Everybody seems to be going crazy wanting Lewis with him being a hometown boy and all and the continual stalling over his contract at Seattle, but realistically - and let's be honest - Houston doesn't stand a chance. Yeah Shard might be coming out in the media saying "Blah blah blah... I'd love playing in Houston with Steve and Cat... blah blah blah... Seattle ain't taking care of me... blah blah blah... I'd be willing to take the MCE to go home... blah blah blah" , but that's all posturing by Lewis and his agent. Lewis wants money and by coming out and making statements like that he's trying to press Seattle into making a decision. He wants a big contract and he knows that making public statements to the media is the best way to do it. This is obvious to some, but others seem to really believe everything they read or hear. As PE once said don't believe the hype! Anyway the real point of this post is to highlight another freeagent 3 on the market who also is having troubles with his contract negotiations - Donyell Marshall. Marshall's a real veteran with playoff experience and is still a very solid player to boot. He's also a solid low-post player with good D and rebounding, and an effective scorer who doesn't need alot of shots to put points on the board. All of which the Rockets lack. Sure Marshall also wants some money, but certainly not the max like Shard, and if the Rockets show some interest I think he'd be willing to accept something slightly over the MCE - maybe 5-6million a year. The knock on Marshall his whole career has been injuries and at 29 he isn't get any younger, but I think his willingness to improve and work on his game and also his willingness to come off the bench make him a very attractive player to many teams. Personally I was kinda put off by Shard's whole attitude last season, seemed the only concern on his mind was protecting himself and getting a big contract and he played soft for most of the season, particularly during the playoffs. Anyway some stats for comparison: Donyell Marshall Regular Season: 58 games 30.2mpg, 14.8ppg, 7.6rpg, 1.7apg, 1.16bpg. 0.519 FG%, 0.310 3P% Playoffs: 4 games 31.0mpg, 14.3ppg, 7.8rpg, 2.8apg, 1.5bpg. 0.420FG%, 0.500 3P% Rashard Lewis Regular Season: 71 games 36.4mpg, 16.8ppg, 7.0rpg, 1.7apg, 1.46spg. 0.468 FG%, 0.389 3P% Playoff: 3 games 26.3mpg, 12.7ppg, 3.7rpg, 0.7apg, 0.33spg. 0.375 FG%, 0.167 3P%
you make a very strong point. i would go for marshall now because he has similar stats, and wants less money.
He may be a little old for this young group. We do not need another semi big contract. I rather get a big contract next year!!
Thank God you guys finally mentioned someone besides Reshard. If there had to be anyone chosen at all Marshall would sound like a better candidate to me!
I don't care what anyone says, Rashard Lewis is better then Donyell Marshall. He is younger, has more talent, quicker and plays better defense. Rashard to Houston
Donyell Marshal is a very talented player and had a couple very good years for the Warriors. He could be an all star if he was on a team that was completely centered around him and he was the first option. He can do anything on the floor and he has that perfect NBA body. I'm kind of opposed to getting another sf but if I had to choose between him and Rashard, I would take him because he won't command a long contract after the year, he won't get mad about the amount of touches he gets, and he can be effective on the floor in more ways than one.
He isn't really old, right now as a player he's at his peak both physically and mentally. Plus he knows he isn't worth the max and isn't demanding it. Unlike Shard who thinks he's the next Kobe Bryant . But anyway the real point is right now the Rocks - with the personnel they have - don't need guys who are either worth the max or who think they're worth the max. If you're paying a player the max, you're expecting him to be your go-to guy, the guy who's gonna carry the team on his back and over the line. Right now the Rocks already have one in Francis and another more than likely in Griffin, and probably just as likely another one in Yao. The Rocks need role-players who don't need shots to be effective. There aren't enough shots right now with Francis, Cat and the rest of the team. Adding another player who needs to shoot to earn his minutes is not the way. The Sixers reached the finals in 2000 because they had a team of players who all knew their place and role on the team. AI was the leader and his job was to score. Lynch and Hill were there to crash the boards, play D and do all the dirty work. Snow was there to handle the opposition's top guard and bring the ball upcourt and Deke - and Ratliff before the trade - were there to board, block shots and play D. The Rocks need role-players. A champion team and not a team of champions... and all that.
http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_563.shtml This is funny too. It is a comic called "Mooch & Ming". I would cut & paste it but I went to Baylor and I am kind of slow when it comes to advanced technological procedures.
Don't like Donyell. Never did. Not when he played for the Warriors and I watch a lot of that crap. Not when he played for the Jazz. He was getting better but not great. Not going for a lot of money? Are you sure? And he's 29, a little older then our core players. I don't think the Rockets can go over the MCE anyway so it's 4.5mil or bust. No "a little more" talk. It's very likely that Lewis is blowing smoke into Sonic's face and hoping they would pony up with the jack. But if he comes for the MCE, why not? That would mean that T-Mo is out of a job for now (until Lewis ask for the max next year and is gone). And I'm pretty sure he would do a 1 year MCE in Houston if the deal is dead in Seattle (so he can go for broke next year with Tuncan and Kidd). No way he'd go for 3 yrs for 15 mil. He thinks he's pay the dues in Seattle and he WANTS HIS MONEY!!!!
