The problem with your analysis is that you are only looking at it from ORLANDO's perspective. Any trade will be a DUAL decision! Not just Orlandos! This is VERY important to understand. What it will come down to is what teams McGrady will want to go to. And THEN Orlando will look at the best offers from those teams. It wont be the scenario of what teams offer Orlando the best offers, and McGrady picks the least worst of those teams which is what you are suggesting. In other words, McGrady has to agree to the team he is going to. As an example, if the Clippers wanted to send Brand, Q, and their #1 this year while that might excite the Magic, McGrady would not agree to it. So then it wouldn't happen.
Does Jeff Van Gundy hate Yao Ming because he defends Steve Francis? Because that's what people say about me when I do it.....
Excuse me. . . but how do you figure? This isn't baseball If Kenny Thomas had his way . . he would not have been traded McGrady does not have a NO TRADE Clause Rocket River
Because his contract is about to run out. And no team, not even the Clippers, will send half their roster to Orlando for a young superstar who is going to leave without compensation in a year. If it wasn't for the imminent expiration of McGrady's contract, Orlando wouldn't even be considering trading him. So, if a trading partner doesn't pass muster with McGrady, that team will back out.
This is very impressive!!!! I hate to give the lakers props, but they have the best defensive backcourt in the NBA (payton, bryant, fisher)!!! VERY IMPRESSIVE NUMBERS!
It's not about the numbers. What really impressed me is that he never really tried to do too much and let his game comes naturally in this series. If he let things come naturally he'll get these numbers every night. It's knowing when to pick and chose on when to take over during a game. Stevie's done so much to try to adjust his game with the arrival of Yao and JVG the last few years without a complaint and that shows a lot of character. He's busted his tail trying to be a better basketball player and leader. He's been asking everyone around the league on how to be a better leader for the Rockets (I remember him asking Kobe and Oneil even in an all star game last year and MJ among others). Stevie is quickly becoming my favorite Rocket yet again. I'm just so proud of him.
JV is spot on. Here is an article from the Orlando Paper that talks more about trading McGrady and the types of teams that would be able to accommodate a trade. I think it pretty much illustrates the McGrady situation and the position the Rockets are in to be in the running for acquiring him. I have bolded the important sections. Trading McGrady no deal for Magic Orlando could get some players but would be better off keeping T-Mac. By Jerry Brewer Sentinel Staff Writer April 25, 2004 http://www.orlandosentinel.com/spor...ports-headlines Tracy McGrady drifted from amused to agitated. Trade speculation can drain enthusiasm. In an overt attempt to change the conversation, McGrady huffed, peered with his sleepy eyes and uttered an incomplete sentence. "If it goes down that way, hey . . . " The Orlando Magic would like to avoid what comes after "hey." But if their superstar won't commit to a contract extension this summer, they will consider trading him. Since playoff basketball is now defunct here, Orlando has little else to do than fret over McGrady trade scenarios this NBA postseason. Until there is resolution, innuendo reigns. Today's contemplation: What is McGrady's trade value? If it comes down to that, hey . . . the Magic can get something good or a couple of somethings good. But if you're looking for something great, good luck. And that's what McGrady was trying to say. He was indicating that he'd be fine, trade or no trade, because he is a coveted player. But the Magic, on the other hand, had better remember to respect his talent. Several NBA executives and agents agree. There are many issues -- positive and negative -- that influence McGrady's trade value. There is, however, no question that McGrady is more valuable as a Magic superstar than as trade bait. "You're starting over without Tracy," one agent said. "They've done it before, but Orlando's become devalued as a franchise. If they lose Tracy after losing Shaq -- not to mention Penny Hardaway and Grant Hill -- it won't be considered a good place for a star. I'm not sure anyone will want to go there. And you're not going to do it with spare parts." Around the league, many people have opinions. Few express them with a name attached. It comes from a desire to hide their teams' thinking and a belief that rambling on about another franchise sounds too much like trash talking. Through anonymous chitchat, however, you get a good sense of how to shape a McGrady trade. The consensus is that McGrady, who won his second straight scoring title this past season, remains a top-tier talent. Most consider him among the league's 10 best players. Within those 10, McGrady is clearly behind Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett, who are all 7-footers. Many include guard Kobe Bryant on that list. Some say power forward Jermaine O'Neal belongs there, too. On the second half of the top tier, there is McGrady -- along with Allen Iverson and rising youngsters Yao Ming, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. And then there's another shelf that includes Chris Webber, Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce, among others. Star power is judged and classified by ability, numbers, impact and the potential to draw fans. While it would be difficult (but not impossible) for the Magic to trade for a more suitable talent, it is highly unlikely they would find a player who rates as well as McGrady does as a star. "Considering everything, there's only about seven or eight players like him," one executive said. "Once you get one, you hold on to him." McGrady is scheduled to make nearly $14.5 million next season. His salary is important because, unless a team is under the cap, salaries have to match in a trade. In theory, the Magic would get $14.5 million worth of talent in return if they swapped their franchise player. General Manager John Weisbrod, also the team's chief operating officer, has expressed admiration for the way the Detroit Pistons rebuilt after Grant Hill signed with Orlando four years ago. If they have to deal McGrady, the Magic figure to follow a similar model. The Magic would accept a trade for multiple B-talents and try to put together a deep roster. The success of the Pistons and Memphis Grizzlies have some in this copycat league believing teams don't have to be modeled around star players, especially if there is just one star. The recent struggles of single-star teams -- Orlando with McGrady, the Toronto Raptors with Vince Carter, and the Minnesota Timberwolves with Garnett, prior to this season -- support this theory. "I'm not so sure about the