If you were GM what moves would you make August 1st.

August 1 ? I'd sit and wait for guys to get cut with the one-time exception.

We are done until October. No need to rush. Good players are going to shake loose.

Resign Deke and Barry for reasonable contracts. If others overpay - bye, guys - sorry, but no big loss, long term.

We have :

Yao/Deke
Swift/Howard
Tmac/Barry
Wesley/Sura
Sura/James

contract bench guy : Bowen, Mooch

permenantly disabled :

Ward, Baker, Spoon.

We should get rid of Ward, Baker and Spoon. We'd like to move Sura, James and Wesley for better LONG TERM players. Not stopgaps. Better to just let those guys expire or cut them than trade for a bad contract. We can get talented players with the MLE for years to come with the new collective bargaining contract.

The guy I'd like to get is Jalen Rose, if Toronto cuts him. I think he'd play very well with Van Gundy, Yao, Swift and Tmac. He can move the ball, score the ball, collect long boards, and JVG can get him to use his size to play position (not man) defense.

Memphis really ought to cut White Chocolate. I'd pick him up, too, for a vet minimum, if he wanted the chance to play with Tmac and Yao, under JVG control. That's JVG's call, but that guy could go back to being an 8-assist player with our team. Some of you might think that's crazy, but it's a reasonable risk with his age if he doesn't get a fat contract. It's no more crazy than trading for former 8-assist guy Damon Stoudemire, and getting stuck with a crazy new contract.

My cardinal rule - no new fat contracts. Get good guys or risk/reward gambles with the vet minimums. We can add other younger good guys in the next two years. The new collective bargaining deal is a whole new world. Don't buy into the old one.

 

How is being matched up with bigger, stronger, faster, more athletic swingmen better suited to Sura than shorter, weaker, less athletic point guards?

Of all the positions, the shooting guard position requires the most athleticism and speed on defense, by far. There are so many more explosive shooting guards out there that are just athletic freaks (Kobe, Wade, LeBron, Mcgrady), than there are point guards.

The point guard position is the more methodical position. It doesn’t require as much athleticism on defense. That’s why you’ll see a fairly unathletic point guard like Steve Nash win the MVP award. Or why you’ll see Stockton playing at the age of 40 and Payton playing at the age of 37. Sura, at this stage in his career, is a more methodical player than a player that relies on his athleticism, which is why the point guard position suits him better.

Stoudamire will already be sharing the point guard duties with Mcgrady. Sura’s role as the 2-guard in the starting lineup would essentially be the same as David Wesley’s last season, which is to basically be the 5th scoring option on the floor and spot up to take jumpers all game long. Not a good role for him at all.

I think with the 2nd unit being able to beat your man off the dribble or do a basic pick role like James does fairly well is more helpful than Sura's strengths.

Which is why it would be more beneficial for the Rockets to start a 2 guard that is more of a shooter than Sura. You have these great set up guys in the starting lineup like Yao, Mcgrady and Stoudamire that can get wide open shots for their shooters. Why not start a shooter at the 2 that can knock down open jumpers with consistency rather then starting ANOTHER set up guy in Sura?

Instead of having 4 set up guys in the starting lineup (Yao, Mcgrady, Sura, Stoudamire) and 4 shooters on the bench (James, Wesley, Barry, Howard), wouldn’t it be a good idea to mix it up a little and add a little more balance?

I would argue Stoudamire will play a bigger role here in Houston than he used to in Portland, where they relied on their depth more.

There are 2 things I’ve learned from Van Gundy the past 2 years.

1) Come playoff time, he doesn’t conserve his star players energy. He plays them as much as possible. Under Van Gundy, Steve Francis played 44.4 minutes a game and Mobley played 41.8 minutes a game in the playoffs. Mcgrady played 43 minutes a game these past playoffs.

While Stoudamire may not be considered a star on the same level with Francis and Mcgrady, he’s about on the same level with Mobley. I’m not saying he’ll play +40 minutes a game, but I do think Van Gundy will play him significantly more than 32 a game.

