Nikestrad: You didn't name a single pure shooter. Sorry, but it's not just offense... it's the type of offense. Trade Cat for Andre Miller... great. But I don't think that's going to happen. And I don't think you can trade him without getting someone who can knock down the long shot. For a team with a dominating 5, we already have an embarrassing lack of shooting talent. With the way other teams collapse upon Yao, a true pure shooter (which we don't have right now, except for the infirm Rice and defensively horrendous Nachbar) should be able to exploit the situation tremendously. Cat isn't a pure shooter. Agreed. But on the other hand, he sure can knock down the open 3. Trade him, and who do you have that can? Don't just list offensive options. List the regular players we have with a consistent long range shot. 1. Francis. 2. Mobley That's it. Sorry, Mobley needs to stay unless we get a comparable or better shooter in return.
I don't think finding spot up shooters is that difficult. At least not as difficult as getting players such as Miller or Brand. The Rockets could probably get shooters like Piatkoski, Person, or Delk for relatively cheap. Cat's shooting is so streaky and I just don't think he's that great of a spot up shooter. His scoring usually comes off the dribble and he has had a lot of trouble adapting.
haven- "Cat isn't a pure shooter. Agreed. But on the other hand, he sure can knock down the open 3." Mobley's shooting 31.5% from downtown. Eddie Griffin's shooting 33.9% from downtown. Cuttino hasn't exactly been burning people for leaving him open on the arc. Morris has actually hit 5 of his last 7 3 point attempts. Guys with comparable shooting ability to Mobley are not hard to find. We'll look just at LA and Miami. It's Mobley's first step that separates him. Eric Piatkowski is a lights out shooter in his final year with the Clips. If you were to trade for Miller, getting Piatkowski wouldn't be too hard. Have you even taken a look at Eddie Jones' numbers this year? The guy is shooting 40.5% from beyond the arc, which is not too out of line with his 38% career average, and pretty impressive considering there aren't too many other options on his team. He's not a pure shooter, but at least on par with Mobley, if not better. Travis Best could probably be had as well, and he shoots 39% from 3s. On another level, I agree that a big issue is type of offense and the argument here is that having Cat and Francis does not promote the type of offense we would want to run. Therefore, if you can get your Andre Miller now (and you can only do it now, because we can't compete for him in free agency unless he's our free agent), you do it. Spot up shooters come and go. Sign Piatkowski or Jon Barry. Go pull Matt Bullard out of retirement.
This seems nothing more than Aldridge reading Jonathan Feigen's article of Sunday. Feigen mentions Griffin by name and alludes to every young Rockets, presumably not Yao. Carroll Dawson even said they listen to all offers and many have been coming in, but we don't like them and "we love our players." Aldridge merely seems to have attached more names to it that Feigen chose not to.
This could be the management seeing no point to scratch and claw the rest of the season for a likely 8th spot. Any else think the Rockets could trade Mobley for someone's 1st rounder? Rocket's then keep the better the two 1st round picks and roll the dice one more time with that lotto selection. Just a thought.
A few problems with the grizzlies trade.. If i were jerry west i'd be wanting an extraordinary amount for pau gasol.. if the rocks lose mobley we lose a 'true shooting guard' with others and most likely get garbage players with gasol in return.. also maurice taylor would have to be involved in the trade due to the packed pf position.. but ultimately the rockets wouldn't do it because they believe they already have a future PF in griffin, and hold him in high regard.. not that gasol wouldnt be awesome on this team..
Haven Please do not indult Paolo - he is not a dumb football player unlike Cat. For the umpteenth time - the rockets problem is not our offense - it is about playing smart basketball - all-for-one, one-for-all. Have you guys not heard of compensation? Assuming we get Elton (who I am crazy about) in a trade, his ppg will wash out what we lost with Mobley. Eddy was not giving us much offensively so any decent team oriented SG will make up for the difference easily. Assuming we received Andre Miller instead, his 15 ppg + his assists + the potential ability to get his team mates more involved and consiquently better will make the trade a good. Trading Mobley to LA is a win-win for the Rockets.
Xenon, we don't have a first rounder and I'm not convinced that this was management, just aldridge's way of "selling papers". I can't see anyone giving us a lotto-bound pick for Mobley. He's worth well more than a mid-1st rounder, too. probably nothing to this that would indicate that the Rox are looking any harder today than they were yesterday. That would be one swell job, GM of any franchise.
We do have a 1st rounder. It just happens that we owe the Grizzlies a 1st rounder. We trade mobley for a low first rounder. We keep ours, which is looking more and more like a lotto selection.
Xenon, I'm pretty sure we can't just give the Grizz another pick that we acquired if it is considerably lower than our pic, I believe that the pick has to be within at least three spots of our own.
I think the Rockets could probably get Gasol if they were willing to trade Rice's expiring contract for the bad contracts of Wright and J. Williams. Eddie or Cat would probably have to be involved as well. The problem is that would leave the team with a ton of bad contracts (Williams, Taylor, Cato, Wright). That may be why Aldridge is reporting the Rockets want to dump salary. So they can afford the new bad ones they would get trading Rice.
