Addition by subtraction (Tmac Apologists need not click)

I'm standing behind our core players. I think this idea is dumb.

 

There are really only 4 stud FAs that will be entering the primes of their careers in 2010. The rest will be into their 30s, some almost 40 by then (Nash, Pierce, Allen, Redd, Ginobili, etc...). Remember that even elite players only have a window of about 7-8 years of peak performance. If we sign any of those 30-something players to 4 or 5 year contracts, we will end up in a McGrady Part 2 situation a few years down the road.

There will be about 15 teams with the cap space to bid for those 4 players. Of those 4, LeBron is not a real option for Houston.

Why would any of the remaining 3 choose Houston?

Because of Yao? Yao will be 30 at that point. Who knows how is 7'6, 300+ lb body will hold up?

Several of the other teams prepping their budgets for that free agent class are already in their rebuilding phase and will be hitting their stride by 2010.

The Rockets, on the other hand, are one of the oldest teams in the league in a "win now" mode. By 2010, we may be just beginning our rebuilding phase. Why would a top FA want to be part of that?

Even if you argue that a lot can change between now and then, the fact is that there are several other teams in better position to land a top player in 2010. And no matter what happens, 10+ teams are going to walk away without LeBron, Wade, Amare or Bosh.

You seem to say it's a given that if we wait for Tracy Lamar's contract to expire that we will just walk in and scoop up LeBron or Wade. The fact is that it's extremely unlikely that will happen for the reasons stated above.

Let's get something for McGrady ASAP. It will make our team better now and if Morey makes a wise move, we can ALSO be players in 2010, no matter how slim our chances are of landing one of those marquee players.

 

How about a guy like Bosh whose home is in Texas and actually wants be on a good team and play with his own "big three".

How about a combo of Dirk/Nash/Yao/Artest?

How about any player who wants a billion new fans?

Also don't scoff at tax advantages.

 

I have been saying TMac should to be traded ever since that game 7 vs. Utah. But for Marbury is probably not a good idea. I do believe TMac still has some value to other teams. If not for his talent, it would be for his perfect 2010 expiring contract.
On the other hand, a 2009 expiring contract wouldn't do Houston any good. The cap space created would be less than an MLE. There won't be any good player available at that price.

I think a trade of VC + Boone/Sean Williams for TMac makes perfect sense for both teams. New Jersey would have cap room to sign 2 max players in 2010. In the mean time they would still be able to sell some tickets with TMac.
As for Houston, Carter still has a ton left. He is playing pretty good this season. Carter is an unselfish player and has always been a better shooter than TMac. The only problem is that Carter also has a questionable heart. But at least he's healthy. And it's probably the best value we can get for TMac. I wouldn't mind roll the dice with a healthy Carter. And I think the outcome would be good.

btw, DD, you are absolutely right about Yao. It will never be Yao's team as long as TMac's on board. Get rid of TMac will make the Rockets solely a Yao's team. I think he could elevate his game a bit at the very least. And he might start to call out players if they are not performing. lol, that would be a scene.

 

Nash will be 36. Dirk, going on 34. Those are Brent Barry numbers.

If Yao is still our franchise player 2 years from now, we'd be more in need of a perimeter player or PG.

Plus, the Rockets are already an old team. By 2010, they may be so old that Bosh won't care about coming home. A lot of players pass up coming home for a better chance to win championships.

 

Tracy for Marbury + Cash + 1st round draft pick + 2nd round draft pick + 2nd round draft pick. Maybe I'll do that...

 

all of that sounds like jibber jabber......i can't believe you would even want those characters for our players.......seriously?

 

Blinebury has ALWAYS hated Tracy Lamar McLazy but he's on point this time...


Mutombo: How much is that leader in the window?

It cost the Rockets roughly $800,000 for the rest of the season to re-sign Dikembe Mutombo. Not a bad price for a leader.

Unless, of course, you consider the $36 million that they've already committed to that cause.

"I felt a lot of pressure," Mutombo said. "Yao Ming ($15 million) and Tracy (McGrady, $21 million), every day calling me, (saying), 'We need you. We need your leadership in the locker room. We need your spirit, something to get us going.' "

Any more questions about why the Rockets can't be taken seriously as true contenders?

Mutombo is as classy a person and as fierce a competitor as you'll ever want to meet. His off-the-court work in the name of charity is selfless and genuine. His on-the-court work is often inspiring.

But Mutombo is 42 years old and over the past two seasons has played less than 17 minutes a game. That includes increased playing time over the final 26 games of last season when Yao was out with a broken bone in his foot.

To say that what has been lacking is the part-time contribution of a 17-year NBA veteran who pretty much plays at just one end of the court, is simply missing the forest for the trees.

It is McGrady and Yao, Yao and McGrady, anyway you want to stack them, around whom this team has been built. In any league, on any planet, they are played and paid to be the team leaders.

McGrady is in his 12th NBA season and Yao his 7th and neither of them should have to be picking up the telephone to beg for help.

On paper, this Rockets roster possesses as much talent as any since the glory days of back-to-back championships in the last decade. The addition of Ron Artest should have made the Rockets as tough a matchup as any team in the Western Conference. And it is hard to blame Artest for any of the shortcomings. Not with the way he brings it every night and has continued to play for six weeks now on a bad ankle.

