. Injury prone.) Jimmy Jackson, SF (Not much D, shoot-first type of player. A great guy to have on your bench though.) Tracy Murray, SF (C'mon, it'd be so cool. And it can never hurt to have a good shooter alongside Yao and Steve.) Walt Williams, SF (I still have a special place in my heart for the Wiz. How 'bout you?) Lee Nailon, SF (Talented offensive player, not enough D.) Tyrone Hill, PF (Being a Sixers fan, I have an inherent disliking for Tyrone Hill. And we're a good rebounding team anyway.) Gary Trent, PF (Don't know too much about him, but I'd like to see how Mo and Eddie respond to P.Ew's tutelage.) Shawn Kemp, PF (I think he'd be a great addition - we could have JVG point to him and say to Mo and Cato, "This could be you." I'll bet it would scare them enough to stay away from twinkies and Kool-Aid for the rest of their lives.) I'd like to see us sign Mark and Stephen Jackson, and package Glen and Eddie to Atlanta for SAR... But I guess that probably won't happen. I just don't trust Chad Ford - doesn't he just have that look about him that screams, "I'm Chad Ford, don't trust me!"? I think he does.
What ever happened with Bryon Russel? Did he sign somewhere, retire or die? I think he would be a great sign but I also think Laphonso Ellis would be good and Shawn Kemp would be a great sign as well.
I like Jim Jackson. I can't believe no one's picked him up yet and I've always liked Tyrone Hill. He's a solid rebounder.
I just couldn't bring myself to add him. He's still on the market, but I hated him more than Hornacek or Sloan when he was with Utah. He was behind only Flopton and Karla in terms of my sheer hatred for him. And for the longest time I thought his name was 'Byron', and my friend makes fun of me for it.
That is one long list of crappy bench players and has-beens. We could use a PG and Mark Jackson is the safe choice but Kenny A. has the most tallent. I would go with Mark. Also a third PF would be a good idea Tyrone Hill is the safe choice here but I think I would go with Trent he is more versitile. We have plenty of 2's and 3's and my opinion is to play them this season and if they suck fix the problem at mid-season or next summer. And above all stay away from any bench players that have personality issues like Kenny Anderson we don't need sickness on the inside.
IMO, the Rockets can't afford Jim Jackson or Stephen Jackson. I like Raja Bell but if he's not overpriced, he's probably a redundant skill. I like Mark Jackson and Ty Hill 'cause they bring vet experience for cheap. I could be wrong but IMO either would sign a 1 year deal. Cherokee Parks (get up off of the floor again crash) is one of the few available who covers both PF and C. Kemp does as well and still has decent range and skills. But something tells me Doc Rivers likes him and would trump a Rocket's bid. OK, let me get out of here quick...I got better things to do than worry about the 12th roster spot......
More than anything I would like to see the Rockets get a veteran PG. I think that would add a lot to the team. Mark Jackson and Kenny Anderson seem like the best solutions out there. Both should be pretty cheap and we should get great returns in them directing our second units. Moochie is a liability we just can't continue to expose.
I'd rather have Moochie Norris than Jacque Vaughn. Aside from a cool name, he brings less to the table than the Mooch.
I would like to have Mark Jackson off that list, but the only problem with that, is what to do with Moochie... are they going to sit him down while he is making all that money? All we need from our backup PG is for them to get the ball up the court and drop it off to Yao/Mo/whoever else is in the paint... Mark Jackson would be great to have but I can't imagine them not trying to get something out of Mooch for the sixe of his contract. Moochie just needs to get his stuff together, last year was rediculous.... I would not be surprised if they go for some size versus a back-up PG....
I think Bill Russell is still a FA. Even at his age, he is prolly bettr than most of the people on that list....
I don't think we have half the MLE to spend. The Rockets are too worried about the luxury tax and probably will not be breaching it for the sake of a 12th man. I'd expect them to sign someone for the minimum. Some of those guys wouldn't play for that, I don't think. I'd take Mark Jackson if he'd be willing to come for that. He'd be valuable to have on the bench even if he didn't play a minute.
The way I see it, our rotation is pretty much set, so signing a free agent isn't helpful unless you move someone in a trade. PG: Steve, Mooch SG: Cat, Piat SF: AG, Nachbar, Rice PF: Mo Tay, Eddie C: Yao, Cato People familiar with Van Gundy might be able to say better, but generally, there's only 8,9 guys that play significant minutes regularly. That will be Steve, Cat, Piatkowski, Yao, Cato, Mo Tay, Eddie, and two out of AG, Nachbar and Rice, depending on health, competence, etc. Mooch will probably get at least 10mpg too, come to think about it. To me, that means the only guys we're signing are 12th-man, IR types like Hawkins.
Well, I would hope that if the Rockets didn't sign someone for the veterans' or league minimum, that it would certainly be someone in the rotation. At this point Nachbar is our backup SF and Adrian Griffin is our starter. This seriously worries me, and is the reason why I'd like to see us sign Jimmy or Stephen, or LaPhonso Ellis. I figure we're set at the 2, 4, and 5, but I have my doubts about Nachbar and Mooch. I think Moochie will rebound from a bad year, but if not, don't you think it would be reasonable to sign Mark Jackson for the veteran's minimum? If it turns out Nachbar can't play the NBA game, wouldn't you prefer to see a LaPhonso Ellis or Jimmy Jackson coming off the bench, rather than a guy who played horribly in games that make Dan Langhi and Bo Outlaw look like superstars? I know I'm whining. And I apologize for it. But I really think that signing some of these FA's could mean the difference between 43 wins and 44.
You could dig up Wilt Chamberlain and he'd probably be better than most of the people on the list, the point here is to find the FA who would be able to outplay Wilt's corpse. I'm sure there are at least three or four. Well, maybe that's not the point of the list... But it's a factor.
