Guys I don't support the idea of Francis back in a Rockets uniform because to me the guy is not what I call a possesion pg. He lacks playmaking ability and has a hard time sharing the ball. He is a shoot first pg and his best days are behind him. Also I'm not too keen on giving him MLE money especially if he gets a buyout from the Knicks. I suggest minimum salary similar to what Webber is getting paid in Detroit. 700K that's it until Francis proves worthy of a contract.
SF3 could be our two guard and 3rd option in the starting lineup. He shot well last season from behind tha arc (38%) and he'd get some wide-open looks with TMac and Rafer doing most of the ball handling. He could also slide over to the 1 when Luther comes in. Francis is sort-of TO prone, but not as bad as Head or VSpan. And, he can rebound well for a guard. He could be the Bonzi we never had next year.
Exactly I don't want another Bonzi Wells. Another unmotivated out of shape player who has been trade every year the last 3 seasons.
I dont think we need a pass first point guard because of Tmac, we just need one that can handle the ball when he gets pressued and can run the point from time to time. The biggest problem with rafer isn't his point guard skills or his ball handling skills, its his ability to shoot. We need a shoot first point guard, but not a shooting guard pretending (Head). I think more than anything we need a consistant 3rd scorer. As long as its not a true center, which i doubt we would find. If we found a G/F and they push Battier to the bench, then thats fine, we need a stronger bench anyways, he could back up 3 positions. And with this team, we are a team of Vetrans, players like Carrol need to be disovered on our own roster, not overpaying someone elses roster finds. Our money needs to go to productive vetrans.
I agree. Offense should be by far the important criteria. A scorer. Just score. Of course defense is nice, but even a pure scorer. NOW!
Steve has until injury or perhaps the Knicks virtually always given his all. OK he went to the Super Bowl or whatever. Are you guys kidding? Criticize him, but did you guys watch him as a Rocket. Did you ever watch him drive to the basket and take constant Wade like at least punishment?
Have you seen rafer.s entry to pass to Yao in the post? We need a guy who can make good passes and cut the turnovers plus shoot the ball consistenly and drive a few times to the bucket. Sorry but Rafer is not good at any of these things. He seems to be lost on the offense when he just hovers around the 3 point line waiting for a bone to be thrown his way. Never do you see him cut to the basket or take hus man off the dribble.
To be fair, the Rox don't want him to cut to the basket because he can't finish at the rim to save his life.
dude u missed a big point...its that he doesn't fit into our system. ask any knowledgable bball fan in this forum and they'll tell u they dun want webber here. not a good fit because of his lack of defense and quickness to complement yao.
i really dun understand the stevie bashing here. for all his faults, he carried the rockets when he was here, and yet u guys are critising him now. i think the mental aspect of the game is what most people missed...you all forget the psychological aspects of Stevie. He was not happy in NY with people booing him and him being a scapegoat and all. Just look at Bonzi, and the vinsanity b4 he was traded, and you'll see how a player's psychological state can affect his play. I firmly believe in SF and think he will be a great addition to this team.
Ok agreed that Webber might be a liability on defense but then again he can help so much on offense. I don't know what your definition of compliment to Yao might be but mine is a guy who can consistenly shoot a 15 foot jumper so defenses don't double and triple Yao as often. I think that Rockets need to stop worrying about defense so much and get some help on thr offense. We already have steller defenders like Battier and Hayes now we just need a good offensive presence that can knockdown some open shots to keep the defense honest. Neither of our PFs have shown the ability to do so.
How about this madness? Head/V-Span/Snyder/#1 to Charlotte for Okafor Howard/JLIII to L.A. for Mobley Split MLE on Francis/Travis Outlaw LLE for Chucky Atkins PG Alston/Francis/Atkins SG McGrady/Mobley SF Battier/Outlaw/Novak PF Okafor/Hayes C Yao/Mutombo/Tsakalidis Did this on my NBA Live and the team was SICK! Not that any of this is actually realistic (i.e. trading for Okafor when he's due an extension, trading for Mobley to bring him off the bench) but this could be one deep and dangerous team. -Okafor is hands down one of the best rebounders and post defenders in the league. The duo of Okafor/Hayes is basically a veritable hell for any opposing post scorer. Only difference being that Okafor has size, can score and is still developing. He compliments Yao extremely well. -Trading for Mobley would give us a dangerous and consistent 6th man capable of creating his own shot in addition to his stellar defensive play and shooting. His defensive play would give us plenty of options regarding our SG/SF tandems. Since he would be able to handle Battier's job of guarding the opponent's best perimeter player, we would be able to play both T-Mac/Mobley at the same time. This would give Battier more time to rest as well as provide a change of pace with his baseline/post up game. The problem? You definitely don't want to pay a guy $8-9-10M a year to come off the bench. -Trading for Mobley would almost assure Francis' return to Houston. With his pending buyout and Mobley being acquired I think it's safe to say he could return for the "hometown discount". His impact on the court I don't even need to bother to analyze since he's such a great difference maker, when healthy. -Signing the relatively unknown Travis Outlaw and inking Atkins for the LLE for depth purposes would be the finale of this fantasy offseason plan. Outlaw is an absolute athletic FREAK. With his unsurpassed leaping ability (i'd be amazed if anybody else in the league has a higher vertical) and 6'9" massive frame with long arms he's a defensive highlight waiting to happen. He has a ton of upside, has developed a consistent mid-range jumper that he can hit with regularity and on top of that he's a smart player. He could potentially be an impact player at both swing positions in addition to earning some minutes at the 4. Just for fun
What we need is to pry Steve Blake away from the Nuggets -- he is a free agent. Also, we need to concentrate on a taller PF with some grit and outside/inside scoring ability. I am thinking Chris Mihm if he is healed. Mihm can play both PF and C. That leaves the Rockets free to draft a big shooting guard that JVG can relegate to the bench.
Free Agency: PJ Brown (PF/C) Travis Diener (PG) *Suns after him throughout past season, another 3P threat. Knows how to get Novak his shot. Ime Udoka (SG/SF) *Battier light off the bench Draft: Brad Newley (SG/SF) Hawks scout Ron Meikle recently likened him to Thunder Dan Majerle on a scouting trip.
We need one more person can create his own shots besides TMac. None of these you mentioned can do that. Our first option is still Steve. I don't understand the crazy talk that he wants to go to Clippers to reunite with Cat. Cat is not a full time starter on Clippers. Do you guys have any proof that Francis wants to go to Clippers?
Doubtful. I'm sure he'll be the centerpiece in whatever the Lakers send out in whatever gigantic trade they make this summer to please Kobe.
Ok if rox lose tomorrow, I predict a Yao for Odom and Bynum trade.... Lakers would have a Smush, Kobe, Luke, Kwame, Yao lineup-- pretty strong Rockets Rafer, T-Mac, Battier, Odom, Bynum-- also pretty good A win win trade!
The franchise milks Yao for cash. No way in hell would Houston trade Yao before his current contract expires (unless he um, well, suffers a carreer-ending injury or the like). Odom and Bynum for Yao? You know what, that actually sounding somewhat practical... I WANT ACIE LAW!!! TRADE UP!!!!
Under a competent coach, Yao Ming would finally rise to total dominance of the league. He is at the brink as it is.
