http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=nba&id=1824156 Ok, while most are caught up in the Tracy McGrady hype I was thinking along the lines of Erik Dampier. The Rockets could potentially make this work whether or not we pull off a trade for McGrady, but regardless I think he would be a good fit. Dampier is a BIG body, has a good mid-range jump shot, and is a defensive oriented player. Some may question his effort or the fact that he's had two break out seasons, but I think he would be an upgrade over Cato. Clearly the Rockets do not have the money to sign him out right, but in the article he claims he would play for less in the right situation. I doubt Dampier would want to be the focal point of any team (not that he could be anyways) but imagine Yao and Dampier on the frontline. We could offer him the MLE and if we land McGrady, I'm sure he could do a little recruiting. So, if the Rockets pulled a Francis/Mobley/Cato for McGrady/Howard/Gaines/Declerq deal you could potentially have a line up of C-Ming/Dampier/Declerq/FA PF-Dampier/Howard/Mo T (Taylor becomes expendable for PG) SF-Jackson/Nachbar/Griffin SG-McGrady/Jackson/Pike PG-FA/Gaines/Wilks Also remember that we might still have the TE available to make a move. It may sound like wishful thinking, but you never know. If Dampier wants to win then Houston could very well be an option for him. Thoughts and comments folks, the floor is all yours!
I've liked this idea since I found out he might want out of GS, but never knew if it would be possible or not. I'm part of the crew that thinks we need a PF, but watching how most teams are killed by PG pick and rolls with a shooting PF, I'm beginning to lean towards a guard who can pick and roll like there is no tomorrow.
Considering he had a Carrer year and is 29 years of age, i'm sure his looking for a large Pay packet!!.. i doubt the rockets can afford him!!.team like Denver could offer him alot more dough!.
I would LOVE Damp on this team. He's like Cato, only better. He plays great post D, blocks some shots, grabs a ton of rebounds. He also has some decent low post moves. Unfortunately, like Cato he also has bad hands, has been inconsistent up to this season (a contract year), and has been grossly overpaid the last few years. But if we could manage a sign and trade, maybe using the TE, I think it would be worth the gamble.
Fagen tends to be a REALLY tough negotiator, which can be both good and bad for his clients. It's great that he gets them large amounts of cash, in some cases over market value, but when the guys can't live up to the bloated contracts they look bad.
I swore that I heard Dampier was looking for the max. Forget that. Just because he has double the skills of Cato don't mean he's worth double the money.
i've been saying this from the beginning and especially if we dump Cato to the Magic, we'll have some room to sign him. He's not asking for the max. Maybe something similar to Kenny Thomas' deal..
dampier gets hurt every year, he never plays a full season. On top of that he was injured pretty bad last year and didn't play at the end of the season
he's played in 229 of 246 games after those previous 2 seasons of injury. Sounds pretty good to me...
Is Dampier capable of playing the 4? I question his mobility compared to Cato's(limited as is). Am I wrong? I seem to think of Dampier as less athletic. It seems his name is all the rage though when it comes to teams looking at getting over the hump. I wonder if he will be affordable considering the Championship being as up in the air as it will be this season. Not a bad idea though.
