[Chron] Instead of a quick fix, Rockets might play the waiting game

Say what you want about big free agents, tradable assets, numbers games, graphs, stats..., etc, etc, etc...

Bottom line is.....No healthy Yao...No chance...

With Yao in the lineup we are a top 2 team in the West and a championship contender.

 

Yeah, pretty much sums it up. Its like the rox have turned into the astros to where they will have a team good enough to win, but they're hoping to be lucky to win the ring. why are we wasting time with brent barry and stalling with Landry when there might be a sign and trade chance with Baron Davis and a guy like Ricky Davis that is sorely needed as a slashing, creating backup 2/3 that the rox have been looking for. What are we waiting for? Oh well, we'll be talking about the same needs next yr.

 

A chance of getting Baron Davis??? Explain how? If GS wanted to take back salary don't you think they would have asked for a S/T with the Clippers?

Ricky Davis has never played on a wining team....

While your at it Brand and Arenas would have helped us too why don't you demand that we go for a S/t for them too.....

Look, right now is free agent time and the rockets only have the MLE to spend, that is why we are looking at players like Barry and Landry.
Also what other team have made any other move besides signing free agents since they could start negotiating with them? Right now all the GMs in the league are waiting for the dust to settle before they make moves, and the Rockets will do the exact same thing.

 

We are waiting for the right deal. We never had a chance at Maggette, which many of us stated over and over again. We never had a chance at Baron Davis or Elton Brand. Look at what some of these other teams have done to themselves. GS way overpaid for Maggette. They are stuck with him for 5 years at twice the mle. Baron Davis had a great year and turn it into a long-term max contract deal with the clippers. Baron Davis has always been injury prone and will be an albatross salary cap wise for years to come. Elton Brand is a gamble that Philadelphia was willing to take.

We are in salary cap hell. All Morey can do is wait for the teams with cap room and trade assets to overpay and overextend themselves. Once the frenzy is over and all the headliners are signed there will be less competition for those we can really afford. Around the trade deadline there will be a host of teams that realize that they are chasing a pipe dream and will deal significant players for expiring contracts and draft picks. That's when Morey will swoop in and get that last piece of the puzzle.

 

But Morey is only doing what Uncle Les wants which is to do just enough to get by and to do that in the most cost effective manner (read cheap) possible and that means Brent Barry. So what you see now is what you'll see come October and that may change come February. Will it work? Probably not but you really need to accept the fact that this is a franchise that loves to spin its wheels standing put while the competition acts.

 

We only have the MLE to spend on free agency, I am not saying Les is the best owner in the world but tell me what he did or didn't do to be called "cheap".

 

That about sums up your basketball knowledge. I don't even know why I wasted my time pointing out how stupid that is. There is absolutely no chance of attaining Baron Davis.

In a related note, it's sad to see once-great posters (GATER) fall from grace. I used to love his analysis, but now he just spews Morey-hate, no matter what Morey does. There's no thought or analysis from anymore, just T_J propaganda hate directed towards Morey. I never thought one trade could make someone turn on a GM forever. I would've hoped once he saw people like leebigez and Hillboy agreeing with him, he'd realize how wrong he is. No such luck.

 

U know Hillboy, I may not agree with u on a stuff, but I respect ur realistic view of the Rox. U don't beat around and say woe is me like others on this board.

To say the rox are in salary cap jail doesn't matter. Where is the extra money Les gets from having Yao and the chineese contingent on board? To say the rox don't have a chance at Davis, its worth a try with the sign and trade aspect. How do we know the warriors wouldn't take Rafer,Jackson, and Francis and a pick for sign and trade of Davis at 5 yrs 55 m? Go and see what Mullin got Davis for in the 1st place. To the guy that said Davis has had 1 or 2 good yrs, go back and watch him lead a Hornets team to the 2nd rd twice even when Mashburn and wesley were missing 30 games. Go and look what he did vs Dallas in the playoffs. If u can't see that Davis has been as good of a pg as there is in the league, wake up.