Would the presence of Mutombo in the locker room or on the bench have made a difference in the level of the Rockets' intensity or their professionalism for that abysmal, clueless, embarrassing so-called effort against the Wizards?

If so, that is a damning indictment of McGrady and Yao.

Winning championships in the NBA takes more than just the ability to average 20 points and 10 rebounds (Yao) a game and more than occasional unstoppable brilliance (McGrady).

Winning championships takes preparation, hard work and commitment every night. It also takes attitude. And that attitude comes from the top of the roster.

That is Yao and McGrady, McGrady and Yao, however you want to stack them and their $36 million in salaries.

While it's nice to see Deke back on the roster, if he had to bring leadership with him, you already know who this story ends. Again.

http://blogs.chron.com/franblinebury/2008/12/mutombo_how_much_is_that_leade.html

 

we all know tracy and yao aren't "leaders" in the sense that we all want them to lead (emotional...). they lead by example in terms of how they play.

and how is blindbury saying they "begged" for help? i'm sure tracy and yao LOVE deke (like all of the other teammates and all of us). he's like a father figure. i'm sure they want him back more than just for a backup center. it's like a bond. i'm sure if bobby sura can stay on the bench, tracy and yao would call him up just so he can stay on the bench.

they have a tight bond. i'm sure tracy and deke are pretty tight and deke is a great advisor to yao. that's all it is.

 

Is that supposed to be reassuring?

 

I think Blinebury is marginalizing Deke's comments to create a story. We don't know in what context anything was said.

 

Crappy players going all out doesn't win ballgames. If we start Von Wafer over TMac, we'll be the laughingstock of the NBA, and with good reason.

I find it confusing and hypocritical when you criticize Tmac for being a "prima donna" and then suggest we trade him for Marbury, who has more drama than day-time soap opera.

Smart basketball teams don't trade their star player because of poor performance in the first 35 games of the season. This team has been building around Yao and Tmac for the past 5 years. Tearing apart the foundation is going to hurt more than it will help.

And what exactly do you mean we'll be better without him? That just doesn't make any sense.

 

We know exactly what the longest current member of the Chronicle that covers the Rockets said and he's been saying it for a while. He's also a lot more unbiased than most of us. He's not even a Rockets fan. He just tells it like he sees it as part of his job.

 

Leadership involves more than the ability to put up the numbers. Mutumbo's leadership lies in wisdom and experience, which is something neither Yao nor TMac can offer at this point. Basketball is a team sport, not only on the court but especially in the locker-room and in practice. Any fool knows Deke doesn't bring the stats, but you'd have to be a bigger fool to think his addition isn't gonna bring about positive change for this team.

 

Ironic, given how many people were calling him "Blindbury" for so long... Blind like Tiresias, maybe!

 

The old saying if you can't change the people around you, change the people around you. I'd rather trade Rafer,shane,head, and hayes before Tracy. Rafer for Dooling and Williams then Shane for Outlaw and Koppean.

 

in the playoffs 3 of the past 4 years, tracy and yao have played well enough.

hell, if luther head or rafer shot 39% or 42% like tracy did the past few playoffs, we WOULD have won (if they just followed his example - no, but they shot 8% and 32%)

you can't help if your role players suck. and they have in the playoffs.

 

people lead in different ways my friend. there is no concrete way of leading.

deke is gonna bring change b/c he's gonna provide a 7' coming off the bench.

 

Sorry, but Blinebury still sucks. And not only because he likes to trash T-Mac.

Blinebury's always had a favorite whipping boy on the Rockets. Back in the day it was Robert Horry. Called him lazy, inconsistent, bad attitude, should be traded, etc. Well, guess who has consistently stepped up in the playoffs to hit clutch shots on 7 championship teams?

Blinebury is just a bitter hack who gets attention by ripping certain players.

(And I am getting sick of him filling up his column space by quoting whole song verses for no good reason.)

 

Wasn't it like exactly this time last year when all those trade T-Mac to the Bulls and what not threads started? lulz

You know who the real cancer is? Shane Battier. This jerk skips out on his team for the first month and is now all "boo hoo, that wasn't long enough, you guys go on your road trip without me! Boo hoo!"

How bone head non-team players like that can have a job in this league is beyond me. /sarcasm



Seriously though, here's where I stand. We, as fans, have every right to question what's going on with the team. But there is so much speculation and forced insight that we trick ourselves into seeing things that aren't there. Am I frustrated with Tmac? Hell yes. But I can see the way he's playing out there right now. He doesn't have his speed right now and all his shots are flat.

Yet the soothsayers on here say it's because he has no heart, and doesn't care anymore. What about Battier? Battier hasn't been the lock down defender so far this year and he's missed more games. He get's a free pass though.

I say let it play out. We say there's drama. Sure, everyone's hurt. It's not like McGrady's going out slamming his teammates (people have compared him to Kobe's tantrum of last year. That, is r****ded) he's just hurt. I admire Artest for what he's doing, that's incredible. But saying Tmac has no heart and is washed up because he can't replicate that is unfair and ignorant of the situation. The only person who knows how Tmac really feels is himself. Us assuming he's making it all up and just "wanting to get paid without playing" is blind speculation. Not fact.

I'll trust Morey and company, those who know infinatley more about the situation than we do, to make the right descision. If that's trade Tmac, so be it. But I'm not going to assume anything till I know anything. And right now none of us know jack.