With the way the Rockets have been playing so inconsistently this year, could there be a little shakeup coming? There's been a lot of talk on this BBS about breaking up the Steve & Cat show, even by respected insiders like Oeilpere & Doc Rocket. If the current team were to play every game like the Minnesota game, they would be unstoppable & unavailable for trade. They need to spread the ball around, instead of Francis & Mobley taking a combined 40-50% of the shots every game. After all, we do have some other shooters that have proven they can score consistently, like Ming, Posey, T-Mo, & even C-C-C-Cato, when you get him the ball down low (that hurt, to have to say). Hell, even Collier is hitting 50+% of his shots, when he manages to get in the game. The problem, is that Francis & Mobley will play "Team Ball" one game & "Hog Ball" for the next 2-3 games, even when their shots aren't falling. The trade deadline is February 20th. So, there is still time for them to figure it out. But, the clock is ticking. This whole tirade by me is a result of reading Peter "I just make sh*t up" Vecsey's latest article. In it, he throws out a lot of big names, that he claims, are up for grabs. I doubt that Francis would ever be traded, but Mobley is a different story (imo). A combination of Mobley, Rice's short contract, or some young talent like Griffin & Nachbar might peak some interest around the league. Any thoughts on the possibility of the Rockets making a trade? http://www.nypost.com/sports/knicks/53994.htm HOT DEALS AWAIT KNICKS February 2, 2003 -- SCOTT Layden, sources say, is telling club executives throughout the NBA the Knicks absolutely intend to make a major trade before the Feb. 20 deadline. "We know we have to do something, so make us your best offer." A number of teams would love to call Kurt Thomas (Orlando, Memphis, etc.) and Latrell Sprewell (76ers) their very own (based on skill), and, to a lesser degree, Othella Harrington and Charlie Ward (based on salary). Therefore, if Layden is not looking to insult the intelligence of his peers (which he's known to do), there are plenty of deals to be made and an abundance of name players to choose from. For instance, Pau Gasol is the Grizzlies' lone semi-untouchable player, while there isn't a single one on the Hawks' roster. Pete Babcock, contrary to denials, has put out the word he'll move anybody and everybody on his shopping list in hopes of reconstructing in mid-mediocrity (that must make interim Terry Stotts feel real secure) by dumping long-term contracts, or those about to expire in order to gain severe summer cap room. Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Jason Terry, Glenn Robinson, Theo Ratliff, are all readily available. Matter of fact, the Sixers nearly re-acquired Ratliff a week ago in a multi-team transaction that involved Derrick Coleman, whose guarantee expires at season's end. Negotiations abruptly ended, I'm informed, when chairman Ed Snider decided against assuming the two years (almost $24M) remaining on the 6-10 defensive presence's contract unless Keith Van Horn's three-year, $43M obligation could be simultaneously unloaded - that was good news for Dikembe Mutombo, who would have been compelled to move his family out of Theo's humble abode in Philly. Orlando and Toronto appear to be Ratliff's most ardent suitors. The Magic are offering No. 1 draft picks galore and additional insignificance. Mournfully, Grant Hill would be appealing to Atlanta (and others), but only if his tortured ankle requires him to apply for a medical discharge. The Raptors, who unsuccessfully made a play for Rasheed Wallace (Tony Davis and Hakeem), also offered Hakeem Olajuwon's official retirement papers and Lindsey Hunter for Ratliff. Because Terry pockets so little ($2,153,934, relative to his talent) and wants so much (restricted free agent-in-waiting), it's hard to get equal value for him without including bonus components. Still, just about everybody seems to love his enthusiasm and willingness to learn the point position. If any team has the resources to work out an equitable arrangement for Terry, it's the Pacers, who flaunt lots of assets and have an appreciation for Shareef. At least one powerful person also has the hots for difficult-to-deal (base year) Jason Williams and Lorenzen Wright. Rumors about Indy coveting Gary Payton (Al Harrington, Austin Croshere and Jamaal Tinsley) are strictly counterfeit. Not only would it be foolish to give up Household Harrington (towering upside, giant bargain at $5M with three more after this), but it'd be impossible to re-sign Payton; as it is, the prospect of re-signing Jermaine O'Neal, Brad Miller and Reggie is next to impossible without competing with the Knicks and Blazers for luxury tax dishonors.
I never knew expiring contracts were so valuable. First Steve Smith for Abdur-Rahim. Now Hakeem for Rasheed? I wonder how much Rice's expiring contract next year will be worth.
Um....., did you even read the article? The Raptors, who unsuccessfully made a play for Rasheed Wallace (Tony Davis and Hakeem), also offered Hakeem Olajuwon's official retirement papers and Lindsey Hunter for Ratliff.
The team's fine as it is. Could be better, but fine for now. Except Rice and Moochie. Too bad nobody will take them off our hands though.
Get a good backup PG, who can provide some leadership when Francis gets turnover happy, and can help keep the offense in flow when Francis, and the starters need a break. Basically someone who can help put up some points on the board. Doesn't necessarily have to be an instant scorer, but just a guy who knows how to get the ball to the open man, and to the hot hand.
