What does ZRB, DearRock and CBS Sportsline have in common?

Walt's gone after next season. The Rockets will more than likely use that $5 million capspace on a free agent next season. Steve will be making 4 million the season before he becomes a restricted free agent. If we decide to give Dream 6 million, then when he's gone, that 6 million will be used on Steve.

4 million + 6 million = 10 million

I've heard the number $11 million when referring to what Steve makes.

There's your Dream capspace, it goes away b/c we have to sign Steve.

We won't have $13-15 million extra to spend on Duncan or McDyess. The only way we can get them is sign and trade.

My post was for Cato=Bum, he made it sound like signing Dream would make it easy to get Duncan, but the problem is Steve's contract is up the same time as Duncan. I don't think there's a way to have so much capspace to be able to re-sign Steve to the max AND sign Duncan. S&T is the only way to get a big name FA like Duncan or McDyess, unless you'd rather the Rockets just sit around with all of that capspace and not bother to sign Mo Taylor for more than 2 seasons. We wouldn't be winning anytime soon if we've got a Kenny Thomas/Hakeem Olajuwon frontline for the next 2 years.


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So you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking,
Racing around to come up behind you again.
The sun is the same in a relative way but you're older,
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death.

 

I saw most of the games last year via NBA League Pass. For what it's worth, Taylor drew far and away the most charges of any player on the Rockets.

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Not necessarily.

Here's the Rockets committed salaries for 2003 according to RealGM:

Cato: $7.4 MIL
Mobley: $5.4 MIL
Maloney: $3.0 MIL
Collier: $2.1 MIL (team option in 2003-2004)
Griffin: ~$2.8 MIL
T Mo: ??
Langhi: ??
Moochie: ~$3.5 MIL
Francis: $11 MIL (Max)

Total: $32 MIL

-I'm assuming minimal contracts for T Mo and Langhi and that the team decides not to re-sign Kenny Thomas in 2003 and declines the team option on Jason Collier before 2003.

-The cap this year is $42.5 MIL. If it goes up to say $44-$45 MIL, you'd still have enough to offer Duncan or McDyess the MAX so long as you DO NOT commit long-term to Olajuwon, Anderson, or Mo Taylor. This is why Olajuwon does not hurt your chances of getting Duncan, because he comes off the cap before 2003 if you sign him to a 2 year deal.

And the team would actually be better off with Kenny Thomas in the lineup IMO. Taylor's nice jump shot just does not outweigh his liabilities as a defender or rebounder.

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Get Cato out of there...

 

I highly doubt Taylor will accept a short-term deal b/c he knows that there will be much bigger and better free agents in 2 years. Would you rather just rough it for 2 years with Kenny Thomas as our PF just so we could have a chance at signing Duncan or McDyess? Doesn't that sort of defeat the "win now" attitude that certain posters carry around here as a slogan for signing Dream?

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So you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking,
Racing around to come up behind you again.
The sun is the same in a relative way but you're older,
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death.

[This message has been edited by Pete Rose Mobster (edited July 23, 2001).]

 

"Also, I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but Hakeem didn't enter the league in 1984 as a superstar. He improved over the years, and got to be one of the most dominant players of all time. So he can improve, but others such as Mo Taylor can't? "

-First of all, not an appropriate comparison really. Hakeem was the #1 overall pick in the NBA draft, everyone knew his incredible upside and athletic gifts and his tremendous work ethic.

-Taylor could possibly improve, but giving him a long-term contract worth over $6 MIL a year is a huge risk, because until he improves his rebounding/defense, he's not worth huge money.

I'd rather just start Kenny Thomas and then pull an Orlando and create some cap space for a big FA run in 2003.

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Get Cato out of there...

 

I'd rather just start Kenny Thomas and then pull an Orlando and create some cap space for a big FA run in 2003.

What would be the point in bringing back Hakeem if you are planning on making your move into contention in 2003?

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The Mo Taylor Fan Site

 

Pete,

I think the team would win more games with Kenny Thomas starting than Maurice Taylor. When you have Francis, Mobley, Moochie, and some good perimeter shooters in Bullard and W. Williams, you don't need any more offense, esp if you are able to re-up Hakeem

What you need is a banger to play Defense and hit the boards. Thomas fits that bill moreso than Taylor as a stopgap measure for 2 years.

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Get Cato out of there...

 

Dear Rock,

Trust me on this one. The Knicks have no problem with paying the luxury tax. They have the funds to do so. The luxury tax plays no factor in their offer for Hakeem, because they are over it anyway.

Because they are over the cap with OR without Houston, the best offer they could have for Hakeem is the 4.5 million dollar exception. The fact is, they choose to use that on Clarence Weatherspoon and not Hakeem.

