All posts I completely agree with. Mike James seems BY FAR the most ready to contribute players who might be available for an MLE. He would immediately be or 3rd or 4th best player and our best guard (assuming we want to keep Tmac in his very effective SF spot). He would add shooting %, defense and scoring. Mike James is relatively new to the league (less tear than you average 31 year old), been healthy and his stats have been increasing. I think it is pretty unlikely he ages out into a 1 dimensional player (e.g., what Brent Barry has become) at least the next 3 years. Further, MLE money is very low for anyone coming off a season like James had. So even if you overpay for what you get in year 4 or 5, you almost certainly underpay now. Same deal with Ja How's deal, pay the piper later, but it is all fair because you payed less than market early. Get it done if it takes 5 years, no question.
Yeah we need him, we need him bad. But I don't ever want to get stuck with players making millions of dollars for sitting at home twiddling their thumbs again (do we even know where to send Matt Maloney his checks ?) I guess mortgaging your future for gratification today is the American way but in a sport with a salary cap, you are just hamstringing yourself if you give a player a contract he has little possibility of playing out. I would happily match any offer he gets but I wouldn't ever bid against myself or be extorted. If Mike James won't take a 4 year MLE to play in the city where he lives, with 2 bonafide superstars then screw it, let's move on
Do we need to MJames? I think it's more important to say, what can we get to build around T-Mac and Yao to win ASAP. Of course, MJames is the best PG available without really giving up anything. We need someone who can penetrate, and hit the 3pt shot. In other words a 3rd scoring option. Our offense is pathetic. MJames is better than most guards in the NBA. If we're in a position to sign him for 5 years than do it. We can't rely on draft picks for the future because by giving away Gay, we have no young prospects to trade or build on (except for Head). We have to take a chance like Dallas and Miami Heat did, pick up expensive players or long contracts. Miami picked up either by FA or trade, J.Williams, A. Walker, J.Posey, G.Payton, and even D. Anderson. In all those cases, none of them is really worth the amt their getting paid in respects to yearly salary. Plus with Shaq, 20 mill per for 5 years and DWade's extension they're stuck. But to keep Shaq, they had to do it. The Heat had the win now attitude. Basically, they've made up their mind how to setup the team for the next few years. To their luck, they got a championship. Please note: we had to take J. Howard contract to get T-Mac. Not many players will come here just because of the city of Houston or playing with T-Mac/Yao. They all wany $$$ and years. So that means we have to do SnT or sign FA. With SnT we needs players to trade, right now the only players we have that might be somewhat attractive is Head and Alston, THAT's IT. Also JHoward, when his contract expires. Get MJames and Bonzi Wells! Let's not wait till next year!
Unfortunately, the rockets have backed themselves into a corner where they do need James. They need someone that can create their own o when Yao and Tmac are off, and we know that no one on the squad right now is capable of that.
Creating your own shot isn't too much of a problem for the rockets. Rockets have two superstars who can creat for ppl and themselves. T-Mac is one the best players in the NBA and will cause double teams which autmatically means 1 person will be open. Yao already gets double teamed and if he is going to continue being that dominant force like he was in the 2nd half of last years season, he will draw double-maybe even triple teams or else he will eat up his man 1 on 1. Skip also has the ability to penetrate and creat for his teammates.
I can't believe everybody is split on this? What are you guys possibly thinking that said no? If there were teams under the cap, you wouldn't be able to touch MJ with a 5 year $40 million deal.
Our whole team is based on our 2 superstars. Tracy Mcgrady's game doesnt depend only on his shooting. Mac also also has the ability to drive and he can creat for his opponents, not to mention the court vision he has at his size. Yao's game differs a bit as he must get the ball in the basket, but when he is within 5 feet of the basket teams will have to double/triple team, which gets a man open. Our superstars are obviously not 1 demensional and can impact a game more than 1 way.
You are so, so right. At this point, I'm at a loss for words. When multiple posters provide multiple excellent logicistical reasons and the detractors recycle BS like "he''ll take shots away from Yao" or "Alston can get his own shot just as easily"...you just gotta give up. RealGM rated James the #5 top rated FA behind Ben Wallace, Jason Terry, Peja and Al Harrington. James was just ahead of Wilcox, Nene, Gooden and Wells. Why are we even discussing not giving a 5 year MLE deal to a guy who runs in that kind of company? For crying out loud, the guy played on a horrible team last season and they managed to clean our clocks twice. McGrady played both games and had 37 points in one of them. A 112-92 Raptors win.
Agreed. How is this even a discussion? We absolutely have to sign Mike James or this offseason is a bust. If we're in "win now" mode, we cannot go into next season with McGrady and Yao as the only scorers on the team. If we really are trying to "win now" as they demonstrated with the Gay trade, they need to go full force with it and not half ass it over a 5 year contract. Mike James isn't the Messiah, but he was a huge part of our turnaround in '05, and I absolutely cannot figure out where this crap about him being selfish and a ballhog started. It's actually really funny.
This statement actually is funny to me. Wesly, Barry and Sura are the main part of the turnaround. Again, for all you rate MJ soooo high, dig out his stats before last season. That's the real Mike James.
Reality strikes! MJ is nothing but a roll player. We need him, but most posters are too enamored with his season on a terrible team like Toronto.
I'll do better than that. I'll tell you that I've been watching James since he was with the Celtics. Forget the stats. He's a cold-blooded assasin who plays with a chip on his shoulder because he was undrafted out of Duquesne. If you want to attribute the Rockets 19-8 run to Wesley, Barry and Sura that's your prerogative. The fact of the matter was that James improved the Rockets transtion O significantly because he's faster than any of the 3 you mentioned, played the cruchtime minutes and shot 43.3% from the field while only playing 25.7 mpg. Your entitled to your opinion. And hopefully James proves you wrong in a Rox uni and not a Mavericks one.
At his height, he's a defensive liability. Do you really think a 20/5 guy would be available for the MLE if there were'nt some serious deficiency in his game? I hope he signs with us just because we need the offense, but don't go thinking he's anything more than he's ever been prior to Toronto.
defensive liability? Name 5 point guards that are better defensively than Mike James? Mike James is one of the absolute quickest hands and feet player in the NBA.
Rather than name 5, I'll name one that really showed James up: Jason Terry in the Mavs / Rockets playoffs in '05. Jason Terry shot 50%+ in that series in treys and wasn't necessarily wide open for them. Mike James is offense off the bench, but not much more.
actually, Ja How's deal was for 6 years. and he has never really been underpaid his whole career. then again, starting big men will always be overpaid.
