I know this has been talked about before, but I missed it so here we go. Looking at the team as it stands, whats the quickest way to yeld a good playoff seed next year? Well that depends on how you want to get there and why. Do we just want to get there and be happy? Do we want to begin another decade of playoffs with title contention. Do we want to be like the Jazz and Min. and always make it there but never being a real threat. I would love to get there and stay for awhile getting better every year. Some of us want to add a bunch of vets. to get us to the playoffs. Well this may indeed get us there but only for the short term (like one year). You take a chance on injuries from these older players and rapid decline in production at higher pricetags. Plus there is no stabilty always having to replace these vets. When we won before it was with a team that played together for awhile. The key to me is to get stronger in the post, better D, and a more reliable scoring threat other than SF and YM. One possble and quick way to do such along with getting players who can play for a while is this: Trade: Cato, Griff., and Rice for SAR and Ratliff! Wait, I'm sure something similar has been mentioned and I'm sure it has been shot down also. But it actually could work for some simple reasons like: Playing a line up of Yao/Ratliff Ratliff/MoT SAR/Boki(?Posey/Morris?) Cat/(?Posey?) Francis/ I guess Mochie That would give us the best Interior D in the nba for one. This makes up for the lack of one on one peremiter D. Ratliff is a super role player who is alot like Cato but better. SAR is the type of scorer who is eff. in his scoring and can postup any sf. We would be in tops in rebounding. And this team would be young enough to grow together. If it doesn't they only have two years left on their contracts, just long enough to see if it works. Some will say not enough balls but I would like to point out that the players involved took ony 2 shots a game diff. rox(19.6) atl(21.4). Also SAR wants to win and with good coaching will do what is asked. Some will say SAR and Ratliff aren't winners, but I say its just bad luck of playing on a bad team. Look Bibby didn't win until he got to Sac and Ratliff was winning in Philli. Ratlif is injury prone and that is what drops his value but if any of the fowards got hurt they all could be rotaited to cover for the loss. This would be a hard team to beat! This is a trade that could actualy happen! I would then add some vets. around this young, but not too young, nucleus. Tell me if I'm wrong and why Sory bout da spelin
i agree on you on ratliff and sar trade.. one thang tho, instead of trading eddie, why dont we trade MoT. i mean, eddie is still 20 and i believe he will really improve and be the next Jermaine O'Neal. but, it would be great though, i mean, even if you shuffle anyone in the paint, nothing is lost. you still have that offensive and defensive power you need to dominate the paint. and look at the lakers and rocs games last season, they really made shaq earn all his shots. i mean, with just yao and eddie inside.. what if we add power like ratliff and sar.. i dont think anyone can even drive a lay-up in the rocs defense. lol. one thing though, i think we should keep rice and just throw cat for some good sg's.. like ray allen sg's.. that would be great coz we still have that inside outside game that really kills opponents. and the rotation would be real good. imagine this line-up: Ming/Ratliff Ratliff/SAR/Griffin Posey/Rice Allen/Posey/Hawkins Francis/Norris/Allen that's an all-star line-up. you have the all the defense you have to stop opponents and you have all the offensive fire-power you have to kick their balls out. look at this, Ming will grab the ball from inside and as soon as they double team, they would do the rotation, pass to posey, then swing to francis, then swing to allen, and as usual, allen will sink the triple.. would that look sweet or what? and if ever rice and allen will play together, man, they would have a hard time trying to make one of em not burn the three's coz if ever they give attention to allen, rice will be wide-open and vice-versa. well, that's what my dream line-up rotation for the rocs would look like.
Allet-oopYou were right on the mark to this point!! I wish more posters could see it as clearly as you do! Thats why the Rockets must not be afraid to make a try to get players such as Arenas, Miller, Brand and Odom etc.We only need two more good players if we also move Mobley etc. If we fail to hit the Jackpot then we can go to try for the second tier players.
Brand would be my 1st choice and he have a slite chance of getting him. The hardest part is maybe convincing him to come play for alittle less right now but getting the rest in the end. If he's not biting then I would try for the SAR/Ratliff deal. This requires a bigger roster remake but could pay off handsomly. If they don't get these then I hope the rox go in this similar direction. We need to address or biggest problem,1st thats the lack of play at the foward spots. >Improve inside D(help for Yao) >One more eff. reliable scorer(not a ball hog or shot 1st player like Big Dog) >Rebounding >Toughness >Some youthfulness(30+ somethings wont get it done) >Will to win(not just for the $) >Good character(a plus but not needed)
What about adding Wallace from Portland. If they are indeed wanting to give thier other fowards playing time would we be interested. He is a max contract player but with his contract, bad temper, off court problems, and lack of leadership his trade value is way below that. He actullay is alot like the player we hope and want Griff. to be. He's young still and maybe a change would do him some good. Could we and would we be interested in Wallace.
Getting Allen for Mobley will be very difficult. If Ratliff recovers to full fitness he could cover for Ming and SAR's weaknesses on defense to some extent. I think Atlanta might be willing to trade SAR but if Ratliff is fit they just might keep him.
No trades for Ratliff! Please! Ratliff at PF is not going to happen just like Cato at PF is not going to happen for this team. They are essentially the same player except Ratliff is a bit better but more injury prone. NEITHER of they can play PF in this team's offensive system because they become an offensive liability because of their lack of medium range jump shot. In Rudy's offense the PF HAS to be able to hit a medium range jumpshot. This needs to be taken into account in any trades for this team.
Ratliff would not need to be any better offen. because we would also have SAR to make it work. Ratliff would score off of doubles from his teammates, and would not need to produce any more than he does now. He is quicker on D and could D up pf better than any of our current 4s. The key is he may have these problems because of the enviorment, and a change would do him some good sort of what it did for Webber. He puts up the #s and could solve alot of our problems if he would continue to behave.
