Please help me understand why Phx would want to dump Amar'e to sign someone like...Amar'e? Yes, yes - they are managerially challenged, financially aching. So, they get smart - and rich - in just one year?
(KEEPING IN MIND THIS WHOLE THING MIGHT BE A COMPLETE HOAX.) I have to tell you, if it is a made-up rumor, then the source really pays attention to what the Rockets are after. I don't know if yesterday's "source" was concocting a trade or was passing along a rumor. I didn't hear that. I was listening this morning when the caller was asking about yesterday, and maybe that has ballooned into all this. From what I've read, the Rockets tried to trade for Richardson last year with Battier as the bait (+ other contracts, obviously) but Phoenix stepped forward with the better deal. The Rockets called Phoenix a couple/few weeks ago to inquire about Richardson (don't know if Amare was brought up then, maybe Yao's situation was more sanguine at that time). Now Phoenix is up S**t Creek financially and ready to deal. So, Richard Justice says Adelman doesn't want to deal with Stoudemire? But Clutch's sources said we were after Stoudemire at the trade deadline. Either Morey/Les want him and Adelman doesn't or Justice (wonder of wonders) doesn't know what he's talking about. As far as all the posters saying how much this trade shouldn't go down....are you kidding me? Maybe we'd all just like to have NOTHING to show for 2009-10? Wouldn't that be awesome? True, I'd prefer Fernandez over Richardson's big-a$$ contract. But everyone talks about the summer of 2010. We could make that happen NOW. Shane needs to go. I don't want him to go, but: Leadership, yes; mad skilz, no. And we need to dump the salary anyway so we're not hanging out over the edge of the luxury tax. Stoudemire could be our run-and-gun center. You wouldn't lose Scola's heart, hustle, and, uh, flops. Richardson shoots 40% from 3 point land. The new guys Taylor and Budinger can back up Richardson and Ariza and maybe take over the 2-spot in two years when Richardson's contract is up. And we get to keep our point guards. Nothing wrong with that.
Thats true, but we are also getting out of the 7 million we owe Battier and the 3 million to Landry....so at least that is some money in return. By letting McGrady expire, we are basically resorting to sucking next season. Les doesnt put up with that.
As this exact trade is completely unlikely to go down, not much point discussing....BUT, I thought I'd chip in. Can somebody, anybody, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE tell me why Rudy Fernandez is all of a sudden idolized like an all-star? "The guy was the Blazers only consistent playoff performer besides Roy"...um, yeah, if by consistent you mean completely inconsistent, and that he played more minutes but scored less and assisted less offensively, shot about the same (3 point percentage was definitely up, but again not enough to overcome not being as effective in the offense anyway), and completely bombed out in the 1 game he started, the Game 6 loss where he went 1-7 in 41 minutes. And that's comparing to a regular season that wasn't exactly screaming rookie of the year candidate or anything. I mean, I know he played behind Roy, but he still got decent minutes (26 mpg). And while he was fairly effective offensively in the regular season, it's not like he brings a lot else to the table. Basically, given more time, maybe Fernandez could give you what Jason Richardson has brought every year of his career - 15+ ppg, 4+ rpg, 2+ apg and 1+ spg. Or maybe he wouldn't. So in the sense that Fernandez is younger and cheaper...I guess that is nice. Frankly, I'd rather have Richardson. He is a prototypical shooting guard, and for all the talk of players like him being replaceable...um, not really. Last year he was the 38th best scorer (PPG) in the league, in a relative down year for him. He's not that old, he's very athletic still, he's taller and bigger than Fernandez. He doesn't have a lot of playoff experience, but he got there that one magic year with the Warriors, and he was actually a major reason they beat the Mavs. His averages all went UP during the playoffs. And the Amare dislike is kind of odd, too. Can I understand some hesitations to do something like the proposed? Sure. Bu not for most of the reasons sited in the thread to date. You hesitate because Amare is injury prone and Richardson, though imo preferable to Rudy, is definitely overpaid. But not liking the deal because you'd prefer to sing Bosh next off-season, you think Battier is a perennial all-star, you think Rudy Fernandez will throw down a nasty dunk every three seconds - that is when he is splashing 3 pointers in someone's face....those reasons aren't logical and don't make sense. Amare, when healthy, is a BEAST. He is a weaker rebounder than you'd want but such an amazing offensive force. He would probably want an extension, but I don't think can force it, meaning you more or less keep the option of freeing up a large amount of cap space next off-season, while testing whether the new lineup works and if Amare can stay healthy. As said above, Richardson is the prototypical two guard that the team has been needing. And, to top it all of, if Morey did a deal like this, it would be a clear indication that he is trying to build a team that sticks to his young and athletic mantra, but even moreso is one capable of playing a fast-paced, small ball type game. And while history hasn't shown those teams are capable of winning championships, they've also had some solid success with deep playoff runs (which is more than you can say for the Rockets) while being thoroughly entertaining. I'm not typical an entertain me but don't win it all type guy. I like the Championships or Bust motto. But I also remember the down years over the past few decades and those are no fun...trust me. Moreover, more shrewd moves by Morey down the road, some luck with Yao, filling out a bench, and then you may have a team that might not only be exciting and make the playoffs, but have a chance to win it all. It's hard to imagine why one would be strongly against the proposal.
