Hey guys, I'm not sure if this has been brought up before, but really, WHO CARES ABOUT CHARLIE WARD??? I've never respected him when he was on the Knicks, and if other teams are vying so hard for him, we shouldn't shell out serious cash to get him. My point is: How about Troy Hudson? He looked great last season on the T-wolves, and even though he currently has an ankle injury, he seems to be unused on the T-wolves' bench because of the arrival of Sam Cassell. Maybe we can get him for cheap? But what to trade? How about Adrian Griffin or Boki? They could use a SF/SG since Szczerbiak is out and Sprewell prefers to play SG.
Not sure if the source is reliable but my friend heard on the radio that New Jersey waived Robert Pack to sign Ward since he lives so close in the area. :shrugs:
Not a whole lot, I would assumed, since he is 33 in he has to have the speed of a 21, so I think he would settle for min. exception.
Ward a Net eh? Once again the Nets screw over the Rockets. First the Griffin deal(s) and now we possibly lose out on a solid backup PG in Ward.
Talk about your ugly game tonight vs Detroit. I absolute have come to dislike Stevie as a ballplayer. He is not a team player at all. I do not care about his sweet crossover or how quick to the basket he can be... he still throws up crap... does not involve his teammates... and he is a terrible defender. He looked like A. Levell trying to bring up the ball tonight. Put a bit of pressure on him and he takes it personally and forgets that he has 4 other guys out there. C. Ward... please come to Houston. Then, the Dave Conover solution to our current pickle. Ship out Stevie. I had mentioned this in an earlier post. Stevie and Mo Taylor to Atlanta for Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Theo Ratliff. You would have to believe that Atlanta would jump on this in a heartbeat. This would allow the Rox to be come a classic Houston/classic JVG inside out team with Shareef and Yao (Cato and Ratliff as defensive minded reserves) on the inside and our strong collection of spot up shooters on the outside. This trade would improve our team defense and at the same time give us some sort of team offense. Anyway... I doubt that Ward will sign with Houston. Most likely New Jersey.
I was reading December's SI today and there was an article about Tim Duncan called "The Quiet Man." According to the article, the reason why he hardly shows any emotions is because he's already a quiet guy and he's a psychology major. When he shows no emotions on the court, he's able to get into the mind of his opponents and psych them out.
Rockets set sights on ex-Knick Ward By JONATHAN FEIGEN Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- The Rockets began their pursuit of point guard Charlie Ward on Wednesday with general manager Carroll Dawson starting "preliminary talks" with Ward's agent, Craig McKenzie. Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy and assistant coach Patrick Ewing tried to call Ward, McKenzie said, though he thought they had not spoken before the Rockets faced the Pistons on Wednesday. "I think that's a big deal that those guys reached out to him," McKenzie said. "That made him feel good. It's going to be a tough decision for him" McKenzie said 12 teams have shown interest in Ward since he was waived by the Suns on Tuesday. The competition could be stiff. McKenzie mentioned only the Rockets, Spurs, Lakers, Nets and Knicks, who traded Ward to the Suns on Monday. "They have a lot of respect for Charlie," McKenzie said. "I've talked to Isiah (Thomas, the Knicks general manager) and he said he is trying to do some things." The Rockets can offer Ward their $1.5 million veterans exception, although that would trigger a significant luxury tax hit. Teams without salary cap exceptions -- including the Nets and Spurs, the other favorites to land Ward -- can only offer a pro-rated portion of the minimum. Teams under the salary cap or with mid-level exception money left could offer Ward significantly more. "He'll probably make a decision over the weekend," McKenzie said. League sources said if Thomas can trade point guard Frank Williams, he plans to make an offer to bring Ward back to New York. McKenzie said staying in the New York area is "a priority" for Ward. "He's stayed in one area for 10 years," McKenzie said. "He has a wife and two kids. They moved in a new home. It's a priority to stay. It also a priority to go to a situation he feels comfortable with the playing situation, the community, the surroundings, the guys he's playing with. "In Houston, Carroll has turned that team upside down. They are now winning and they have a chance to do something in the playoffs. Houston is right there." Van Gundy, who coached Ward in New York, praise on the guard on Wednesday. "Charlie has always been more respected by people inside basketball than people outside," Van Gundy said. "People outside tend to have a fantasy league mentality. Charlie Ward is more of a coach's fantasy." Ward, 33, was averaging a career-high 8.7 points and four assists this season. In 9 1/2 seasons, all in New York, he averaged 6.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists after picking the NBA over football or baseball. He won the 1993 Heisman Trophy as a quarterback at Florida State.