2) Van Gundy has a penchant for playing playoff tested veteran players. David Wesley, the player with the most playoff experience on our team, played 40 minutes a game in the playoffs despite being very unproductive. In the previous year, Jim Jackson played 44.2 minutes a game in the playoffs despite being very unproductive. Van Gundy wants veteran leadership in the playoffs and Stoudamire would provide the most playoff experience of any player on our team.

I absolutely positively do not see Van Gundy splitting the minutes at the 1 nearly as evenly as you think. Playoff basketball is all about cohesion. To split the minutes that evenly would ruin the cohesion.

A big reason why teams like Memphis, Sacramento, Dallas, Portland never have playoff success is because they don’t have a clear cut starting 5 that all play +30 minutes a game together. They never develop the chemistry that teams like Phoenix, San Antonio, and Detroit develop by playing their starting 5 a large majority of the time. If the Rockets are ever going to have any playoff success, Stoudamire is going to have to play +35 along with Yao, Mcgrady, and Swift.

Our point guard situation will remain solid with or without Mike James, as long as we have Stoudamire, Sura, and Head. So why not strengthen a position of greater need like the shooting guard position?

I value his defense, I just happen to value defense at the starting shooting guard spot more than defense at the backup point guard spot. Especially when he’s only going to play 20 minutes or less.

I’m very uncomfortable at the thought of Sura defending the great shooting guards of the league. If the Rockets are to acquire Stoudamire, the number priority after that should be getting a lock down defender at the 2 to cover up for Stoudamire’s defensive weakness.

James is our most tradeable asset. James plays at a position that we will still be very strong at (Stoudamire, Sura, Head) even if we trade him. And James is most likely to go to another team via free agency after the season ends. It just makes a lot of sense to trade him.

 

That's twice you've made false statements as if they were fact. Ratliff played in 63 games last year & started 45 of them, while averaging 27.5 mpg. He may have been injured during the season, but he did play last year. Here's the link to NBA.com, if you want to verify your facts for a change.

RATLIFF's CAREER STATS

By the way, here's the other false fact you spewed & still haven't answered the question of where you read this information. It's post #32 in this thread.

 

for fun

resign Dikembe + Barry + Bowen
Wesley + Vin Baker for Darius Miles

Sura (20min)/Mike James (20)/Jon Barry(5)/Head(3)
McGrady(25)/Jon Barry(7)/Sura(5)/Head(11)
Darius Miles(30)/McGrady(12)/Sura(6)
Swift(27)/Juwan Howard(21)/
Yao(35)/Mutumbo(8)/Swift(5)

Moochie Norris (0)
Ryan Bowen

We'll probably feel the downgrade in perimeter shooting with miles instead of wesley, but we get more size at a legit defensive stopper in miles and alot more athletic. Moochie becomes the lead cheerleader on the bench with Bowen playing minutes where theres foul trouble/ an injury. Swift gets ~ 32 minutes, and head plays alittle under 15 minutes a game. PG is still our weakest position but it isn't TOO bad.

 

The funny thing is that he makes them, gets proven wrong, and then just disappears .

 

Duhon will sign with the Bulls. Will you come back when that happens?

 

I have been wondering, when can that actually be done? When is the earliest time that Yao Ming can get his extension? I also agree that this is more important than anything else.

Thanks in advance...

 

I was actually referring to your erroneous claims that Ratliff didn't play last season, that he will be 40 years old when his contract is up, and your false understanding that Ratliff's contract is much worse to our cap or financials than Weatherspoon's and Howard's contracts combined.

I think it is much more likely than not that Duhon will sign with the Bulls, but I have not seen it reported that they have already ultimately agreed to it (which is what you stated).

 

This might end up being true, but you plainly stated that it had already happened. Now, you're saying that it WILL happen. Do you have a source, or link, that confirms this? Or, are you just talking to hear your head rattle?

