Also, remember since we're a young team, we can't communicate in the dark like the Jazz could. Chemistry just doesn't work during a blackout - not for the 2nd youngest team in the league.
Maybe "west" as in Adam West. Batman the movie was shot in CA which relates to the Clippers. PF = West obviously mean Elton Brand, right?
Looking at the Clues and what would be attainable players, we can rule out a few like Jason Kidd. He either stays in NJ or goes to the Spurs or a Contender. No way he ends up in Houston. That leaves: PG - East Payton Crawford Armstrong I would think Crawford because he is big enough to Guard the 2's if Francis is playing the 2 and guarding the one. Payton also fits this scenario. SG - Veteran East I would love a Jon Barry as a Backup 2. Other possibilities are Voshon Lenard and someone to backup the 1 and 2 so we don't run out of steam playing our guys 42 minutes a night. PF - Veteran West I would love the Brand-Malone etc, but I don't think it'll happen. I could see a bruiser like Dale Davis be acquired though. He can play hard nosed insided 'd' and enforce those who try to hurt Ming. He can also play backup center if we need to trade Cato to acquire the PG or SG. Other possibilities are Juwon Howard and Troy Murphy (not really a vet though) A reasonable team with these options would be: Yao Ming/ Dale Davis Dale Davis/ Mo Taylor Rice/Posey/ Nachbar Francis/ Barry Crawford/ Francis I think that is a reasonable team that we could attain by trading Cuttino, Cato and Griffin.
Below I list what are the most likely candidates based on DocRocket and the team's current situations (logjams, doghouse, etc.) PG East: Sam Cassell/Gary Payton Jay Williams/Jamal Crawford Any starting PG on the team that gets Lebron James - I would prefer Sam I Am the most, him being a part of the glory years and all... SG East: Eddie Jones Voshon Lenard Dermarr Johnson Courtney Alexander/David Wesley - The pickings are slim, and the question we have to ask here is are these guys really better than what we lose in Mobley/Cato? PF West: Danny Fortson/Antawn Jamison Juwon Howard Stromile Swift Tom Gugliotta - I think the most likely candidate is Fortson, who would cost virtually nothing to get (just Rice's contract?), since we'll need to use Cat to perform the PG trade above... These all look very very attractive! I see the Rockets definitely moving this offseason.
I'll speculate: PG - Cassell(talented, but old, so his trading value would be low, also would finish Karl's tearing down of the big 3, plus he'd probly love to come back) - Snow(other than Iverson, I don't think anyone on the 6rs is ever "untouchable", and he was supposedly being shopped heavily before the trade deadline) That's it from what I see. Tinsley wouldn't fit in here imo with his fugly jumper, and what exactly would we have to offer the Pacers for him? Harrington and Mercer are fine fill ins for miller, so nix Mobes. Crawford, Jay Williams? Unless the gm doesn't value them highly at all, I don't see why they would give up on either, and I'd hardly call either one a "vet", or pg for that matter. That leaves Kidd and Baron, which we don't have the ammo to get w/o giving up Steve or Yao. SG Only east sg that makes sense to me is Jon Barry. Can play the 1 or 2, is tough and is clutch. Plus he'd be a fa and we wouldn't need to trade anyone to get him. Wesley would be a good choice too, but he'd probly cost more than he's worth. PF Brand(I wish, but with sterling, anything is possible I guess) Howard(I doubt Denver would ask for too much for him in a trade, and that's probly the way to get him, since he should command more than the 4.5 mle) Bo Outlaw(I wouldn't like this, but they have shown interest in him before ...)
JoeBarelyCares--Yes, Larry is telling me that they do not expect a Luxury Tax for the following season, as the new TV contract goes back up to regular numbers of previous years. Plus, China and more of Asia is coming on line. T-2 and Cabezon, Good to read. My additions to that are to say that our Mobley and Griffin trades are very important, if done. These might be the only significant trade assets we have in awhile. They must be taken more seriously than tossing Mobley out for best available. I'm so tired of "best available" acquisitions like Shandon, Mo and Rice. I believe we need to first consider what type of team you want to be...e.g., more offensive or defensive oriented. Bigger more dominant front court or better perimeter. I, for one, can't decide which way to go, as I can't tell how active Yao can be on defense, night in and night out, nor can I say how great of an offensive force he will be. In the end, isn't it fairly prudent to let the next coach decide how to use Mobley/Griffin in trades, if you do indeed intend to give Rudy no more than 1 more yr, if that. Besides, with a real backup PG that you can probably get via an MLE, Mobes can scale back to 30-33 mpg of more focused defense, while giving EG the one more year. Of course, I give up anything for Brand, but it has to be a deal like that that does more than fix holes, as these are your only trade assets for awhile, and we have many holes to fix--shooting, passing, defense, rebounding. Don't we first want to see whether you want more defense/rebouding over more offense. That in itself says to consider trading for a PF or for better perimeter play. in other words, complement Yao with young, strong bucks or a better perimeter with Mo as your starting PF (scary) and a turnstile old-fogey PF bench man. TheFreak, I think the better point is not about our home record, but about how the entire league geared up for their Yao showdowns when we were on the road. Do we expect that to continue...maybe, but I also expect the Rockets to get better at facing it.
That only matters if resigining Brand puts the Clipps over the salary cap. Not sure if resigning Brand to the max (or close to it) would put them over the cap, or if the timing in which they resign their fas would affect that.
PG East - Tinsely, Payton, or Crawford PF West - Randolph or Brand SG East - E. Jones, Redd, or Lenard I honestly think the PF is Randolph since the Blazers are looking to unload him and he is relatively inexpensive. Definitely would be an uprade from Eddie Griffin.
A big Amen to that. You seem to be ignoring the part where doc said Francis will be playing the 2 next year.
If they really want to sellout then they need to pursue Kevin Garnet or Elton Brand - QED. The Malone, Payton and Glenn Robinson talk is just what it is - Hogwash. God forbid!!!
Hmmm, is it possible Cato is the PF-west? also, can we infer that this means the team is happy with the lineup at the 3?
If we do make major roster changes this summer, then it makes sense that Rudy will not be back. If he's already hanging by a thread, why would we get new players who will have to learn Rudy's system, if there's a chance he won't make it through the year, or only coach for one more year? Then the new players would have to learn a second new system under another new coach the following year. This would in effect, set us back that extra year.
Robinson would be a reasonable trade. We give up Rice for another Glen who is younger. Robinson can hit threes and has the same ability as Rice to go off for 15 points in a quarter. He plays well in front of a Houston crowd. I like the deal and we don't have to give up Mobes. I just want to know what Robinson's contract looks like in years.
Cutino Mobley. The Cat. What has occurred to make him 'gone', as per the thread's start? Is it his game, the locker room, off court situation? Can anyone please spell out for me what has changed.
