I don't agree with the Francis and Mobley for Donyell and Crawford, either! That is a really bad trade idea for the Rox. I'd do it for Tyson Chandler, and their first rounder this year. I'd like to focus a little on Eddie Griffin. I want to restrain myself from bashing him because I used to be a fan, so I'll give him a little credit (you know the whole young thing). Time and my patience will soon come to a halt and if Eddie doesn't start showing us why he was worth 3 first round picks, then I tell him to pack his bags, and don't forget the cheba! Once that time comes, and he hasn't shown iny improvement or showcased that talent, whenever it may be, the Rockets should have no choice but to trade him, while his value is still decent. If I recall correctly, several scouts had Griffin rated as the top player or one of the top players in his draft. I would just like to know why? What did they see when he was a freshman that would make them think he would be this potentiall all-star NBA player? Was it his height, athleticism, defense, dribbling, shooting. Well, it couldn't have been his dribbling, or his shooting, and it most certainly wasn't his intensity, or fire. Now that I think about it, it couldn't have been his size. He's a tweener. He's too skinny to play power forward, and too slow and uncoordinated to play small. He has pretty good hops and athleticism but it rarely translates into great play on the court. So what is it with this guy? Now he has lowered his value with the mar1juana fiasco. When will we know if he's a bust or not? Is Kwame Brown better than Griff now, or is the jury still out on both of them. Tell me honestly if I need to give these young players more time to grow into their talents, and I will. I'm just losing patience because he has not shown me he can improve in the slightest bit in two full seasons. I think I will give Eddie a little more time to live up to his high expectations before I stop supporting him. One thing's for sure, someone needs to light a fire under his ass to get him to take the next step in his maturing process. So, that being said, if the opportunity arrose to where the Rox could trade Griffin and Mobley for a top a lottery pick this summer b/w 3 and 10, considering James, Milicic, Anthony, Chris Bosh, and TJ Ford were draft eligible, would you pull the trigger?
Hasn't it already been said that it would be next to impossible to trade Francis because of the way his contract is structured. So i guess we have to look in a different direction, as far as changes to the team.
Yao Ming will never have the physcial specimen to become a top 5 player in the league. Everyone here says if he can put 20-30 pounds of solid muscle he will be unstoppable. Hello? YOu don't think Yao Ming is slow enough? He can barely jump now I wonder what those extra weight will do about his average atheletism. Yao would be lucky to be a top 5 center in 2 years. I just don't see him pass Shaq, TD (you know he's a center not a PF), JO'neal. Eddy Curry on the Bulls looks pretty good now and he's younger than Yao. Nene Halario should be something good too. Using "Yao is still a rookie" as an excuse is getting old. He's been playing professional ball since he was like 15. Check Shaq and TD's rookie stats you will know what I am talking about -- and they played in NCAA (which isn't much more competitive than CBA) before they entered NBA. Yao will definitely get better after he learns more about the playing style of NBA. But top 5 players? Gimme a break. In 2 years the top 5 will be the same today: Shaq, Kobe, TD, KG and TMac. Lebron might take over Shaq's spot in 3 years. I don't see any other young players have super-star potential.
Knifey's right. Francis wanted to be in Houston his entire career, and so did management. He's our guy for the next decade. The team HAS to, HAS TO change in some radical way before next season, but it won't be Steve. The only player that will draw any interest whatsoever (besides yao, who will NEVER be traded) is Cat. Kinda crappy for him, since he could have left and signed a fat contract when he was free, but Steve convinced him to stay so they could go for a ring togehter. I don't see that happening... I figure Cat is gone and Eddie will be dumped off with him in return for one or two players that probably won't have Cat's numbers but might be solid one-dimensional players. Mo Taylor has the potential to be dumped off, too, but I figure we'll try to keep him since he's been one of the few bright spots this season and I doubt Eddie will be sticking around if they can get anything for him. But Steve's going nowhere. Accept it.
I feel the same way about Yao. Even if he gets stronger and acclimate to the NBA, his lack of quickness and leap might be his Achilles' heel.
Even if, a big if it is, Yao's lack of quickness and leap is offset by the benefit of his height, which means Yao's becoming a 7 footer with good athleticism, he can still be a top five player with the total package he brings. He's the second Big Fundamental and he'll keep getting better.
Yao Ming has short arms -- kinda Kevin Willis. His height advantage over Shaq and TD has already been offset. Yao Ming probably has the softest shooting touches among NBA centers today, but it doesn't make up his huge difficiencies in terms of explosiveness and power against the likes of TD and O'neals.
