I remember everyone was half depressed at the beginning of the season becuase the roster seemed so incomplete. That was until the trade for Snyder and the signing of Bonzi. Seems like he's just as responsible as Assistant coach Gundy for screwing up this year and failing to add better pieces around the franchise players. The MLE was completely screwed up and in a sense unused money becuase whatever it brought here was not used or capitalized on. Letting Mike James go for a trade kicker (and I don't care what you say, it was nauseating watching Rafer chuck and be half a player all season on his lonesome. The guy had a monopoly at his position), then passing up on him at the deadline in favor of keeping Juwan, etc... Does CD also get a pass even if he is retiring? I also must add that those of you who slam our players for "not picking up the offensive schemes" is funny because there were only about 3 plays and everyone outside of the team knew them, which is why it was so easy for the good teams defense to key in on the Rockets.
The Bonzi signing was huge (no pun intended)! It simply didn't work out. From what we saw in the Kings-Spurs series the previous year there was no reason not to go after Bonzi Wells. And at that price?! You can't fault CD. Most GMs would have pulled the trigger on that deal.
i fault CD if we had any deal in place to get mike james or get rid of juwan but we didn't. to the extent that jvg had a say in either of those deals not getting done, i absolve CD. that's the trouble with sports were personnel decisions get so much publicity; you never know who is really responsible, the GM (who technically is the only one who should be responsible), the coach (who is a de facto GM bc he only plays who he wants to play), or the owner (who is the final decision maker for any acquisition).
CD just got named the second best GM in the NBA for ths year I wonder if he was in the top 25 the year he passed on Rashard Lewis twice in the first round...
No offense guys, but this roster was garbage. From two years ago CD should have been able to improve on what we had. We got rid of Wesley and picked up Rafer We had Juwan and now have an older higher paid Juwan We had Mike James and now we have what? Jon Barry welcome Steve no playing time Novak While Shane was an upgrade over whatever we had, he disappeared in the playoffs and his intangibles seemed non exsistant. Beyond that, Deke earned time on the floor and never got a chance to play in the playoffs when he was needed. We didn't even use the elbows on Boozer man, and that's what hurts. Our roster was full of players who were still unathletic and couldn't create their own shot. How can an Gm be satisfied with this type of job, then act surprised that the Rockets got bounced again?
Who has been the Rockets GM for the last 10 years? When Rudy was here, most figured he was calling the shots, given the amount of "loyalty" contracts being handed out like they were water, and the types of players he was drafting in the first round (notably reaches such as Rodrick Rhodes, and Mirsad Turkcan). When JVG came, all of those big (terrible) deals mysteriously stopped, and we started doing the opposite... only taking on cheap past-their-prime veterans. Now, people are simultaenously praising CD for moves that JVG didn't utilize, or blaming JVG for a roster that he "handpicked"... the bottom line is that NOBODY KNOWS WHO'S IN CHARGE. That is the biggest downfall of Les and the Rockets since the championship days... refusing to have a GM that has both the experience and the authority to make moves to build a team... not some coach-GM-owner hybrid of decision making. The last real GM the Rockets had was Steve Patterson... who ironically played the biggest role in building the championship teams (Horry and Cassell were signed on his watch).
We didn't get Mike James at the trade deadline because Minny wanted to dump Eddie Griffin on the Rockets. That seems like a good decision. Especially cause they might get James on the offseason on a better deal.
Yes but he allowed Assitant coach to nix the trade because he wanted to hold on to Juwan. Regardless of the criticisms, who really is the better player?
IMHO, it depends on how V-Span, Snyder, JL3 and Novak work out. If they stink it up on the court and never contribute then yes he deserves an equal share of the blame. But if they never get a chance to play because of JVG, then CD gets a pass. By the way, from what I understand, JVG nixed the Juwan for Mike James deal this year because of chemistry. DD
This has to be the best post for the past 5 years. The organization system setted up by Les for the Rox is destined to be a failure. It shows in the draft/FA decisions after the championship years.
I agree. This is not CD's fault. This is not JVG's fault. It is the organization's fault and ultimately Les' fault for not assuring that his GM and coach were working together to build a team. Now we have the ultimate dysfunctional family. We have 2 superstars, and, yes they are superstars, whose games' do not compliment each other and a bunch of below average role players. Battier is good as a role player, but is only average as a starter (maybe below average) if you look at other small forwards around the league. McGrady is a poor outside shooter and must go to the rack to be effective. Yao being the inside force he is, somewhat negates McGrady's usefulness. The McGrady trade fell into CD's lap and it was exactly the right thing to do, but Tracy or Yao have to go to build a champion. We are capped out and unless JVG or the new coach can develop Spanoulis and Novak or hit the jackpot on a low draft pick we are doomed to mediocrity until McGrady or Yao come off the books. The only other way is for Les to go into Luxury Tax Land which he has avowed he will not do. Time and time again, I get called stupid on this board for advocating a T-Mac or Yao trade, but I truly believe it is the only way to make the next leap, without an owner like Cuban, who will eventually spend his way to a championship. Blind optimism is not being loyal, it is being stupid!
JVG did but do you really blame him for staying with Howard after he and Deke along with T-Mac and Battier got us through the 32 games without Yao. I would of done those two deals with Minn and Denver but I don't think we can blame JVG for not doing it.
A) CD is leaving so it's moot von mute 2) Didn't we get a couple rings on his watch? 9) If Rashard Lewis was the saviour this board thinks he is wouldn't his team be better? maybe? ya think?
CD= Carol Dawson the former General Manager of the Houston Rockets. Well it's difficult to come up with an opinion due to the fact that there is so little insider information available about the relationships of Les Alexander (Owner), Carol Dawson and JVG (Head Coach). We just dont know if Dawson selected and made trades independantly of the other two or not. If he was just filling in spots to meet with the demands of the 'JVG Win Now Scenario'. then he get off scott free.
First championship team was mainly constructed by Patterson. Second team was Bob Weinhauer executing the Drexler deal. And what if Morey is merely another guy designed to defer to both the coach/owner, and merely a figurehead (much like CD was). Or worse, he decides to get players that don't mesh well with the coach's philosophy at all. Les is used to operating his teams this way.
NOPE. CD's job is to get players either through trade or free agency and he did exactly that with Snyder and Bonzi also traded for Battier and signed V-Span. It is not his job to find guys to match so-called "JVG type" players and he is paid buy Les Alexander to run the team and all matters regarding financial and personnel decisions. He got JVG a bunch of guys to work with and our coach just failed to develop them into anything useful. Consider that he got Bonzi (a guy who was looking for 50 million dollar payday) for only 2 million is a great accomplishment in my book. Yes CD has made some atrocious decision in the past but ever since the T-Mac trade, he has cleaned up his act as GM and made some bold like getting rid of Mo Taylor's hefty contract, trade 2 2nd round picks for Mike James, sign Bob Sura, even the Stromile deal looks good on paper cause he got athleticism for decent money. Now if JVG fails to deliver on these players than that is not the GM's fault. So good luck and enjoy retirement CD!!!