If the Rockets make a trade to shake things up, then they have a serious problem. Number one, SF won't have full trade value until after the season is over. Number two, if they trade CM (because he is their third most valuable asset), isn't that unfair to Cat. I mean he's not the guy that skipped a flight, but he's the guy that gets traded. I won't feel sorry for anyone that makes his kind of dough, especially a player that uses the term "I want" as often as he does, but it does seem to me that SF is the bigger problem on this team. Number three, every GM now smells blood in the water. When a player and coach are not getting along, the players trade value goes down, so making a trade before the summer could potentially get less value for CM or SF than waiting until the summer. Number four, I no longer care if the Rockets make the playoffs. They won't make it to the second round anyway, and since a new guy would have to adjust, there's no promise that trading CM will result in more victories, in fact SF might take the trade as a green light to go all AI on his team mates. Number five, I think the Rockets should hold off on dumping SF or CM until the summer, then completely rebuild the team around YM, using SF, CM, and the exception to acquire a legit power forward and guard. Yes this means one more summer of crushed hopes, but hey it's only a game, and were use to it anyway. Plus we have the Astros! Raven
Personally I do not think trading Steve Franics is the answer to this team's problem. Steve has the athleticism and the talent to be a very good if not great guard. He can score, he can create, he can dish (when he wants to), he can play suffocating defense when he gets a little help, he hustles, he plays bigger than he is, he sacrifices his body to get to the basket...why do we want to trade this guy? Lets face it, and I love the guy, but Rudy let Steve do whatever he wanted, and now with a disciplinarian coach like JVG its probably a big shock to him. Steve is being held accountable for his actions and his mistakes. Case in point, if Rudy were coach and Steve pulled this "taking of family matters", he would've been allowed to play, but with JVG suspending the "Franchise" for not making the team flight, it sends a message...there will be no bullsh!t tolerated at all. These men, men being the key word, are payed obscene amounts of money to play a game that many of us on this board would pay to play, and now we have a coach who is going to hold them accountable. Its up to Steve to see where we go from here. Will he man up and realize his mistakes and truly hunger for a championship and lead this team, or will he revert back to that crybaby he was on draft night four and a half years ago? We'll find out next game. You do not trade a player like Steve Francis without getting something worthwhile back, and to me that is Tracy McGrady. I see no reason why he wouldn't want to come here, just look at his comments about Kobe being lucky to play with a big man and how it helps his game. T-Mac playing with Yao would probably make him happy like a fat person at McDonald's (my apologies, I had to use CB's quote). But that is a different discussion and thread. I think the Rockets can make it work, but people have to accept their roles and the team needs to come together. This offseason will be interesting to see what happens as far as player movement and what JVG and CD believe need to be done to get this team to contend now, and not five or six years down the road.
Bring on Byron Scott, someone who has won a championship and understands how to coach players, not piss on them to take away their fire to strroke their ego.....
Raven, I'm all for a retooling this summer is we don't make the playoffs. I would LOVE to bring in BBarry from the Sonics. The Chronicle ran an article saying the broken finger means Barry will be around after the season. I'd trade him for Mobley straight up if the cap will allow it. As for Francis, using he and/or Cuttino/Cato to get a real PF and a guard like Barry would be excellent. Didn't Seattle try to sign MoT when we did? Even if Francis stays, Barry can run the point, is a deadly spotup shooter, plays excellent zone D, and is big enough to guard the 2's that Steve can't handle. As for PF, it has become increasingly clear that neither Mo nor Cato excel at starting. Moving either for a smart, ultra-thletic young PF would be ideal as a complement to Yao. I like Camby. Or maybe Kurt Thomas. What about Kenny Thomas (Whoops).
JVG is a better coach that scott is. there is no reason to make that kind of move. also, there is no reason to move cat. he is our best defender, and a great scorer. once we get a real PG in here his bball iq won't look so low. moving steve is the answer. we could target guys like kirilenko, sheed, artest, kidd, and lewis, and really take our team to the next level.
Guy who want to win championships like Jason Kidd do not like Byron Scott because he provides no guidance on the court. I have no doubts that guys like Mike Bibby and Steve Nash would play for Van Gundy without a problem. It's too bad they aren't available for trade because they are indeed championship-caliber point guards who win games.
This is a sad but interesting point. I was considering this just the other day -- do we really *want* the 8 spot? On the one hand, I'd prefer a better draft pick and another honest push toward changing the team. On the other hand, JVG is a great playoff coach (IMO), and if the team got on a great defensive roll (hard to imagine right now), then it could be fun for us.
Isiah Thomas is looking to add a low-post scorer. I think Kurt Thomas is a better spot-up shooter than Maurice and plays beter defense. He also knows Van Gundy. I'd consider trading Maurice for Kurt.
Good point,Jared Novak.I thought the same thing as yours. After Francis made a babyish decision,Rox fell in a dilemma---trading Steve Francis or not. I don't think trading him is the solution to Rockets,personally.It's a fact that Francis is a talent scoring player and still the soul of this team.I wanna give him a chance to redeem himself until this summer.At that time,if Francis remain what he had done for us as four and half years past,ok,trade him for a SG like TM or a decent PF then. We are fans of Rox who has been looking forward to playoffs with eager expectancy more than four years.Even if we make the playoffs this year,we won't alive in the second round.Let's face it. The majority of us accept Yao is hope for Rox. We won't be Champions indeed without the improvement of Yao.We have to bail on him.So play a high stake on Yao,completely rebuild the team around him and see where he's gonna take us....
