given all the crap people have dumped on CD in here, you Have To give him major props, and yes, maybe he just answered the phone, but he still gets credit.....period. and les proves again he's a fans owner and wants to just win baby !
This thread should not only be for CD but Les as well. Im pretty damn sure he had a big handle in the welling and dealing with the magic as well...
That would have been a HUGE gamble in my opinion. Orlando might have said, forget it and went somewhere else. I wouldn't have taken the chance. The Rockets can still get a PG in FA. They key was securing McGrady. The rest is just well, the rest.
GM is more of an art then a science. Sometimes you create a masterpiece. Sometimes you think you've created a masterpiece, but it doesn't hold value. Sometimes you create a nice little landscape that will hang on the wall for long time. Sometimes a nice little landscape turns into a masterpiece. Sometimes you have to throw the canvas away and start over. The good thing about CD is that he never seems to just sit and look at an empty canvas for very long... he's going to try and create a masterpiece with the materials he has on hand. I think this was an extraordinary trade. Whether it eventually hangs in the Louvre or the local flea market remains to be seen, but at least it has Louvre potential.
We don't know if the Rockets inquired about Nelson behind closed doors. Plus it would be an unprofessional Weisbrod like move to change the deal after the terms had been agreed upon. The Rockets were waiting for the Magic to sign off. I doubt the Magic were close to dealing T-Mac to any team but Houston.
It was the only step in the process. Yes, they deserve credit for getting it done, but come on, this organization has to be the luckiest in sports right now. First, you get the number one pick in the draft when the only potential franchise center in the draft since Duncan is in the draft. And because you were lucky to get that center, now one of the top five players in the league wants to play with him. This is a lot more luck than it is GM skill.
That irks me. Weren't promises made to Maloney if he stayed with the Rockets? Weren't we in a bind without him? Didn't it seem like he'd be productive and improve? Hindsight's always 20-20.
It was the Rockets who would not alter the initial deal because that is their way of operating. The Rockets have the reputation of sticking with the terms of the deal no matter what. Once Orlando put the initial deal "on hold" presumably to try to pry Joe Johnson from Phoenix, the Rockets could have simply said "OK the deal is still on but now we want Nelson instead of Gaines". Since T-Mac was actually driving this bus (as many here have asserted) by forcing the Magic to trade with Houston, the Rox would have then had Orlando over the proverbial barrel and my bet is that they would have caved. Getting T-Mac & Nelson would have been a coup and we would not be in the position of looking for a starting point guard.
Not a gamble I would be willing to make. Not when we are gambling on a Top 5 player. I would make the deal and run with it. Is it worth gambling like that when you know you can get a comperable PG via FA? No way!
I see your point but that was an excellent time to see who would blink first. They had jobbed Houston by delaying the trade for nebulous reasons. Now it was Houston's turn. That's all I'm saying. If, as virtually everyone here has said, the Magic really had no other viable trade but the Rockets', then they would have had to swallow hard and give in. It would have been interesting to have Nelson instead of Gaines who I doubt will even be on the team come October.
Before the press conference began I grabbed a seat at the far right next to where the players enter. I was standing up at the end and after all the interviews CD began to walk through the tunnel and before he made it in I yelled , "CD, Your doing a great job." CD replied, "Thank you."
Thanks Cohen. Ther is often more to things than meet the public eye. Cato had a horrible contract according to this board. But last year he seemed well woth it, especially considering how we tanked when he was out. Hind site is 20/20, and all we really have to measure by is where we are. The only contract I really hate is MoT, and I have the horrible feeling that promises were made to him (though I don't know why) when he signed the cheap conttract with us his first year.
As late as yesterday noon Houston time the players LONG 'KNOWN' to be included were not AGREED to by Hockey Guy. he tried to squeeze Rox and wound up with the same deal anyway. Man, he was a good and tough negotiator...
Great job by the org this offseason from one not too happy with recent decisions. Yao (though this was more luck) and Tmac (this was not luck) are incredibly big erasers of little or even midsized mistakes. Got to disagree. MoT had put up good #s as a young PF with the Clips (17 & 7) and was a desirable FA when we lured him. Cato was never a proven starter or even heavy minute back-up for a whole season and we acquired him via trade with no promises. Injuries hampered Mo more than anything, Cato we just overvalued his talent.
Like i said in the start of this thread, he isnt going to stop just becuase he got T-Mac... Look for more many more moves to come!
I think all gm:s in the leauge makes mistakes, because they gamble alot. Besides Jerry West who's better then Carrol`?
