No. On offense, Landry has become a beast and we dont know what his ceiling will be. Defense he is below average but wasnt there an article recently in the chronicle which said they basically want him to be super aggressive offensively and they'll take what he gives them defensively? Of course he should be giving them more on that end, but maybe he can get better at that side.....I love Scola, but I just think Landry is flat out better.
I picked Lowry, Landry, Battier. Assuming we are able to trade Tmac for a scorer and Yao back next year. Lowry's the better PG, Landry better finisher inside, Battier for leadership and less pouting.
Very tough for me since I think a case can be made for every player, but I would go Brooks over Lowry Lowry could get the job done and is a much more stable "point guard", but I think Aaron Brooks has a way above average skill at scoring the ball. He has the chance to be a special player. I don't see significant upgrades available here ... obviously if some All-Star point was available, I'd change my tune. Scola over Landry I look at this as maximizing trade value. I love both players -- love the attitudes of both players. I think trading Landry now, with 1.5 years left on a steal contract, could return the most in filling other spots. Landry's agent, Buddy Baker, had/has a very contentious relationship with Houston management and could want to steer his client elsewhere in 2011. Scola is a restricted free agent and Houston holds the cards. Ariza over Battier I hate this pick. It's strictly an age pick. Apples to apples I take Battier every day of the week. Little to no ego, usually efficient shooting the three, solid to exceptional defender -- great compliment to Yao Ming and other scorers. Still, Shane is on the tail end of his prime and I think you can get value for him. Moving Ariza to the three will hopefully help his game (because he has really, really struggled). If the Rockets got someone at the two like an Iguodala, I'd much rather move Ariza.
It is clear that Brooks has more value to the team than Lowry at this point of their careers and the team makeup. And it is also quite apparent that we have a better chance of asking for more talent trading Brooks than trading Lowry. So if we can get a great scorer back by trading Brooks, then we wouldn't miss Brooks' scoring ability as much. I really like Lowry's grittiness and everything else he does other than shooting. I hope they don't trade him. Same with Scola and Landry.
Brook,Landry and Lowry Reasons because to be brook seem more like a sg than a pg Lowry can always come of the bench. battier, seriously? age 32 by next season but maybe his expiring contact.
Brooks and Landry's inflated trade value demands that they go. Lowry, Scola, and Ariza are keepers. Battier will retire a Rocket. I don't care how bad of a year Ariza is having. If T-Mac or someone like him were playing, Ariza would have a completely different role and would be more conducive to being productive and more efficient.
One other thing to consider is the availability of Maarty Luenan. I think he is ready and is a nice high post backup PF with range. One of landry or Scola will be gone, IMO..... Landry has more athleticism and would net more in a trade, and he will be unrestricted, so to me, he is the one that goes. DD
Great post. I love both Landry and Brooks but sadly one has to go because I think they're the more coveted on our roster. Brooks as a go-to-guy is way more valuable to this team because none other could handle the ball down the stretches. On the other hand Landry may get much less touches when Yao returns so if I have to choose one to keep I'll say Brooks. Btw Clutch what do you think of Budinger's trade value? I would hate to see him gone but if we're trading for a 2 he may very well be part of the package.
LOL... see ya Chase! Joking of course, but I was surprised to see almost the entire offense come from these guys. Granted Lowry and Brooks play together and Battier and Ariza start together but I still think their NBA positions are fairly set. To get starting-caliber help at SG or C you would think one or more would have to go.
It's hard to answer this question without knowing what players we could be getting in return because you'd have to factor who would mesh better with them. Damn, it's really hard to imagine Brooks, Lowry, Scola, Landry, or Battier leaving, love all those guys. But if trades were necessary to make the team better, I'd go with: Aaron Brooks > Kyle Lowry I would hope we could keep both however. We cannot let go of a player like Brooks, and it wouldn't be worth trading Lowry since he's worth so much more than what the trade markets him. Scola > Landry If it helped us land a Bosh caliber player, than Landry would be the one to go. I believe Landry's value is sky high and should be. I think he will improve on both ends of the floor, and he could end up being a great starter for a team. However if we get another power forward like Bosh, i think Scola would mesh much better, and Landry's potential would be wasted. Scola is a unique player to have and you always know you're going to get a solid performance every night. Battier > Ariza Battier's leadership to this team is what makes me want to keep him. I believe Battier is one of the biggest reasons why we've had great chemistry all these years. He's still a very solid defender and a good 3 point shooter. Ariza has not impressed me at all. It embarrasses the team every time he tries to dribble down the lane. I believe his defense is very good, but not good enough keep a place over a player as important to the team as Battier. Yao > Absolutely love the guy, but his future is not looking bright. He's injury prone for one, and if you think he's going to be anything like he's been these past few years next season, you're setting yourself up for big disappointment. Problem is that who knows who we could get to replace him. We would need a true center who could protect the paint on one side, and run with the team on the other. Al Jefferson? I guess Clutch is holding out on us who he'd pick.
I did not read everything. I'd say it's safe to say that Brooks/Landry/Ariza will be around and that so will Battier/Budinger. My money is that everybody not named those players and Yao/Hayes is on the block. Players like McGrady/Scola/Lowry/Taylor/Dorsey/Andersen/Cook is on the block. Why? Lowry and Scola (despit age) has increasing value and might be gone in a McGrady move. Dorsey and Taylor are unknowns, but any team willing to trade for them you know they'll be gone. Andersen is a servicable player who can contribute and probably does have some value. Let's not forget letting go of Lowry is difficult to do, but we do have Llull too so it's considered an exception.
