[Chron] Trade with Wolves unlikely (Rockets discussing Mike James deal)

i can't believe i'm saying this but i wouldn't trade rafer alston for mike james at this point in the season. rafer knows the system and even with his faults he executes it very well for the most part.

mike james has been mediocre in minnesota and though he's probably still better than alston i'd rather have him playing here with rafer than instead of him.

i'm definitely all for getting him back though.
can jl3, sura, and the giant greek dude get it done? would minnesota do this to get out of that contract?

 

lol

I think he has enough money from his current contract to buy that guy whose car he wrecked (while drunk and watching p*rn) the Bentley that he wants.

 

Here's the way I look at it :

1) We're a pretty damn good team with Alston at the point despite the suckitude in certain parts of his game. One thing you can say about Alston is that while there are about 2-4 possessions during a game where he's possessed by the spirit of Steve Francis, he's generally reliable with the ball and doesn't seem to be ego-driven.

2) Mike James is about the whiniest player I've ever seen and my God I've seen Cuttino Mobley on the court. He has a good offensive game. He has an ego. He is not gun-shy and always has something to prove from the way he talks. He wants to have the ball in his hands.

My questions :

a) How much of a guaranteed improvement do you get by trading away Rafer to get Mike James?

b) Is the potential improvement in a) worth taking a chance on breaking up this team's chemistry, unselfishness, and rhythm at this point in the season? Keep in mind Yao's return and its rewards have yet to be realized - we've basically gone the entire season with only 1 of our 2 superstars.

I don't think I make this trade if we get rid of Alston OR JHo. I don't know much about the contracts or rules of trading, so if we can do it without getting rid of either of those guys I may be inclined to do it. You just can't bust up that core in the hopes you'll be improving the team.

 

From Jonathan Feigen's blog on the Chronicle regarding Mike James:

http://blogs.chron.com/nba/2007/02/the_tough_choice_mike_james_an_1.html

 

ESPN's Marc Stein...

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dailydime-070222


The Wolves, conceding now that signing James was a mistake after drafting Randy Foye, are working hard to move him before the deadline ... with the Houston Rockets emerging Wednesday as a very plausible destination.

James played on Detroit's 2004 championship team and the Pistons have interest in reacquiring him. The latest signals, however, suggest that the Pistons won't be making a deadline deal.

Houston has also previously employed James and still likes him, according to club insiders, in spite of James' decision to spurn the Rockets in free agency last summer when Minnesota agreed to include an eight-percent trade kicker in his four-year contract.

To trade for James now would almost certainly affect the Rockets' future spending and probably force them to part with the virtually expiring contract of injured guard Bob Sura, who can be bought out next season for $1 million. But I get the feeling they're going to go for it.

 

I can't believe I'm saying this but we can't trade JuHo. He's been a stabilizing influence this year and it would hurt team chem to get rid of him.

 

It looks like we can get James for Sura's expiring contract.

 

Maybe they will include Blount. He is the exact same player as your boy... Personally I dont even want James very bad. But we do need some kind of change up at PG. If even for 12-15mpg.

 

Well, the reason the Minnesota/Mike James experiment isn't working out is because he's being asked to defer while still starting (like he wants). The catch with starting is obviously he has to play set-up-man for KG and boneheads like Ricky Davis and Mark Blount before being able to look for his own shot. That's not MJ's game. He is best suited as the 6th-man type for instant offense and a player that can change the game once he checks in.

That being said, I would want MJ back if he were to come off of the bench and complement Rafer -- not replace him.

 

Interesting...Sura and JL3 for Mike James...hmmm..I'm still hoping NY buys out Steve's contract...only 3 minutes the other day afer being quietly effective the last few games back....hmmm....I have a feeling that the Rockets will mkae a move today...kind of excited really...James and Francis though....well we definitely need to get a few more balls out there...but both have great defense (Francis is ranked like top five point guard in defensive ). James can shoot...Francis can hit free throws (91 percent)....either will help us...I believe we are getting one of them.
-V

 

We can't get Francis unless NY buys him out, which they haven't. IMO our main options are James and Atkins, although it seems odds are against us getting either.

 

Good. GOD!

I can't believe I just read that.

Not gonna happen though...we let them both go, and we don't want them back. We'll I do..but I don't have to deal with them everyday. =S

 

Man, looking into your sig and I feel sorry for you. Did you ask why? How about donating some money to the tipjar to gain a "Contribution Member" status?

Okay back to the topic, any chance the Wolves would be insterested in VSpan, JLIII and Novak?

 

we don't want griffin back but i think it's shockingly obvious that we've wanted mike james back on this team for quite some time.

 

JHo's gonna smash the ball into James' face again

 

so what happened to that "trade kicker" that minnesota was supposed to have given him that we didn't want to give up... and yet he is being discussed about being traded...

 

It's still there. I guess we can't say James didn't know that it was coming.

 

i'm pretty content with the current houston rockets lineup so i don't think trading mike james is a wise decision. Rafer knows jvg's system and he's playing well right now and most importantly, the chemistry the rockets have built up has been phenomenoal.

Mike James is a shoot first past second type of point guard, we don't need this type of player in the roster. We already have Luther and Shane shooting beyond the arc, Bonzi and Howard playing low post. Besides, If we really did add him into the roster, how many minutes Luther / Alston / James should get ?

P.S Not sure if Howard and Tracy like Mike James.

 

Since the Wolves are trying to force EG down our throat as a condition to get Mike James it doesn't matter if Sura is substituted for Skip or J Howard in a trade. The Rockets should say no to this.

 

Is chemistry the major concern about getting another player for the Rockets?

So you are trying to bring MJ back again?

And Eddie Griffin?

OMG.