Aside from basking in the glory of being so wanted, he may have some pause caused by Rocket management decisions, for example, his trade and the way Stromile Swift was dropped like a hot rock after taking less money to play here. The culture of Houston as a player's destination has been seriously eroded by current management.
I don't see how they stand a snowballs chance in hell. They have a whole lot of trouble signing free agents and there is a reason for that - nobody who isn't from Minnesota wants to move there. On top of that, they've historically been a terrible organization. They're wasting Kevin Garnett's best years. They have no real plan and Kevin Garnett is rumored to be disgruntled anyway. How good is that terrible team going to be for the next few years if they trade away KG? Mike James is a good player and he would improve that team, but he isn't equal to having Sam Cassell + Latrell Sprewell circa 04 (or was 03 the good year?) and that wasn't enough. The front office in Minnesota has to explore the option or they aren't doing their job, but I wouldn't hold my breath if I was them. Their only chance to steal James away from Texas would be to offer him more money, but they aren't in any better of a position to do a sign and trade than we are. They have very few desirable assets.
The team I fear in the James saga is Dallas. Mark Cuban is a snake but a very beguiling one with money to burn.
I agree. They're the only team that concerns me. If Mike James is fine with playing less minutes and probably coming off the bench, this is probably a more desirable location. It isn't too far away from Houston and they are basically a lock to be a top team in the league for the next few years even if they do practically nothing to improve. The Rockets, on the other hand, have to improve drastically if we're to be a top team in the league. That's definitely a valid concern. You want to know the worst part? While I understand Mike James would definitely be a huge help to the Rockets, the biggest reason I want him now is so the Mavericks can't have him! I'm honestly not a very big fan of Mike James.
That might be the best thing they could do for that franchise. Look at what teams like Chicago & Denver have done. They've amassed a lot of good young talent. Trading Garnett should net the T-pups some quality young talent, draft picks, & a boatload of cap space. Garnett has hurt himself & the team by allowing the team to pay him roughly half of their annual cap space.
Why would a guy that chose to live in Houston play for a team that is the total opposite of Houston climate wise. In Houston you can't get to the Toyota Center because 45 is backed up. In Minnesota you can't get to the Target Center in February because there is 40 inches of snow in your driveway. I don't fear Minnesota signing MJ.