Really? Ok, Please trade Yao! I think Houston can get rich reward for there are so many teams thirsting for a decent center now. Trade Yao for Stackhouse from Washington! Then MJ may not leave the league; Trade Yao for Finley from Dallas! Then Mavs will become a truly championship team; Trade Yao for Tony Parker and Ginobili! Then Spurs can bulid a new twin-tower dysnasty for 10 years; If you dare try, I am sure above teams will laugh your head off. You think he will never be a top 5 player, but others may not think so. Shall we give them a chance, or give Yao Ming a chance?
LOL. Everyone is entitiled to his/her own opinion. I was just presenting my oppinion and I think I had some solid takes on WHY Yao Ming will not become a top 5 players in the league. What's yours beside those ridiculous trade proposals? None of the players you mentioned in the post is among the top 5 player in the league, heck maybe not ever top 20. Actually the Yao for Parker and Manu trade looks pretty good, as long as Rox can snatch some decent low-post player thru trades (trade away Francis for Jermaine O'neal?). IMHO Yao will definitely have a good chance to become a top 20 players in the league in 2 years. You don't have to agree with me.
I mean, almost each championship team has a top 5 player, Lakers' Shaq and Kobe, Bulls' MJ, Rockets' Hakeem..., if THE ROCKETS do have a championship dream, don't waste time and money on a top 20 player, trade for a top 5 or pick a potential top 5 please. On the other hand, I know Yao Ming is always a championship pursuer wherever he is, so now that your team has no top 5 and doesn't think you are, what's his option? Please do not sentence Yao's future by now, could you imagine what TMAC looks like today in his first season? I know your analysis listens reasonable maybe, but as a Yao fan, I concern his development with teams and fans who don't cherish him.
There are things that you develop with experience, and there are things that are either there or not. You generally gain in the mental aspects of the game, but physically, you don't improve that much. You can get stronger, but either you are aggressive as a person or not. Either you have a dominant personality or you don't. Who knows what IAmFromBeijing is saying is Yao will never Jump higher than he does now. He will never be quicker than he is now. So regardless of how much more accustomed to the game he gets, there is only so much better of a player he can be based on his upside. The opposite is when you have someone who is an overpowering physical talent. You say, it that person ever catches up mentally, he could be the best player in the league. Being 7'5 is a great advantage, but it's not the ultimate weapon. In the summer, so many people thought that because Yao was 7'5, no one could ever block his shot. Well, we have seen Yao's shot blocked several times this season. People can go up and get to his shot. Add that to the fact that most of his low post moves are slow and deliberate, Yao now is reduced to pump-fakes and fadeaways to get his shot off. That will always be with him. And I ask, how many times did you see a young Hakeem's shot get blocked? I think I watched the Rockets for Hakeem's first seven years before I saw anyone block his shot. He was quicker than everyone else and more explosive. He jumped higher and was stronger. He was more agressive. That kind of player can be top 5. The only player I ever saw be top five with less than average physical skills was Larry Bird, and that was one aggressive, confident, clawing, scratching, unbeliveable skilled SOB. He wasn't going to let you beat him. That and his once in a generation skill level made up for it. Yao has great skills and good athletic ability FOR A MAN HIS SIZE. And he will be a very good player. A player that you can use for parts of a game to get you some points in the paint and some rebounds. But I don't think he will ever be that super aggressive, consistent offensive force that makes defenses have to drop three men every play to stop him. I think Yao will be a good 2nd option. A good piece of the puzzle.
I also have my question about how good Yao can be. Getting dunked on by Ostertag last night almost made me cry. And the guy constantly gets his shot blocked. Maybe next season, after some rest (hopefully) he will be a lot fresher. He's also shown flashes of agressiveness, like blocking Shaq's dunks twice. So it really is still up in the air.
LOL. If we REALLY think that Yao doesn't have the potential of being a top 5 player and Francis has PROVED that he can not be one either (I think this is pretty clear to everyone, isn't this?). Shouldn't we TRADE for one or at least potential one? But remember that Yao's on a rookie contract. We can't get equal value for him. Maybe Francis, but who knows?
To be fair, Yao was way under the basket and didn't really have time to go for a blocked shot. I do hope Yao is fresher and a little quicker next year. But even if he doesn't develop into a top 10 player, he is the type of guy who can fit very well into a motion type offense as the 2nd option. And he's a guy we can run the offense through for periods of time. He's really impressed me in that area. He makes great decisions and shoots a high percentage.
Ming's lack of jumping ability and quickness can be made up by pushing people away under the basket, after he adds more strength. Position is more important than jumping for today's center, imo. How often do you see Shaq skyrocketing? Plus Yao is freaking 7'5, vertically he doesn't have that much a disadvantage. I agree Yao might be a good 2nd option, but that doesn't mean he will not be the focal point or dominant. Again, just like Shaq is not always the 1st option in offense. Often time his mere presence over there creates shots for his teammates (i.e., Kobe). Ming will be dominant after a few years.