Here's something to think about. Chicago will most likely give Chandler a max contract &, while Curry might not get a max contract (due to his heart condition), he will get a significant raise. My guess is a contract starting at about $7-10 million a year. That's going to put them pretty close to Luxury Tax territory. They could release AD & his $13.9 million contract under the Amnesty Release program, but since it's his last year, they might be better served to hang on to him & trade his expiring contract at the trade deadline.

Also, keep in mind that Atlanta still has a lot of cap money & no experienced PG to speak of. If Atlanta gets Joe Johnson, a combination of Duhon, JJ, Marvin Williams, & Al Harrington would make for a nice & exciting young team.

So, my point is that, Duhon resigning with Chicago is not a fore gone conclusion. Mike James & a #1 pick would offer Chicago a viable option to losing him out right.

 

Yao signed his rookie contract on Oct 18th. I think that is the first day they can sign his extension.

 

The quickest players in the league are point guards like Arenas, Parker, Marbury, Terry, Paul, Ford or smaller 2 guards like Iverson and Francis. These are the majority of the worst guys for Sura to play. I'd rather take my chances with Sura on most excellent (versus elite) SGs like Manu, Mobley or Joe Johnson than the excellent PGs like Terry or Parker. Yeah Sura can't play Kobe or Wade (he doesn't have to play Tmac), but noone else can either. It is unlikely the Rockets will have anyone that would displace Tmac guarding these type players when it really matters--we can look but it is unlikely we will find our Pippen or Bowen to remove this responsibility of Tmac's when it really matters.

I agree it isn't his Sura's strength, but he isn't a bad spot up shooter. His efficiency numbers are not far off Wesley's and he is bigger. It won't be that easy to find an SG of Sura's size/strength who is a better spot up shooter, a better defender, better getting to the hole and at least equal in the locker room. We can certainly look, but lux tax freebies (Finley, Houston, maybe Rose), mid season trades with our expiring contracts, or next years full MLE are the ways to do this. Sura/Wesley may be the best SG combination (with maybe spot minutes for Head or Glover) just might be the best we can do this year.

If this is JVG approach he needs to fix it. It wears guys out. Personally, I think it had more to do with a weak bench (terrible alternatives). SA is a great example, in the regular season Duncan played 33MPG, Manu 30MPG, and Parker 34MPG. In the playoffs it was 38, 34 and 37. For their 03 title team, Parker played 34MPG in the playoffs and Manu 28. The reason they could do this was depth, it is a good thing.

I think it is completely reasonable to expect DS to play about 28MPG and James 20MPG in the the regular season, and that assumes good health for 82 games for both, unlikely. Adjust this maybe 2-3 minutes in the playoffs. This would give us 48 minutes of very much quality PG play and allow both guy to go all out all the time--this a good thing.

Also, I beg to differ about why Memphis, Sacramento, Dallas, Portland have "not had playoff success". (1st I am not sure of the argument is of all, Portland in 00 and Sac in 02 were a couple of good bounces away from titles). But anyway, the primary reason is those guys didn't have a Duncan, Oneal, Kobe, Tmac or (what we hope for) Yao to run the half court offense, not that their starting 5 didn't play enough minutes together. If you have a beast or two, run those guys with high minutes if you need to but surround them with 6-7 more or less interchangable role players--quite a good formula.

Sura has played most of his NBA minutes as an SG. Head is a college 2/3 coming in to be a pro combo guard (he will probably start off as more of an SG than the more mentally difficult PG role). You take James away (unless you add DS) we are very very week at PG. Certainly not as strong as Wesley, Barry, Sura, Head and maybe Glover at the SG. I think Sura can help our SG spot (and back-up 3) more than he can help as a PG, and having DS/MJ removes him the responsibility of the PG role. I think that is a good thing for the team.

Though I like Wesley, to me Wesley is more expendable--Sura/Head/Barry/Glover will be more able to assume his role than take on James'. So if I am choosing, I'd rather trade Wesley than James. I'd say they are close to equal assets given Wesley is the more proven starter and definitively expiring contract. But like I said if it takes James (an excellent back-up) to get a better somewhat proven but 2nd tier starting caliber guard--be it a PG (Stoudamire) or some SG (someone like Mason or Mobley or Simmons)--sure I will do it. I don't see that possibility likely except maybe for Stoudamire. And If I can push Wesley 1st, I do it. Unless one of these possibilities present themselves, James will be a Rocket. He is certainly more valuable to us than a 2nd round pick or very much unproven guy we could probably get in a trade.

