I don't know if the Rockets will match the Memphis offer to Posey, but Les Alexander should be careful about spending money this offseason- He has shown he will do it, but what has it got him since the championship years: Rudy and CD were responsible for these moves and Les backed them up with the $$$$$$$$$$- Sign Cato to long term contract Sign Maurice Taylor Trade for Glenn Rice Sign Moochie Norris Plus we resigned Cat and traded for Eddie Griffin, drafted Nachbar. None of these moves have moved us any closer to becoming a championship contender. I hope Les Alexander waits until next summer when we have cap space to put in the next piece to the puzzle under the leadership of Van Gundy. Let's not make a panic decision this summer we will all hate next summer.
Depending on the cap next summer and if Glenn Rice comes off I'm was premature in thinking Rice was off the books next summer, could someone clarify this?
Glen Rice comes off the books next summer but we will STILL be over the salary cap. So other than the MLE (which we have this year) we cant make any moves. If the Rockets can trade Glen Rice's 9 million dollar expiring contract the way the Wolves traded Terrell Brandon's 11 million dollar to get Latrell Sprewell then the Rockets might be able to obtain some decent talent despite being OVER the salary cap THIS year AND next year.
Being out from under Rice's contract won't be enough to help us out significantly next year anyway. We still won't have the $$ to sign anyone decent, and will still be looking at getting the same kind of scrubs that we've been looking at this offseason. I don't see us getting anyone big until we get rid of Cato's contract. Wasn't that a six year contract signed back in 1999? So, two years left until we could realistically look at signing a decent free agent.
I don't think Les is going to keep throwing money after players that aren't the difference makers for a championship. I believe alot depends on how this team responds this season to Jeff Van Gundy. If we make the playoffs and we show obvious improvement then I believe next summer is the time we will make a move of significance. I wouldn't over pay anyone else this summer. Including Posey
Rhester, I agree. I like Posey, but I liked MoT and Moochie too, and they didn't do a thing last year. No sense in going over the luxury tax threshold just to sign a guy who for most of last year put up worse shots than the Cat. He's got nice D, and athleticism, but not worth 4 mil a yr.
Finally a voice of reason! We are still complaining about overpaying Maloney, MoT, Moochie and Cato. Now we want to add Posey to that dubious list? He's a good (not great) small forward. Haven't we learned our lesson? I like Posey, but if we don't match that Memphis offer, I don't think the team is going to implode or anything. We're not going to win the 2004 Championship...with or without Posey.
The difference is Posey knows his role, is signed to a relatively cheap contract, and his contract would not be long-term like Cato, Mooch, Taylor, etc. Letting him go, like letting Terrence Morris go, won't kill the team. However, it definitely will not make us any better and could only hurt us by taking away two decent roleplayers for nothing. We're getting worse while the rest of the West (save Utah and maybe the GS Warriors) will get better. Even Phoenix is at least retaining their role players this summer.
Are you kidding me??? Mo did nothing last year??? Granted...he started off slowly (still recovering). At the end of the year he was the only scoring threat off the bench and he looked like he was getting stronger as the season wore on. He will never be a banger, but Mo can score like a mother.
I want the Rockets in the playoffs as much as the next guy, but I don't think that signing Posey or TMo guarantee that for them. I can't even say that it significantly helps them. We had them for most of last year and went nowhere. So, if we aren't really going to go deep into the playoffs, or even get to the playoffs, I'd rather suffer through another bad year, get a good draft pick, and not sign any big contracts. If we aren't going to get what we want this year, no sense in signing oversized contracts in desperation to try and make it happen.
We don't have salary cap room this year or next, regardless of Rice's contract. That means we can't sign a significant FA next summer either. Given that, it is easier to sign Posey right now because we won't have the money to replace him next summer. Yes we have the MCE but that rarely gets you an impact player. At 4 mil/4 years I say resign Posey...that's a fair price. Plus he is a perfect fit on this team which is priceless.
I agree, he is a perfect fit for this team... a run and gun guy who has much more run than he has gun. He's a decent role player, but "perfect fit" seems to be a reach. We need someone who can hit the outside shot at a better rate. We have enough athletic slasher types in SF and Cat. I'd rather let him slide and sign Piatkowski who can hit shots.
Posey's isn't an oversized contract or for too long a time. You can dream about the Polish Rifle but I don't think he'd require more money than Posey. Posey played damn well at the end of the year when Steve and Yao were tired. We need good role players, and that's what Posey and TMo could have been, at a relatively low price. That's why it'd be stupid to lose them both this summer. I don't want another lottery pick, it's not like we're able to pick out the gems recently anyways. If we get Piatkowski and have to lose Posey to get him, then I'd be ok with that. However, I don't think we have much of a chance to get him and I don't want to lose Posey for nothing.
I don't know what a big contract is anymore except that 4 million a year is probably in the middle somewhere. My original point was what has gotten Les closer to getting championship building blocks on this team. Steve re-upping and drafting Yao. The rest to me is a mystery. I am not convinced that getting too committed to retaining Posey is going to be the difference maker in the next 4 years. My point is - If Les isn't careful at this point we could seriously go backwards talent wise. I hope we make a move that will be more of a sure step towards getting to the top, whether it is this summer, the next or the next. Build carefully around Steve and Yao, it is our only hope of dethroning the top teams in the west conf. Think Championship and nothing less. That is what L. Alexander is doing.
That's what I'm thinking. We need to develop this team to win championships a few years down the road, not next year. We need to get the right building blocks, and if one slips through because of cap problems, then we can make up for it next year. When we start feeling like we gotta go out and get this guy to win now is when we start to lose focus on what we're buidling for. That was the kind of mentality behind the Pippen trade, and the Rice trade. We had to go out and get a big name, and Pippen really backfired, and Rice hasn't panned out all that well either. Posey is a decent player, but if he goes... he goes. I guarantee that there will be equivalent players out there next year or the next, and having that money around then will be nice. $4-5 million for him isn't a deal if we are spending a chunk in luxury tax.
I just love how people like to use Les as the scapegoat for all the Rockets problems. CD and Rudy failed miserably in their player personnel moves in the last 3-4 years, yet that is somehow Les' fault. As the owner, it's Les' job to provide as much financial support/stability to allow his front office guys to play with. The only thing Les did wrong in this case was believing that CD and Rudy had any clue whatsoever about their own personnel. It's one thing to drop the ball on a FA from another team, as it's always a somewhat risky proposition. However, dropping the ball on re-signing players on your own team who you are able to evaluate on a day-to-day basis is pathetic. Les did his job by opening up his wallet. Rudy and CD clearly failed by misusing Les' money. If Les had refused to re-sign Moochie 2 years ago, 90% of people on this board would have been calling Les out for being a cheapskate. Quit blaming Les. I don't care that he's from Florida.
