Ummm...yes it does. However, I believe D-Mo could play in Europe an extra year without the Rockets actually signing him. They would just hold onto his draft rights.
A few things: 1. If there is a lockout, "opening day" can be pretty far away, and even if things are settled timely, it won't be until late October, IIRC. So, there's no hurry to make a decision. 2. Yao Ming most likely will not be ready to play on opening day, and probably will be in no hurry to sign a contract until he's reasonably close to ready. My guess is he remains unsigned until he actually gets healthy and wants to play (if he ever does). No need to sign him early since he's not planning on playing anywhere else. 3. Most likely one or more of the non-rotation guys from the end of last season (i.e. the 2009 busts) will either be traded in a 1-for-none or 2-for-1 type trades to clear up a roster spot. If not, one of them can certainly just get cut.
Yep, gotta thin out the roster. Gotta start by getting rid of the 2009 draft class hobos. Flynn, T-Will, Hill, Thabeet.
McHale should emphasize this is a fresh start for every guy on the roster. If he's willing to really give the young guys a chance, the competition for each spot should make our team better at each position. Conservative, libertarian, natural-selection-and-evolution principles work every time. I've seen enough of TWill to cull him from the herd from the get-go. Thabeet and JHill should be on their last fresh start, certainly with the Rockets. If we can package TWill, Thabeet, and JHill for a serviceable big, that's a no-brainer; if not, at least Thabeet has a pulse, and JHill has shown flashes. DM ought to do a handshake deal with Yao: get healthy, tell us when you're ready, come back for a ten-day trial(s) later on.
Jordan Hill needs to go, I think Morey can still play the "potential" card with him. I'm sure he will be gone by the start of the season, we have too many power forwards and D-Mo cannot play center as a rookie he will get massacred, we need a real back up center so that everyone else can play/develop naturally.
I'm almost certain that the Biedrins trade happens, maybe for 2-3 players. So my guess is that Thabeet, J.Hill, and T.Will/Bud will be gone...
i sure wish somebody would warn morey that biedrins is terrible before he trades for him. i'd rather have chuck hayes as my starting center.
Meh, You can only play 5 at a time.....last year Bill Simmons asked if having too many good players can be a problem, DM said no, it creates competition. Then, we had too many players, and it created a problem.....there was too much redundancy, it is better to have 8-9 very good players and then some developing ones or role players behind them....having 12-15 guys that are about equal and deserve playing time is a disaster. Let's hope Morey doesn't repeat that mistake again this year. DD
I hope Chuck Hayes doesn't get squeezed out in McHale's quest for 7 footers. The guy has really improved his game.
LOL, please pipe down with this again, I would have thought you were sufficiently cowed after last season. THe problem wasn't too many good players, the problem was no great ones and a bunch of decent ones with glaring deficiencies (Martin - Defense, Hayes - Size, Brooks - Ability to not suck, Thabeet - basketball)
If there were a bunch of talented junior GMs behind Morey in the front office breathing down HIS neck, I wonder if he'd view that as competition or a hindrance?
Lots of problems having too many players that were average rotation players caused problems in the locker room. Brooks, Twill, Jeffries....to name 3..... DD
They could have had the happiest locker room in the universe, they're still a fringe playoff team at best due to the fact is they simply don't have enough talent up front and glaring deficiencies elsewhere.
No argument from me there Sam. I guess that kind of plays into our lack of heirarchy due to having too many average to above average players. We need someone to step out and be the "Best" player - and right now, looking at this roster, it just doesn't have that guy, as you correctly pointed out. Fringe playoff team it is...for sure. DD
