If you could be GM of the Rockets what would you plan of attack be this offseason? How would you go about fixing the team, and adding pieces. Here is a breakdown of the overall roster and my opinion about each player and our teams needs. Yao Ming - A great player, and one who is still developing and getting better and better every year. Having Rick Adelman come in and utilize all the skills that Yao possesses can only make him better. Then when you factor in that Dream is actually teaching him some now....the sky is the limit, build around this guy, he is everything the team needs in a center. Status: Keep Yao. Tmac - An amazing talent who has a propensity to settle and coast far too often. Possibly the single most athletically gifted player the Rockets have ever had, he is a mismatch every single night he steps on the floor. Some nights though he just refuses to take advantage. Still a wonderful player, just not a good leader. Status: Keep Tmac unless there is a blockbuster trade out there, for a Durant or similar superstar talent. Shane Battier - The hardest working guy on the team, a great teamate who can play any kind of ball, a good passer, defender, decent shooter, but not all that athletic and can not create his own shot. Status: Shop Shane - He is one of the most tradeable assets without breaking up the Yao and Tmac core, shop him around, but don't trade him just to trade him. Rafer Alston - A quality man, whose career is in serious decline, he is not getting better, and his lateral quickness is suspect. At best he is a decent backup PG. Status: Shop or dump Rafer - If anyone is interested in him, let him go, if you can get an expiring contract for the guy, you have to do it. But other GMs are not stupid, so he may have to stay as a backup PG, but by all means SHOP him like mad, or include him as a throw in to match salaries. Luther Head - Improved a lot as a shooter this year, and nails some clutch buckets during the regular season - but, he can not create off the dribble, is a very bad defender and his passing is horrible. Status - Shop Luther - The guy is a tradeable commodity, and as such might bring you something more useful in a movement type of offense. His passing does not bode well for the future under Adelman get something for him while you can. Juwan Howard - The consumate backup PF, he is good enough in spurts to play some high post and provide some backup minutes at both the 4 and 5 positions. He is NOT a starter at this point in his career. Status - Shop Juwan, but he is valuable as a backup, and next year he has an expiring contract which can be even more valuable, so he might have to stay. Bonzi Wells - He had a very bad year, and never really fit in under JVG. Status - It is up to Bonzi, if he opts out let him go, if he stays, great for us, low risk. Snyder - A very athletic SG who can finish better than anyone on the team and has an attacking mentality on both offense and defense. His shot is suspect, and his understanding of complexities on the court seems to be lacking as well. Status - Shop him or keep him, either way. He still might develop under Rick Adelman, and the team needs athletes desperatly. Novak - A lean mean shooting machine. There is hope that he could flourish under a movement type of offense cutting around picks and curls for that sweet jumper of his. Status - Keep him - he has very little trade value and could really blossom under RA. V-Span - A tough gritty PG who attacks the basket relentlessly and plays terrific on ball defense. Very court savvy who just needs time to adjust to the NBA game. His flaws are obvious in his long range shooting and high risk turnovers and passes. Status - Keep him. The Rockets are desperate for an attacking PG...DESPERATE, and here he is on their own team. Give him this year to play for a different coach and see what happens. Hayes - A very nice off the bench energy forward who rebounds like mad and hustles well on defense, he even moves well on offense playing off of Yao Ming. Status - Keep him as an off the bench hustle player, he is smart, and the team needs more smart players. Big Jake - A very nice backup Center who can still play a role on this team. Status - Keep him for a low risk contract and backup for Yao. Deke - A wonderful man, the BEST, but his career is over, he doesn't pass well, and would be lost in a motion offense. Status - Let him retire, and support him forever as a great man. JL3 - An ultra quick attacking SG. The guy can flat out attack the basket, his finishing will only get better with more Playing time, but his size will always limit him defensively. Status - Shop him, Phoenix had some interest in him, try to package him and Rafer to Phoenix maybe? (Hey Colangelo isn't there anymore, maybe they would be that stupid). If there is not that much interest keep him as a backup to the SG spot to come in and run run run with V-Span at the point. Sura - Done as a player Status - Use that tradeable contract, don't let it go to waste. As for the draft I would take the best player available. And I would send down the players that are not in the rotation to the NBDL next year to keep them sharp and to allow them to hone their skills, something the former coach never believed in. My primary needs this offseason would be: 1 Athletes - get some versatile players, don't turn down anyone if they can add some versatility to any spot on the floor, whether it is currently a position of strength or not. Mark Cuban has proven that getting talent no matter whether it fits is a good way to eventually get the pieces you need with that talent. 2. An athletic PF who can shoot the midrange shot and rebound the ball and block shots to protect Yao. I would not look for a bruiser but more of a Robert Horry type of player here. 3. Upgrade the PG spot - I personally believe that V-Span is the answer here, but I would not be willing to bet the house on it, so I would be looking for some help at the PG spot in case V-Span does not pan out......someone like Steve Blake would be a nice addition as a heady PG who moves well without the ball..... 4. Develop the youngsters - Play them in the rotation or send them to the NBDL, but find out what the team has in the youngsters on this team, because after the last year, there are still unanswered questions about too many players on the roster. 5. Try to get in on the firesale in Seattle, the over the tax roster in NY, or Portland's glut of good young players. Anyway, that is what I would do as GM, what about you? DD
I would eat a giant, rare steak in front of Les every day. And when I was going to retire, I would fill his desk with raw ground beef. Pretty much anything I could do to make his terrorist-supporting, PETA-loving, hippie butt suffer.