 

I think you really underestimate the quickness of players like Mobley and Joe Johnson. I consider them to be every bit as quick as any of the point guards you listed. In today's NBA, the difference in quickness between a point guard and a shooting guard is marginal. And the slight quickness advantage definitely doesn't make up for the size and athletic advantage that shooting guards have over point guards. Defensively, Sura is going to get burned at both guard positions. Which is why I'd prefer to get a better defender at the 2.

Offensively, I think it's an even bigger mistake to match him up with shooting guards. Don't underestimate how much his game has benefited by being matched up with smaller guards. His whole game is predicated on being able to get physical with guards smaller than him. He's not fast or quick enough to drive past many guards at the 1 or 2. But he is big and strong enough to punish smaller point guards. To move him back to the 2 would be taking his one and only physical advantage away.

In many ways, his game is very similar to Chauncey Billups. Billups benefits greatly from being bigger and stronger than most of the guards he faces. Take the NBA Finals for example. When matched up with the much smaller Parker, Billups was able to push Parker around, use his size advantage to draw fouls, and really punish him offensively. But the minute the Spurs put a bigger defender on Billups (Bowen), he was rendered ineffective. The same thing will happen to Sura if he's matched up against bigger 2's and 3's on a permanent basis. He's not fast or quick enough to drive past any swingmen and he's not big or strong enough to get physical with them.

Sura's career has been rejuvenated ever since moving to the point guard position, and to me, moving him back to the 2 doesn't make any more sense than moving Mcgrady back to the 2.

When Sura was younger and a more explosive athlete, yes, he was a more natural 2. At this point in his career, after all the injuries have taken his athleticism away, he's better suited as a 1. Head is not going to have much of an opportunity to play at the 2 if the point guard is a small one like Stoudamire.

Well of course we would be much weaker at the point if we lose James and don't acquire Stoudamire. That goes without saying. This whole discussion has been about how important James is if we add Stoudamire to the team.

 

I can't wait until we (hopefully) hear official news of having Jon Barry on the Rockets for another year or 2. Just thought this was interesting:

http://82games.com/ppairs0405.htm

Barry brings so much to the table, such as his energy and intensity, not to mention his deadeye shooting. I can't imagine why anyone would want to pick up someone like Wesley Person instead. Barry was one of our best passers, and he has real high basketball IQ; he just knows how to play the game.

 

Plus on top of that, he's basically come out and said either he re-rigns with the Rockets or he retires. If a guy wants to play here that bad and remains effective, why not bring him back?

He's better than Wesley Person.

 

Our Pippen or Bowen is sitting up in Portland. We need to trade for him and DS. We can use him as our backup SF, our backup PF, and he can play a lot of minutes on the floor with Swift, and TMac, by switching off at the 2-3 with TMac. That fella is none other than Darius Miles. S&T DS and DM for a future #1, and some of our expirings. Maybe we can even get them to throw in Patterson for more expirings if we flip them $3 mill cash. There's your defensive role players. Miles and Patterson can defend all day long. You want shut down D. Take your pick. Yao, Swift, TMac, Head, and then your choice of Miles or Patterson depending on the matchups.

 

CD gotta convince the Logo to do a Swift SnT so the MLE is available for Fin, or at least available for another good amnestyist.

 

Defensively, I rather take my chances with Sura on a good 2nd tier swingman (Mobley, Simmons, Manu) than a good 2nd tier PG (Parker, Terry), but that is me. I think James or DS can do a much better job defensively on the quick 1s. Also, putting Sura in the 2 or back-up 3 allows him to take advantage of his defensive rebounding w/o killing the running game. I don't think Sura is as bad as defender as you think, particularly versus all but the lightening quick. Playing guys like Wade or Kobe down the stretch, it is almost invariably at the end of games Tmac sticks that player. But Sura can play most big scoring SGs decent, certainly as decent as the undersized Wesley.

