If Marc Jackson becomes a Rocket... (Oops, let me appease the other posters...) When Marc Jackson becomes a Rocket, will the Rockets feel a little bloated? (Don't get me wrong, I definitely want him here!) If the Rockets want to work under the salary cap for the next few years (someone will have to verify this for me), using cap space for more roster mobility, will they be looking to unload someone(s) this year? Additionally, the Rockets are going to have lots of and maybe too much split time at positions in the future. With a starting lineup like: G: Francis G: Mobley G/F: Rice PF: Cato PF/C: Jackson Where do KT, Griffin, Mo Taylor fit in? The Rockets are deep at the forward position but one gets the feeling they've got an overflow of really good players where a single great player might be better instead. So are there needs to unload the spot a little? (Just scenarios to prick your interest - will any happen? will multiple of them happen? any not listed here might happen?) Won't see em' move: Marc Jackson: With the price, the youth, the want for improvement and the hussle, this guy should stay no matter what. Griffin: Keeper. He's young, mature, and total untapped potential. Francis: Franchise. (actually, does it seem possible he could go in a large trade if we're able to acquire a center or PG+SG worth more?) Maybe we'd want to move these guys: Glen Rice: He's oldest playing member (I don't count Walt Williams as really playing many minutes next year) on the squad by 8 years but he might break out and plus the Rockets will need more help scoring. Veteran leadership? Well, it may be hard to find here and the Rockets have mature enough young talent. Lose him and let Griffin come down to his spot.? Cato: Unproductive for paycheck last few years. It might help to misplace his contract. However, he did say he's gonna show the world what he's made of this year... what if... Mobley: Yeah, we need him to score. Yeah, he's got chemistry. But he's eventually going to want more money. Also that and, at his height and defensive abilities, there might be a little more to be desired in crunch time during the playoffs against the other SG's of the NBA. Mo Tay and Others: Mo is injured and all the rest seem like bench warmers and therefore possible trading fodder. The more urgent need seems to be at Center and then slightly at SG Those that should be out quickest are Cato, Mo Tay, KT. Move Griffin (if he's able) into Rice's spot? Only to either lose Rice or lose Mobley and move Rice into Mobley's spot. or Trade a lot for a Center? Moving Jackson or Cato(if he's still there) to PF? That old rumored Bulls Trade looks ok now. Eddie Curry or Chandler + Artest./Crawford? for Cato + others (Rice? + Mo Tay? + ?) What other possible trades do you see during the season? Do we need to with future seasons in contemplation or will it mess the chemistry up too much?
We would have to basically gut the entire team and trade them for FA's to be in order to have significant cap room. Cap space is vastly overrated. Look at what we did with our 12 mill of cap space this summer.
Any particular GOOD reason for wanting to trade a 20 ppg scorer, who fits in with the team and is under contract WAY under value for the next 5 years? Rice is not tradeable, unless you get oft-injured garbage in return. He's making ~$9 mill a year, and you're not going to get 9 mill in value for a guy with some injury problems, and 3 years left. He also can in no way play SG for more than short stretches. What makes you think any sane team would gamble on a freshly signed forward with 6 years left on his contract, who just severed his achilles in 2 spots? Or that a team that just signed him to a 6 year deal doesn't want him? Cato is not going to get you anywhere remotely close towards Eddy Curry, unless Floyd is suddenly feeling nostalgic. Rice, Cato, and Taylor at this point are not tradeable commodities. Large multiyear contracts are not desirable for other teams, without giving away similar large multiyear contracts, and therefore you're right where you started. The odd man out is likely to be Kenny Thomas at the end of the year when his contract expires. If all goes well with the others, after this year, the Rockets will probably go to a 4/5 rotation of Mo Taylor, Eddie Griffin, Marc Jackson, and Kelvin Cato.
Well I'm sure the lineup would eventually look like this... PG-Francis/Moochie SG-Mobley/Torres SF-Rice/Griffin/Williams PF-Taylor/Thomas C-Jackson/Cato/Collier There is a definite difference between being feeling bloated and being stacked. We have a ton of talent and when the team is intact, look for us to make it out of the first round of the playoffs. As far as making the playoffs this year is concerned, I feel we still have a good chance. It will be hard, but we have a good chance.
This must be the longest a trade scenario thread has gone on with out the obligatory Walt Williams mention. Where is OP when you need him? Lets not forget that Walt is also in the final year of his contract (and he might be a little more valuable to other teams under these new rules.)
In reply - I agree it'd be hard to deal any of the guys we obviously don't want. And that we are stacked now but in the future, we will be bloated. Although the Rockets are a playoff contender now, they aren't the true goal of every NBA team (I know I'm asking too much ... Rocks have already done a great job), which is a NBA Finals contender. So maybe losing a big contract later this year for scrubs FA's (that will be let go next season) or trying to pull a "bad and risky" trade for the Rockets to have a chance on a title shot. The Rocks still will have trouble contending against Shaq and Duncan, members of two teams which will always be in their way in the playoffs. Why might we want to lose Mobely? (not saying I want to lose him easily at all) Because he's a great trading piece and honestly, I'm not sure with Mobley at the SG that we can make it to the finals (assuming we get compensation and/or move Rice down - for all of you about to post "Without Mobley, we definitely couldn't get to the finals") So again, does the future see a lot of trades to setup the Rockets for better contention in a later future (this season even?) Sixers did something metaphorical, and I can't say I agree with it. Maybe the Rocks will unload a large part of their STACKEDNESS to be able to get a better A TEAM for the contention... with all the young (yet possibly money grabbing) potential they've got... for just ONE certain star and a lot of SCRUBS.
Crossover, With Cato and Marc Jackson at center, and Griffin and Mo at PF, why can't the rockets be Title conteders in 2002-2003? I think Cato, Griffin, and Morris could become the best shotblocking frontcourt in the NBA if Cato stays healthy. This frontcourt should be able to hang with any frontcourt. The rockets superior backcourt could possibly make up the difference against the elite frontcourts. Jackson, Collier, and Taylor on the bench is like the Portland bench.
wtf is this? cato and rice or mo for curry or chandler? and to actually say "looks ok now"?! as if it didnt look good yesterday, a week ago, or a month ago? wtf?
What more can we wan't for our team? This team has done more than what we can ever ask for. Rice will come back and prove himself as a very important player, Griffin was a steal that I still can't believe we got from NJ and now Marc Jackson. These guys are helping us forget Hakeem, atleast that's what I feel. C. Dawson and Rudy T have done a hell of a job. Let's wait until they start playing and you will see a team that will make us proud. Let's give them a chance before we see what other trade will be there in the future.
Give me a minute , to breakdown a few item of interest for our Houston Rockets. You do not trade a future firstround draft pick (Terrance Morris) for some to be a backup sf and trade three for one for him not to start in couple years (Eddie Griffin). I believe that Eddie and MoT are going be our forwards 3and4 interchangeble. We will not trade ANY OF THE YOUNG GUYS WE HAVE. K9 will stay because he has what MR.Mean had toughness, knack for hustling and rebounding. You will have a hard time replacing that. I know he is short but is Jahidi White, Larry Johnson, Loy Vaught(iknow,iknow). You will always need frontcourt depths. Look what happens the past couple of years when barkley got hurt and last year when learn about precursor to Mo injury. We alway need three or four players to help out. NO Chunky Brown or Pig Miller . Morris and Lanky will probaly be swingmen on the team.
