I read in today's cronicle that SF would "love" to play SG but that spot is taken by Cat. I was always under the assumption that SF wanted to be THE PG but apparently that is not the case. Why not trade Mobley and or Griffin to get a TRUE PG in Payton. He could play for another 3-4 years and teach SF how to play the position on the go. Never mind the fact that this would truely be the best back court in the league. Maybe one of the best EVER....GP is leading the league in assists!!!! I think it would be great and the rockets would make the playoffs for sure.
There is this little thing called the salary cap. You see, Gary Payton makes 2-3 times as much as Cat. Since we are over the cap, it doesn't work. Might as well say, let's trade Griffin for Antoine Walker. Not to mention the fact that Seattle already has 2 SGs in Brent Barry and Des Mason.
Mobely and Griffin for Payton is a reasonable return for Seattle. You can throw in players to make the salaries work. Problem is - Seattle really needs a center and a pg. Maybe with Cato in the mix. I'd love to unload Taylor there. Getting GP is not a bad thing for a 3 yr window. Ming doesn't cash in for another 4 years. No one has really offered much for GP so far. But the guy could definately fill the vet leader, ball distributor role here. Steve could play alongside with and learn from one of the best. Maybe he'd learn some D. Anyhoo, it uses Steve and Ming's abilities to their full extent. Mix in a Posey, a Tmo, some other role players and GP Ming SF is powerful stuff.
If Yao and SF are championship material like everyone says, then who can you really add to the team? Even if you steal good Clippers material (and end up paying for it later), you'll still have too many guys needing the ball. Picking the top PG available cuts down on all that.
Even if the Rockets could get Payton, I don't think I'd want him. He has a lot of virtues but I still think he has a bad attitude, especially for a young team that's still looking for an identity like the Rockets. Hell, isn't he being criticized right now up in Seattle for not dealing well with the Sonics' youth movement? What would happen if he came to Houston, to an even younger team?
