Is it just me, or has it seemed that for the last five or six years the process of cutting our team to 15 has gotten harder and harder. Every year it seems our team has gotten deeper and deeper by about 2 to 3 players a year. I wish there was not a 15 team limit, and we could keep everyone and make them play in the NBDL. If we hold the rights to a player, we should not have to cut them becuase we have to many players. We should be able to keep them in NBDL until we trade them, bring them up, or cut ties with them. We should never lose a player becuase we have to many. Make no sense to me. I really have no idea on who to keep and who to cut. I have faith that Morey will do the right thing and trim our fat via trade. As for our rookies playing in the NBDL, I just don't know yet. I think donte and dorsey should be thrown to the wolves. I think you learn faster that way even though you don't get to play. The other cat does not have a chance to make our rotation ever, so why bother?
I feel the same way, the only problem is there is no improvement in having a true impact player beyond yao/tracy..we just have like 12 guys that can kinda sorta change the game if its on their schedule of being ridiculously sporadic. Scola/Landry are happy exceptions but still not huge changes.
I think your kinda short changing Scola.....he made a impact in the playoffs and was pretty consistent, and it was only his rookie year. I think he's only going to be better next season. He's a proven star overseas, and last season he proved he deserved to start in the NBA. All we need is a couple of guys out of that "twelve" to step up their game and their is alot of youth on the team, so I expect a couple to take the next step.
Right now we only have one roster spot available. The one vacated by Loren Woods. I too think we need another big man to back up Yao. But it is what it is. If we don't get Deke back we have two roster spots. I think if that happens, Morey will go all out to bring in another big and not someone we currently are playing in summer league. So it's still one position open at this point. Of the three rookies, Leunen, Greene, and Dorsey, I would give the position to Greene. Leunen and Dorsey may develop into something but lets look at it this way. Only way Leunen gets on the team is if Novak is traded in a two for 1 deal. Say Head and Novak? Then Leunen makes the team. Dorsey has to beat out Harris or Hayes and I don't see that happening. An injury might get him on the team later in the season.
I thought we already signed greene to a contract? They are not gonna pass up on dorsey.. Morey has already expressed that he expects Dorsey to have some playing time/ impact this season.
Morey has already said that he's going to make a "roster trimming" trade in the next couple of weeks. I expect that will either be Luther or Novak (most likely Novak) Right now we have more contracts than roster spots, if and only if we retain Deke and Landry. With contracts for this year: 1. Alston 2. Barry 3. Battier 4. Brooks 5. Harris (small and non guaranteed - don't know when the deadline for it is, probably not until after camp) 6. Head 7. Hayes 8. Yao 9. Tmac 10. Scola 11. Novak 12. Greene 13. Francis Probable signings - Dorsey Landry Deke So if you take out Novak or Head for the roster trimming, by trading them for picks, there is space to sign the probables. That's 15. Take out Mike Harris and you have room for one more if you really want to bring Maarty in now. Undoubtedly there is going to be roster spot fighting going on in camp. I would like someone who knows the rights rules. If they don't sign any contract but he agrees to come to camp, can Luenen participate and we still retain his rights? Meaning we let him try to make the team without a guarantee, and then when preseason ends send him over to another team does that work?
LMAO @ Marion being even remotely CLOSE to as good as McGrady. Let alone better. Seriously, that is pure comedy. Had you said Lebron, there would be no beef.
1 Yao 2 McG 3 Rafer Alston 4 Scola 5 Battier 6 Barry 7 Dorsey 8 Brooks 9 Greene 10 Hayes 11Novac 12Harris 13Lunen 14 Landry 15 Jackson Unsigned Mutombo Traded Head and Francis
I respectfully disagree with you to an extent. I expect Scola to get better and a healthy Landry too which will improve our scoring but I don't think the others apart from Yao/Tracy have the ability to step up significantly IMO. Greene will have to play a major role if we are to improve our scoring too.I don't expect much from him in his rookie year.I'm not ignoring the need for an improvement in our defense,which varies from being very good to adequate against teams which execute well.
Lunen does not make the team. Morey has said he IS playing overseas this year. He is unlikely to be invited to camp but if he is, he can still go overseas and come back next year. (Rockets own rights for 2 years). They will sign Landry, unless the knee is really an issue. They have to trade one of Novac, Head or Francis to make room for Greene and Dorsey. I bet Francis stays due to contract and old times sake. Besides, if Franscis is back to form, he is more useful than both Novac or Head. So that leaves a trade for Novac or Head or even BJackson, if the right deal comes along.
So far, we've added Barry, who was a great signing, btw, and that's it. We can't depend upon the young guys we drafted and the guys in SL to be impact players. Scola is solid and will improve, imo, as will Landry, if he's healthy. Other than that, where's the long, athletic wing who can defend and score that we hoped the Rocks would get in the off-season? (how about Childress? ) Besides Brooks, still a question mark, how have we improved the point? Is Deke going to cut it as Yao's backup for another season, if he comes back? Yeah, Morey has a long way to go.
I know this was reported as a probability in the hours after he was selected by the Rockets, but importantly this also occurred before they saw him play with a mix of other candidates. Are you saying he didn't even elevate his chances or has Morey subsequently confirmed his destination Europe?
I'm not choosing best players...just guys I like. On a team with CP3, Kobe, Yao, and Dwight or Amare, I think Marion (or any other wing player) would be play at least decently.
