http://www.draftexpress.com/viewarticle.php?a=1389 For all those saying this trade is an absolute debacle -- could DraftExpress really be that off with their assessment? (sorry if link already posted)
Well.... I guess the only rational attitude to take now is the "wait and see" approach. Hopefully Battier does turn into that complementary piece the Rockets need. If the Rockets win 55 games next year nobody will be complaining. At least this article confirms that the real reason the trade happened is the Portland Trailblazers. If Boston were in that position, I seriously doubt that they would have picked Foye (to get Roy) since they already have Pierce and Wally. And to think that the Rockets fans were elated when Foye was picked... that actually fouled up the Rockets' (and T-Wolves') plans, and forced CD's hand.
Yeah, kind of ironic. If Portland took Gay instead, everyone would have been bummed at first. And then the trade would have happened, and we'd be jumping up and down. We can look at it this way. Would we rather have Roy next year, or Battier+Head (since Head would have been traded)? If Head significantly improves in his second year, maybe this really is for the best.
I like Battier but how can anyone think this is an A? we didn't get a lot better. We still need a 3rd scorer with some size who can also pass,defend and is athletic.
The Greek will complement our backcourt, I think. The question is who will replace Howard to play 4 as a starting lineup? That's the exact key if we hope to win Spurs or Mavs. The fact is either Howard or Hayes can not defend Tim or Dirk. We really need a big deal to acquire a starting 4 and a bench 5.
No offense, but I think that is a bit short-sighted. Yes, we didn't get a 3rd scorer, etc. But, we got a damn good player that improved the team now which is MUCH more than we would have recieved drafting anyone available at that pick. Plus, I hate when people say we traded Swift AND Gay. It was the #8 and the contract associated with Swift's lazy a**. That was Memphis' pick and THEY chose Gay with part of the deal. Plus, the value of the pick was unfortunately set low when freaking Boston traded the #7 for freaking Telfair. I think we made out damn well in the situation.
mogrod, I don't think Gay could have been an instant 3rd scorer. He doesn't have a good handle and has suspected motivation. He may never develop into a star. However West was so high on him that we should been able to get more than Battier for Swift + the 8th pick. Warrick would have been a nice and cheaper replacement for Shift. West could have gotten his man and we could have gotten 2 players instead of one. Getting a 3rd "star" complementary player like a Diaw who admittedly looks better because of Nash could only be possible if we had a lot of money for free agents.
They are on the payroll, too. Them and the Chronicle. They are all in cahoots with Alexander and Dawson and Morey and Van Gundy, who want to destory the Rox, move them to Vegas, and run a prositution ring out of the backdoor. Seriously, people who actually know basketball and don't follow it via stats and websites are pointing out that Battier is the perfect complement for this team and he will help immediately rather than forestalling our success by playing a 19-year old. The truth of the matter is this team is not ready to compete yet, but there is time and some pieces are coming together. We resigned Hayes as a backup four, brought in Battier and Novak as combo forwards, and we still have the MLE, plus two trade exceptions that can, in conjunction with the expiring contract of Sura or Luther Head or Juwan Howard or, hell, a sign-and-trade with a Wesley, Boggans, or Bowen, could possibly net us someone whose contract is too prohibitive, but could get us a decent role player. We don't really know until the dollars start flying, but Battier helps give us a solid, immediate starter, leaving us fundamentally with the need for rotational players at the one and the four.
Battier gives us another starter, but where he starts will depend on who we bring in during the summer. I really like having Battier starting now rather than having to wait on Gay to work into the starting lineup in 2, 3, or 4 years if ever.
Admittedly at first I absolutely hated this trade, but over the last few days I've had a chance to think about it a bit more and I think I've started to come to the same conclusion that Draft Express and several others have come to. As long as we can find another servicable PF, perhaps Drew Gooden or Nene and pick up another SG I think I'd be very happy with the roster.
Doesn't that describe Battier pretty well. He is known for his defense, is an average passer for his position, and can certainly shoot well enough to be our 3rd scorer.
Battier is a good defender and shoots well at a high percentage like Bruce Bowen but can't be relied upon as a SG. He isn't athletic,faster fowards and guards will give him trouble. He doesn't create his own shot off the dribble or finish well around the basket. I mentioned passing as a need on the team because we still need a backup PG. He is intelligent,is very good without the ball in his hand,has excellent court awareness and does things that don't show up in the box. He is a good addition but we are a slow moving team and T-Mac hasn't been going strongly or finishing much around the basket even before the back injury. We need the old T-Mac back which will take some time. I'm not implying that Rudy Gay was the solution to our problems either but our resources to get FA's are limited.
Battier is solid, he can be the third scorer we need. In his rookie year, he averaged almost 15 ppg, and 10 ppg last year. He can score if he gets the shots. He plays solid defense and is a smart player. He averaged 1 blk and 1 stl last year too.
I'm beginning to see that most of the negative reponses to draft night stem from being upset over the lack/loss of "sizzle" while not appreciating the "steak." Shane Battier is easily one of the most effective and efficient non-star ballers in the league. Your can pencil him in to be a positive factor every night. There's no knucklehead factor with him . . . Unlike Slomile. Let's face it, most of us fell in love with the juicy possibilities of Swift flying through the air, possession after possession, swatting shots and throwing down air-show dunks. Maybe we got that an average of once a game or every other game. The guy was late to practices. He had pink-eye for 2-3 weeks? And obviously, he never showed in practice that he was worthy of replacing an equally ineffective JHo in the starting lineup. Rudy Gay sent messages throughout the league of similar uninspired play and passionless effort. Yeah, I've seen the razzle dazzle, but I also saw him turn into the invisble man. And the word around the league is that the guy had gifts, but he wasn't driven. We sent away 2 all-potential guys, and got a bonafide positive contributor. Battier will make the team better. Add in the fact that we got the well-coached Steve Novak to give us some long range offense (I love the prospects of a T-Mac & Vak pick and pop). Remember, it's easier to coach defense than coach passion and focus. I tend to believe that if you're truly conscious of the soul of basketball and just not just seduced by the ESPN highlight reels, you've gotta eventually come to the realization the Rox came out great in the Draft.
Living in Dallas, I had the opportunity to see Battier against the Mavs in the first round. I don't remember him doing anything on offense and he got destroyed by Dirk and Josh Howard on the defensive end. IMO, giving up the 8th pick in the draft is too high a price for this guy. I think Rudy Gay would have been a good pick for them. But if they weren't sold on him, they still could have gotten a solid player with the 8th pick. Brewer, Thabo, Carney, etc... I don't see the Rockets really contending going into this season with the players they currently have, and they just mortaged their future again for a short term fix. They are taking a big gamble on TMac staying healthy. After the number of times he went out last year with back spasms, I'm doubtful that he'll ever play like he did a few years ago.
