If you were a Midwest GM how much would you worry about the Rockets?

the team going into the next year is already an improvement. Giving Yao, Eddie another year to bulk up, Posey was making HUGE strides at the end of the season. Francis and Mobley both shot how many less shots the 2nd half of the season? motay started comming on at the end of the year. Cato showed real signs of life. Rice is now in his last year, and we can choose to keep him for the cap relief at the end of the next year, or ship him off. This team is in a very advantagous position. this team really needs 1-2 back court signings, charlie ward/barry would be great.


btw....about making other teams think we are getting better.....

they dont think were going to get better, they know we are. We've landed the best big man prospect since Tim Duncan!

 

I question it because it was obvious that not enough homework had been done in this case. Barkley was a big name and could draw a lot of publicity, sometimes unwanted. He was well past his prime and was unwilling/unable to play defence most of the time. When Barkley joined the Rockets Hakeem started to defere to Barkley, during the games and gradually became less aggressive, never to regain his former determined play. Barkley was also the cause of the end of Drexlers playing Career.

 

Barkley could still play yetti. Hakeem was already going downhill before sircharles got here. I'm sorry but if I'm CD and phx offers me charles for a young with potential but unproven pg and a purely playoff laden sf, I do it in a heartbeat. Barkley played well as a Rocket, if he didnt get hurt in Utah we prob go to the finals that year and it surely is a success.

 

I have the same problem AB. The first officail day of fa period, the owner of the team with 60 wins flies out to visit with Mourning. Even though they won 60 games, they still want to get better because the ultimate goal is the ring, not the playoffs. That same team could only offer Mourning the same thing we can which is 4.9 mle money wise. I proposed a scenerio where we could sign and trade Taylor for Mourning and keeping Eddie as 1st big man reserve still playing 30mins a night, but some thought that the team shouldn't even consider looking at the guy. Its said that Mourning only want to go to a team that can win a ring. I guess a lineup with Ming,Zo,Mobley,Francis and whoever at the 3 wouldn't be good enough next yr to climb the ranks. It really bothers me with that "fit" thing also. Taylor and Griffin were suppose to "compliment" each other despite neither being totally perimeter or total inside players. Francis and Mobley are suppose to "fit", yet as we learned that they are the same type of players except one rebounds better than the other and one defends better than the other. I think over the yrs this team has gone from being a go geter to doing just enough. The west will be stronger by virtue of some of the deals and maturation, yet we will add a bit play here and a bit player there like we're fine tuning a championship team. I don't understand either.

 

Lee,

You do know Mourning very well may not be the Mourning of old.

His kidney problem hasn't gone away, by any stretch, so I can't really fault us for not pursuing him harder.

We need guys who are more sure things, while the championship caliber teams looking for depth can afford to take the risk.

 

Me either.

It's only been a few days since teams were allowed to talk to FA's, not to mention it's a holiday weekend. I for one am not ready to write off the FA signing period just because we're not talking to Mourning.

I've got nothing against Mourning trying to come back, he's a good guy, but frankly dallas pursuing him smells of desperation to me.

Be patient!

 

I'd be terrified if I were a certain Midwest GM - C. Dawson! There are some tough teams in our division...

 

I'm not sure we will make the playoffs..

I would have loved the scenario! Man....if that could happen....it would be fantastic. But I don't know why they want Taylor when they already have big fat contract man Brian Grant at power forward. And then...they would have no one at center. Anyways...the Heat don't need us. They have enough money to sign one big superstar.

Maybe we can sign Mourning for the MLE.

Who knows.....maybe the Rockets are talking. We just don't know......and the insiders have all left.

I'm sure we will sign SOMEBODY!

We only have 9 freakin players right now...

I'll be glad if we sign Rafer Alston or Wang Zhi Zhi!

 

Vin Baker and his fat contract can be traded, Joe Smith can be traded for a should be all star in Cassell, but we can't get rid of Cato,Norris, or Taylor? It just don't add up to me. If Mourning would sign for the mle, why not with us? He would give us everything even at his last yrs production more than Taylor and Griffin provide playing the 4 spot. I know his condition is resolved and could come back anytime, but so what. Things can happen to any player anytime. Mourning was in the prime of his career and in the best shape of his life, then suddenly he gets this condition. I'm just saying that he should at least merit a call or visit or something. It doesn't really matter i guess because if Payton and Malone sign on to be with La for the next couple of yrs, no one will beat them anyway.

 

Not really.

Only if Yao adds some weight and becomes a dominant player ala Duncan or Shaq.

But at this point in time I can't picture other teams thinking "ooo, watch out for those rockets." and I can't blame them considering how inconsistant this team has been.

 

I'd rather be complacent than be strapped by one ignorant move after another.

 

I think most Midwest GM's realize that the Rockets are in a transitional phase right now and are therefore, currently impossible to get a read on. No one knows what Van Gundy's plan for this Rockets team is right now so why would opposing GM's waste time trying to guess what the end product in Houston is going to be. Now if you were to ask me if teams were concerned about last year's addition of the Rockets, I say hell no.

 

Somebody should tell that to all the trade-thread-starters who want to overhaul the entire roster...with a new coach coming in? No thanks.

I'm not defending CD here, I'm just saying that the Rockets have a history of making aggressive front office moves, not being complacent.