This has to the dumbest post yet. I am very confident that Carrol Dawson is not informing Francis on a daily basis what kind of trades are out there. This is ridiculous and please have some more credibility than "my friend was told this". A friend of mine told me that Van Gundy is going back to New York.
No you didn't Doc Rocket is about as close to the Rockets organization as it gets around here, as far as being able to post accurate insider information. He has 100% credibility in my book and you are barking up the wrong tree with this one.
For the umpteenth time, arguing with the trade, or the idea that Steve's take is accurate is reasonable, and possibly even warrented. Arguing with the thread, or the poster, is an indication of ignorance. DR has an established, supported track record. He isn't posting what he thinks will happen, or should happen, merely what he heard happen. I would hope that were any others of us able to do the same, they would. I would also hope that DR or people like him won't get tired of getting blasted for merely posting what they know by people who simply don't know what they're talking about.
As a non partisan Person, i must Say Doc has a very credible Track record!. he Perdicted the Spoon trade before hand then anyone or anywhere i seen on the net!. i think he does have some good sources!
This is hilarious. Sometimes I think homerism runs rampant here. If Orlando can simply draft Okafor, why the hell would they trade us for our trash (MoT and Cato). And don't give me that they are serviceable in the East crap because chances are Okafor are miles better than both of them added together AND on a rookie scale. Any cap space freed up for them from the Grant Hill trade would also be tied down by those two deadweight contracts. It would seem to me that some here think that every team in the league is lined up to get ripped off by the Rockets.
Oh, yeah. Doc is gold. I believe him. Thing is, it's just a matter of Steve venting after what has been a very trying season for him. He knows it was good---he got to the playoffs, he learned a lot. But he's restrained and wants to play elsewhere. And I don't blame him. I'm sure he doesn't KNOW that he'll be gone, but his agent has probably been in contact with CD, and let it be known that if a suitable trade becomes available, then yes, Steve would be willing to part ways (and it can be no secret that JVG and Steve, while playing nice in public, get along but are not exactly bosom buddies). So, at the end of the season, it was like, "YES! I'm outta here, that's over with."
The two central figures of this team now are Yao and JVG. Yao clearly established himself as Shaq's succesor as the best C in the league. JVG made us into the defensive, halfcourt team that always wins in the playoffs. With Yao's size and JVG's system, we have the most important elements in place to compete with the Lakers and Spurs in the West. I think SFrancis resents this. 'His' way didn't work for 4 years, despite having a player's coach and the keys to the team. Now, Yao is the new golden child, Van Gundy runs a boot camp compared to Rudy's country club, and Steve had trouble accepting all of it. Mobley made the transition just fine. He showed maturity and professionalism by becoming a spot-up shooter, and he nevered complained or made waves. Steve gets a lot of credit from everyone for how he "conformed" and "changed" his game as well, and I truly believe he gave an honest effort in this pursuit, but the results just weren't there. For a max contract player, he was slightly better than Mobley, who makes less than half. That is not good value for a player of his magnitude, financially or strategically. He is clearly a bad fit for this style of play, but is still the type of player who can lead a team to a championship. He just needs the right team to bring out his strengths and cover up his weaknesses. This is not that team. What we need most (halfcourt savvy, spot-up shooting, strong D) are all weaknesses for him. What he provides (isolation scoring, great rebounding) are luxuries, not necessities for this team. Still, having said all of that, our most glaring weaknesses aside, unless you can bring in a upper-echolon PF (Brand, Okafur, Wallace) AND a solid PG (Nash, Snow, Barry) to replace Steve, you have to keep him.
'His way didn't work' because his teams weren't as good. That's it. Also, I'm not seeing how everything is 'working' now, and apparently wasn't working before ... is first round and out considered 'working'?
First round and out is significantly more than anything accomplished in the pre Yao/JVG days. Give the two of them the supporting players each needs to be successful, and we'll give the Lake show and Spurs all they can handle next year. That means moving Steve for the PF we really need and finding a tall shooter and traditional PG to replace him. My dream 8-man rotation for the first game of 2004-2005 playoffs: Yao/Cato Okafur/MoT JJ Cat Barry/Duhon
I think this team could have taken the Lakers or at least stretched them to 6 or 7 games...you break down the matchups and we come out pretty good: Yao vs. Shaq = even Okafur vs. Malone = Rox slight edge JJ vs. George = Rox edge Cat vs. Kobe = Lakers big edge Barry vs. Payton = even plus, i think our bench would be at least as good as theirs
Quick question - nevermind... ...that is one of the most lopsided trades I have ever seen on this board. I bet it wouldn't even work on PS2...(even if you tried to force it).
dude.. i hate how every damn person on this board is f'n picky as hell just to seem smart... i only through in those extra players givin the fact i dont know how much a 1-3 pick overall is weighed.. damn. you are smart as **** and i am stupid. happy?
Going along with being picky to seem smart... "i only through in those extra players givin the fact i dont know how much a 1-3 pick overall is weighed..." ...should actually read... "i only THROW in those extra players GIVEN the fact i dont know how much a 1-3 pick overall is WEIGHTED..." Sorry, but I couldn't resist the chance to make myself seem smart, as my sig can attest.
