I searched the first couple pages for this, and couldn't find it. So hopefully this isn't a repost: Rockets: Udonis Haslem for Rafer Alston? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Bill Ingram for *************** Jul 6, 2007, 20:57 The Houston Rockets need a power forward, and as much as everyone would have liked to see them get something done on draft day, this team needs an experienced power forward to hold down the paint next to Yao Ming. They need a power forward who can rebound, who can hit the mid-range jumper like Juwan Howard, but also plays great defense and has playoff experience. Tall order? Impossible? Hardly. The Miami Heat are actively shopping Udonis Haslem, and he is exactly what the Rockets need at the four. He owns a championship ring, he has an incredible work ethic, he has the mid-range jumper almost out to three, and he has a nose for rebounding. What's more, the Rockets can probably get him for Rafer Alston. The salaries add up, Rafer was an incredibly popular player while he was in Miami (and they were great with him running the floor), and the Heat are desperately seeking a point guard. Rafer knows what it means to run with a big man, and can keep defenses honest with his three-point jumper when he's hot. He takes some pressure off Shaq, and he has outstanding floor vision. Frankly, while Alston is not Jason Kidd by any stretch of the imagination, he is one of the better mid-range point guards out there. The Rockets would be crazy to give him up . . .if they hadn't just acquired Mike James. Mike James needs to be The Man. When the Raptors gave him the ball and told him to run he had an astounding season, scoring with the best of them and greatly complementing Chris Bosh. Now, with Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady at his side, James would be the piece that helps Rick Adelman get this team beyond the first round of the playoffs . . .finally. Adding Udonis Haslem to the fold would also be a giant leap in that direction. The Heat are involved in discussions with a number of teams, with the predominant rumor being that they could acquire Mike Bibby from the Sacramento Kings. But Alston is a better floor leader than Bibby, and his attitude is immeasurably better. Given his background with Miami and the depth of the Heat's need at the point, he should be getting a lot of love from South Florida. And Haslem should, likewise, be getting plenty of love from South Texas. http://www.***************/article_22632.shtml I think I would cry tears of joy if this went down... And then Portland waives Stevie and we bring him in! It's most likely a pipe dream, of course... and I'm guessing Hoopsworld doesn't have a lot of credibility around here being that the URL is being asterisk'd out...
Jonathan Feigen responded to someone who wrote about this in the comments in his blog by saying that it would be a great deal for the Rockets, but that the Heat probably have higher expectations in their search for a new point guard this early in the offseason. It's something that might become interesting as the offseason wears on, though.
Now, now... I think it's clear that this article is merely speculation, and isn't pretending to be any more than that, even if it did imply that Houston is in "South Texas".
When the rumor sounds like good potential news, I'll give it a scan from almost any source. Meh, whatever though. A mod can lock this if it's that meaningless.
