[Hou Chron] Rockets, Morey forced to hurry up and wait

Indubitably.

While i have no qualms with Yao remaining the financial focal point of the franchise, I believe it is incredibly foolish to even THINK about keeping the on-court product revolved around him. What evidence is there that Yao will come back and be the same player that he was? Even so, was that player someone you should be building around in the first place, considering how easily neutralized he has proven to be? Additionally, there is a Yao-sized mountain of historical evidence showing that giants of his proportion age about as gracefully as a Chuck Hayes free throw.

Moving Scola/Battier/et al in an effort to secure new cornerstones is the prudent choice not just for the future but for this season, as well. Is no one else concerned that Shane's vaunted defense will get exposed this season, now that the Basketball Gods have stolen his 7'6" eraser? Name a premier perimeter defender that doesn't have an eraser in his hip pocket, and I'll name you an underrated big man. Kobe/Shaq, Maxwell/Dream, Bowen/Duncan, Michael/Tito...oh wait...nevermind...that wasn't an eraser.

Have nba defenses ever scouted primarily to stop Luis Scola in the paint? While Luis does remind me of Rony Seikaly, I also remember that Rony was ultimately discovered to just not be good enough to equal an Olajuwon. But, at a time, it was considered. Move Scola after the first few months of the season, while his stats will be high, scouts have not devised defenses to stop him, and before Charlie Thomas pulls his head out of his rear.

Hey, and if by chance Yao does return, without rehab setbacks, and at close to the same performance level as previously (about as likely as Ron & Kobe having side-by-side lockers...given Ron's proclivity for admiring Kobe beef), then he's welcome to fit back in. The great ones can play in any system after all, and Yao is a great one, right?

Of course, that brings up that pesky Pig Miller...err...elephant in the corner: Yao's impending contract. Coming off of a series of year ending injuries, one MAJOR surgery (as if any invasive surgery is minor...if you have something inserted into your body I think you call it a major problem, or major lawsuit, but I digress...), do we even know if he would be palatable to earning a paltry 10-12MM per? He certainly has not shown he is durable enough to deserve the max for the remainder of his shelf life. Its likely he'll spend more time on the shelf than the can of Spam my mother brought over a few years ago (what was she thinking??). Won't we have to do then what we can start to do now? Why be behind the curve? The writing's on the wall. Covering our eyes with bandaids won't make it go away.

 

What a depressing article. I'm feeling pessimistic. The original plan was a star wing (McGrady) plus a star center (Yao) plus a third cog (maybe Artest) plus good role players would give us a championship. Now, we're searching for the third cog again, seem likely to jettison the star wing, and hoping, I guess, that Yao plus good role players plus a little luck will get us a ring? I'm not feeling it.

It seems to me that if they don't intend to bring McGrady back after his contract (and every indication is that they do not), don't intend to get a free agent star in 2010 (with this article indicating they cannot), our only hope is to trade McGrady for comparable talent. Given that he's coming back from microfracture surgery, it seems unlikely someone will give up comparable talent for him unless their own guy has flaws as signficant. By the time McGrady proves he's healthy and talented, he'll be a free agent. This is not a winning proposition. At best, we'll have Yao and the third cog, but not the second star. Essentially, if they aren't keeping McGrady they should be rebuilding, not treading water and not reloading.

Now, I'm leaning toward the tanking crowd. It is worthwhile to be competitive if you want to draw free agents, or maybe if you'll be ready to compete in '10-'11. If you don't have the money to sign a free agent in '10 and you don't have the 2 or 3 stars you need to compete in '10-'11, then being competitive is dumb. Get the lotto pick if you're not going to play in the FA sweepstakes.

 

I don't understand why people want there to be a deal just to make a deal. I am fairly confident that Morey will make a deal if there are good ones to be made, but I don't want him just to make something happen because he thinks he has to.

There is nothing wrong with circling the prey a while before pouncing on it.

 

Morey still holds the ace of spades (TraceMac) in the pack... And a couple Jacks that people want (Battier, Scola, Landry). He's waiting for the right deal at the right time...

 

McGrady's closer to a pair of aces (Pocket Rockets). Starts off looking great and you feel confident against anyone. By the end, though, you just get sucked out.

 

Yao is the best center, or at the very least the 2nd best center by far if you prefer Dwight. He is the best player on the team. Dominant or not, teams adjust their playbook to Yao. Double team, fronting etc etc.
Thats why rox is, will and should play around him.

 

Absolutely, Patience is a virtue.

 

1: The center position is more watered down than post-Katrina New Orleans.

2: In 6 months, teams will be adjusting their playbooks to Brooks and Dunn...err...Scola. It's not because they're the best or 2nd best at their position. It's because they'll be the two best players on our team (nba coaches have this strange aversion to being unemployed, so they typically do their roster homework). Given a chance to Boot Scoot Boogie them (or Yao for that matter) for better players, and a better chance of winning a ring, you do it.

 

Don't give up on these guys yet Juan. Remember it was this McGradyless Rocket team that was 1 game away from knocking the champs off their throne. While it may be wise to set the bar low on season wins, I think around AS break is where we choose the path of continue or blow it up. I'd say that there is a 50/50 chance that McGrady does come back to a resemblance of his former self as it is a contract year and I think he plays better if he doesn't have to share his big dog status. And I think there is a better than 50/50 chance that Yao is able to come back close to the end of the year. Given that then I think if this Yao and McGradyless team can hold on, gain some experience and get to the playoffs we can still make 1 more run.

Lotto picks are nice but they are not a guarantee that things will be better. In fact I think you might notice that most lotto teams make many repeat visits.

