Ditto. A very good post on a board where we pretty much want to change about eight players every year, and expect multiple championships after bringing in an unproven player. Swift and Anderson are good additions, but they are filling in holes. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad the holes are patched, but I don't see them as a retooling. Like everybody except the obvious two, they are depth players.
Dikembe Mutombo born 06/25/1966.....almost 40 years old....i believe his last productive season was last year....his day i believe has come...there will be a day when he gets too old....and from no exact proof i believe it will be this year....atleast there is a possibility of me being right....if right??...then what?...no backup?...big mistake. Ward/James/Sura/Wesley/Barry/Moochie.... Sura is needed..he brings a certain character to the team...even though the knock on him his whole career has been inconsistency ….he is a good fit for his role. James....not a starting PG....off the bench role suits him....since he likes to dribble dribble dribbbe...and not really pass pass pass… Wesley: (35 dang long years) i've never liked this guys game....a second tier role suits him though....however has his day to retire come??…..too slow on D for PGs and too small for SGs Barry: good team guy. WaRD: hahahhahah………….well that was my reaction the first time we got him....and it still remains the same. Moochie: These are the reasons to why we are not nearly as good as Detroit/Miami/Spurs/Suns....too many question marks.
The only problem we'll have with DEKE is IF he get's injured. He won't suddenly be worthless. "Too many question marks" could go both ways........we could be better or worse than any expectations, no matter how high or low.
whoops. when i first wrote the post, i put $10M (as far as i'm concerned, we never signed charlie ward), but when i finished i thought why did i include deke's $4.5M, we traded for him. of course, i didn't, i included swift's contract. so yeah, bump it to $10M or $12M, depending on how you feel about charlie ward. those other guys equal a big zero. but hey, other gm's didn't think so, so i guess that's all that counts. and yes, mo t for mooch and baker was a great trade and a continuation of brilliance by the front office. but since it didn't add talent, i decided not to include it. plus, we did it to isiah, which is too easy.
IIRC that was a straight-up swap for the reach around. Probably not needed since we didn't capture the reach around into the equation? maybe he cancelled both out...
Frankly VinceCarter, you are just plain silly. You provide nothing more than intuition to reach your conclusions. You think Deke will just suddenly disappear? Virtually every championship is won due to star power. Who has the best player on the court? Who can control the game without even having the ball? Their mere prescense alters game plans. Magic, Bird, MJ, Dream, Duncan, Shaq. The Pistons are the only recent exception I can think of. Rockets have TMac and potentially Yao (if he ever man's up). Our championship rests with their play...not the guys you listed. If TMac steps up his game or Yao steps his up 2-3 levels, then this roster will be just fine. Both Yao and Tmac have the POTENTIAL to be absolutely unguardable. If they realize that potential, only then will we win a championship. A little luck and untimely injuries play into it too. If those two hit their stride this year, we can compete with ANYBODY. No doubt about it. If you watched the Rockets during their championships you know what I mean. Dream was unfreakin believable. We won with Vernon Maxwell and Kenny Smith as our starters. Before the championship, people laughed at that lineup...including most Houstonians. Fact was, Dream was that much better than EVERYBODY on the court. Ask John Starks how he felt when Dream blocked his 3pt attempt coming from under the basket. Dream willed it. We will win again if TMac can raise it one more notch. If TMac doesn't raise his level, we won't win. Simple as that.
I am amazed that so many people think that Swift and DA won't be starters. I can see them being eased into it at the beginning of the season but come on, do you really think that those guys picked the Rockets without the promise of getting to start? Everyone who raves about Swift looks at the potential he has as a starter that gets starter minutes. If we get him and only play him off the bench, then he's no better than he was in Memphis. And while I like David Wesley, in DA you get a guy who can score just as well but is more athletic, has some hops and played plenty of PG for Portland. I know it might take the Rox the first part of the season to gel, but I think that if we want to be young and athletic for years to come, you've got to have Swift and DA as part of the starting lineup.
Game 7 vs. the Mavericks. Yao and Tmac can play their brains out, but if their supporting guys don't show up, we're done for. I think that's what VinSanity was trying to point out....or something...
Why is this so amazing? Both newcomers have to prove themselves better than JH & Wesley. Better includes intensity and dedication to the team concept at one's own expense. If JH is healthy and picks up where he left off, Swift has an uphill battle my friend. If DA's head is on straight, he will likely start at some point, probably not in the beginning. And remember, if DA does well he may not be with us for years to come because he has the option on the 2nd year. He'll try one last cash grab on his final NBA contract. I consider DA just a one year rental.
I can't help but wonder if DA had to say the right things (and his agent). "He's got to earn his minutes." Fiddle-dee-dee. Sura and/or Wesley and/or James is gonna be traded. 7 guards? Even if two of them are Mooch and Ward? DA will start, and we're gonna make a 2-for-1 trade somewhere.
Hakeem did....when he came to toronto all we(Raptors) wanted was 15 minutes a game out of him...but he was LOST...it was sad to see him play like he did....in toronto most fans make fun of him for playing the way he did...even though i am a big a supporter of Hakeem i could not say nothing to back him up...cause he really did look bad....when you get old you get old.... Deke aint 35 or 36....he will have a sudden fall........my point is it COULD be this year.... that was friggin the DREAM....McGrady ain't there yet.. and Ming...well we're still waiting for him to average 20Pts 10Rebs.......not saying they are not good.....they just are not Shaq and Kobe yet....therefore, the greater need for a supporting cast. yes that is my point.
