Any Suggestions on trades that would benefit the team before the Trade Deadline???

This is kind of a wild idea, wanna see what other think about this:

Tim Duncan is a free agent next year and after watching the spurs game the other week, there is nobody else on that team that can score other than him. The second leading scorer is coming of the bench and no one really knows how he is goona do the rest of the season (stephen jackosn) and parker, rose and smith aint doing ****. So why dont the rockets go after Duncan, try to get rid of MoT and Cato and their big contracts and that might give rockets some cap space to bring in Duncan.

Magic wanted Duncan pretty bad few year ago, so they might give it a try again next year, i think the rockets have better players to offer to spurs than what the magic might willing to offer.

Just a wild idea

 

I agree. We need a consistent SF that can slash and rebound.

C
Yao Ming

SG
Cuttino is starting to play within the offense. We need his scoring. He's willing to pass which was the major weakness of his game.

PG
Franchise. What can you say. He scores when we need it. He passes the ball around and plays over 40 minutes a game. He's the sheriff. It's no longer FGary Cooper - High Noon, he actually has some deputies to support him.

SF
I wish someone would step up.

Rice is Ok when his shot is on. When he's off, he's a liability on both ends of the floor. Better used as a bench player.

Morris is too inconsistent. He's a willing passer and a decent rebounder. He still makes stupid mistakes and his shot selection is suspect and inconsistent.

Hawkins is a decent role player but not an everyday starter.


PF
KT Playing better. If he stays within the offense like Mobley he can be a great asset.

EG Great against small PF's but often gets overwhelmed with more experienced bigger players.

Mo T has been rusty and Rudy's lost confidence in him for now. How he approcahes the DNP's will determine his future.

Someone is bound to get hurt or go into a slump. if he practices hard, he should get back into the rotation sometime.

I can accept the 3 headed monster for now. However, Im hoping someone steps up.


All in all, Im very pleased with what's happened now. if we can play consistently, we can win a lot og games.

This team is still 1 solid player away from a championship team - which is not bad compared to where were last year.

 

Guys, you don't want or need Spree, trust me. I am a former Knicks fan, and Spree is bad for team chemistry, plus he's a natural 2 Guard, he'd get eaten up by the likes of Nowitzki or KG whenever they play SF. He's lost that terriffic first step he used to have, and now is more or less a jump shooter, elevation is still there, but the quickness is gone, as is his defense. I would much rather the Rockets just kept the team the way it is, and make some trades in the offseason to shore up any weaknesses that the playoffs will expose (unless of course they win the Championship, hehe). I wish Rudy wouldjust stick Mo Taylor in there for a few games and give him like 35 minutes a game to see what he can do, I think he's the best option at PF for the Rox. Kenny Thomas is a bit undersized, and Griffin is still learning the game (both are excellent of the benc players though).

 

I can't believe I'm saying this but I would not trade Cato for anyone that we can realistically get for him. He provides us no drop off in defense when Yao leaves the game. He had 7 rebounds in about 13 minutes last night. He is becoming the player we all thought he could be. Just about 3 years late.

His defense is worth more than any additional scoring we can get at the three spot or four spot.

 

I also forgot to mention that Kurt Thomas is a punk, he's a much less talented version of 'Sheed, he does r****ded things like sulk after getting whistled for a blatant foul, keeps the ball to show disrespect at the refs, throws near punches at opponents. He is a seriously f-ed up bunch of nerves that badly needs anger management classes. Don't be fooled by his numbers, he plays in the East where there are no big men, he would get destroyed in the West. Cato is a pretty good option for the Rox off the bench, I would rather have him than Thomas or Spree.

 

We need some nut cases like Rahsheed and Kurt Thomas, its fun to watch. Like Rodman in Chichago and San Antonio. We need some big bodies that can protect Yao Ming and Steve Francis, if we ever get in a brawl or anything Ming is gonna get beat up.