Brand has been in the playoffs 1 time and yet people want him because he can ball. How many times did Barry make the playoffs before riding the spurs coattails? Davis is a good player on any team. He's exactly what the Rox said they need off the bench. 40% 3pt shooter, 80% ft line, 4rebs, 3 asst, 13pts and 6'6 and atheletic. Did I mention he's 28 and very durable. Did I also mention that if Mcgrady misses his 10 games a yr that Davis is a guy that can pump his production up to about 20ppg and play 35 mins? U think Barry can do that. Not to mention he'll probably cost the team 3.5 to 4m. What's wrong with that? Nevermind
Next summer we will be again talking the same bs.

 

Rockets need to go out and pursue Maurice Evans!! Brent Barry is still fielding offers, if you can't sell him after a year of courting him, He Doesn't Want To Be Here!! Maurice Evans is much younger, he drives to the bucket, and he can hit the 3 @ 38%.

The Spurs are trying to get younger, not older!! If the Spurs, who have won 4 Championships in the last 10 years is going in that direction, why aren't the Rockets, who haven't won anything in 13 years.

 

Maybe the truth hurts my friend. As far as hoop knowledge, I would line my resume' against anyone on this board including Clutch,Fritz and whomever else. From playing d-1 and holding it down in pro-am, offers to go abroad, and coaching and scouting. Just because u don't like what I say, I can at least be honest about what I see about my favorite team. Maybe Morey did call about a sign and trade, but if I were a betting man, I would say he's going to take low risk,low reward guys like barry, battier types. U may not agree, but that's my opinion.

 

I would call you an NBA Live GM, but even then I think you'd have to turn "Force Trades" on.

1. Unfortunately for you, and us, the salary cap DOES matter. It doesn't matter how much money he's making, he's RESTRICTED to only using so much. We have the MLE - nothing more. By league rules, we're not allowed to spend over the MLE. Can you not grasp this concept? Not even Mark Cuban go pay more than that - it isn't allowed. How have you been here for so long and still don't understand how it works?

2. Les is one of the better owners in the league. He has shown he's not afraid of making big moves. Everyone makes him out to be cheap, when the Rockets are well over the salary cap and almost to the luxury tax. How many teams have more salary than us? I think I saw a post last week saying there were 9 teams ahead of us. 9. But oh yea, "Le$ sucks!! He should sign LeBron!! Cheap!!"

3. How do we know the Warriors wouldn't take it? Well, how do you know Morey didn't ask? Or are you assuming that and then assuming the Warriors would take garbage for gold? You seem to be incapable of putting yourself in other team's shoes. Why would they want three players who they have no use for? They kept the cap space and signed Maggette. Who would you rather have: Bjax, Francis, Alston or Maggette? It's pretty much a no brainer. Add to the fact that even after signing CM, they still have cap space left over for next year's FA crop. On top of that, why would they send him to a Western Conference team? Would you willingly help out another team who was ahead of you in the playoff seeding for 3 marginal decent players and a late first round pick? I sure wouldn't.

4. I never said Baron Davis was garbage. I said the opposite -- he was too good to land in Houston. There was no possible way to ever get BDiddy.. the sooner you realize that, the better. Ricky Davis could've been an option, had we not been hamstrung by Landry. You let Landry walk, you have Chuck Hayes or Joey Dorsey backing up Scola -- meaning two guys are going to foul and not score. I'd rather have one of the best PF combos then an offensively deficient one.

5. Very impressive "hoops resume" -- unfortunately, I don't think it translated well into actually understanding how NBA salary cap/trades work.

 

Baronvis wants a big contract, and Ricky Davis is a nutjob.
We are signing Barry becasue with yao and T-mac drawing double teams we need consistant outside shooters to nail shoots. If you look at the Celtics they had there stars then a bunch of role players who contributed something different to the team.

I might get a response saying we don't have a third star. However I think Luis Scola will make a drastic improvment this season.