And I don't think you need 3 studs to be the NBA champs. You need a good team that is gelling at the right time and pared up with some matchups that are in our favor...and a little luck. I say wait until AS break before making the decision on whether to blow it up, but until then, I'm ok with letting this team try and tread water. And if they can't, I think you will get better trade value from some of our pieces then than you would now anyway.

 

I know our guys are good, but it unrealistic to count on contending without both a Yao-like-player and a McGrady-like-player.

I expect McGrady will play this season and be good. I want the Rockets and him to kiss and make-up and extend his contract so he and Yao can try again in '10-11. But, the vibe I get from the Rockets is that they don't want to do that. Well, since they won't get equal value for him, I think it's reasonable to expect we won't be contending in '10-'11 either unless they get a little more extreme with the roster moves.

Maybe I'm too pessimistic. Here's a couple sunshine scenarios:

1. McGrady returns and plays well. Yao comes back from surgery ahead of schedule, plays his way into shape at the end of the season, and they together romp through the post-season for one last hurrah before McGrady's free agency. But, if McGrady and the Rockets don't make up, I don't see that he'll have the motivation to benefit the team; he'll be looking for his stats. Meanwhile, you've hamstrung the rebuild for one last desperation shot.

2. McGrady comes back and plays well and we somehow manage to find a trade for another star player with a contract that the other team wanted to be rid of. Perhaps the other team wants the inside track on signing McGrady to a smaller contract. This is a rosy picture. But how often is that going to happen?

 

Morey is such a dumbass, We finally see how he reacts under pressure, I cant believe he still wants to sit and wait for T-WACK and YAO... And I also cant believe he wants to wait around and see what FA are available after all the good ones are taken, he isn't doing anything to help this team, he just rebuilding, while T-WACK and YAO get back... such a waste of money IMO on those two guys in including Morey...Im sorry clutchfans but im sick and tired of login on everyday and its the same BS nothing new...Everybody is making deals and getting better while were sitting and waiting for god to come down and sign with us, this is ridiculous, such a disapointing offseason never have i seen a worse offseason than this one... BRING SF3 BACK IF WERE GOING TO CONTINUE BEING SOME CHEAP ASSES AND IF WE DONT PLAN TO SIGN ANYONE ELSE OR TRADE ANYONE... BATTIER< OVERATED ON DEFENSE HE NEEDS TO GET TRADED, FOR SOME VALUE...That is if he even has any...im out

 

Again, ignore what the organization says, and watch what they do. Yes, Les has a man crush on Yao, because of the extra sponsorships, but even he might say enough is enough if Yao injuries himself again before his contract expires.

 

Brandon Wright is rumored to be the next player out of Nelli's dog house in Golden State...

Morey should try to get him..

Jessica (Miami)

Tell me that the Warriors aren't going to trade Brandan Wright for pennies on the dollar now? I hear that Don Nelson wants him gone and that he's on the trading block.....
John Hollinger
(4:01 PM)


I think that may happen, and if it does the Warriors deserve to be made fun of. I think Wright will be an excellent player for his next team, it's too bad his current one seems to think so little of him.

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/27639

stats: http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/wrighbr03.html

look at per 36 mins....I think if he gets playing time he can be very good

 

The Rockets took a gamble with two stars who were at risk of getting injured. McGrady was less of a risk,but there was concern about his back when he was in Orlando. Management took a chance with Yao,with his height which was a risk factor for his foot injuries. His national and international commitments made things harder.This happened pre-Morey.

When Yao was selected we had Cato,who was still functional despite being a headache. Subsequently,management failed to address backup center concerns until they got Deke.
The gamble didn't pay off,now they are stuck,but Les deserves credit for trying.
What he is doing now,waiting for Yao and perhaps to some extent for Tracy too,isn't going to work.
I like Yao very much, but Les can't make money out of the China connection anymore. Yao does deserve another chance if he gets fit,but the Rockets unfortunately can't afford him or Tracy. I want to see Yao play for Houston,but it's not the right thing for us. I hope Yao will become a FA by not picking his player option,he should sign with a much better team for a smaller but still important role. McGrady's contract needs to expire too. Luis and Shane should be traded for younger players with potential of a future with us plus a pick or two if possible.

We need to start from scratch and rebuild through the draft and keep salary cap free for any possible FA's.OKC is an example of a upcoming team.

 

I might be totally wrong on this one, but Wright seems to be a lackadaisical type.

 

A lottery team would not have taken the Lakers to 7 games in the playoffs. True, they don't have Ron Artest anymore. But in some of those games he wasn't as much of a factor as we expected anyhow. And, there just happens to be a pesky, "little", point guard on the Rockets roster that gave them fits in the playoffs in a couple of games. One of the reasons they preferred going through the Rockets vs. Portland was Portland's athleticism and speed. Well, the Rockets will resemble that model more without Yao. They won't have Portland's size AND speed, but they'll have speed. The offense should not and likely won't flow through Anderson. Barring some big splash trade before the season starts, and barring an early return from McGrady, the chemistry will redevelop based on speed. Ugly mistakes will undoubtably happen. But...

Players grow. You never know when a non-star is going to have an epiphony, "mature" and become more integral than before. I would admit that we don't necessarily see any player on the roster that we EXPECT to blossom in this way, but Landry surprised most fans within a short time after getting minutes and being successful. Who can forget his play against Utah, blocking a shot, deflecting it back to a teammate while going out of bounds and losing a tooth in the process. So as much as anything, the "wait and see" attitude is hoping that just maybe somebody will have that epiphony and realize their role has expanded now.