haha, and I was going to say I would quit now, but you're idea is better. Morey got emasculated by Les.
Ok, we have heard from the peanut galary now, but what about people that want the team to get better, what would you do? What kind of players would you target? Who would you keep, and who would you seek to trade? DD
And the sky is not the limit for Yao. He is movable. I think every member of this team is tradable. I'd rather not see McGrady or Battier go, but if that's what has to happen, that's what has to happen. For instance: Portland has a chance to be an immediate contender. Trading Yao for their #1 pick is a definite option. They get a ridiculously good big combination (Yao + Randolph) that can take them deep into the playoffs immediately. Yao is still young enough to peak at the right time for that team as well. On top of that, he will allow them to have immediate experience and leadership at center position. The Rockets get a chance to draft a franchise player that can help replenish the stock of young talent that was decimated by JVG's love of old people. Am I saying I agree with this? No. But it's an option, and it's a definite scenario where Yao is movable. Tracy could be traded for a young player on a potential team. He still has value, and an aging team closer to the finals could use a player like him. Something like sending T-Mac to Phoenix for Leandro Barbosa and Shawn Marion (who they're supposedly looking to move due to cap issues). Or some combination of one of them and Suns draft picks. Mac can run, score, and defend. And he plays at a consistently higher level than Raja Bell. After that heatbreak/collapse against the Spurs, they're in "win now for Steve Nash" mode. T-Mac could push them over the edge. Again, not saying I want this to happen, but it's a possiblity. We have a new GM and a new coach coming in. A complete roster explosion is possible. Unlikely, but possible. Be prepared for ANY player to move to ANY team in the next 2 years.
Not sure why you would trade Yao for Oden or Durrant? Yao is what Portland hopes Oden will develope into if they draft him. So are the Rockets suppose to trade away their developed talent every time some young unproven guy enters the draft? If Odens upside was a lot higher than Yao's it might be worth the risk but what do you think Odens ceiling is? 25 and 10? We get that from Yao now.
Yao, T-Mac, Battier, Span, Novak and Snyder are all keepers period. This is due to type of players/good contracts Rafer I do not move unless I have someone in my back pocket to go along with Span at point. Head (nothing special), Howard (on the down turn of career) and JL3 (nothing more than a 3rd pg on a title team) should all be shopped. resign big Jake and Hayes IMO no brainers. Deke is done. Of course I agree about Sura Draft a 4 in a deep draft. Yao/Jake MLE or Sura contract 4/Hayes/Novak/Battier Battier/Snyder T-Mac/Snyder/Wells?/Head Alston/Span=split min/insurance that is better than JL3 A package that would net us a starting 4 for Head and Howard would be a steal, then draft best player on board and maybe a Bob Sura contract for help at gaurd
Once again, I didn't say I agreed with it. I said these were possiblities. I don't know WHAT Morey and Adelman will do. And if I was in Morey's shoes, I'd be looking at everything from every angle. Remember that Les didn't like how matter-of-fact JVG is; do you think that perhaps Morey and Adelman are just spouting the company line? Perhaps, after looking at this team in relation to everyone else in the WC, they have determined that we are NOT a contender. In 3-4 years, Nash will be gone from the Suns, drastically reducing their effectiveness. The Spurs are only getting older. But the Rockets still have a young nucleus they can work off of. VSpan, Snyder, Novak... Oden? Durant? There IS some potential for it. And who says the Rockets would trade for Oden? Who says they wouldn't grab Durant? I was only trying to argue this from Portland's perspective: if they're trying to nab a player with the potential to be like Yao anyway, why not just get Yao? It's a much safer bet. I love McGrady. I like Yao and Battier. I think they're a nucleus that can win games now and go deep into the playoffs. I think they can potentially win a championship if they have the right talent around them. But I don't know what Morey thinks, and I don't know what Adelman thinks. They COULD do anything, and all I'm trying to do is outline a situation where they decide to focus on winning the NBA Finals 2-3 years from now rather than immediately. And you know Les would be up for it. Smaller contracts = more money in his pocket = more vegetarian meals for his business partners.
