I dont mean Damon Stoudamire is our saviour. But Stoudamire is an upgrade over James, Head, & Francis. I think Stoudamire is avaiblable, obtainable and affordable for the Rockets. Stoudarmire only has one more season left in his contract after this season. It's a temporary fix for PG and buy time for Aaron Brooks to develop. Stoudamire's pros and cons: shooting - checked PG abilities - checked veteran experience - checked defense - so n' so/weak Stoudamire has lost a step but still looks quicker than Francis. What do u guys think?
better option than SF or Mike James, but rockets won't pick him up. i see him as a slightly-shorter version of Mike Bibby. his ability to stay healthy would be a concern, but he has huge cajones.
I got their tenures mixed up. RA was with the Blazers so long I thought he was still coaching them when DS was running the point for them in 98. My bad. And now in light of that correction: Say no to Damon Stoudamire!
thanks Big Shot! I'm glad you got this one. for those who are too young or too new to understand this comment, here's the story behind it. Paper: Houston Chronicle Date: THU 01/22/1998 Section: Sports Page: 2 Edition: 3 STAR Elie treats trade as if it's a done deal / `Time to move on,' after `terrific' years By EDDIE SEFKO Staff EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - The way Mario Elie sees it, the time has come for a change. Elie was a Rocket - maybe for one of the last times - Wednesday night as the Rockets played New Jersey in a game that was off the meter for its awkwardness. The trade that would send Elie, Kevin Willis, at least two other players and the Rockets' first-round draft pick this summer to Toronto for Damon Stoudamire, Walt Williams and Zan Tabak still is being discussed. But with nothing finalized, it left the three Rockets who are rumored to be on the block in limbo. None of the players involved is more a fixture in Houston than Elie. He has grown to be a fan favorite since arriving with the Rockets in a trade with Portland in 1993. But even the Junkyard Dog believes the pending trade probably is the best thing for him and the Rockets. "I just felt for me personally, it's time to move on," Elie said Wednesday, already speaking in the past tense even though the trade is not yet done. "I felt I did all I could do here for 4 1/2 years. They've been terrific. There's been great times. I got no hate for nobody. "If me being traded is going to help bring a point guard here, it's going to make this team better. And it's going to make my peace of mind better. I'm prepared. I don't hold any bitterness. This is a business. I'm a class player. I'm going to leave this game with class. I ain't going to leave this game by bad-mouthing anybody." Elie said not knowing his fate was the worst part about preparing for the game Wednesday. But he is resigned to the fact that his days with the Rockets are numbered. "It's disappointing," he said, referring to the Rockets' days as champions in 1994 and '95 and the ensuing season when they were swept by Seattle in the playoffs, which sparked the Charles Barkley trade. "How do you tear a championship team apart? The time we got swept against Seattle, I'm coming off a broken forearm, Clyde (Drexler) is coming off knee surgery and Sam (Cassell) is coming off elbow surgery. "Seattle was on a mission that year. They beat us four straight, but me, Sam and Clyde weren't really full strength. The next thing I hear is about a four-for-one trade (for Barkley). Everybody who leaves here does great. Vernon (Maxwell) is playing well (with Orlando). Robert (Horry) is playing well (with the Lakers). Sammy is the man around here (in New Jersey). "Now, I guess it's my turn. Now, it's just Hakeem left (from the championship teams). He's unmovable. But you never know with our team. He may get traded next." It should be noted that the Rockets had a chance to trade Elie to Cleveland in August, but several teammates and the front office decided it was not in the Rockets' best interest to make a deal for Bobby Phills. Elie admitted he felt the trade would be finalized and that if it wasn't, he would feel awkward in his position with the Rockets. He's hoping for a quick jump from rumor to reality regarding the trade. "God works in mysterious ways," he said. "If it happens, it would be a blessing. I feel it's time for me to move on. I'm a runner, and we're such a slowdown team right now. My game has suffered. "Whatever happens, I'm prepared for everything. I've been getting calls, hearing from a lot of people. And when you hear rumors like that a lot, most likely it's going to happen. "Especially in this situation. We're not playing well. And we need a point guard, bottom line. If it's going to cost myself, Kevin and whoever else is in the deal, we need a point guard bad." Elie said the Rockets are justified in their pursuit of Stoudamire, whom the team hopes can juice up the offense. But defensively, Elie says the Rockets' standards have dropped. "I look at our teams in the past, and (compared to them) our teams now really don't have any defensive players," Elie said. "You've got guys who depend on help all the time. Sometimes, you have to take individual challenges. "With myself, Sam (Cassell), Max (Vernon Maxwell), Robert (Horry), we had guys who were athletic who knew what they were doing defensively. We would get fast-break points and easy baskets. And also, we had guys who could break down a defense. Vernon would get in the lane. Him and Sam could create for other guys, and right now we don't have that. "We have no creativity on offense. Our creativity comes from our big men, from them getting double-teamed and kicking it out, if you call that creative. They back it in, back it in, then kick the ball out with three seconds left on the (shot) clock." Elie said that lack of diversity on offense has left him frustrated, and in that sense he's relieved that he is headed to a new team where there will be fresh attitudes. "It's so hard to get easy baskets around here," he said. "We seem to be working extremely hard to get baskets every time down the court. And it hurts my game. I'm a runner. Half-court sets are all right sometimes, but for 48 minutes, it's tough on me. "They don't call my number. So I'm just out there sometimes. If I'm going to go to a team where we run a little bit, where we scramble a little bit, that's going to help my game out. I heard that (assistant coach) Butch Carter is going to take over up there in a little bit in Toronto. So I'm just going to make the best of my situation. "I'm going to go home first, get my stuff together. And when it happens, or if it happens, I'm going to deal with it." Elie admitted he felt a sense of helplessness regarding the swirl of trade talk that has circulated for the past month and more intensely in the last week. "There's nothing you can do," he said. "Let them do what they want to do. It's a business. Life goes on, and maybe it will be a better opportunity for me. Wherever I go, at least I'm going to get my play called once or twice. "I've been traded before. It's not a big deal. Thank God I don't have a family. I'm just worried about my dog, how I'm going to get him taken care of. But you have to keep going. I'd just like to know where I'm going to go. I don't want to give a lot of effort and then get traded. I'm playing hurt already. Just let me know where I'm going to go. I can deal with that. "Maybe Stoudamire coming here will help the Rockets, and maybe me and Kevin can go up there and help the Raptors." If, of course, the deal ever happens.
