[CHRON] After draft day dealings, Rockets ready to take on West

I'll bet Jerry West got us pissing our pants draft night like Battier wouldn't be available the next day - someone else was going to grab the boy in another draft night deal. So instead of telling him we could shop Gay for 3 months a get more value somewhere else we started feeling that warm liquid flow down our pant legs....

Same thing we did when we traded Mike James for Rafer when a 2nd round pick would have made the Raptors happy to be rid of Rafer. I can see Mr. Van Manic: DO IT NOW! DO IT NOW! DO IT NOW! MY HEAD IS GOING TO EXPLODE! DO IT NOW!

Battier is a good 6-7th man on a top level team. He would not start for any of the top teams.

OK after Jerry West finishes his cigarette and lets our guys put their pants back on, here is what they need to do the next few months:
Bring Mike James home - his Roland Rating is up there with Battier's - it's positive which is a good thing.

Bring Gansey and Darius Washington and etc into summer league and see if we can find another Chuck Hayes at PG/SG.

See if Novack can play PF with the summer league folk - maybe/maybe not.

Do another trade with the Knicks and make Isiah include Butler as a cheap backup C if Mutumbo has no game left. See if in this deal we can palm Juwan off on him and get anything in return. If it is not a real PF then use that asset to get something with some length that can catch a rebound and defend guys from 6'9" to 7' Maybe Butler can give us a few minutes at PF? His Roland rating is positive and he is 6'10" and he only makes $600K - a perfect fit for the Rockets. Morey, Les, CD and Van Maniac should all be ecstatic.

Sign Cato?

Someone spy on Chuck Hayes and see if he is practicing and can now hit a 8 foot jumper. I love the guy and his rebounding, put backs, steals, etc. but he can only get more minutes if he can hit a short jumper and gradually add distance over the next coupla years.

Trade Swift for anything, another asset, a 2nd round draft pick..... Oh I forgot, we gave him away.

Our management team really needs to start reading this board and listening. They need to pull a rabbit out of their hat this year, but I get the feeling they are the lady assistant about to be sawn in half!

 

The potential of gay makes this deal hard to swallow. Battier could be a good pick up. But I will be hunting down CD if in 5 years Gay is a top 10 player.

 

Ok...

I think most people are NOT opposed to acquiring Battier, rather they feel like the Rockets could've gotten him without giving up Stro...the #8 should have sufficed.

At least that's my approach to this whole thing. I really like Battier and I think Rox fans will jump on board once they see him fitting in with the team and providing us with what we need. I like the Gay for Battier swap, I just don't think that giving up Swift as well in the deal (who's our ONLY tradable asset outside of Yao and T-Mac) was giving up a bit too much.

However, now that the deal is done, I am onboard and I welcome Battier to our team with an open arm...I am going to keep an open mind about this.

 

While youre at it, take out Charlie Casserly for me.

 

Rudy "I disappear for 20 minutes a game" Gay is not going to check Shawn Marion, or relieve pressure off of McGrady and Yao. Do you want to wait three years for him to grow up? For all of the b****ing about Battier's low ceiling, you are really overestimating Gay's potential. There's a reason this "can't miss" talent dropped to number 8 in a weak draft.

 

IMO,

It feels good to read this. McGrady sounds like he wants a Championship. I hope his is back to his form both physically and mentally for this run. If he is at at least 90% at both...

...watch out league.

And after the way Yao DOMINATED (I know some of you dislike CAPS Lock, but I had to.)I have a feeling something good will happen this season. We are slowly putting the parts together.

Some of you just chill and wait till Training Camp begins to assess our off-season.

Don't freak out on the first move.

 

won't take 3 years.
amare dropped to #9.
stranger things have happened.

 

How can you think this healthy rox team is not as good as the 51 win team from a couple years ago. We have a much better Yao who has learned he can dominate, a still great Mcgrady if not injured, a solid defender and shooter in battier, a true point who looked great when yao and tmac were both in and he didnt have to shoot in alston, a potential PF with range in Novak and even padgett back if we resign him, possible sura returning and a improving luther head.

If yao and tmac can both play over 70 games next year I think we easily win 55 games and have home court in the first round of the playoffs.

 

Yea but amare was being judged for his play against high school talent. Gay is being judged for his play against NCAA talent where he did not dominate. Also for every Amare there are about 5 young "studs" who jump from high school or early in college that are not stars, and aside form amare and lebron there are not many 18-19 year olds who have an impact very quickly. If it took kobe, jermain o'neil, garnett, and tmac three years why do you think Gay will do it faster.

 

You act like Rudy Gay was some bum.

He was first-team All Big East in a conference with 16 teams.

He was second-team All-American.

He was the leading scorer on a 30 win team with 5 players drafted in the top 35.

Just because he fell to #8 doesn't mean he sucks. Anyone from 1-8 could've fell, he could've just as easily been picked in the top 3. Do you really think Marcus Williams is the 22nd best player in this draft?

 

i agree, we are in so much worse shape than this time last year. but look on the bright side, we will have a higher draft choice than #8 next year. mabe we can trade it to a division rival another role player. I am sure Justice (from the Chronicle) would approve.