I pretty much agree with everything you said there except for a couple things. I am higher on Lucas than Spanoulis. If we need about 1mill in filler to complete a deal, Spanoulis is the first guy I give up. Also, I'm not that high on Big Jake. I'd rather take a chance on a more athletic 5 to back up Yao.
Keep Yao, T-Mac, and Battier regardless. (OK, Battier is slightly tradable, but it's highly, highly unlikely that you get equal value. Coaches know better than GMs on players like Shane Battier.) Unless they are part of a bigger deal, keep Luther and resign Chuck. Both are valuable and won't demand enough on the open market to get value back. Shop Juwan. The only way you get anything for him is by taking an even worse contract, but it's possible. You're stuck with Rafer (although I'm sure someone would trade a shooting guard masquerading as a point guard for him). Live with it. Keep Snyder for potential. Keep Big Jake for 6 fouls. Thank Mutombo for his service, make a big donation to his hospital for a retirement gift. Lucas, Novak, Spanoulis: Leave the decision up to them. Release them if they ask for it. Otherwise, someone has to be on the IR.
Yao should not be traded, but not because he is so dominant. Rather, he should not be traded because he too valuable to the franchise financially. The franchise makes many many millions off of him. From a purely basketball point of view, Yao should not be untouchable. It's hard to imagine him becoming much more agile than he currently is, which means double teams and trapping will be difficult for him throughout his career. It's unreasonable to expect that he will ever be able to handle them like the Dream, who was often fast enough to recognize the double coming and make his move before it arrived. Here's one trade I would seriously consider from a pure basketball perspective: Chris Paul and Tyson Chandler for Yao. Anyway, practically speaking, Yao will not be traded. It's too early for the Rockets to give up on McGrady. He's still physically in his prime. Although he doesn't have the killer instinct of a Jordan or even Kobe, he's still better than virtually any other small forward or shooting guard out there. We aren't going to get value back for him. So that leaves the option of building pieces slowly through the draft, free agents, and minor trades. In retrospect, it's easy to see that Rudy Gay would be the perfect player for us. Unless we get extremely lucky in the draft or free agency (getting Mo Williams for the MLE), we probably will not be able to upgrade our talent enough next year to move up to the next level. It would be best to aim for 2 years from now, which would be right when Gay should be rounding into form. It's pretty obvious that we need to play Novak and Spanoulis to even have a chance. I would try a JL3 and VSpan point guard combo if we can't sign Mo Williams. Rafer is solid, but will never be good enough to quarterback a championship team. I think we should be extremely aggressive in the FA market. Management must do whatever it takes to upgrade our talent, even if it means taking a salary cap hit. Dallas is probably the best model for our team. They made a lot of moves to bring in talented, though occasionally too expensive players. Not all of them worked, but their team has consistently improved over the last several years. Other than their astute drafting of Josh Howard, this has mostly been because they've spent money, rather than making particularly good trades.
I'd start with the draft and hope some team/GM was looking for glue. Battier for an Acie Law caliber PG and another teams' rotational level player (preferable PF) to match contracts. Moves McGrady back to SF, adds depth, diminishes reliance on Alston, targets the abundance of SG's available in free agency.
Wow, that's good post. Scary thought but if we ever thought about shopping tmac, phoenix would do it in a second. I'd try to squeeze maybe one more player out of them, whether it be a marcus banks or their pick for this year's draft (not their atl pick, but their other 1st pick if available). If we could snag marion, barbosa and one more decent guy who rots on their bench but would contribute immediately...id do it. But thats probably the only scenario I would EVER look at rationally to give up tmac.
