Good evaluation but bad decision. You never trade your franchise player I bet if the Laker hear that they jump for joy because they think that we are an idiot. You have a talent you have to do everything to develop that like getting a good coach for Yao. Dream is a good candidate to help Yao out and if he still not developing then you would think another option. T-Mac he has the back problem but look like it will not getting worse it might get better if he did not have control the ball every night once we get another point guard. Bench is the one we have to work on next try to develop young talents and get rid of Juwan and Luther, Lucas to make room for someone who could come up the bench and provide offense threat.
rhester, I agree with most of your points, but as far as trading Yao just forget it...it will never happen as long as Le$ is the owner. Yao's value as a player is magnified by the fact that he's Chinese. For that simple reason, he's the most untouchable player in the entire league (yes, that includes Lebron and Kobe). Can he net us something valuable in return if he's traded? Absolutely. We can probably fill out three different roster spots for Yao alone. But it just ain't gonna happen. This is precisely why it's a complete and utter waste of time to even entertain the thought. Now for T-Mac, he too has a lot of value although not as much as Yao (for obvious reasons). With T-Mac, it has to be the right team in the right situation. You have to capitalize on teams that want someone to build around or that one elusive superstar that can put them over the top. I think you can get a pretty decent package for him in return, and it's not anywhere near the AI situation for a variety of reasons. Now the problem with trading T-Mac? You basically have to get two very good players for him that can do two completely different things that he does very well: a bona fide scorer AND a terrific PG who can set up the team and make virtually every decision on offense; basically a guy that runs the team like he does. Absent that, it's not even remotely worth trading him because you're only guaranteed to get much worse, possibly not even making the playoffs in the tough Western Conf. But to get equal value for him you pretty much have to trade him straight up for another elite superstar who can do what he does, and there are probably two or three players in the entire league that fit that bill. But even if you do get that type of player, aren't you really just treading water? Conclusion: Yao and T-Mac aren't going anywhere; every single other player is available.
What we need very badly is a young athletic power forward to compliment Yao, someone who can rebound, block shots and take pressure off of Yao defending quicker players. Someone who could guard Dirk or Boozer. Actually Boozer would be the perfect fit here. So find another Boozer and we are good to go.
Hey Rhester, how are you doing!? Well, the Rocket's "brain trust" had a chance to draft Boozer, but passed. There are not too many Boozer's out there. I agree that the team's greatest needs are a big, dominating PF who has a mid range shot, a PG who can shoot, and a third scorer. Unfortunately, the Rockets have no assets past Yao, TMac, and Battier. It is time for some intelligence in management I have not seen here for quite awhile. Otherwise, same ole, same ole. Yao was the biggest disappointment in the playoffs. He looked like he did as a rookie: hesitant, slow, really slow, no elevation, and passive. Amazingly, he didn't shoot well. Before his last injury, he looked unstoppable. Wow.
Conclusion: Another disappointing season lies ahead as the Rockets are unable to correct the glaring deficiencies they have. Outside of Battier, who else would people want off our roster?? Exactly - no one because they are garbage.
For people who want to trade Yao needs to be shot... If you think about it, the defense and offense was a perfect setup for Yao to fail. No zone in defense, which means Boozer could exploit Yao's biggest weakness, which is lateral quickness. On offense, the plays were so stagnant that Yao had to spend 99% of his time fending off defenders fouling trying to stop him from getting into position, which was draining his stamina, yet another weakness. Yet you lot want to trade him because he was in a system that exploits his two biggest weaknesses, which he inevitably failed to overcome because he was naturally inhibited? I don't know why nobody noticed that Yao played so much more efficiently when he was just allowed to play within the flow of the offense. For the sake of yao, I sincerely hope he gets traded to somewhere he is actually appreciated. As critical I am of him, I can see that there was more than just an issue of ability that inhibited his play. I just wish some of you would be able to get past those knee jerk reactions and evaluate the team from an objective standpoint.
That is one of the reasons that JVG is a bad coach for Rockets. He simply makes our scrubs' trading vlue to zero!
We are very well. Would like to get you guys to head back south for a visit later in the year. (if not sooner) I'll get an email off soon to give you an update. Yao just looked too slow to rebound and block shots. He definately has looked more active and dominating before. I think Boozer really confounded him by being able to step back and hit shots and especially by being able to score on him in the post.
are you kidding me ? go check out J.Sloan's comment after each game.... and there is a reason why we are one of the best team defending the paint, and that is not because of Hayes or J.Ho...
if we could get Durant/Oden, Al Jefferson, AND another #future #1...I think we'd have to jump at it. No way Boston does that. Boston would probably balk at Durant/Oden and Al Jefferson, too.
My home internet has been out since last thursday, so I will be slow in responding, but great to hear from you.
