Let's be very clear Artest is about the money. If he doesn't get what he wants from us he will look elsewhere. The only team that would want Artest that is significantly under the cap or can get there to offer a worthy contract is Portland. Anyone else that would want him would need our help to make it work.
Wow, it really a great challenge for Daryl Morey . Artest is such a special player, it's not a easy job to find a replacer.
There is zero chance of Artest going to Po'land. They have worked hard to shed their JailBreaker rep and (a repentant) Artest (still) flies in the face of that local PR. Artest will re-sign with Rox. He'll re-sign to play here; or he'll re-sign in an SnT. Of course the man is about the money. All professional athletes are about the money.
I see no backup plan. Regardless of whether Artest resigns, I think the team will make the same moves. Because of Artest's bad rap, he's going to get below what his production on the court would be. And it's not as if the Rockets can magically spend the millions that they're willing to spend on Artest anyway. They are over the cap.
An S & T with Ron will be very hard to pull off. The only teams that I see taking a chance on him are ones that need a veteran role presence to help them in the playoffs,his bad rep and poor shot selection doesn't help either.He is a good defender, but no longer an elite one which weakens his case further despite the toughness he provides to the team. Bottom line is that the Rockets aren't likely to get much in return for him. I agree that he probably won't get too much in free agency and will end up back in Houston.
I could see Miami, Wiz, Cavs, Magic maybe, and Nets in the East considering Ron - Ron. Dallas, Nugs, Clips, OKC and Suns in the West. That's a whole lot of maybes, and if one or two get hot after him then Ron - Ron wins, perhaps Rox too.
LOL, you make him sound like a bad person for wanting to get the best paying job. You'd be crazy to not take the best offer... unless it meant you had to play in Utah.
Miami only if they can more talent in addition to Ron. Wiz already have Caron,could possibly use Ron but he might not be a good fit there. Cavs,yes but what can the Rockets get in return? Dallas and Nuggets,same as Cavs because they are playoff teams as well.Possibly Magic too. Suns,maybe. Clippers,less likely. OKC,don't need him around a rebuilding team. Nets might be able to use him with Carter in order to get back in the playoffs. I'm looking it more from the Rockets point of view,don't see us getting much back in return. I still feel Ron won't get too much money from the others although there is a possibility he might get a good deal, I think he will be back in Houston.
It takes three to make an SnT deal, so Ron - Ron and the Rox and the new team would have to be sated. Who knows what will eventuate? I am guessing three more years of Ron - Ron here in the Toy Shop.
I feel the same way as you do. Don't see the Rockets trading him to Cleveland,Dallas,Denver,nor to the Suns for instance.Outside chance of Hedo for Ron might work out IMO.
put me in coach I've got hoop dreams! if artest is seeking more money I suspect Morey will S&T him and get back a SG that can fit in the role that artest played. We are going to miss his toughness that he brought but I think a lot of the guys here already had that too. His defense really wasnt as good as advertised and Battier is the better defender in this stage of their careers so if he does leave if Morey can bring in an efficient scorer and a slight above average defender (maybe not as good as Ron) i dont think the team should miss a beat in terms of production. I do see Ron being back though myself.
this is kinda of off topic but has there even been a case when a team dose a reverse sign and trade. For example: Team B signs Ron Artest to a 11 mill a year 3 year deal. They then trade him plus additional contracts they want to dump to the rockets for tmac and brian cooks expiring deals. If the salaries all match Is that in theory possible?
once a player is traded from team A to team B he cannot be traded back to team A within the same season. Team B can trade him anywhere else but team A during that NBA season. What you are proposing could happen since artest was signed as a FA but they wouldnt be able to trade artest until december anyway due to rules. Also I believe Morey can get more value than that its not like he is getting anything back in return for tmac's contract that the team already didnt have.