 

u no, i might take u serious if u dinnit act like such an idiot. 4 real! Stro Swift has a gud resume 2 but i wudn't let him run my team

 

The nba has a soft cap. Meaning the team can go over but has to pay a luxury tax after 70m I think. What's the point of collecting these expiring contracts when u don't use them? The rox have a 2.5m trade exception that they haven't used. It doesn't sound like a lot, but there are guys on rookie contracts that have fallen out of favor and can be had for that 2.5m te. Also, the expiring contracts can give the rox a 9 to 10m player with just Jackson and francis deal which puts them within 25% of the other guys deal. Harrington makes in that range just as a note. Moves without the sake of just moves can be made instead of sitting back and saying what we can't do. Its more of the same BS as my sig . Be the hunter, not the hunted. Like I told hillboy, work ur 9-5 for 30yrs and make ur 50k and wait on ur gold watch.

 

Because Chris Mullin would have been fired the second he signed off on that.

Think about how badly Rocket fans think of Rafer, why would GS want to take back salary? When they could(and did) just let Davis walk and be left with $31 Dollars in total salary space to overpay Maggette, resign Ellis, and have the freedom to make further moves down the road?

I hate it when posters can only defend how their trade ideas by calling out others like they are the only ones who think a Allstar could help the team. Of course Baron could help this team, so could Lebron, Kobe, hell even Odom. But other teams have to agree with your offer too.

Even if you think that other teams could possibly accept a combination of Rafer,Bjax, Francis, Head, and a late first round pick. Don't you think other teams around the league could beat that?

And don't even start with how Bjax and Francis have expiring contracts, there are 22 players around the league who have larger expiring contracts then they do. How can you expect to trade a 6 million dollar expiring for a bonifid all star caliber player when you only gave up a underachieving Bonzi and a ineffective Mike Jame with 12 million dollar left on his contract to get BJax in the first place.

 

I'm always hiring. If u need a job, just e-mail me and I'm sure I could use a janitor or garbage man.

 

Just stop following the team. You are seriously whining that the Rockets didn't pick up Elton Brand, or Baron Davis? If you can't grasp that the Rockets have nothing the Warriors, or Clippers wanted outside of McGrady, or Yao then you are seriously deluded.

 

BMoney- I'm going to give u the benefit of the doubt that you have been watching basketball for more than 5 yrs or so. I want u to archive and see what vince carter and baron davis was traded for. Also check and see how the free agent Grant Hill in 2000 and Eddy Curry wound up on the Magic and Knicks.

As I stated earlier, I don't know if the call was made or not. I said once Brand decided to bolt for Philly, Baron Davis might have been caught in a place he didn't want to sign with in LA. After the Warriors signed Maggette, they could still entertain sign and trade with Davis. Also, Davis opted out of his contract. GSW didn't have a team option it was a eto by the player.

I will continue to pull for the rox regardless, but that doesn't mea I have to put my head in the sand and think they're trying to win a ring. I still wonder why would the rox ever worry about the lt if they got all this money from china.

 

There are rules for getting to that $70 million. You can't just decide that you're willing to pay the luxury tax, then go out and sign all the FAs you want.

BTW, did you say you pay your janitors $50K?

 

Vince Carter and Baron Davis were mid-season trades. Also, you do understand that the Knicks overpaid horribly for Curry and that Hill was going to the Magic anyway since they had cap space to sign him, right? For such a self-proclaimed basketball guru, you sure are slow to grasp some simple facts. Golden State and the L.A. Clippers have cap space already and want talent upgrades. I'll go slow- no GM with cap space in the NBA is going to sign and trade for players of less value in July. The main assets Morey has are expiring contracts. Trades using expiring contracts almost always happen in the middle of the year. Morey has said as much himself.

Now, I can't understand for you. I can't hold your hand and lead you to logic land. For somebody who pats themselves on the back over and over again (even Jim Rome isn't as self-reverential as you) about their basketball acumen, you sure have a mental block about the salary cap and planning for 2010. I know that for you being a fan isn't about trying to understand what a team is doing, it's more so you can complain and boost your own ego about how you're *so* much smarter than everybody else. I'm sure the job offers are lining up for u... You don't have to stick your head in the sand, but you might start by putting your typing fingers in there for a while.