Offensively, Sura as an SGs job is to spot up (he is average at it) and penetrate overaggressive rotations (he is good at this). Playing with Yao and Tmac, teams have to double and rotate. Sura could just as well be matched up with a 1-2-3 after the rotations, who he starts with doesn't matter as much. Ideally he would be a little better shooter but at 1.24 efficiency and 36% is not so bad you can leave him alone. Plus his ball handling (excellent for a 2, so-so for a 1) and driving abilitly allows him to punish those overaggressive rotations more than a guy like Wesley or Barry can.

Overall, Sura is not a great fit as an SG, but not a bad fit either, and I think he capitalizes more on his strengths as a 2 or 3, and offers more overall than Wesley in this role,--but I know we this this differently.

Actually Sura best stretch of his career was his stint in Atlanta just over 1 year ago. He was playing shooting guard. I assume most of that was next to Jason Terry, himself a combo guard. I could see Sura being similarly effective paired with DS or Mike James, PGs with good scoring punches.

Also looking at this year with Houston (like 90+% at PG), last year with Atl/Det (like 90+% at SG), and the year before at GS his shooting (e.g., effective jumper %) has been solid, and better as an SG. http://www.82games.com/04HOU7C.HTM

Taking the primary ball handling duties out of his hands (or at least sharing it with a guy like Terry or DS), seems to be a good thing for him. I am pretty sure JVG would have gone with Sura and James together at times if he could have. I think Sura/DS would be even better.

Well that point came about because you saw depth at SG better than PG, I don't see it that way, particularly if we have Sura play more than half of his minutes in the swing positions. I think we are much stronger having James take all the back-up 1 minutes to DS, and Sura primarily play SG. Further, lets say we add DS and no other new player, Sura becomes our best back-up 3 as well. He has the strength to play the back-up 3 role much better than Barry does.

 

Our franchise players are young and need to be surrounded by veteran leadership....

I know I'd rather have JB over Wesley "washed up" Person shooting the three in the last seconds of a playoff game. He hasn't made a big shot since Barkley was with the Suns. Yao picks up fouls.....a lot! Deke was a perfect compliment to Yao. Keep him. Willis isn't good enough to fill those minutes.

Getting younger doesn't mean getting better! We need to win now.

 

He's only a good rebounder when matched up with smaller point guards. Match him up with bigger stronger more athletic swingmen and his rebounding numbers will decline. He averaged 8.3 rebounds playing the point in Atlanta. He averaged 5.5 rebounds playing the point here in Houston. Before making the move to the point guard position, he has generally been a 3 rebound a game player throughout his career. And that was earlier in his career when he was a much more athletic player than he is now.

As I've said before, Stoudamire will already be sharing the point guard duties with Mcgrady. There's just no room for 3 players to play the role of point guard on the court AND for Yao to also play a point center type of role.

It's such a small sample considering he hardly played at the shooting guard position. 4% out of 100% (available minutes at the 2-guard position) is really insignificant. To put it in perspective, Jon Barry played 8% of the available minutes at the small forward position and had a eFG% of .580. I guess that means he should be our backup small forward. Not to mention, based on that small sample, it appears Sura's opponents at the 2 out-produce him significantly more than at the 1.

It's not the depth at the 1 that makes it better than the 2, it's the starter that makes the 1 better off. We would have a starting caliber point guard (Stoudamire) that can give +30 quality minutes and will still be productive for at least 3 more years. Plus, some promising young point guards (Head and Spanoulis) and a quality backup point guard (Sura), if we end up moving him to the bench.

At the 2, we have 2 players that are probably a year away from retirement (Wesley, Barry). One of which would create a big liability defensively in the backcourt if he plays next to Stoudamire (Wesley). And the starting shooting guard, if you have your way, would be a player that will spend at least half the season either out of the lineup due to injury or playing hobbled.