Cat sucks and JJ is getting old. He sucks sometimes, too. Don't count on them. Yao and Cat are oil and water. Dump the Cat and find a replacement for JJ. The entire team needs to be ripped up and replaced. Don't go all soft on me now. Contract Death to all boneheads. Death to contracts of Francis, Mobley, Cato, Taylor. They will never learn to play with Yao. Never. They must be eliminated. Your sentimentality is tiresome.
my sentimentality? all i'm saying is... you can't trade your entire team in one summer. you make the best trades and keep some players until you can do better.
Now that's just crazy talking! Na na na na...I can't hear you! They have to trade them all, Toto, they just have too. There's no place like home...no place like home...
if we went that rout, who would you (those who want brand) use the TE on? we would have: yao-cato brand-mo-spoon jj-boki-ag cat-pike also, cato, mo, and spoon rack up a combined $22 mil on our bench. and with yao and brand wanting/deserving to play 36 MPG each, that leaves 24MPG for our back-up 4/5's. 24MPG will cost us 22 million.
Well obviously we would have to move at least one of those bench warmers. My pet trade is moving Mo to Seattle for Barry in a sign and trade along with Ridnour. We'd probably have to take back Potapenko or James too, but their contracts are shorter than Mo's.
mo for james and daniels would work...but i have a feeling allen is being traded for SAR, it just makes perfect sence for both teams. if they do that then they have no use for mo. we would have to make it cato for james and daniels. but i'm starting to like the looks of this: yao-james brand-mo-spoon jj-boki-ag cat-pike daniels we still have the MLE to use, and in trade we have ag + TE, and either mo or spoon. obviously we still need a PG...
Its funny how our weakness this year was the PF position, and the lack of production from there. No it wasnt the SG postion, that was a pretty solid hold in our rotation. I would take EB over Ray Ray, but then try and trade for a pg like say I dunno, a point gaurd for MoT or Cato. And then we can always get a few outside shooters, unlike Pike.
I'd take Brand for Francis. Francis is probably still a better #1 option, but Brand would be the better support for Yao. Then go FA shopping for a PG with some or all of the MLE depending on how proven/talented the player is (Barry, Arroyo, Alston, Daniels, Crawford). That would make the team much stronger than any combination of FA moves for a PF, PG and trading Francis for Allen.
I think they would much rather just add a PG than switch their PF and PG. They'll just pick Shaun Livingston. They can even deal with Charlotte to swap picks, maybe they can arrange a deal. Brand is at least as good as Francis, and Livingston is, at this point, as likely to make it as Howard. So why not just add a PG rather than overhaul the roster?
Why does everyone keep saying Brand has accomplished nothing in his career, given the teams he's played for? Steve hasn't accomplished anything, either. We went to the playoffs. Once. Got bounced. Steve for Brand would actually be ideal, with Maryland teammate Wilcox emerging and already on the team. Of course, if the Clips also get Kobe, we'd be dead, but I'll leave that one alone for now. We would also have to find suitors for our other players. We would have to move Mo or Cato. The latter would have more value; Brand can play backup center (short, yes, but looooong arms). I'd make the trade, IF T-Mac et al are pipe dreams. Brand can get you 18 and 12 and 4 assists and 3 blocks per game; and people act as if he's no good?
I like Stromile Swift Troy Murphy not bad. Brand for Francis I would do if we increased another starting spot with a better scorer or really improved our bench scoring and depth. Brand does not have enough outside offense to leave Yao down in the post. With Brand, Yao might have to move outside more, that may work real well???? Either way it would give us 2 post players. Right now we have no good offensive low post players at the PF That is Cato and MoT problem they have no back to the basket game. Also Cato provides some defensive energy, but he has trouble guarding quicker PF's and MoT has very little defensive stop I really like Stromile Swift-- young, strong, defensive and a developing offense.
Exactly. Why is everyone so crazy about Brand, I will never understand. And people who think Brand has always been on bad teams........how about a team w/ Brand, Odom, Q. Richardson, and Olawakandi......hm.....and didnt do jack **** w/ that lineup. Brand is a 20/10 player, but no leader. Stats dont mean ****. While Brand would provide muscle next to Yao, he would also clog up the lane and cant run much. All we really in the 4 spot is an athletic shot blocker, not a guy who needs 20-25 touches a game. If you guys think Francis is taking away from Yao, now you will have another low post player......I'm not sure how it will work out. We need a balance. A good inside player and a good outside player. Stick it out w/ Francis or get TMac. I'll pass on Brand.
I'm sorry, that Clippers lineup also had A. Miller so that lineup was A. Miller, Richardson, Odom, Brand, Olawakandi .......arguably better than any teams Francis has ever had. Steve actually took a team w/ just Cat, Mo, and a healthy Hakeem for 6 weeks, to a record of 45 wins and 1 game short in the West playoffs.
Steve's team won 45 games his second year and they have had three winning seasons out of five since Francis has been here. Brand's teams, well they're just losers.
No question, at this stage in their careers, Steve has proven he can LEAD a team further than Brand can. But I don't think the Rockets are looking for a leader. They're looking for a sidekick for Yao. So the question should not be which player is the better leader, it's which player would excel in the sidekick role? Steve tried that role last season and the results were not pretty.
Something else to consider is Francis to Charlotte for their #4. Then send the #4 and resulting TE to L.A. for Brand. Sterling might do it to dump Brand's salary. Not sure what the details of EB's contract is though. I remember it was pretty frontloaded.
If you think the Rockets coaching and management is in the same catagory with the Clippers in the past 5 years, then you don't know the Clippers. Also, replacing a star with a promising rookie is perfectly in line with the Clippers' management style. Sterling always prefers cheap young players with potential over expensive stars. That way, he can pay less, tease the fans with hope, and keep the team in the lottery so that they can perpetuate the cycle endlessly.
i don't want to make excuses for anyone... but look at that team you named. Miller, Q, Odom, Brand, Kandi. wrong system, overrated, headcase (at the time), Brand, guy who HURTS the team (in Kandi). that team... good on paper, in reality... no. i think it's safe to say that Yao will make Brand better than Kandi made him. You are wrong that Brand needs 20-25 touches a game. He doesn't he gets a lot of his points off put backs. Plus... touches? I think JJ and Cat both get more that 20-25 touches a game too. Cato and MoT combined get at least that. And they make more money combined than Brand too. Brand is also an athletic shot blocker.
