Do we really want the Kwame's and swifts? I think our main focus should be vets that have been around the league but not older than dirt. I would hope we are looking for a player around the late 20's and early 30's looking for a win now situation. I am not saying let's get player around Deke's age but I feel that Yao and Mcgrady (our two stars) are as young as this team needs to get.
The way so many here praise youth and potential, I assume we have to get to the sperm level to make em all happy.
Listening to JVG on the radio, it seems the Rockets want players in the same age range as T-Mac and Yao (who are in their mid-20s) who will grow with our two stars. Certainly we need some older veterans in the mix also but not as many as we have now. This year we had 6 of our key players over 30, some of whom were clearly on the downside of their career (Deke, JH, JB, Wesley, Sura & Mike James). I deliberately left off Charlie Ward (who was meant to be a key player), Spoon, Moochie and Vin Baker. Tell you what, it's easier to just name our 4 players younger than 30: T-Mac, Yao, Padgett & Bowen. We were truly Geriatric City this year.
\ Yes, we really DO want some young talent...that way Yao and T-Mac can guide them along the way, show them how to get the job done. We all witnessed against Dallas that we MUST get more athletic, and if im not mistaking, MOST athletic players are YOUNG! We dont need anymore 26-30 year olds.....its time to get younger!
3 assets we have are the Draft, MLE and Expiring Contracts. We could use 2 of those for younger players and one for a more reliable veteran player. You still get younger, but you cover all of your bases.
Personally I would like to add two or three rotation players who fit our needs and also happen to be around the 25-28 age mark. The rest can be filled by or vets but an infusion of youth and athleticism is needed.
exactly. we don't want to OD on youth. lets draft the best guy left so he can be in the rotation, and either sign or trade for another guy in his mid 20's.
The Mavs really exposed our weakness in game 7. We were the oldest team in the league last year and it showed down the last couple minutes of every game. We may not be looking for 19 year olds and 20 year olds, but guys around the mid-20s are wanted. Sura-Wesley-Barry-Howard-Spoon-Deke-Padgett-Baker-Mooch, these guys are all in their 30s and can't keep up w/ the young legs of the league anymore. We need to add some youth and some athleticism to our team. Swingmen like Josh Howard and Marquis Daniels are perfect examples. Bringing in a PF like Swift, Chandler, or even SAR would help us out.
I hate to keep bringing up the Eddie Griffin fiasco, but it would be nice right about now to have three (or even two) young vets coming into their own about now-- might have gotten past the Mavs. These bandaid solutions are disastrous: Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen, Randy Johnson et al. What we do will be predicated on who slips to 24 that we like.
i think that JVG, comming from the school of riley, does not have much use for younger players, unless they are really someone special. we do need some athleticism, but that doesnt mean we cant get guys over 25. long term, i see guys in their late 20's/early 30's comming in and filling gaps and holes as they pop up. we have our two studs in t-mac and yao that we will be riding out over the next 10 years (hopefully)...all other parts are interchangeable, in my opinion. ideally, we get players the same age as the two, but i doubt we try to get much younger (although we certainly cant get much older!)
I agree to some extent that we need to get a younger roster but are our two superstars truly ready to truly be leaders? I guess I wouldn't mind a player like Swift but does he have enough experience in this league for a coach like Van Gundy. Does Swift have the toughness and ambition in him that Van Gundy loves in players? It seems that the players Van Gundy incorporates into our team from NYC are somewhat hard nosed tough guys. Guys who aren't afraid to do what is necessary to get the team to win. Heck he's the coach that jumped on Zo's leg that one year. Do these young players have that win now (nothing to lose) attitude or are they in the still growing category with the lack of drive. Do we truly want to get a player from the draft or should we just package that draft pick with one of the aging useless players to get someone of more experience? I think Mc Grady and Yao wants to start winning now!
Or younger players with post-season experience. You get guys that are young and/or "risk factors" like Gerald Wallace, Marko Jaric, Jason Williams, Chris Andersen, Darius Miles, Jerome James, Larry Hughes, and Antawn Jamison. University (Ewe-th Movement) Blue
I don't know, giddy. Johnson was a gas to watch and his speed was amazing. He certainly had the height at 6' 8", but was playing out of position, imo. True, the Rockets weren't able to resign him, but what the heck... it was fun while it lasted!
Stromile Swift. Bobby Simmons. Chandler, sure, but no way in hell we'd land him. The only way we might get Swift is if he's signed and traded along with a contract that Memphis wants to dump (Jason Williams). That would cost us draft picks along with our expiring contracts. Simmons we might grab for the MLE; although I wouldn't mind getting James Posey in a Memphis trade (and then I woke up).
We'll be just "young enough" to win 55-60 next year. I'm not really as concerned with age as I am with the attributes they bring. If they're old we wont sign them to longterm deals anyway. We didn't lose to the Mavs bc we were too old, it's what we couldn't do with the players we had.
Speaking of Memphis. What about Mike Miller? I know him and T-mac are best friends so I could see him coming here if we could put together a deal. I think rockets would be interested. or am i wrong?
Yeah but if Memphis wants to rebuild, they have to lose some of their depth. You are right we will never get him but even then they need to get rid of some of their depth and get a star perimeter player on their team to pair with gasol. Then they would be good. Maybe even win a playoff game or two.
As long as all of our starters are under 30 then I don't care how old our backups are as long as they're productive enough to buy the starters some good rest minutes. Like Deke and Barry, for example.
