I am pleased to welcome Charlie Ward to the Houston Rockets. He will bring smarts and toughness, something we desperately need. We will get a chance to evaluate Francis and Mobley teamed with that sort of player - a heady defensive guy that can stick a jumpshot. It will be a good chance to test if they could excel with an even greater talent; if that kind of more serious investment is warrented in the summer. For Steve, esp., it will put the onus to play well squarely on him. Now we can make another trade to shore up the forward spots, esp. the small forward. Jax is not getting it done. That spot is very important to set up Steve and Yao in good scoring position. That guy really needs to be able to stick a jumper, see and spread the floor.
Ward is in that category known as a "poor starter" or a "great backup" - not worth more than backup money and any team he starts on will not win unless at least three of the other guys are All-Stars. Also, I think the Marbury trade is great for Phoenix: 1) Salary cap will be clear after being locked up by Googs and Penny for years; 2) Good draft pick - with this deal maybe they will suck enough to compete (or not compete) with the East for a good lottery pick. 3) They still have the best young forward tandem in the league in Amare and Marion. To prove this point, do you think there is any way we could either of those guys for Francis - the answer is NO. So, with $$ to spend and 2 stud forwards to go with a high draft pick - they will be able to sign at least one good FA. (Rasheed to play C? Kobe? Crawford? QRichardson?) Or, trade for one from a team trying to save cap $$ next year. So, they have changed their team from a mediocre team with 3 stud players to a crappy team with 2 stud players that could become a developing team with 3 stud players and a high draft pick to develop next year (plus depth with NY's picks). New York, on the other hand, good deal for the short term, but . . .
ricerocket: "How can Ward show SF anything except how to get overpaid?" Yeah, Steve already knows how to do that! Sorry ... couldn't resist.... Ward would be a nice pickup, but he'd have to be a reserve, and -- unlike Moochie -- be paid like a reserve. He's not great, but hisplayoff experience would make him a better fit than someone like Tierre Brown (whom we should never have cut).
For what it's worth, the Warriors announcers stated that "Ward will be a Rocket" during the telecast tonight. I'm not sure I'd trust Bob Fitzgerald as far as I could toss him, but he may have spoken to someone in the Rockets organization tonight before the game.
I hope we land Charlie. He's a good role player, good rotation player whose strengths we could use in our backcourt (defense, passing, perimeter shooting) G GS FGM-FGA MPG FG% 3PM-A 3P% FTM-A FT% OFF DEF TOT 35 10 115-260 23.6 .442 59-138 .428 16-21 .762 .30 2.50 2.70 APG SPG BPG TO PF PPG 4.9 1.34 .23 1.97 2.10 8.7 Ranks #13 in the NBA in Three-Point FG% (0.428) Ranks #13 in the NBA in Three-Point Field Goals Made(59.0) Ranks #4 in the NBA in Three-Point Field Goals Per 48 Min. (3.42) Ranks #7 in the NBA in Assists Per 48 Minutes(9.9) Ranks #9 in the NBA in Steals Per 48 Minutes(2.73) I know these are just stats, but don't those rankings make you drool? Exactly what I want in a backup point.
Ward as a point guard is not going to be exciting. He doesn't bring fans to the arena, and he doesn't play flashy. However, coaches and point guards usually have a bond that is pretty important. Both those guys have been through the Knicks-Heat wars. Ward knows Van Gundy's coaching. I think he will be courted by the Spurs too, but I think he comes to Houston if the offers are similar. As well as Wilks is playing now, he is very young. A veteran in Ward can only help the team this season. I've got a feeling the Suns have some financial problems. The Diamondback part of the organization dumped Schilling for prospects, and it seems like this roster move for the Suns is purely to save money for the future. I look at their payroll over the last few years, and I think they may have been in the red for a long time.
I heard the same thing from the warrior announcers. I live in CA and am familiar with Bob Fitzgerald and he is usually right on the money so look for Ward to be a Rocket in the next week or so. Plus the Suns have thrown in the towel for this year. They don't want/need Ward, they want the number one pick and the cap room to make a run at Kobe.
I assume you watched the game tonight? JJ and MoT were the only consistent players for the team tonight. I do, however, agree that JJ is more suited to be a 6th man type, rather than a starter. But I seriously doubt we will be able to find a quality starting 3 without giving up too much in return..
I heard on ESPN that the Suns now have $20 million to spend next season ,i.e 20 million to offer Kobe.
