YES, I'm not the one who signed Maloney to long term big money guarantee deal then released him. The guy was out of the league for a season and still getting paid by Rockets. Then signed Cato to another lucrative deal after one good game in pre-season. Don’t even get me started on those now old uniforms. Come on it is a no brainier. If not the trade deadline then the draft day. It is very possible to move a 1st rd pick, especially to team that doesn't have 1st rd pick. Example, last year the Rockets didn't have a 1st rd pick (and again this year) but tried to move into the 1st rd (so they say). If the Jazz waive Amaechi then you pick him off waivers (if that is what you want) and give up nothing. My point is they gave up too in picks for this guy. I don't care about losing Rice just the picks.
Just to get you up to speed here...Rudy T (remember him?) no longer coaches Houston. This new guy they have, he doesn't rubber stamp big contracts...you know like the one James Posey wanted? He'd rather have good role players like Piatkowski, Adrian Griffin and JJ for less $ and for less time. And this has what to do with managing player personnel? Do you understand that if Rice is not traded by the Feb trade deadline he is absolutely valueless? Do you understand this? Do you? Can you not see that both Houston and Utah have decided they can not get anything of value for Rice? Is this not obvious? And your backup plan is to move our #17 pick to a team without a 1st rounder because that scenario has more value than a $7m trade exception? This is a "no brainer" allright. Where on earth did Utah waiving Amaechi ever come up in any post in this BBS? We are getting Ameachi because he has been in Sloan's doghouse and they want rid of him. The entire deal boils down to a trade exception for picks. Amaechi is a non-issue. A very cheap non-issue. I give.......when logic fails, give up............
I saw that. This is very recent news from ESPN Insider. With Pike @ $2.4m and AG @ .6m this seems about right on a $4.9m MLE. The $1.25 is what had been used until that article. It doesn't change any of the opinions I have expressed. JJ is twice the cost of a $17 pick and he's probably worth it IMO.
We've been rationalizing for years now. When are we going to stop being surprised at the Rockets' bad personnel decisions, and start being surprised at their good ones?
I'm being told from friends in Utah that the Utah media is reporting that the first round pick Houston is giving up in the trade is top-9 protected instead of lottery protected as we've been hearing. If that's the case, Houston would have to finish as the 4th or 5th worst team to miss the playoffs in order to keep the pick so even if Houston underachieved and barely missed the playoffs, they would still lose this pick.
The First Round Pick Sent to Utah Here is the detail about the conditions of the first round pick Just to answer a few questions about "our" conditional pick. The pick was traded to Houston for Bryce Drew. It says that if Bulls pick in 2002, 2003, or 2004 is between #1-20, the Bulls keep their pick. Otherwise, it goes to Houston (now Utah). Well in 2002 & 2003 the bulls are not even close to surrendering that pick. 2004 is the last year to earn a first rounder. If Bulls keep the pick this year, then Utah gets our #2 in both 2005 and 2006. Bad deal for Bulls because Drew only warmed bulls' bench for a year. Most probably, the first round pick will be above 20 in 2004. So Jazz will get two second round in 2005 and 2006. Rox does not lose a squad.
I may be wrong but I think there were two Picks going to Utah. The 1st is a lottery protected 1st rounder and the second is the pick you speak of. Like I said I may be wrong.
paxil, We also sent them one of our own 1st round picks so they will get a 1st and two 2nd round picks. That is a total of 3 picks.