If I was Morey I would be careful about what I do and what I say. Only the truth would come from my mouth. I would get busy right away, no time like the present. a) V Span would have to stay in the uSa and play all the pick up games . By the end of the summer Coach A could decide if he was worth keeping and developing as our Point Guard. b) I would make the decission that Yao Ming is the franchise player and that all others are available, if needed, to make the team better. Mutombo should retire or be availbale for a trade. c) I would have Coach A talk to Bonzi and instruct him that the Rockets are interested in keeping him under the following conditions- He diets and reduces his weight by 30 lbs before the preseason, he goes into supervised, severe daily physical training regimen at the rockets training facility. He must play the next season as per contract and then consider resigning. I would give him to the deadline which is when he must decided on taking the second year or not. I would make him sign a contract agreeing to all the demands. Only and only if he agrees and sticks like glue to the daily died and exercises would I have him back on the rockets. The Rockets only need professional athletes. d] I would try to obtain an experienced Point Guard who could be trained to be our Playmaker, such as Ridnour,Bibby, Francis. e] In the draft I would be looking for a dark horse shooting guard who can go to the basket and make the 15 footer with consistancy. At least 79". f] Via trade or Free agency I would try to get a tall, strong, athletic Power Forward who can rebound, block shots and is good at put backs. [ sounds like Hakeem] g] My 2008/09[two offseasons] Rockets would not have Mc Grady,Howard, Head, Mutombo, Bonzi, Sura, Alston , JLIII, Battier , Snyder and Tsakalidis on it. h] Novac would also play many pick up games through the summer. I would develop him to be an even better 'Bulard' as our come from the bench spot up three point shooter. He would play in short bursts like at the end of each qtr.
YOU ARE ON CRACK IF YOU THINK MOVING BATTIER IS A GOOD IDEA. DUDE IS WORTH MORE THAN HIS CONTRACT, THAT IS SIGNED THROUGH 2010-2011. REPEAT YOU WILL NOT GET EQUAL VALUE FOR YAO-MAC OR BATTIER. Also Span, Novak and Snyder should not be moved because they all have contracts they could potentialy out-perform.
Dakota, Good post. I for 1 can't believe that you are suggesting we keep Bonzi, but I am ok with that. I like the idea of keeping Snyder, Big Jake, Hayes. I think we should try and get as much as possible out of Head, Howard, and Sura's contract. I do think that Rafer (as much as I hate his D and his jackin' stupid shots up left and right) should stay, unless we can get Bibby or Francis on the cheap. I do not think that V-span will be ready to take over the PG spot yet, but I do expect to see him get more min’s, and take it next year. I do not think we have a chance to pick up a player the caliber of Billups, due to cost. But I do think we have the chance to do some of these moves.... 1) I would like try and get more athletic at any position. If we are able to bring in a guy like Gerald Wallace (an Adleman Draft Pick), we could avoid Bonzi or shop Snyder or both. Travis Outlaw is someone else I think could be a good pick up at the 3-4. 2) I would like to do what a lot of winning teams do, bring in an over-the-hill star veteran to contribute in the play-offs and in crunch time (kind of like Finley and Stackhouse). Insert Grant Hill, Jason Kidd, maybe Chris Webber here. 3) I would like to get a more reliable tall PF that won’t cost us a crap load of money. We’ll need this especially if Yao is going to spend some more time on top of the key. Enter a PJ Brown, Jamal Magloir, Chris Mihm, Anderson Varejao or who ever will be willing to play 25 min. per game and give us an average of 8 pts, and 10 rebounds. If we can't seem to bring in a decent PF or PG I would like to try and move future picks and or players to try and get another pick in the 1st round or early 2nd. I would look at one of either Charlotte, Atlanta, Philly or Phoenix multiple picks. In the draft I would focus on guys that could help us now! No 19 year old projects! No foreign projects!!! I would love to see two of these AC Law, Gabe Pruit, Joakim Noah, or Nick Fezakas in a Rockets uni. Below covered by the coaching staff! 4) We had no one driving the lane this year. I like the fact that Adleman is trying to get more easy buckets and not rely on the 3 as much. When T-mac drove to the basket he would either score, get fouled, or both. We needed to see an Offensive style change. 5) Keep our D intensity!!!! That is the thing that helped us win 50+ games this year.