Rockets need some tough players.

 

I feel trade talk at this point in time is ridiculous. Are team is starting to gell.....I think we have a chance at winning the next 3 games in a row, Memphis, Clips and the heat. That would be a nice 3 game win streak heading into our game against the Pacers. And remember Yao's performance the 2nd time around against a team....could easily be 4 in row.

Keep this team together as long as possible!!! I think by the All-Star break we'll see what this team is really about.

 

sun12

As a former Knick fan, I can tell you right now, Spree and Thomas are NOT THE GUYS YOU WANT ON THE ROCKETS. Both are good players, no doubt about it, but as far as how they would fit in, positionally AND culturally, I don't think they are the guys who will put us over the top.

I like the early post suggesting Theo Ratliff. Here's a guy who was "required" to play center for the 76ers, when in fact, he's really a bang bang kinda of power forward... who can also run mind u! Brian Grant I see as a liability on the offensive end. And Elton Brand is going to take more to get than we should be willing to give up.

I know I'm gonna anger a lot of MoT fans by saying this, but I think he's the most expendable player right now. Eddie Griffin could very well morph into a Robert Horry type of forward. And Kenny T, I feel IS i a good fit on this squad. Right now I see our core as: Yao, Thomas, Cat, and Francis. IMO, Rice, IS supposed to be our "Robert Horry" kind of guy, but his minutes have been limited for whatever reason.

If there is a forward out there who is a 3 in shooting skills but a 4 in size, then I'm all for it. If there is an x-Knick worth trading for, it's Charles Oakley. If Washington keeps sliding and playoff hopes look dim, there's no reason for them to keep a solid veteran getting 2 minutes/game on the roster. I can totally seeing them allowing Oakley to join a playoff contender. But again, a big "IF."

Otherwise, I don't see much use of getting someone for the sake of trading players.



theSAGE

 

To Houston:

Mo Pete $2 mil
AD $12 mil
Hakeem $6 mil

To Toronto:

Cato $9 mil
Rice $9 mil
Griffin $3 mil

Why does Houston do this deal?

Because AD gives playoff experience. Hakeem's contract is 80% paid (basically free money), and Mo gives them the solid defensive small forward. From a business standpoint, Hakeem's contract is very attractive, even though it counts against the cap.

Why does Toronto do this?

Griffin. We need talent badly. He plays PF for us, Cato provides a legit big body, who doesn't think he's a star. Rice's contract ends in a couple years.

 

We could use a forward who could consistently shoot and rebound well. But why would any team trade away someone like that? We probably just need to develop the players we have.

 

Defense wins championships.

We need a PF who can defend and rebound well, not necessarily shoot well. We need him to be able to stop C-Webber, T. Duncan etc.

We also need a defensive stopper to stop Kobe, T-Mac, Iverson-type SG, SF. Again we do not necessarily need a shooter.

Defensive skills are more important, spot-up shooting skills can be developed!!! Think Eric Snow, he was terrible in shooting initially, but now he is pretty good. But he is great in defense and that's why Larry Brown kept him in the first place.

Shooters can be developed within the Rox. After all, with double-teaming Ming and Steve, average shooters will become good shooters.

 

Relatively speaking, this team is very young. Given the lack of "playoff" experienced veterans (apart from Glen Rice), I think the team would benefit from veteran leadership. Sp where can u get a forward who is OK with the limited minutes, but can help the team rise another level?.

Answer: Washington... in a savvy veteran PF called Charles Oakley

Seasoned vets signed for those one-year deals are the easiest to give up. After one year, there's no contract anymore, so what the heck? Interesting how many x-Knick fans can relate to this situation. For years, we used to deal with this dilemna with Ewing as our franchise player. And given all the "thought" that went into this challenge, the solution turned out to be a guy nicknamed, "the Oak Man"



theSAGE

 

There's a couple of reasons:

1. Personality conflicts: Sometimes the player will not get along with the GM or coach. Of course Im not advocating a trouble maker, but there are guys who gets less minutes because they dont get along. Hubie Brown's treatment of Pau Gasol is ridiculous. Im not saying we could get Gasol, but cmon, he should be playing 40 minutes a night. Another example is Pat Riley and the Miami players - they hate him.

