He opted to stay in LA because that took his salary from somewhere around 1.5 mil to over 5 mil. He wasn't going to get 5 mil in free agency after not ppplaying the fourth quarter through most of the playoffs, so he chose to take it from the Lakers. It looked like a good deal at first with Phillip leaving and Kobe opting out but now that Shaq is leaving, he doesn't want to be there anymore. j
Thanks for the info guys,,,but I think his age says it all 36!! I hope to god we stay very very far away!!! Hell, we could put mark jackson out there every night and every bluemoon he will get his, but I want a point with legs!!
Fisher probably won't go to Miami with Shaq because the Heat already have Dwayne Wade running the point. Really, I don't want Fisher or GP on this team. Either would be over paid, unless they will sign for $1mm. I hope the Barry signing won't force us to do something we will regret in about 6 months.
Considering our situation, GP is not a bad option. Pros: - veteran who knows how to win & step-up in the clutch - defensive-minded player (I know he's lost a step or two, but JVG employs much better help defense than LA did) - has some attitude that I think JVG would like - he's looking to win a ring, so he's gonna lay it on the line - only 1 year left on his deal Cons: - getting older - can be disruptive when losing - one-on-one D was exposed in playoffs - not a great shooter All in all, I'd rather bring GP in for 1 year and see how it goes than get stuck with a mediocre PG for 4-5 years. This team doesn't have to be built in one offseason. I'd rather re-assess our situation next year after a year of T-Mac + Yao and make more custom-made changes next year.
He needs the ball to be effective. The reason he wants to leave is because he wants to control an offense. I don't know if we can do that here. T-Mac and Yao would be the centerpieces. He may be ok being a 3rd wheel to those two, but is he really better than JJ, Howard and MoT now? I'd take a chance. He could bring the ball up, set up the offense, and also be the third scorer. If he's willing to do that AND concentrate on his man-to-man defense, then it would be a nice deal. However, it wont' happen: 1) What would we give them? They don't want to play Brian Grant at C. 2) Why the hell would the Lakers want to help us? We're their direct competition.
I don't think there's a PG left available that is worth the entire exception. Oh, and GP is washed up.
I have to respond not with my mind, but with my heart. No. Unlike most of y'all, the player I hated most was NOT Karl Malone. The team I hated most was NOT the Jazz. Yeah, they had our # after '96, but we owned them before that. No, the target of my vitriol has always been the Sonics and Gary Payton. I'll never forgive that team for ruining the early part of the 1990s. I blame George Karl. I blame Shawn Kemp. Detleph Schremph, even if I can't spell his name. And the ringleader, Gary Payton. To this day, I haven't eaten at a Sonic restaurant out of spite. Please, please, please no.
You know what? I totally agree with you. Forget the Jazz- what did they do, knock us out of 2 playoffs? So what? The Sonics eliminated us more than any other team except the Lakers (5 times). I hate the Sonics with a passion to this day. The Jazz? We steamrolled them in 1994 and embarrassed them on their home floor in 1995. I remember the image of Drexler, Cassell and Elie jumping up and down way more than the pasty-faced gangsta's shot because (a) it eventually led to a championship, and (b) theirs didn't. Seattle beat us in a hearbreaker in 1993, embarrassed us in 1995, and even with Barkley, it still took us 7 games to defeat them in 1996. And then, the one game I go to this past year on December 29, the Sonics beat us. No, the Seattle Supersonics are the evil empire, and if Gary Payton joins the Rockets, count me among the first to head to the nearest bathroom.
... and this is ridiculous. it wasn't their fault they were better than your team. why dont you spend the next decade trying to accept that.
That always happens to me, too! The rare times I'm in H-Town and get to catch a Rockets game, it seems to always be against the Sonics and they always seem to lose. Glad to see there are still some anti-Sonics fans out there. Thought I was the only one. Let's pray that GP doesn't come in and ruin this season's good karma!
