Hmmmmmm, so McGrady wants a shooter, eh? If we get Swift with a S&T, then we should just go after Sarunas. He can do everything Damon does without the weed and he's got a better chance to be a defender because of his size. Damon is totally vulnerable to the post up.
AHHHH!!!! People need to STOP with this 'TMac to the 2' talk!! That's crazy-talk! (I know it wasn't you, not aiming this at you) Anyway, you mention Sarunas.. what I would like to know is if anyone knows a good website out there for tracking news and updates for these Euro players. None of the big sports sites I look at seem to have anything to say at about them, if they are not 'draft prospects'.. but I think we could all understandably have a growing interest in the guy many people are calling 'The Best Shooter In The World' in SJ .. Does anyone have a good place to go and see updates and info on the overseas guys?
Is it really a player's task to say publicly which other players the team should try to sign? If we end up signing, let's say, Donyell Marshall and Nick van Exel, wouldn't this make it painfully obvious that they were not T-Mac's first choice, and could that not potentially be detrimental to team chemistry in the future?
It's hardly without precedent. Remember Mobley's comments about Odom? IMHO, at this point in their careers professional athletes (most of whom have been traded at least once) don't take a comment like that very seriously. For all we know, NVE may want to coattail Shaq in MIA and the Rockets aren't his 1st choice either. Or maybe Marshall wanted to stay in the EC but considers HOU a challenge and an opportunity. I just don't see pro athletes as being that "thin-skinned'. That's much much better than being too "last week". (He'll be 32 in Sept BTW).
Hey if T-Mac thinks these players would make us a great team I'm all for it, but Stro better come to play and not give any halfass play like he has before...
Back in grade school, i wasn't always the first kid picked for dodgeball. But we still won some games and i didn't notice a negative effect on chemistry.
T-Mac's dream roster for 2005-2006: PG - Stoudemire, James, Head SG - Wesley, Sura SF - T-Mac, Barry PF - Swift, Howard C - Yao, Deke + choose from six on-the-bubbles and/or midseason-trades-to-be: Padgett, Moochie, Baker, Spoon, Ward, Bowen I'd really like to see an upgrade at the 2-guard, but if the above roster were to actually materialize, I'd say our chances are pretty good at going far in the playoffs. They keys as I see them would be: 3> Head needs to learn quickly and get some decent minutes 2> Swift needs to really step up his game 1> Yao needs to start playing like a max player EVERY night
^ It'd be impossible to get both Swift and Stoudamire w/o a S&T. So atleast 1 or 2 guards would have to go in a deal for, let's say, Swift? Atleast one of Wesley, James, or Sura will be gone next season, guaranteed.
How do you figure? Swift for a 2 year Player Option 3rd year (Early Bird Rights after 2 years...that's a 175% raise if executed) or 3 years POpt 4th (Full Bird after 3). Stoudamire made his $ and lives in Houston. Vet minimum.
The Swift plan sounds good to me! The LLE is a agreat idea for Damon but if he wouldnt go for that and you still wanted him you could move Wesley + (Spoon or Moochie or Baker) for a S&T Damon Stoudamire + Ruben Patterson.
Ouch, that's a lot of numbers. I meant to say "improbable" since we already know Swift wants the money.
WOW If we could sign swift with the MLE, and then do the trade for DS and patterson for wesley/sura and any expiring contracts... we shall be sitting pretty. the added addition of patterson will give us a bigger body who can play some D around the perimeter. damon stoudamire/james/head patterson/sura/head/barry tmac/barry/patterson swift/howard yao/deke killer lineup... i just want something to happen.
No no, I am talking about a site that deals with overseas players who are NOT 'draft prospects' but are instead beyond that age, and simply discusses those players and what their strengths are, and which NBA teams they may be in conversations with. Specifically, Sarunas Jasekevicius - the guy was not ever discussed among the Euro players over the last couple of months, because he was not in the draft.. he is already 27 or 28. Rumor had it that he was considering a move to the NBA, as a FREE AGENT, not through the draft. None of these sites addresses those kinds of players, only the young, 'draft prospect' types.
I don't think I really want patterson at the 2. I think we need at least a decent 3 pt shooter at the position.. (i think it'd work defensively since patterson usually guards the better of the 2/3 anyway..)
He mentioned this after announcing his celebrity softball game. Supposedly he is really pushing for Swift.
I sort of figured you meant "improbable". It's the NBA and and almost anything (except Spoon and Moochie for Elton Brand) is possible. The numbers are not that tough really. Let's say that Swift's open market value is MLE to $8m. Without a SnT (and MEM really doesn't want additional payroll) fundamentally only 3 teams can pay Swift close to $8m. CHA...who won't. ATL who can but is more interested in Curry. And NO...who as yet is silent. Let say the Hawks or Hornets offer Swift a contract starting at $8m with the allowable 8% raises. After taking out a conservative 12.5% state income tax, that nets to $40.6m over 5 years (the max years they can sign w/o an SnT). How can the Rockets compete? If they offer Swift a 2 year MLE deal with a player option for a 3rd year, Swift will make $10.4m in the first two seasons. Or roughly $4.4m less than the Hawks/Hornets deal. However, after 2 seasons the Early Bird Rights allow the Rockets to offer Swift up to 175% of his 2nd year salary. That's close to a starting salary of $9m! Let's say they agree on $7.8m...still less than the $8m mentioned prior. But the new contract can run for 6 years with 10% raises and no state income tax ramifications. Unfortunatley, after 5 years Swift is still $4.6m behind the other offer...but he's played on the Rockets instead of the Hawks or Hornets. Here's the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Under the Rockets' scenario, Swift (now 30) has an additional 3 years and $32.8m remaining on the 6 year re-signing.
