not the Jet Li movie, the one player that you'd like to have that would help the Rockets the most. Hypothetical question with the following conditions: I. Yao Ming stays on the Rockets II. Having one of the below precludes having others. Most of these are inspired by the many trade rumors lately and are somewhat available, to varying degrees. 1. Ray Allen -- there's a good thread about jump shooting in the GARM right now. Ray Allen would go a long way as a remedy for our jump shooting woes. 2. Elton Brand -- an elite power forward that is among the league leaders in rebounds, offensive rebounds, and blocked shots. A tough nosed player that would pair with Yao to become, without a doubt, the best big men duo in the league. 3. Steve Francis -- showed flashes of promise in the playoffs. A veteran of the JVG and Rockets system. Awesome pure athleticism and a fierce competitor. I guess I don't have to come up with more reasons as I'm sure other people have plenty. 4. Tracy McGrady -- a few seasons ago people were split on whether T-Mac was better than Bryant. Well T-Mac is bigger, more explosive, and a good shooter to boot. Unfortunately he's been stuck in a losing culture and has had nagging injuries. However T-Mac / Yao would certainly fit maybe exceed the Kobe / Shaq championship prototype. 5. Steve Nash -- one of the best shooters in the league and second in the league in assists only to Jason Kidd, also among in the league leaders in Ast/TO. Often criticized for being too unselfish (ppg dropped and apg rose this year after the addition of Walker and Jamison). Fits the bill of what the Rockets need in terms of playmaker and shooter. 6. Other. Here you've got possibilities such as SAR, Kobe, Iverson, and people I may have forgotten.
I guess I should also start the discussion. I've thought about it for a long time and I guess the one I would like to have the most is Elton Brand. I really think that Yao and Brand would thrive together. If you add their heights together you get the same thing as Hakeem and Sampson. And I think the results would be similar too. Obviously maybe they aren't as good as the twin towers, and the twin towers weren't good enough to win back then... but in today's NBA, it would just been too formidable. Look at what R. and B. Wallace are doing out east. Yao and Brand would be unstoppable with their shot blocking and rebounding. Brand doing the dirty work down low will free Yao up to roam about and hit jumpers, and vice versa. Also, I think the road to the finals goes through san antonion for the next 5 years. And Brand actually matches up well with Duncan. In any case, we would have the front court to match them. Otherwise even with T-Mac we might not be able to beat the Spurs.
Voted Brand since the Rox desperately need a rebounding presence (and the scoring to replace SF's numbers).
Of the afore mentioned players, Brand helps us the most providing we do not subtract Steve. If we subtract Steve, we have to find a high quality player that can run the point, defend, distribute, and hit the spot up J. Who is that player and how do we get him provided we swap Francis for Brand? TMac is a great player but a poor fit for this team which emphasizes rebounding and possessions.
1) McGrady (top 5 talent. Kobe & Shaq....now McGrady & Yao for next decade) 2) Brand (Yao and Brand - dynamite 4/5 combo for the next decade) 3) Nash (Yao finally has a PG that can get him the ball. Good 3pt shooter too!) 4) Allen (Great outside shooter. Open's up the lane for Yao) 5) Francis (Great heart, good rebounder for a guard.)
Mcgrady. Brand would be really nice as well, but I think this team is in greater need of a 30ppg prolific scorer like Mcgrady than it is for a workhorse type player like Brand.
there are currently 10 votes for Francis. he is a good player, but there are certain people i'd rather have, i.e. any of the other people in poll. allen and nash are marginal improvements, but i feel brand or t-mac would be huge improvements. i would NOT go for SAR, Kobe or AI maybe. however, i'd like to hear an argument on why Francis would help the Rockets more than T-Mac or Brand. my view is: even if Francis reverts to high flying francis of old, plus more assists, can we beat someone like the spurs? no. even if Yao becomes Shaq, Francis is not going to eclipse kobe in his scoring ability, and even with better role players the lakers are having a hard time.
whatever happened to Vince Carter? he seems very underrated in this league. The fans seem to notice him and his athletic ability (top vote getter in the AS game his whole career), but you never hear anyone else talking about him being up there with the top names. Put him on a team with more help and his team would be ontop the East.
In my mind SF stays, and we need a PF who does in fact have some POWER. We need someone with Cato's attitude and hustle, but who can also shoot.
well... he's had nagging injuries every season and that's just dangerous. sometimes people never heal all the way back up. there's some talk about Mashburn in another thread, and i fear VC may be going down that road. too bad because VC is better than Mash. MacBeth is going to come in and fiercely combat the following statement soon... but I'm going to say that Vince Carter isn't a superstar. He's on the same level as someone like Pierce. A true superstar you can't shut down completely, like you can shut himd down for 45 minutes and he comes and slits your throat in the last 3. At least nowdays, sometimes VC gets shut down completely.
I see Cato as being very valuable right now. I mean, he has the toughness that many Eastern teams need at the C position. I voted for Brand. How sweet would a yao, SF, and Brand team be....
Talent-wise, i'd put McRady way up there! In terms of a good fit for the Rockets my preferences are in this order: 1) Brand 2) Nash 3) McGrady 4) Allen 5) Francis
I think Brand when healthy would be the most helpful... but he's injury prone, which would make me hesitant.
