LOL at leeb's subtle swipe at Battier. When Hayes can hit 3-pointers at about 38%, then he will be better at being Battier than Battier. But I agree that dollar for dollar, Hayes is a better value. And he is a better defender than Battier, which is saying A LOT.
I would not argue he's horrible from the standpoint of +/-, considering that this r****ded kid somehow has managed to have the best +/- per possession of all the starters this season (source): Code: [B]starters +/- On/Off Adj+/-[/B] Brooks -0.6 -0.4 +0.5 Martin -6.6 -5.0 -2.4 Ariza -1.4 -3.0 -2.0 Battier -0.0 +1.1 +1.5 Scola -2.1 -5.0 -7.3 Hayes +1.3 +3.1 +7.3
Chuck Hayes is amazing. I love watching him play. Love his D. Love his outlet passes. Love his intensity.
I think Morey was more interested in those picks, with little to no protection on them. Any rational person can see that the probabilities lie in favor of them being mid- to late lottery picks. (Sure, the Knicks could always beat the odds, land Lebron and Bosh and be a good playoff team. But that is far less likely than them continuing to be no better than an almost mediocre team the next two years.) In his press conference about the trade, Morey even admitted that the Rockets had Jordan Hill (taken #8 overall, mind you) "rated in the 10-20 range". Given that Morey chose not to say something like "rated as a lottery pick" or "rated in the 10-15 range", I take that to mean that Hill was likely no better than #17 or #18 on the Rockets' draft board. Compare that with Jermaine Taylor, who (if I had to guess) was probably in the 20-25 range on their draft board. Yes, Jordan Hill is physically gifted and could become a very good NBA player. But that doesn't change the fact that Morey most likely viewed Hill as "another asset" to collect from New York (who had very few assets to trade to begin with), with the future picks (which Morey himself gets to use, either to pick a player or in a trade) likely being viewed as slightly more valuable. I understand your point that Jeffries's contract is hampering the Rockets financially. But that was the entire point of the Knicks' trade. Trust me, the Knicks would have just as easily made this move in exchange for a smaller expiring contract, as long as New York got to move Jeffries's contract. To then point to Jared's contract and call it "a problem" is to deny the very thing that has put the Rockets' future in such a bright position. I, for one, will look elsewhere for my criticism. I'll leave Jared Jeffries's $6.88M salary for 2010-11 out of my list of complaints about the team's financial management.
I thought the same thing when I heard about JVG being a strong possibility for the Nets. But remember that the Nets are going to be going after the big fish in free agency and may need to keep every dollar available for them. So, it will be quite a while before Chuck would actually be offered a deal by New Jersey, which does not have the MLE or LLE to work with, since they are instead opting to use their massive cap room. I think the Rockets will offer Chuck the league minimum for a player of Chuck's experience, which is $1,069,509, only $854,389 of which would count against the Rockets' team salary for luxury tax purposes. I'd say that the Rockets--IF they don't exercise the team option--will first try to get Chuck to take a one- or two-year deal at the minimum. If he balks at that, either they up the ante to a deal in the $1.5M to $2M range or let him walk.
If Chuck hurt the Rockets, I don't want him on the team. Period. If you have paid attention then you would have seen it. If you blindly love the guy, go for it. I love the Rockets more.
If Hayes remains a Rocket next season I hope he is the 15th in talent, with 14 players better than he is!
i hope we keep chuck rather than find out how much we'll miss him. a great undervalued ,undersized,heart & hard player & i think he will be an even better spot defender w/ a year as a starter under his belt WE NEED TO START THE KEEP CHUCK WAGON MOVEMENT HE IS THE HEART& HOMEGROWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It really is a real shame Hayes is undersized. It's not his fault. If he was five inches taller, he'd be one of the most dominant defensive bigman in the game today.
Chuck Hayes is already a lot better than Jeffries. If you took away his lack of height (without him losing the strength or quickness), he would be a player that could play 30+ minutes for a really good team.
Look, I like Chuck as much as the next guy, but I don't think he is crucial to the team's success going forward. And certainly not worth the $2.33 million he is owed for next season. He is great as a situational player, a rock on the low block, however, this year, players have been shooting over the top of him more, when they get low position, and referees seem to be giving Chuck less respect, and he is getting into foul trouble more. I know he is injured, and think he is one of the smartest guys on the team and a leader, but if he can't make a layup, he is at best a league minimum player. I would love for him to stay as a situational defensive backup, but Jeffries can fill that role (albeit a bit differently) and he is guaranteed $6 million next year. I think Chuck is gone..... Just my .02 DD
Chuck make a lot of good plays, he just plays in a position than everybody oversize him, but that just because the rockets doesnt another center, so when he goes back to his natural position, going to be great. I would be sad to see him go, but everybody is saying he might go.
