[Chron] Rockets must get smart about options, money

and please keep being sarcastic, because defending management just isn't doing it.


i mean really, there is no arguing that the rockets can't give a little extra, after they gave everything to memphis.

 

is it fair that we scrape our key FA signing last year after one injury-ladden season? or that we cant even bother asking for Memphis' 1st rd pick while we trade them our LOTTERY pick AND aforementioned FA for an older, less athletic veteran?? or that we declare a "win now" attitude only to lose out on our ONE KEY free agent for a damn trade-kicker???

the problems with this damn team is that it has no identity, and that it's management has no clue as to what direction it wants to take... what's wrong with sticking to the team we had last season, wait for our STARS to get healthy, add a solid lottery pick, and a few key FA signings???

this team had absolutely no chance to gel last year - none. you're telling me that after one dismal season plagued by injuries that the best solution the rocket's braintrust could come up with is what we currently have in place??? what exactly is this??? "win now, but remain cheap???"

to hell with that. grow some ******* balls, stick to your guns and improve on what we CURRENTLY HAVE. when healthy, a key draft pick (which would help save one of our exceptions) or two, and a few solid but realtively inexpensive FA signings could make this team competitive again.... instead, we've got one older, less athletic veteran, less depth, less youth, less athleticism, and out of our ONE KEY FA.

 

the point about the draft pick is that the rockets can't argue that they aren't in a win now mode, and can't concede to mike james, after they already essentially said they are in a win now mode win they gave up their draft pick.


they look like chickens with their heads cut off.

yes, there is an argument that the couldn't give the trade kicker because it would set a bad precedent, but here is the counterpoint. this is strictly a Mike James and Rockets situation, it isn't a precedent. James claims that he had already been told by Dawson that he wanted mike james long before the season we got him. he gets here, van gundy wants him traded, and Dawson obliges. Mike just wants some security, that Dawson won't bend to Van Gundy's will again. he doesn't want to go through the same thing twice, its a unique situation.

one that the rockets management put themselves in, by trading a player that they figured just one year later they shouldn't have.

 

Somehow I just cannot pair the word "smart" with this organization. It seems to be a contradiction...

 

pgabriel has a point. Trading Rudy Gay away (along with Swift) and not nearly getting the value back was bad enough. But everything was fine when the line given was "Well, we are going to win now." Yet they can't sign a veteran guard who would fill so many needs because when push came to shove about really being serious on winning now, this management's testicles shriveled up to the size of prunes.

 

Since when was DeShaun Stevenson a catch and shoot threat?

 

yeah and that same year we'll have a 32 year old McGrady in traction making 35% of our allotted salary.

James meanwhile (in 2010 - the franchise is admitting it's in win now mode and you're worrying about 2010? ) will then make less then than 35 year old Juwan Howard does now (or next year, or....EVER- we traded for a 31 year old howard with 5 years and 32 million left on his contract. Now that's a bad salary cap move....) Hell Rafer Alston is a bigger salary albatross retroactive to last year, given his comparative lack of production. You guys act like it's money out of your pocket - lol. A minor cap hindrance in 2010, for a guy that brings exactly what the team sorely lacked the most last year? Who has already been here and proven he can bring it? Sorry but if that's what your worried about, then I'd like to engage in business transactions with you, I'd have a feeling I could get some sick discounts.

The last year of every deal is usually horrible - but then you pay it and get out of cap jail - it's not as if they're paying out Kenyon Martin or Marbury money - it's the frigging MLE. Or else you can not and suffice with non-NBA talents like Keith Bogans.

The loss of James (due to the Rockets' own intransigence and stupidity, both this offeseason and last) wouldn't be a big deal if there were other options. But this team by its own choosing painted itself in a corner by declaring itself to be in "win now" mode for essentially the last two seasons as well as the next two. The problem is that they haven't, with the exception of the 2005 resurgence - and have not positioned themselves to upgrade via the draft, seemingly by their own choosing, or by trades, by their own choosing (in grabbing old players that are untradable) and now seems to be unwilling to do what it takes to get the free agents it needs either, by their own choosing, once again.

So, riddle me this folks - if we aren't really willing to commit to drafting young players and training them, and we aren't willing to trade any valuable pieces (with the exception of james, for whom we got a piece with negative value) and we aren't willing to pony up for FA's that can help - how exactly does a lottery team, which has arguably the weakest PG, SG, and PF situation in the NBA - prosper? Hope to catch lightining in a bottle for a few months like in 2005 with some retreads? I guess that's all we can hope for, but it does not make me optimistic.