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The Mo Taylor Fan Site

 

you guys like argue and turn this thing into a big who knows more b-ball thing. what is there to know...the game the style...who to play the history what....who knows more then who...whats the big secret...Remember that none of you guys really know what is happening. If there is any confusion the other teams pursueing Dream are not showing more respect for dream by offering all they have. Thats like us signing all our guys and offering another fa everything. I have been reading all this dream is old...we don't owe dream n e thing...we need Dream....give the man what he wants.....C'mon guys....everything will work out....He has become an icon with a city to back him up...Rockets are offering as much as they can with out screwing our future...or so they say but whoever says that might not even know themselves....even if MoT does suck like hell.... the rocks org wanna keep him what am I going to say... If you guys know the secret to b-ball these guys do as well...When I say I wanna keep hakeem its just cuz it feels wrong other wise.....I am a fan that started watching b-ball when dream was in command...I don't know n e thing bout cap space and I won't make up numbers...I want hakeem on the team cuz I like to see him only in this uni and I do think it won't really hurt this team...I can't feel that dream is not part of this team and it was a wierd change...non of you guys can disagree that his role change was not gradual but was sudden...its his choice to leave....stop making it sound like its the rockets....yeah lets give him more money because if you know the secret to basketball giving him more money means we win....wait but we are a future team...he will blow our chances of becoming yet a future team....c'mon everyteam is a now team....but the secret to b-ball must be to wait.....so lets just sign our FAs and get on with the season....that must be a secret too...and when we can't play ball lets blame ppl we don't even noe to do better...that must also be a secret....and make sure all of you know that old guys can't play like young guys but old guys r important..they slow rebuilding but they don't...yeah thats a big A$$ secret... You guys keep talking bout who knows ball and who doesn't....who cares....its a great sport to watch and fun to play...when you say know b-ball what do you mean.... I play for school...and have played the game all my life...How do I get to learn about b-ball.... I mean how do you understand b-ball...r you even talking bout playing the game or is this some high secret that like on another level...and wut the hell am I talking bout....oh yeah keep dream...its good.....but he slows us down....but he is our teams icon....yeah whatever....go rockets

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yeah aight whatever

 

You also need someone who fits in team chemistry, will hustle his ass off, plays good defense (Mo is a better defender than KT), and can create from a big man spot. If you want to rely on Hakeem at 38, who can only play around 50-60 games per season, to be your primary big man creater and playmaker, you are asking for trouble.



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The Mo Taylor Fan Site

 

"What would be the point in bringing back Hakeem if you are planning on making your move into contention in 2003?"

-The point is that between now and 2003 you still try to field the best team possible, just make decisions with the ultimate goal of grabbing your stud frontcourt player in 2003, when they come available.

If Taylor was willing to sign a 2 yr deal, I'd be all for it, but we all know due to his age, he will want a much longer contract than 2 years. Ditto for Shandon.

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Get Cato out of there...

 

So, essentially, you want to pass on a young power forward who can score, play defense, create, hustle his butt off, and fits great in team chemistry for the small chance of making a run at a free agent in 2003? You will not be able to get under the cap enough anyway to sign one of them outright, and even if you can, does it make a difference? You saw Chris Webber this year. He would not take 6 years, 90 million from a team like Detroit when he could get 6 years, 122 million from the Kings. These days, it is almost imperative that you be able to work out a sign and trade if you want to lure a big time free agent. 30 million dollars is a lot of money. Mo has shown promise. What's wrong with giving him a chance to see if we can be a successful team with him? If management feels he hasn't worked out, a young power forward like Mo would be the perfect sign and trade bait to get Duncan or McDyess.

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The Mo Taylor Fan Site

 

No, he isn't.

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Why can't the Rockets sign Mo Taylor with the intention of winning THIS year.

Everyone talks about the future, the future, the future....

But what about this season? Do you not expect us to win this year? It's kind of silly to already be looking ahead to 2002 or 2003 free agents.

If Hakeem leaves...so be it. Put the best team on the court that CD and Rudy can for 2001 and have at it. Maybe Olajuwon has no intention of coming back to Houston.

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Mo is definitely ahead of Kenny Thomas in defense. Really not even debatable, imho. He's a much better position defender, works harder, and has a bigger body for other players to contend with. Kenny has slightly better lateral movement, but that shouldn't outweigh all the other defensive areas he's lacking in compared to Mo Taylor.

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The Mo Taylor Fan Site

 

I agree with TPL.

------------------
So you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking,
Racing around to come up behind you again.
The sun is the same in a relative way but you're older,
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death.

 

No. He leans on his man too much, and the offensive player can get by him relatively easy with a simple spin move.

Not really. Despite the fact that there's no evidence to back that up, I see Kenny Thomas go after the easy defensive rebounds, the same rebounds that Mo Taylor should have gone after this past season,which would have increased his abysmal rebounding average.

Not to mention Kenny boxes out his man better, watches the ball, and is quicker off his feet than Taylor.

Kenny Thomas: 6'8, 260 lbs
Mo Taylor: 6'9, 260 lbs

That's an understatement. Better lateral quickness translates to better position defense more times than not btw.



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