There seems to be two ways we go in the offseason; either we're trying to figure out where we might possibly hang all the banners after we acquire a Maurice Taylor or Eddie Griffin, or we are trying to figure out where we might possibly hang all the Rockets' brass for failing to acquire anyone of note. Now I enjoy mob panic as much as anyone, but we need, I feel, to take a collective step back here, and get some perspective. If we indeed lose Posey this does not consign us to a perpetual lottery position. If we get Jackson or Battier we need hardly start building a new trophy case. Simply put, we are not really in a position to make any huge steps forward this season, and short of injury to Yao or Steve, we need hardly fear falling back into the dregs of the league. The only kind of move we could have made to project us into the NBA's stratsophere with the likes of the lakers and Spurs this season would have been to sign an unrestricted free agent of the status of a Jermaine O'Neal, and money prevented that. We need to recognize that there aren't going to be any quick fixes here. Statements about " Big splashes'" tend to excite, but what are the Rockets really in a position to do? We don't have exceptional trade commodities that we could pull off much more than a lateral move with. We need to see what we have and what we don't.We have two young stars, possibly three. And we have a number of heavy contracts, and a few good to very good role players. This is not the stuff of championship contenders...this year. I think it's best to properly asses our outlook on the following season, as we have been prone in the past to o'erreaching ambition, and as such have tended to look on any progress short of contending for the ring as failure. We tend to collectively recognize this later in the year, amindst the gnashing teeth, but then along comes another off-season, and keeping or losing a decent small forward gets built into a life or death matter. Posey was not going to make us a legit contender this year, losing him won't kill us. We need to keep our eyes on the prize, and James Posey isn't it. It hurts a bit in the immediate, yeah. Who is going to play defense now I'll never know, but Sidney Moncrief Posey wasn't. It is an annoyance, it might cost us a few wins this year, but the foundation of this team is still Steve, yao, and maybe Eddie. That is what we need to concentrate on, and the progress we need to look for this year will be in them as individual players, and in how they play with each other. Another thing to watch with keen interest will be how they mesh with JVG, and whether or not he's the coach to bring us to the next level...down the line. Other than a longshot, like pulling off a Francis-tyoe deal, I don't see that we can do all that much this year to significantly alter the face of our future foundation. So my advice is sit back, put your feet up, and relax. We have not lost the ring with James Posey, and until we are actually in a place to make a serious run at it, the rest is window dressing. Posey, Mobley, Moochie, Mo, and others are not going to matter much when we are in a position a couple of years down the road to be among the best. I know that that's not what we're supposed to say as fans, but that's probably how it's gonna be. In the meanwhile don't sweat the small stuff, and Posey for Piatowski, while I feel is a downward move, is definitely small stuff. PEACE JAG
Brevity Jag...you know Chicken Littles cant read anything over a paragraph... that said...I agree..patience is the key...I still expect good things this year...
The one thing that I was sort of disappointed about was the fact that we basically gave up KT for JPo and we're left with...nothing. I agree it's not the end of the world and the season is definitely still salvageable and will be exciting; but to give up a player of KT's caliber and get basically nothing in return is a bit frustrating. I loved him ever since we drafted him, though I thought 18 was too high...
Hear Hear MacBeth! Given the current state of their payroll, there wasn't much the Rockets could do in free agency this year anyway. Actually, when you take a sober look at what's been out there, there really wasn't anyone worth jumping into luxury tax land over anyway. None of this year's crop of free agents would have been the catalyst to vault the Rockets past San Antonio, Dallas, Sacramento, Los Angeles or Minnesota so perhaps it's just as well that CD stayed pat and let the chips fall where they may. We'll just have to be content with whatever improvement JVG can squeeze out of the current cast of suspects bearing in mind that the next season could very well end up with no playoffs and another trip to the lottery. I do agree with tierre_brown about the Kenny Thomas trade. I was one of the few who liked his toughness and rebounding. I'll bet that JVG could have really used KT on this team instead of Mo Taylor.
Why the disapointment about KT? Do you really think that he would have been resigned by the Rockets? He just got huge money in Philly. He would have signed an offer sheet that we wouldn't have matched, so what difference does it really make? We added a player that helped fill a role and we had a better shot at resiging Posey than we did Thomas.
I would have prefered to never have traded KT if for no other reason than we gave up a draft pick along with him and we have nothing to show for it.
You don't know what would have happened if KT had stayed here. He didn't get too much PT here, so no one would have seen how well he could perform. I say we probably could have resigned him. And then we could try to focus on moving Eddie to a 3-4 type of player: a 3 on offense, 4 on D, playing a 2-3 zone. But...oh well, back to MacBeth's original post: here's to the future! I just hope the ride back isn't another 4 years long.
