I would be targeting Pietrus. He is not going to play the 2 as long as Jason Richardson is there. He is the 2 guard we need on this team. We need to offer GS salary cap relief in the form of Troy, Foyle, or Fish, in exchange for expirings, some young talent in Stro and/or Luther and a draft pick to entice them to send out Pietrus. Either that or go after Miles from Portland.
I'd probably be willing to give up a lottery protected #1. We can't possibly be this bad next year, can we?
I like J.R. Smith I would give up a lottery protected #1. I wouldn't give up Stro for him and I don't think they would take Howard because they already have P.J.Brown.
OK. OK. Sorry, I thought Ray was still on his traded contract and they were in need of a change. If we can't unload them to someone who wants space to rebuild, looks like the Mooch is here to stay. I've really been trying hard to stay out of the Fire JVG thread...
why are they giving up on him? i haven't kept up with it - i thought they felt highly about he and paul as the backcourt of the future...?
I think we should say no to anyone (rookies and 1-3 year players excluded) who isn't a guarantee to produce. I think the rockets need to be wiser in who they target, we got swift ASSUMING he'd play hard, smart and elevate to all star numbers because of JVG and the talents of ming and Tracy. We got DA, assuming he'd never get injured again and return to his spurs days. But sadly, some players just don't change and i'm not sure i'd risk getting QRich just because we hope he can play like he did with the clippers. It seems like these deals that are blurred by hope and expectation never work for us. Better judgement is needed. Youth, intelligence and passion is what the rockets need. I've learnt this now, great teams have not only the right talent, but the right players/people. These players are rare, but they are what makes a championship team. I was open to Qrich, in fact i think i even brought it up here when the knicks first let people know he was available. I really do hope that if the Rox got him that he would return to his old form. But i'm tired of the dissapointment that often comes when we make a sign/trade based on what they COULD bring, i want proof that the merchandise is legit.
Amen to the thought. We have been fooling around trying to be "financially smart"- I would rather pay a third max to a Proven, healthy, Hopefully below 28 Stud, who can be a legitimate third option- almost as much of threat as T MAC. The rest of the team will fall into place. My personal opinion is that - the coaches and CD can fantasize all they want, this thing is now about the franchise, and it is squarely the responsibility of Mr ALexander. Have you noticed he is a lot more "high profile" lately!
He's on similar contract to that of Howard's and given Q-Rich's "damaged goods" label, it could essentially be a "garbage-for-garbage" swap in theory. Only difference is Q-Rich is actually young and athletic. He could at least provide us with the possibily of him reverting back to the former, all-around player he used to be a as a Clipper. The risk is certainly outweighed by the reward. Besides, when David Wesley is your best option at SG, no suggestion like this could ever be a bad idea.
Wait! Are you saying Howard is garbage? I'm always amazed at how under-valued Howard is to a lot of fans. Is he the "enforcer"/monster rebounder we REALLY need at the 4? No. But, he is still a nice, smart player who fits this team well, a good leader and a great professional. He brings much more to this team than his stats. Besides, the man stepped it up with Yao out, nearly averaging 18 points a game.
QRich at his best was half the player Manu is.........and he makes the same money. There's gotta be a better value swing man out there.
He's not garbage, but he's also not getting any better. He's a good offensive player that conducts himself like a true professional, but if the chance to moves him comes along, I am all for it. He's about to turn 33-years-old coming off of a season which ended with him having serious cardiac problems. He's under contract for 3 more seasons making around $6-7 M a season. Sounds like a shaky investment to me. If I were CD I would be exploring my options especially considering he's still one of the worst defenders in the league at his position.