Hate to burst yours, but Amare's has an option to extend. Plus w/the McGrady trade, not only do they get an expired contract, they also get a few young players for the future. Suns may not save anything, but they stand to gain more via a trade.
Ive already asked this same question....Between the man Love for Rudy and Heinrich on this board I just don't get it. What is so special about either one of these guys ? I'd take JR over either one of these guys because he's a proven veteran and still has some gas left in the tank and he produced in the playoffs everytime he was there ..... just my two cents
Rumor or not, people not onboard with the deal from the Rockets perspective need their heads examined. Amare is the most valuable piece in the deal, and J-Rich is not a scrub. Battier is an expendable piece, as is Landry. Plus McGrady is done as a Rocket. You were hoping to get Amare or Bosh as part of the 2010 sweepstakes anyway, and there is no guarantee you can get two max worthy players in that class anyway. Whining about having to take J-Rich rather than getting Fernandez from portland is foolish. Sure the Rockets would like to not take back J-Rich's contract, but getting Amare is worth it as far as I'm concerned. I'm more shocked that such a reasonable proposal for all three teams came about in a rumor.
The thing is this move, without other moves will prevent us from offering the max to a FA. That extra 4 mil Jrich adds makes a big difference. As the roster stands, and if the cap doesn't go down we will need to renounce the rights to Scola, Lowry and Hayes to offer the max. Add on an extra 4mil from Jrich and if the cap goes down further, offering the max will probably be become impossible.
I agree on that, but whether Amare is worth the risk is worth questioning. This isn't like an Artest deal where if it doesn't work out you can walk away from it the next year. If he's traded he'll probably be resigned to a max deal. If he gets injured before the end of his max deal or if he starts pouting and torpedoes his trade value then you're stuck with a guy who could take up to 30% of your roster's salary. It'll be like Yao/McGrady all over again except this guy has a bad attitude and you are committed longer.
i firmly believe we can make the playoffs this coming season with the current roster. we can probably trade a small piece or sign a center through FA. i don't see phoenix making the playoffs. next in line is probably golden state. i don't see them beating us out. basically we can expect the same 8 teams from last season to make the playoffs next season. so for all the talk about tanking. i just don't see it. there just isn't anyone good enough to beat the rockets for the 8th spot. if we get lucky, we can even make the 7th spot if a major injury happens to another team.
I would too because of the contract status mostly, but you have to give to get in a trade. If taking back richardson gets us amare, it's worth the tradeoff to me.
FYI, not everyone who likes Fernandez dislikes this trade rumor. But I don't understand the Amare hate either. I still remember him saying he would love to play alongside Yao Ming, this was prior to being drafted.
I understand that. But realistically who is a better fit in the 2010 free agent class. Let's assume Wade and James are completely out of the question. Joe Johnson? still leaves a glaring hole at center. Nash/Pierce? Too old. Bosh? He's in the same class as Amare, with less issues. But you have to beat 28 other teams for Bosh's services, while you can trade for Amare now. Boozer? Older version of Amare. If we could do a deal like this for Bosh, sure I'd prefer that, but that doesn't seem to be realistic.
