I think you're probably right. But, for whatever reason, Howard seems to have fallen out of favor in Dallas. AND, something I actually kind of agree with, Ron might actually be a solid fit in Dallas now. He is (apparently, though not as much as I expected) a defensive stopper, which Dallas could use. He will play strong, inside, which Dallas can use. He is tough to Dirk's soft. Considering the Mavs just gave up 109, 117, 106, 117, 124 points in 5 games, defense might be something they need to look at. Finally, add in the Carlisle factor. Obviously, he was not able to "control" Ron in Indiana, but I think it is pretty fair to say no coach could control that Ron - today's Ron, as a person, seems to control himself a lot, lot better. So if Carlisle and Ron had a good relationship otherwise, if Carlisle likes Ron and is pushing for him, you never know. But financially, I agree with you.
I think your analysis is spot on, but I make the other choice because I think this team needs more offense and offensive flow than defense. Ron hampers flow at times and just isn't the offensive player Howard is. The Lakers are passion-less at times, too, but talent overcomes. I think Howard is more talented.
i really hate these "i have a friend who is close to so and so for the rockets and I heard this! " Posts....
I don't think we need Howard because he's going to come off the bench anyway with Tmac and Shane starting. No way Rick will sit Shane....he's too good a defensive stopper. Another reason is that...our defense is weak without Ron and Shane on the court at the same time. Also understand that defense will let you win Championship. Sure it seems like Howard has better offensive game than Ron, but overall if you consider both overall talents...they're not any better.
Heh...don't see Artest going to the Mavs. I can understand why the Mavs want him though but Artest is going to give us a shot at retaining him before he goes anywhere else.
Don't know how Cuban can do it. The Mavs can offer S&T or full MLE. Don't think Artest is interested in full MLE and not sure if Morey is interested in any Mavs.
The Lakers and Nuggets both gave up over 99 points a game on the season. It doesn't mean they're bad defensively, but it does show that you can win playing faster, with more emphasis on offense. If you win more, then you win more. In fact, look for yourself: http://www.basketball-reference.com/playoffs/ Except for rare instances, in pretty much every case, the NBA champion has consistently been a top 10 team both offensively and defensively in regards to efficiency. This year's Rockets, for example, were 4th in defensive efficiency, but 15th in offensive efficiency. Now, that's an improvement from the year before (2nd defense, but 17th offensive), but still not balanced like you need. I think the team got better offensively towards the end of the season, but Ron also had plenty of moments where he killed the team's efficiency. He had plenty of moments where he was great, too. I just think overall, with Shane and the team defense we have (again, the Rockets actually got worse relative to the league with the addition of Ron), Howard is the better offensive player and fit. The Rockets needs to be championship-caliber: 1. Health (obvious) 2. Front-court size and rebounding 3. Getting better on offense without sacrificing a lot on defense. A Howard-Ron flip should help you on point #3. In that it doesn't help in the other 2 areas, and may not be the best way to accomplish #3 anyway, I can see being on the fence about it.
Agreed with needing more offense, in general. I just strongly feel that area of need is in the front court. We all love Yao to death but if he's going to continue to get hurt every year we absolutely HAVE to get another 4/5 that can put the ball in the basket. This is a problem we can't keep ignoring. Scola is probably my favorite Rocket and even I have to admit Scola is more an energy and consistency type player than he is a "Sure, I can change my role and handle the scoring load" type guy. Outside of Yao we don't have a dependable post scorer. Ideally, I would like to see that change. It's precisely why if, say, Amare becomes available again i'd be entirely willing to swing for the fences on a deal like that. It's also why i'd be willing to pull off a McGrady-for-Jermaine O'Neal swap (if Miami was willing). It's the reason why I would be willing to take on a horrendous contract if/when Andrew Bogut becomes available. It's the reason why names like Antawn Jamison, Emeka Okafor and players like that (for example) with horrendous contracts suddenly sound more appealing. But back to Howard. I agree totally that Howard would help out offensively and improve our offensive flow/rhythm more than Artest since even despite Howard's poor shot selection and basketball IQ, he doesn't really dominate the ball. Most of his shots come early in the shot clock or off catch-and-shoots, I have noticed. In that regard, he's definitely better suited for Adelman's read-and-react offense. Would I be completely opposed to this idea? No. It's a fair offer for a player that's arguably a better fit than Artest. I just have a tough time overcoming his attitude and selfishness. There's a reason why I didn't add Zach Randolph to that list above. I consider Howard only a small step above that "line" that you have to draw.
Now Rockets had much better chance to win than Dallas. Why will Ron take less money to sign with a less team? Good news for Rockets if Mavs don't want kidd. Rockets should sign kidd by MLE. Kidd is moneyball player and will make Rockets only weak position -pg much stronger. Realistically, i think Kidd will be the most worthy to add into current Rockets roster.
Oh man do we not need Kidd. His days are done. If we can do a sign and trade I'd be all for trading Artest and a filler for Terry and Dampier.
I don't believe much of what wiki says, but im sure u can s&t with a fa. That's how wallace and atkins wound up in detroit for grant hill. That's also how ok city got some compensation for lewis. Its just a way a players gets the most on his way out the door.
a S&T of ron for kidd would be awesome. kidd has improved his range shooting (42%) since joining the mavs 125 games ago. also, he's played 80+ games for 4 straight seasons now. if possible i would move ron for kidd, then move tmac and one of our PG's for a pair of wing scorers. but it's all meaningless speculation unless some real evidence is found that proves cuban wants ron and plans on letting kidd walk.
Seriously, the Rockets will have very little competition for Ron Ron if they offer him more than MLE money in a 3 or 4 year contract. The only competition we might have is from bad teams, which I am sure Ron has no interest in dealing with at this stage of his career. The only good team I would be worried about is the Spurs, only because last I heard they were always under the cap and had some money to spend on the right player. But then again, they have Bowen and have never really had toughness issues. The only way the Rockets lose Artest is if the only thing he is interested in is more money, and could care less how good or bad the team is. I just do not see anyone offering him more money than the MLE. Rockets will match and beat whatever he gets.