I predict more trades than ever in the history of the sport at the deadline. There's just so much available, and so many teams willing to trade. Whole Hawks team Jason Williams Stromile Swift Drew Gooden for equal talent Battier for a decent SF Dickerson Coleman Ty Hill Latrell Sprewell Kurt Thomas Charlie Ward Hakeem's contract Elden Campbell Eddie Jones Brian Grant Eddie Robinson Jamal Crawford Gary Payton for some teams Al Harrington OR Jonathan Bender Austin Croshere Jeff Foster Robert Horry Jerome James Lots of Clippers It's going to be huge. I hope we get in on this. MY DREAM is to somehow acquire Micheal Redd from the Bucks to be our starting SG alongside Francis. I'd take Caffey or Anthony Mason off their hands too. Redd, I feel, would be such a BRILLIANT compliment to Ming/Francis/Posey. Shooter to take pressure off Francis, for Ming to pass out of the post (open 3-pters), and for Posey because he can continue to start with a great shooter like Redd at the 2. Anyone have anything interesting on Redd? Bad habits? Defficiencies? Anything like that?
The only players I'd be interested in that list would be Jason Williams and Brian Grant. JW would be a HUGE improvement at PG -- athletic, has range, and knows how to setup his teammates. Brian Grant -- I've been a fan since the Portland/Utah series a few years back. University (Mbargo) Blue
Mobley shot 9-11 from the field today, that's pretty good shooting to take pressure off of Ming. Leave this team alone I say, just let them grow. As crappy as they have played in recent weeks, the Dallas game seems to have woke them up.
Don't make any trades unless we can get Brand as long as Ming or Francis are not involved. This in itself is highly unlikely. Don't trade Mobley/Griffin for either Redd/Mason or a backup point guard like Snow for Mobley. I do like Redd but a mid term trade will hurt us a lot unless we can get a star frontcourt player to backup Ming. A number of names are always out at the trading deadline but most of them do not end up happening.
Well, I guess it's time to bump this back to the top. In spite of the glimmer of hope that we were given after the Minnesota & Sacramento games, it still seems that the guards just don't get it. They just can't seem to grasp the concept of team play & how to ride the back of Yao Ming to the playoffs & beyond. As I alluded to in my first post, we need to trade either Francis or Mobley. Francis would get us some serious talent & draft picks, but his potential is just too great to trade away. That leaves Mobley. Here's a trade proposal that I'd like to throw out for discussion. Houston sends Mobley/Griffin/Moochie/Collier to Memphis. Memphis sends Battier/Stromile Swift/Brevin Knight to Houston. I'd try to get Memphis to return our draft pick, but wouldn't let that stop the deal. Houston could plug Battier into either the SF or SG slot, with Posey playing the other. Stromile has been playing well this year & would fit nicely as our starting PF. Knight would be an upgrade at the backup PG position. Any thoughts or other trade ideas?
You know, I would kinda like that deal. Posey and Battier at the 2 and 3 spots and Swift at the 4. His upside is no worse than Eddie plus he's probably a better finisher. Knight would be a good backup.
Jerry West is an incredible evaluator of talent. If he gave up on players, I would be wary of trading for them. I don't think I'd ever trade with West, unless it was for equal players at different positions, where each person filled the other's needs. But to trade players at the same positions, West would win whatever trade we did, IMO. There's only 2 trades I would like: I still like the LAC trade for Brand/Piatkioswki for Mobely/Griffin the best. ... and I think Rudy was willing to lose the Cleveland game, so Taylor could be showcased. Hey, it could be! I really hope theres a deal with Cleveland coming up for Taylor. Taylor/Collier for Hill/Diop. That would make us very solid at PF for the remainder of the season, and give us a better up and coming Center, even though he'll take a long time to develop. But, Diop's upside is huge. Then at the end of the season, Hill's salary would drop off, giving us enough room to resign Brand, Posey, and TMo. I don't think we want to trade Rice. Let him retire and his contract die. After learning from the Anderson, Taylor and Norris signings, addition by subtraction is not so bad. We ought to keep the cap room, and let our talent grow. Now, if we could just figure out how to get rid of Moochie, or at least get him to stop all that dribbling. Ming/Cato/Diop Brand/Hill/TMo Rice/Boki/Hawkins Posey/Piatkowski Francis/Norris/Mattox next year: Ming/Cato/Diop Brand/TMo Boki/Rice/Hawkins Posey/Mattox Francis/Norris the following year, find a way to get a draft pick to sign Chris Duhon.
I respected Jerry West's talent evaluation. But now that Ming is a star on the court, off the court, and IS a shotblocker, Jerry West can pretty much stuff it. Stromile Swift has awful working habits. Eddie griffin actually has terriffic work habits and is younger. It's a much safer bet to keep Eddie Griffin. Here's the problem with you deal Hottodie: 3-pt shooting. Mobley is a good 3-pt shooter, and Griff is decent. Swift can't shoot beyond 5 feet, and Battier doesn't have that kind of range. Also, he's no good at the 2. He'd be a nice replacement for Posey though, if we couldn't Re-sign him. Brings everything Posey brings (but finishing) while also having a betetr shot. Here's my deal (needs slight numbers adjustment) Joe Smith to the Sonics Moochie and Mobley to the Wolves Barry, Igor R(something)ovic and Joe Forte to the Rockets Barry to play SG, with two young backup PG's. Out of Joe Forte, Igor whatever, and Titto Maddox, one MUST be able to handle the point for 8 or 9 minutes a game. We improve our 3-pt shooting, and Barry can actually be the PG at times himself, with Francis switching. Payton does this a lot. At first, I was reluctant to trade Mobley for Barry, but if it means getting rid of Mooch, while also acquiring Barry and 2 nice potential backup PG's, then I'd have to go for it.