I do not think that Cat fits into the future of the Rockets but I do not think he should or will be traded this year. I think next year when you have Rice in the last year of his huge contract to package with Cat is when the Rockets will make their last big trade to solidify the core of their team for years to come. The combination of young talented dependable scorer on a cheap contract combined with a veteran on a large expiring contract (cap space) is great trade bait in today’s NBA market.
That's pretty messed up if thats the case. Can you imagine the Rockets falling apart the rest of the way finishing 8th and winning number 1 pick and having to hand Lebron James over to Memphis? That would suck!
Cuttino has heart, Cuttino has a great first step, Cuttino is dirt cheap and is signed for 2 more seasons and a player option for another year after that. Cuttino has a positive attitude and works hard. So what's not to like? Well...IMHO Cuttino needs shots. He is a streak shooter and streak shooters need shots...lots of 'em. I just don't see enough shots (in spite of Cuttino's best intentions) as Yao progresses and establishes a post presence. Cat will have to alter his entire approach to the game. After all, don't we often read in other posts that Cat is the Shooting Guard? As for the proposition that a team need 3 scorers, I've argued this to death with carayip in another thread. To me, the past 12 years of NBA Champs have had 2 scorers + role players and that seals the deal. Like NIKEstrad said, it's not "offense but offensive efficiency" and I see this diminished when there are more players needing the ball in their hands to be effective (in contrast to role players who get theirs in the flow and play D). And please...I'm not a Mobley "hater"...just trying to be realistic.
That is the case. Did it suck when we got Steve Francis from the Grizz? We have owed a debt for three seasons and now it's time to pay the piper. Get over it.
GATER, Certainly, Can you imagine this team now, and the prospects of this team, if we hadn't made the deal for Francis? We'd have Dickerson at the 2/IR, Othella (sp?....lazy) at the 4 and I can't even begin to run the changes through the roster. We'd be horrible, though. Bottomline: Steve Francis, even on one of his bad nights was a steal, to give what we gave and now the final payment, being likely a mid-first rounder, for a Second Year All-Star is a thing of beauty. A scary thought, we'd probably still have Pippen, since there would have been noone to pass the torch to...UGH that's a really a horrible thought. ls
My dream scenario for Feb. 20: Trade 1 Rockets Trade SG Cuttino Mobley (17.6 ppg 4.2 rpg 3.0 apg 31.5 % 3 pt. 1.4 spg) PF Eddie Griffin (8.7 ppg 6.3 rpg 1.81 bpg 1.1 apg) to LA Clippers for PF Elton Brand (18.3 ppg 11.3 rpg 2.4 apg 2.58 bpg) SG Eric Piatkowski (9.2 ppg 2.5 rpg 1.4 apg 39.8 % 3 pt.) Trade 2 Rockets Send SF Glen Rice (9.2 ppg 3.3 rpg 1.3 apg 35% 3 pt.) PG Moochie Norris (4.6 ppg 2.0 rpg 2.5 apg ) Possible Bryce Drew Obligation to Miami for SG Eddie Jones (18.5 ppg 4.9 rpg 3.7 apg 40.5% 3 pt. 1.4 spg) PG Travis Best (9.5 ppg 1.9 rpg 4.0 apg 39.1 3 pt. 2.69 ast. per turnover) I think the Clippers make the trade because the get something for two guys who will likely leave in the offseason. They get a very good, cheap guard entering his prime and a young PF with who his already one of the better shot blockers in the league, and possibly has more potential than anyone else in the league as well. The Rockets get a stud at PF in Brand, and a great spot up shooter who's salary comes off the book at the end of the year. Miami makes the trade because they free up cap space and get rid of one of their huge contracts. Rockets force them to take Moochie in exchange for Jones' fat deal. Best is a free agent at the end of the season, but is a solid back up to Steve, who doesn't turn the ball over much, and can hit the longball. The Drew obligation can be added to further entice the Heat. Rockets Line Up PG-Francis/Best SG-Joes/Piatkowski/Posey SF-Posey/TMo/Jones/Boki PF-Brand/MoT/TMo C-Yao/Cato/Brand Since Piatkowski and Best's contracts end at the end of the year, resigning Brand and Posey would still be possible if we could dump Mo in the offseason. Yeah, I'm dreaming so what?
If I remember the clause correctly, it is our own pick, a pick within 3 slots of ours, or any lottery pick. If we were to by a fluke miss the playoffs and land the #1 overall, we'd trade it for a late lotto pick + other things, keep the other things and sent the late lotto pick to Memphis (still a top ~10 pick), or we'd work out a deal demanding Pau Gasol/Memphis player of our or something in exchange for conveying the #1 overall to them. RF007- Hehe, getting a little too hopeful. I'd be ecstatic with Mobley/Boki for Miller/Piatkowski.