Ward is the Perfect Backup PG Moving Moochie to New York was the tip-off that JVG was not happy with the 2nd unit unit Mooch. Ward since DAY 1 (draft day)has been shaped under the guidance of Riley/JVG. Ward will have no trouble whatsover fitting in over here. Moreover, he's a legit 3 point threat and high assist/low turnover man. Just what the doctor ordered for the Rox. If you take a step back and look what JVG is doing with the Rox... you'll see great parallels with the Rox of '03-'04 and the Knicks of old. Cato is a classic example of a player being "conditioned" physically and mentally for the JVG game. Thinning down, grabbing rebounds, the on court "enforcer." Ward has a lot of this kind of thinking built into him. He is as tough as nails and brings leadership too. This is where I think SF suffers from playing under JVG. SF isn't used to the whole, "floor general" mentality. Instead, SF is more like the kamikaze player who looks to do everything himself. There's a time and place for that kind of play too, but insofar as executing on scripted plays and better decision-making and lower turnovers, Ward is the best player to play in lieu of SF with the 2nd unit. I can even see Ward making his teammates like Cat even more productive players. Ward's decision-making is top notch. Credit his training at Florida State. If he wants to come here, CD ought to get him ASAP. theSAGE
looking at ward's stats i have apparently severely underrated him. he's nothing spectacular but definitely more solid than i had been envisioning. the shooting i like the most to spread the floor but 4.6 asts in 24 minutes with good shooting is quality. it's about time we could take steve and cuttino out of a game and have a competent person let them actually catch their breath before having to rush them back in as everything was falling apart.
The Spurs are actively looking for a backup point guard. I was thinking that if Ward is offered the backup point guard position by the Spurs, he might take it if he wants a ring. He won't be getting it with the Rockets. That's another barrier.
kevco125: "Plus the Suns have thrown in the towel for this year. They don't want/need Ward, they want the number one pick and the cap room to make a run at Kobe." Yes -- I think if the Rockets' inconsistency this year has left anyone doubting that they would make the playoffs, this pretty well seals it -- unless we take Denver and Utah for granted.... Considering we have lost to both teams, I would hope they won't..... We should be extremely upset with anything lower than the six seed.
Nothing personal, but are you sure that is what you heard? That amount is vastly different from the amount quoted from a newspaper article copied into the lengthy NBA Forum thread about the Marbury trade. The website I use has the Suns with ~$33m committed for 2004-05. That equates to ~$10m in cap space and that is after McDyess and Gugliotta are renounced. Secondly, if the Suns did have this much 04-05 cap space (like the Jazz do), they couldn't offer it to Kobe because a FA max contract for an 8 yr vet is ~ $13.3m.
I guess that's what I'm worried about. Would Ward rather play for: 1) a team with a more than legit shot at winning the championship and has a need for a backup point guard like yourself, or 2) a decent team that has no chance at the championship but has a former coach you know would put you to good use. If it were me, I'd likely go to the Spurs, unless someone was offering a multi-year deal.
Why would JVG like Ward over Wilks 1) he prefers vet's over rookies, notice how all the new additions are veteran players. 2) Ward has playoff experience, something the Rockets are in short supply of. 3) He'd come cheap, he's young enough to take the best $ offer and not worry about the ring just yet 4) Played for JVG before. He's a known quantity. This coach seems to like putting the players in set roles, he already knows what Ward can do, so he'd be easy to slot.
GATER: "The website I use has the Suns with ~$33m committed for 2004-05. That equates to ~$10m in cap space and that is after McDyess and Gugliotta are renounced." I think $10 mill is right. ESPN probably got the $20 mill figure by just adding up the expiring contracts, without considering that the Suns were over the cap. BTW I'm not sure Kobe would be such a good fit with the Suns. Wouldn't you rather have a good point guard next to Stoudemire and Marion? Of course, Barbarosa may be that point guard. He's quietly having an excellent rookie year.
Why Van Gundy might prefer Wilks over Ward 1) Van Gundy allows players to earn their minutes and prove what they can do.. Mark Jackson didn't replace Moochie on the roster. Moochie played himself out of a job. Wilks is not a rookie. 2) Charlie Ward hasn't been to the play-offs in a long time and when he was there he averaged Moochie type numbers but it took him 23+ mpg. 3) Charlie Ward is not young. Ward is 33 years old. His choices are limited and a multi-year deal doesn't make sense with the amount of player movement which the Charlotte expansion draft will generate. 4) Van Gundy is also familiar with Ward's focus on religion which could be a distraction to a young team learning to be focused or to someone of another culture (Yao).