Hey, don't act like your the first one to preach patience. There are people already saying this stuff in the Posey threads. I guess people might just pass over your stuff if it didn't have it's own thread
I think the fact that LA and Minnesota (maybe even Sacramento).. having made or going to make splashes.. also Mr. Cuban won't be outdone by all these big trades/signings.. so look to Dallas getting stronger.. The main competitors of the west gaining power makes me fairly antsy.. Also the fact that a new coach, new stadium, new threads makes the fans (well me anyway) think that they wouldn't waste all of that to not attempt to be a real contender
What Macbeth fails to understand like everyone else here,is that losing Posey is one thing. Using the money to get Piak instead of saving it in a vault to combine with rice and such 2 years from now to land a legit star when the moochies and maloneys are off the books is another. Basically on one hand the rox are saying they want to save money and lose posey,Im kinda okay with that. but then they turn around and want to blow that money ala moochie by getting Langi 3 in piak. langi=langi 1 boki=langi 2 paik = langi 3 God when will this obsession end with these underdogs.
mingonly, you do realize that we only have 9 players under contract right now? You'd rather save that money and have 6 people come from training camp invites, CBA, etc? In essence, what you're asking for is a lottery year. Piatkowski may not be a big name; hell, he may not even be Posey. But he does add another dimension to the Rockets (outside shooting) that complements Yao's game very well. And if Yao is the centerpiece around which our franchise is rebuilding, we need outside shooters and Pike fits that bill. Also, Piatkowski has proven himself as a veteran in the league. He may not be flashy, but he is consistent. There is absolutely no way he is Langhi 3.
the rockets just have to bite the bullet on all the bad contracts and wait for a couple more years. i can see the light at the end of the tunnel though its very far away. i feel like they should just keep badman over here and play boki more and be in a sort of rebuilding mode, but with the new arena and new coaches fans will expect more wins. so lets all just look forward to a few upsets and a mediocore season, and watch the rest of the west do battle this season.
The scenario would have been exactly the same with Thomas. We would have made a qualifying offer of roughly 2.5 mil 'cause that's all we could afford, and someone would have offered 4-6 mil and we would have lost him, no question. The reason we traded him last year was because we know we wouldn't be able to sign him. j
Patience is OK in this situation only if you think Francis and Ming really are going to allow this team to contend sometime down the road. I think the jury's still out on Ming, but I really don't see Francis as a championship caliber leader 4 years into his NBA career. What I'm trying to say is, Rockets fans have at least some cause for concern that the franchise is staying with their current horses this off season. Francis and Ming definitely do not GUARANTEE contention 2 or 3 years down the road. Looks to me like contending teams in the west now need 3 NBA stars minimum with some solid role players. Without that, 6th in the west is the best a fan can hope for.
what about the Spurs. 1 superstar - Tim Duncan Jackson, Ginobili, Parker, Robinson all role players Francis and Ming is a potent 1,2 combo... now they need the right role players. Guys who are great defenders and people who can hit the outside shot.
I take great comfort in something which was referenced earlier. We aren't going to pass the top 5 anyway (LA, MN, SA, Sac, or Dal) so we may as well be smart and trust that VG is going to shape a find a set of solid role players to compliment the superstars we already have. I was worried before but now I feel a bit giddy at the opportunity of testing my faith in the organization if they start camp with 9 players under contract. Go Rockets!
Mac Beth, I said earlier that Tmo was Stephen Jackson the year he broke out. Check the numbers. When you are short on funds then you do not let a talent like Tmo at that price go. Nobody had the Spurs winning the rings but they certainly put themselves in a position to win and allow role players to come forward. As is the norm for me I cannot see how we cannot make some noise with this team; especially if I think that JVG is bringing something crucial to the table.
Jeff Van Gundy's impact on Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley and Eddie Griffin should not be underestimated. Francis and Mobley have demonstrated in the past that they can play at a very high level. Griffin still could improve greatly. Cato and Taylor bring some good role player qualities. Hawkins may find a place. Moochie, Rice, Nachbar???? Who Knows? Jeff Van Gundy and the new staff may be the difference maker for this team. They struggled with the zone defenses and they never found a strong chemistry last season. We remember them stomp the Lakers, beat the Spurs and Kings and then get demolished by Dallas and Cleveland. Nobody panic unless this team falls apart under Van Gundy. Building around Francis and Yao is not bad give it time. No move is better than a bad move this summer. No one can show me a no brainer can't miss move we could make this off season, if we do anything it will be a minor tweek. So let's get behind the core of this team and watch Van Gundy work.
