Impatient? Let's just solidify our roster for the next ten years.

Yeah, I know you don't just grab 12 23 year-olds and hold onto them for ten years and watch the championships roll in. You're supposed to let your core mature and then grab your veteran banger(s) and energy rookie(s) to put you over the top. However, if the Rockets hypothetically wanted to take the fun former route, here's what they should do:

Trade Walt + Los + Drew + draft pick(s) to Denver

for

James Posey and Keon Clark and some cap eater like Cory Alexander, Stith, or Popeye Jones (somebody the Nugz have been anxious to get rid of)

Why it works for Denver: They're not going anywhere this year, so they get some pick(s) in a deep draft to help them rebuild. They also get to exchange the relatively redundant (to Abdul Wahad) defensive-minded perimeter player James Posey for the perimeter third scorer they need in Walt Williams (he's underrated). They've been shopping Keon Clark, so he is available. Only problem is they don't get that big true center they've been looking to get, but maybe they can package some of these guys to Charlotte for Miller or Magloire.

Why it works for Houston: It works because it allows CD to not work for the next umpteen years barring big time injuries. The only guy he'd really have to worry about signing under the new CBA is Langhi - the Rockets would be in a very advantageous position to sign the rest of the players. Check out the roster. Every potential role is filled by a young whipper snapper. Puzzle completed. Mission accomplished. Just let these guys grow together and win, win, win:

Francis - franchise, go-to player, the guy everything's built around

Moochie - nice backup, plays same style as Francis

Anderson - defensive stopper in the mold of Mario Elie,

Mobley - 6th man instant offense in the mold of Vinnie Johnson

Posey - do it all, ball-handling, defensive-minded small forward utility guy we've been looking for, like a Pippen with a bit less O but better 3pt. shot

Langhi - pure shooter in the mold of a Chris Mullin or Jeff Hornacek, works great in our up tempo style

Mo - the 18 - 8 frontcourt "star" everybody's been asking for

Kenny - great backup, he could step in if Mo got injured and the Rox wouldn't miss a beat, like Ceballos used to when Barkley got injured in Phoenix

Cato - a true force in the middle, he'd be to us as Ostertag was to Utah when they were good years back

Collier - poor man's Sam Perkins for spacing against big time shot blockers

Keon - more shot blocking like everyone wanted, you wanted Ratliff? he's not that far off

Cap-eater from Nugz - necessary evil

There you go. I was a little bored, so what else was I going to do?

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[This message has been edited by Oatdog (edited September 05, 2000).]

 

Me, oakdogg? Posting under different names seems to be en vogue now.

If you look around the league, 6-8, 215 is pretty decent size for a small forward esp. for young SF's. He's only in his second year. He's the same size as Mike Miller and is bigger than Shawn Marion, DerMarr Johnson, Terrance Morris, Darius Miles, and lots of other SF's whose bodies are still developing. To further prove he's got legit SF size, he started most of the season at SF for the Nugz. I haven't seen a ton of him, but the reason I would venture to guess that he is listed at guard is because of his versatility. He has true point forward skills, so much so that I have read that Denver is planning on using him at the point in spurts this season. Not only can he handle the ball and hit the three at better than a 37% clip on 220 attempts, but he has made his name almost exclusively for his DEFENSE. Talk about a perfect fit for this team! I would take him over Jamison for this team in a heartbeat, simply because of what OUR needs are. He fits us like a glove. He'd give us everything we've wanted as we've talked over the months about DerMarr, Miller, McGrady, and now Battier and Morris. Anybody whose seen more of Posey could probably give us more detail on his game, but I do know he's pretty athletic and appears to fit the jigsaw puzzle just right. This may be a bunch of Dreamcasting, but it's interesting to speculate and IMO a lot more realistic than that far out G/S scenario.

[This message has been edited by Oatdog (edited September 05, 2000).]