If Lewis wanted to sign a 6-year MCE deal, I'd take him. But, if he wants a short deal or a sign and trade, I think I'd prefer Marshall.
DM will definitely will do everything on his will to get a descent offer and be with a better team. Rashard give me a break!
If it was actually a decision between those two i'd take Lewis. But why can't we just see what our team looks like without either Lewis or Marshall?
Lewis v. Marshall is a no brainer. Lewis is a 22 yr, old who went 17 & 7 40% from three. Marshall is in his late 's who went for 14 & 8. Lewis for sure! A lot of people are quick to jump on Lewis for being greedy and only caring about money but how about Marshall. At the end of the season he said he wanted a "substantial" raise form the 6 Mil he made this year. Not to mention that Marshall is probably looking to sign his last contract since he's nearing his th B-day so he's probably looking to sign for 4 years MINIMUM. So in 3 yrs. when he's averaging 9-10 ppg and is making 7-8mil a year would anyone really think we would be better off while Lewis is scoring 20ppg making 7-8mil at age 25? I don't think so. It really doesn't matter though b/c we are not gonna get either one of those guys but we'll have Boki and hopefully he'll live up to hype and make us forget about Lewis & Marshall.
I would take Donyell over Rashard in a heart beat. Not because I think Donyell is the better player, but I think he fits in better than Rashard. One of the things I prefer about him over Rashard is that he is willing to come off the bench, and doesn't demand the ball. I don't know if Rashard would surely do that, but that's what I think would happen. Donyell is more of an inside banger than Rashard (isn't that what we've been saying we need all along?!?), and he would demand less money. The only problem I see is, I consider Donyell more of a 4 than a 3 because of his height (I think he's about 6' 10"? I'm too lazy to look it up), so that goes back to the problem at hand, what are we going to do with all of these 4's we have?!? Sure we could play him at the 3, and that's what I hope we would do if we got him. But then back to reality, would he take the 4.5 mil? probably not seeing that he could sign elsewhere for more, and probably play a bigger role at the same time. I think that both players would bring pretty much the same thing to the table, just in different ways, and for different prices. One thing you have to be sure and consider though (which I believe someone else mentioned) is that Marshall has been haunted by injuries, then you put him on the Rockets, and...well....we all know the Rockets always have some way of getting someone injured. We'll see.... I vote yes to Marshall if he would sign for the MCE. Pugs
1. We don't need anymore PFs. 2. Marshall is way too slow to play SF. 3. Lewis is a better shooter, faster and younger. 4. Marshall has never expressed interest in Houston, Lewis has. 5. Lewis said he would take less money if he came home, so if you are saying that Marshall is a better player than Lewis, that's your own opinion. But if you're saying money is the problem, and we should take Marshall over Lewis, then I say take Lewis or don't take anyone at all. If you're going to spend the money, get the best person possible. Not some guy just because he is cheaper.
Marshall is a tweener sure, but the majority of his ball in recent years has been played at the 3 not the 4. With a starting frontcourt of Malone and Marshall, who do you think is guarding the opposition 3? Out of the 58 games he played this season, Marshall started 42 alongside Malone, the other 16 games off the bench generally came after returns from injury. Once again the issue isn't who is a better player, but rather who is a more suitable player. Do the Rockets need another SF to camp out around the arc, demanding the ball and putting up jumpers? Or do the Rockets need a SF who can go inside and out but prefers to bang down low, grab boards and block shots? Which player would fit best on the present Rockets team. I'm not saying Houston will get Marshall - in fact I think the roster's fairly solid as it is - but if the Rocks do decide to go after another 3, I'd much rather it be Donyell than Shard. Another 'superstar' like Shard is not the answer, I think Houston's previous big three experiments have proven that you can only have so many studs on one team.
I'm sure someone has already posted this, but Lewis should be a Rocket for one reason alone. Even with what he's done so far, he still has an upside to his game and he's not even close to peaking out. On the otherhand, Donyell is at his peak and will play like he did this season for 1-2 more years before he starts to slide down hills. The choice is easy, Lewis in a heart beat. Plus, if Lewis does improve, in a couple of years, can you imagine the trade possibilities with him or someone else on the team with similar talents???? If the Rocket's Lewis, in about a year or two when everyone on the Rocket's are in their prime, Lewis or someone else on the team can be traded for quality role players. After all, having too many stars on a team = too many egos to feed and not enough balls.
Good God, I can honestly say there are few players in the NBA that I hate more than Donyell Marshall. He has limited range, has very little mobility, and just seems lethargic on the court. Marshall is just another one of those guys whose production is a product of John Stockton, Karl Malone, and the discipline of the Utah Jazz offense. Without the inside presence of Karl Malone and the precision playmaking of John Stockton, Marshall reverts to the slug he was during his Golden State days.