Again, it's not so much the loss of James (which is huge but overcome-able) but what it symbolizes: We're prepared to be second class and rest on "principle" rather than go the extra mile (and come on, "mile"? A freaking player option year?). Given that we've foreclosed our other options, voluntarily, I find that alarming

 

You're wrong about this. It's even more baffling than that.


"Dallas didn't want to guarantee the fourth year, and Houston didn't want to give me a player option in the fourth year," James said.
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/sports/15017354.htm


Houston wanted him to sign for the full 4 years. Minny gave him what he wanted, the option of 3 OR 4 years, at his option. WTF? Why we couldn't do this has me confused.

 

It seems that a lot of people don't understand why we didn't get James. So many misinformed comments about how he wanted "one freaking extra year" and all that.

So here it goes: The Rockets wanted to give James a full three year guaranteed MLE deal (and so did the Mavericks and Timberwolves). James, still bitter about being traded previously, demands a trade kicker AND a player option on the third year. (In other words, "you can't trade me, but I hate this whole MLE deal anyway so if someone offers me more money in year 3 I'll bolt.") Such a deal was simply bad business for the Rockets (or for any team with a sane GM: how many players in this league do you think have trade kickers in their contracts?). Obviously it wasn't too bad for McHale who, besides being the most incompetent GM in the league not named Isiah, is desperate to keep KG in town.

So it wasn't about the years, people. It wasn't about "mortgaging the future" or whatever. It was simply a vengeful player trying to screw us over and us refusing to bite. Let's get the facts straight here.

 

Fourth year, rather. Not third year.

 

maybe they know something about Mike, that he could just blow up at any moment and they would have to trade him

 

Comparing trading an underacheiver and a risky trade pick for Battier is COMPLETELY differant then Mike James. Win-now has nothing to do with it.

Have you ever reuinited with an old girlfriend? How did that work out for you?

Get over it. Mike James is not the difference maker on this team. The biggest factor is Yao and TMac's health.

 

I am disappointed that we didn't land James because he is such a great talent fit right now.

But frankly, I don't believe much of what he says about anything because the guy's a lunatic. A lovable lunatic in my opinion, but a lunatic nonetheless.

The Astros allegedly lost Beltran over a no trade clause, and they turned out from it ok.

But on the bright side, one of the things James would bring, outside shooting, is MUCH better. The additions of Battier and Novak will be two 40% type 3-point shooters.

Ideally, we'd pull Spanoulis, Banks, and Ariza or Butler out of this offseason. I wonder how Spanoulis compares with the rest of the current free agent crop? I'd be a little disappointed if we don't a significant portion of the MLE and still leave Spanoulis overseas.

Yao/Deke
Howard/Hayes
Battier/Novak/Ariza
TMac/Spanoulis
Rafer/Banks/Lucas

 

yao and t-mac's health doesn't get you out the first round.

 

OMG! The world really is coming to an end. I, thumbs, agree with SamFisher and Hillboy. Completely.

 

http://basketball-reference.com/teams/HOU/

look, since 1997's WCF apperarance the rockets have missed the playoffs 5 times and in the 4 times they actually avoided the lottery they've failed to make it pass the 1st round....

...If you wanna give this team and its management the benefit of the doubt go right ahead but they dont desereve it.

 

so to hell with the rest of the team, right? i mean, as long as we have a healthy tmac and yao we're in tip-top shape, right? just because we're banking on both yao and tmac being healthy doesn't give our "de facto" management a pass this offseason.

 

My main problem with this offseason is instead of adding depth, we are LOSING depth!

We made a 2 for 1 trade giving up Gay and Swift for Battier.
Wesley is most likely gone.
Sura is most likely done.

So we've lost 4 players and added only 2 (Battier and Novak). And we have done NOTHING to improve our atheleticism which was "the main goal of the offseason".

I have no clue what the Rockets are doing....

 

One extra year AND A TRADE KICKER.

They didn't think the draft pick was worth waiting on. They thought Roy was worth it and tried to get him. It's not like they decided "we can't wait on a draft pick". They decided Gay isn't worth it. With that beign said, I still feel like we gave up too much in that deal, but don't say the team couldn't wait on a draft pick when they were trying to grab the guy they wanted.

 

I agree with them as well. I must need a lobotomy!