Search for a big man - we have no cap room

Traylor's going to be a FA, and my guess is it won't take much to get him. Every team he's been on has been very disappointed in him. He's a walking offensive foul.

Magloire is supposed to be available in trade, probably for guard help ( Charlotte has zero backup guards).

 

Moochie and Collier for Magliore and filler.

 

Jeez, how about Mooch and Torres for Magloire and Bullard?

Then we make Tierre the backup point, and just sign anyone to play the erst of the 7 minutes Cat doesn't play.

I actually don't want to get a big man, unless we're getting rid of one. The only way Griffin and Taylor can co-exist is if both get good minutes backing up Cato and backing up the SF. That's why Cato is enough at C, and Rice/T-Mo is enough at SF. KT is there just in case a SF or Cato gets injured, then he becomes the backup PF, and either Griff or Taylor become the C or SF.

 

Any opinions on Mihm?

I think he deserves some consideration, assuming he's available.

 

I thought he was going to have a better year this year and he didnt impress me at all. Maybe it was how Lucas used him but Im not sure. He never looked comfortable in the game and he is constantly in foul trouble. I think he would be better off served backing up a good center and playing 10-15 minutes a game.

There were times he showed some good flashes (an 18 and 10 game here...a 5 block game there) but overall, he hasnt shown me much. I mean, he isn't as good as Cato and that should tell you something.

 

That being said, I would trade Cato for Mihm.

I think Mihm is being used incorrectly, he is a back to the basket player, and is not being used as such.

DaDakota

 

Honestly, I'd rather have a Cato type player for our team. Mihm is a bit of a softee, doesn't rebound better than Cato, and doesn't put in as much effort.

Offensively, Mihm is the better player. Down the road, he'll probably be a starting Center. But right now, Cato's a good fit for this team. He can run with them if they want to, he hustles, he goes for rebounds, he blocks shots, and he doesn't demand the rock much.

I think if he develops a hook shot to go along witht hat trusty 15-ft jumper of his, he's be perfect for this team.

With Griff and Mo T backing him up, we have a good C rotation.

Since T-Mo is nto going anywhere and will get his minutes regardless of this year's play, what we should be looking to do is getting rid of Rice, prefferab;y along with KT and a draft pick, and get a SF. Odom and Lewis (not for the MAX) are good choices, but Qyntel Woods is intruiging.

 

If we have no cap room and need a good defensive big man, then the best place to find him is in the draft.

Ming
Gooden
Wilcox
Hilario
Stodamire
Stanford Dude

(to a lesser extent)
Marcus
Ely

With the exception of Stodamire, the other 4 are supposed to be NBA ready. Granted, Wilcox and Hilario will need some more work, but all of those guys could make an impact, and for cheap.

I have a hard time signing another big man through free agency, when there are so many to choose from via the draft and we already have MO T, Kenny, and Eddie. If we add the small forward via free agency, I can see that. This is because we need a 3 that can come in and play immediately. As for the 4, we have 2 vets who can hold down that position until Eddie or our draft pick develops so it might be smarter to fill our big man problem via the draft ... less expensive too.

 

I tend to be overly optimistic by nature, but I think there are many options still open to the Rocks regarding Centers (backups or serviceable starters) .

Here are just a few:

DRAFT
1) Moving down for Borchardt, Marcus, Ely or Stoudamire.

MCE
1) Jerome James - Unr. FA

2) Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje - Unr. FA

3) Wang Zhi Zhi (Do the Mavs have any Bird Rights?).

4) Jelani McCoy - somewhat of a headcase, but has a Texas connection

5) Greg Foster - I hate him too, but he is a vet and tough

6) Bruno Sundov - 7'2" with good hands

TRADE
1) If the TWolves implode, any interest in Nesterovic? His contract is only $2.4m (that's less than a 1st round pick!).

If Collier is traded (as OP has intimated), how about:
2) Jake Voskuhl - Suns have a Team Option
3) Brendan Haywood - the Wiz have 3 Centers


Not to mention:
What will the Clips do with the Kandi-man?
What will GS do with Dampier (or Foyle) if they draft Ming?
How much will the Jazz offer Jarron Collins?
Is Loren Woods worth a bump from 300k?
If the Sixers implode, will they deal Samuel Dalembert
Who in the NBDL is worthy of a look?


None of these players will instantly catapult the Rockets into the second round of the playoffs, but the trick is to find the next Ben Wallace before everyone else does.

 

Cato needs to become a consistent defensive presence to be the player we need him to be. He blocks an occasional shot, but doesn't challenge shots consistently. Until he does that, he should be a backup, not a starter.

 

i like jamaal magloire

lots of potential... he started getting minutes over campbell and doing a great job

the other awesome thing about him is that he used to be real fat... erm... no follow up

 

Bullard? Let's go after Magloire and Mashburn! I've posted that like two times now but I've been ignored It's a perfect fit for the Rockets. I would trade our top pick, baring it's not in the top 3, along with Cato, KT and Moochie for Mash and Magloire. Sure we'd be giving up quite a bit but Mash is one hell of a player and very much in his prime. Magloire is twice the player Cato. Lineup:

C - Magloire/MoT/#15 pick
PF - MoT/Griffin/#15 pick/Tmo
SF - Mashburn/Rice/TMo
SG - Cat/Francis/TMo/OT
PG - Francis/Brown/NDBL guy or 2nd rounder

 

Cato (apart from his contract) couldn't start over Elden Campbell, KT coudn't start over PJ Brown and Moochie is of little value given that the Hornets don't play small ball and have Davis, Wesley, Augmon, Haston, & Drew under contract at the guard position.

Someone want to explain to me why the Hornets (a playoff team) basically give up a starter and near starter for a #5 pick?

 

Don't hold your breath on Magloire who, FWIW, has absolutely blown me away with his progress. Who would've thought, huh?!

I've read that the Hornets want to move\don't plan to resign Campbell because they view Magloire as their future C. Silas has always been a big fan of his, even comparing him at one time to Connie Hawkins! (Whoa there, Paul! I'll admit, I think he was talking about their physiques, not their abilites.)

 

If we got our SF with our first pick (Woods or Butler), and shipped our No. 15 to Memphis, I would do a KT for Haywood trade. By the way, their salaries match up perfectly. MJ might do this deal because he wants veterans for his final run, and KT has more experience than Haywood.

 

That's not true. MJ does NOT want veterans for his last run. Remember, he's building them for the future. It seems to me like their future at C/PF is Haywood/Kwame backed up by Etan Thomas.

 

I've also read that they are trying to move from the Campbell years. As far as PJ, they can't play just him and Traylor at the 4/5. Traylor sucks and PJ will be 34 at the start of next season. They need some young legs in the front court. The minutes are there for both Cato and KT. As far as Moochie, well who's in their backcourt? Davis and Wesley. They may have the worst backcourt bench in the NBA with Rocket cast-offs Drew and Augmon. Moochie would help them and this trade would solidify their bench, while making them younger.

 

Anyone know if the grizzlies would be looking to trade Lorenzen Wright? They seem to have a lot of good offensive players in williams, dickerson, battier, and gasol. They also have Swift and the #3. Wright doesn't block too many shots, but he's a great rebounder and decent low post scorer.

I know West coveted Wright a few years ago, but I wouldn't think he's untouchable or he would be too expensive. Possibly Cato and draft pick(s) (first or second round)? West is pretty smart though...hmm...