2. Contract issues: This depends on how close the management believes we are. I think we're pretty damn close so Id be in favor of a trade. Do we need a trade to make the playoffs? No. Do we need a trade to contend? yes. Of course it would be nice if EG develops - the problem is we dont know if he will. He's too inconsistent offensively for me to be completely sold on him.

I think Van Exel and La Frentz will really help the Mavs in the long run. Depth is critical over a 82 game schedule. Dallas got Juwan Howard from Washington b/c of contract issues which allowed them to make the deal with Denver.

3. Teams are stupid: Miami would make the perfect trading partner right now. No one is getting along and they all hate Riley. Riley is too frustrated and will go into in asylum if the team doesnt improve - he's too much of a perfectionist.

4. New Change of Scenery and Positional Needs: Sometimes teams have too many of one type of player. We have too many PF's. It's not easy but it could happen, especially if teams are rebuilding for the future and would be willing to accept a soon expiring contract (Glenn Rice) and a future draft choice.

 

I think that CD has sais it best in the past that if there is a trade that is just too good to pass up, then you have to take it. Right now, I doubt few teams are trying to help the Rockets by trading more quality players to us. I'm pretty sure CD gets all kinds of calls a day inquiring about every player on the team. The best trade comes when you least expect it. When you go looking for a trade, you usually come away on the short end of the stick.

I think the situation with Gasol is that Hubie Brown expects more out of the reigning rookie of the year. I've seen a few Grizzlies' games and it seems a lot of times that Gasol play without intensity, and not that quiet intensity like Duncan. Gasol doesn't go to the hoop strong, and he seems lacksadasical at times.

I do agree with the change of scenery proposal, some players blossom on other teams and in other systems.

 

oh not this again. there were numerous threads over the summer about this topic. It's not worth my effort to argue "What in the hell are you thinking?!?!" again. I'll save my energy.

 

I don't know, with expansion happening a consolidation trade may happen. Plus, I see some problems developing with minutes at the 4. If Eg is going to develop he needs to log some more consistent minutes. I think he can become the player Robert Horry could have been if not for the bad knees. Not the Horry of the regualr season, but the Horry of the 95 playoffs (he was AWESOME!). I believe that is EG's potential. He also shows some of the same bball abilities of Sheed without the attitude. He needs to play.

We could really use some consistent 3 point shooting. I was hoping that Boki would provide that, but at least to this point he hasn't. I could see us trading for some consistent outside shooting in a 2 for 1 deal. I am not sure who though. Ideally, it would be someone maybe like Spree (not necessarily him specifically though). Someone who could help at crucial times in the 4th quarter. An ideal player would be Reggie Miller. Now, this would not happen nor am I saying we should trade for him. BUT, an older player with just a few years left that can come in and knock down some big shots at key times and help teach the young guys how to win. Something like Jordan is trying to do in Wash.

A potential trade the could help both teams could be MoT + Rice or even Cat to NY for Houston. I don't think this would happen, BUT Houston is a more veteran player with big game experience, and he is an excellent shooter. He is way over paid, and that could be how we might be able to get him. If the Knicks are trying dump Spree, they might be convinced to let Houston go instead. They were hammered for paying him such a big contract, and MoT gives them some front court scoring which they desparately need. Plus, it would give them some salary fleixbility, especially if they would take Rice, as Rice and Spree would come off the books soon.

What do you guys think?

 

Griffin is only 20!

The Rockets knew when they drafted him, he would need time to physically mature. His shot looked pretty good against the Kings -- what, 11 points in just a few minutes -- and ask Tim Duncan about his defense.