I think for the Rockets to be a successful team again we need a dominate post presence. At that is Duncan. When I look at Duncan I see Hakeem, no joke. He has everything Olajuwon once had. Good range, nice post moves, and great defense. Most importantly, like Olajuwon he has great character and is just as great a person off the court as he is on the court. I know it would take alot to get him but this year is probaly our best chance to get him. If it goes down this is how I see it happening. We give the spurs our first round pick (5, 6, or 7). We also give them the first we will hopefully get from Toronto, and Marcus Taylor. If need be throw in a conditional 1st round pick next year, cash, or another player. If this could somehow go down we have to be serious contenders to the Lakers. I think Duncan, Francis, and Mobley is better then Shaq and Kobe.
You know. I have to agree with you on this one. Let's hope the Spurs decide to get younger if they exit the playoffs earlyand Duncan asks to come to Houston.
We can't throw in next years pick, it's against the rules to trade your 1st round pick 2 years in a row. We'd have to give up Griff and our pick, and Duncan would have to say he's not comming back for this to fly. I still don't think the Spurs would trade him to us, out of pure Robinson crushing WCF spite.
A: The hideous result of putting Chris Marcus and Mo Taylor in a blender and seeing what comes of it. I'd love to get Duncan, but there's no way San Antonio would even think about trading him. Would you trade a top 5 player for draft picks and a guy coming off a major injury? Me neither.
Why don't we just get Shaq as well? ohhh and while we are at it I'm sure we can pry Kevin Garnett away from Minnesotta, so that would give a front court or Shaq, Duncan and Garnett, plus a backcourt or Mobley and Francis. We should be able to win with that lineup!!
Duncan should be available after another early Spurs exit, with DRob flameout. Guy has no help, and none coming. So all next year the Duncan sweepstakes plays, like it did for Webber. If Duncan says (or decides) he does not want to return, but still wants the max sal $ available, he needs a sign and trade from SA. Therefore (theoretically), the best talent/picks offered as replacement should win. SA will need to rebuild from scratch when Duncan leaves, needing new centers, pfs, sfs, sgs, pgs - um, I think that's every position. They will have a few adequate spare parts, but no franchise players to build with/around. I doubt Duncan wants to spend 4 years in the lottery (like some franchises) hoping they pick players that may help someday. I would offer any combination of our players for Duncan. I would think Francis plus # 1 would be better than most offers. Add or subtract bench/supporting-cast throw-ins as necessary. If you can make a better deal, fine. We probably can't make this deal until next summer, but it doesn't hurt to start looking and planning now. A possible offer I see that may be more attractive would be another star pf for Duncan straight up - like Webber for Duncan. It will be interesting to see that play out. For this summer, though, I would concentrate on Odom/Kandi/Draft. Hopefully, improved team play makes all our guys more valuable for trade the next year, and gives us a more attractive team to plug Duncan into.
I hate to beat a deadhorse, but I've been saying it for a while salary wise we could make it work it would then be a matter of whom to give up. In this coming draft, if we draft Marcus, I think it would pave the way for getting Duncan (he would have to play center). The key is you can't get rid of too many players beacuse he wants to win championships so this is what I've laid out. It starts with trading Thomas. This frees up gametime for Griffin and Moses Malone Taylor which is vital if you're going to get Duncan from the spurs. I've already said draft Marcus which is another key . Now heres the trade. Duncan will be a max player which means 7yr 92mill which equals about 14mil per we have 2 players in Cato and Taylor whose salaries together equal to that. The Spurs will not jump on that, unlike the Rocktes when they traded pippen because Duncan will not be 28 until the end of the 03-04 season. Here's what makes it work, 21yr old Eddie Griffin. I like him and his skill and he and Duncan are 5yrs apart. If Eddie goes on and becomes a hall of famer, so what because at the rate Duncan is going, those 7yr with us he'll be on also. Its just a matter of how soon do you want to compete for the title. With a starting linup of Francis,Mobley ,Duncan,Marcus and whoever plays the 3, with bench player like Collier, the draft pick this yr,Moochie, Rice and Torres, noway Duncan could say any other team has more of a chance at winning rings than Houston, not even Orlando or Indiana. Of course he will be one of the most sought after player in 03-04 and the only way i give up the pick this yr is if he agrees to sign an extension immediatly. I think after the draft and the next season, everything will shake itself out. The Rockets should make evry effort to get him though.
If Duncan leaves, the only team he would go to is Orlando anyway so it's not going to happen. Another possibility I'm sure you guys have heard is that J-Kidd will bolt New Jersey unless they go to the finals and come to San Antonio.
Duncan should be available after another early Spurs exit, with DRob flameout. Guy has no help, and none coming. Another? The earliest the Spurs have been eliminated with Tim Duncan has been in the second round of his rookie season. In 1999, they won a championship. In 2000, he didn't play. In 2001, they advanced to the Western Conference Finals. Get your facts straight. BTW, the Spurs cap room in the summer of 2003 is absolutely unreal, so I wouldn't say "no help is coming". That summer, Jason Kidd, Antonio McDyess, Jermaine O'Neal, and Shawn Marion are just a few of the many prominent free agents. Duncan's not likely to leave. There are some quality young players in San Antonio, and like Chris Webber last year, he can simply get more money staying put. Is it possible that he requests a sign and trade to a better situation? Sure, anything's possible. But it's a whole lot more likely that one of these other prominent free agents goes to sign in San Antonio, where they can receive the maximum contract, play with Tim Duncan, and because of that compete for a championship. Obviously, I'd be esctatic if we got TD, but it's a complete stretch. Tim's a loyal player, and you're really hoping against hope if you don't think players will want to play with him in San Antonio.