concept that you can't win with these guys, though," an agent said. Fair or not, that theory and the Magic's 21-61 record this season hurt McGrady's stock. The maturity of McGrady, who is a month from 25, came into question. His leadership was attacked. He even was called a whiner by former Georgetown coach John Thompson. He continues to be slammed for the Magic's 19-game losing streak at the start of this past season. Magic point guard Tyronn Lue, who is on McGrady's side, has played with stars such as Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal and Bryant during his NBA career. When asked earlier this season about McGrady's maturation, Lue said, "I don't think he understands the star he is." Lue said McGrady would grow if given time. Because of his talent, most star-desperate teams wouldn't hold one tough season against him. But it might make a team less likely to give up too much for McGrady. Another factor that could hurt McGrady's trade value is his contract. If McGrady tells the Magic that he wants to be traded, he has all the power in any trade situation. For the Magic to get quality players in a trade, McGrady would have to want to sign long-term with his new team. He already has stated he wants to play with a winner and with a team he doesn't have to carry alone. Considering those parameters, all those young, talented and terrible teams -- the Los Angeles Clippers, Chicago Bulls and Golden State Warriors -- are out. Most winning teams are very thoughtfully constructed and don't have an abundance of individual talent. It further shrinks McGrady's trade value because most teams don't have a lot of talent they can afford to give up. There will be 30 teams in the NBA next season, but you can cut down those vying for McGrady significantly. Factoring in McGrady's wishes, the best trading partners for the Magic are the Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Portland Trail Blazers, New Jersey Nets, San Antonio Spurs and Sacramento Kings. Of course, a general manager could become infatuated with McGrady, trade a superstar for him and just hope that he can convince McGrady to re-sign. Danny Ainge in Boston, perhaps? In such a case, the Magic would have to take the certainty of Pierce over the uncertainty of whether they can re-sign McGrady, though Pierce is not quite as good. By the end of this, it will be a simple decision for the Magic. If McGrady wants to stay, he stays. If he doesn't, they trade him. There's little gray area. As with all things, however, nothing is as simple as it seems. "I would hope by the start of next season we will have a much better feeling of how he feels about us than we do now," Weisbrod said of McGrady. "That is one of the things I have to make [a] priority to get accomplished over the course of the offseason." If it doesn't get accomplished, hey . . . the fall will be awfully intriguing. Scary, too.
So basically , all the best teams would be a fit for T-Mac. Besides Phoenix, look at the list, Lakers-Mavs-Spurs-Kings-Nets-Rockets. I'm glad JVG is sticking up for Steve, who knows where we would be w/o him. However, if the Rox have the chance to land McGrady, a deal would have to be made.
i thought it was interesting during the scuffle in game 4. -- when JVG ran on the court, the first person he ran towards to hold back was steve francis...... that has to say something about how much JVG values steve
Well, T-Mac would be a good fit anywhere, it is just that he is only going to want to go to the "good" teams, or the teams on the rise. So those are the ONLY teams that should be talked about in terms of making deals for T-Mac. Many of the true current title contenders (Lakers, Kings, Spurs, Pacers, Nets) probably wont want to blow up their team for T-Mac, so the teams that have the VERY best chance at him (in my opinion) are teams that ARE willing to slightly blow it up, but at the same time are rising teams. Phoenix and Houston come to mind in that scenario. Perhaps Memphis.
I think that part is the giveaway. Steve's pull-up is not his strength. His tendency is either shoot a long ball or go all the way to the hoop. He doesn't drive and stop to shoot a midrange pull-up. If he could do that, he'd be unstoppable like Kobe. Francis is no Kobe, as much as I hate to say that. I don't know whether it's because Steve can't do the midrange pull-up or he doesn't know the value of it, or he doesn't know when to do it. As of now, whenever he drives, the defense can just stay under the basket and wait for him to come. If he can learn to do that shot, and minimize some bad turnovers, I don't want to trade him. I don't hate him. I just want a better Francis, or else, a better player other than him.
JVG's comments require "translation" or "decoding." I will try to help some of you. Search your JVG archives and you will find that JVG's favorite adjective for Francis is "good." Interesting term for a two time All Star who has a MAX contract. Francis has had a "good" series so far and has made some progress in distributing the ball this season. Francis' stock is at a season's high (it hit some all time lows during the season) and he has been on the "national" stage for the last two weeks. Interpreting JVG's comments to mean that Francis is "untradable" is presumptious. I expect the Rocket's to bring in a PF and PG. The question is, will they build around Francis and Ming, or will Francis be the means of obtaining the talent they want. For many of you, the best possible outcome will be to keep Ming and Francis and add two upper tier players. May happen, but seems unlikely. What can we offer to get what we need? A package of Pike and Griffin isn't too enticing.
Actually i think you have it backwards. Having both Yao and Francis on the court together is the likely scenario. The rockets aren't going to dump Steve Francis. They aren't going to trade him for less talent. Unless somehow magically some deal comes along that we can't refuse both will be in rocket uniforms next year.
I guess its official that Francis is staying, I mean, afterall, if he was going to trade Steve, then JVG would've told everyone "Yeah, we're trading him in the offseason." already. Right?
the "Steve Must Go" posse have relentless consistency. with Clutch as their pied piper, no occasion, not even the current playoff series, will allay their objective to inject doom and gloom as a permanent backdrop to Stevie. every article must be "interpreted"and every game rationalized. it wouldn't be a half bad job of reputation assassination except it seems so contrived. desperate ... lighten up folks. what will be ,will be ... Rockets in 7!
You misunderstand, my good man (or lady). What I am saying is that to get talent, you have to give it up. How are you going to get a legit. upper tier PF and PG without giving up upper tier talent. Suggest a package that would bring Brand, Wallace, or some similar talent to Houston. What would it take to get TMac?
