please invest in a reading comprehension course. seriously, you're not very bright if you can't grasp the point behind my post.
I think some people here are just looking at the box score... Battier do a lot of things that do not show in the box score... He is the vital part of this franchise... He is the glue in this team... I think he is one of the most underrated guys in this league... I'm sure all 29 other teams would love to have him in their team... For those who want to trade Battier, take a hike
I would trade anyone if it improved the team, even Shane. The object here is to win a championship, if Shane can net you say...Wade...you do it. I would no longer do the Shane for Outlaw deal though.....I don't think that is enough. It would have to be something like Shane for Outlaw + Fernandez to be fair. DD
Wow, 11 pgs already. This issue has been discussed quite thoroughly before, but I'll just add what I wrote in one of the other Battier threads. First, nobody is above criticism. Look at all the Artest hate that was flowing throughout this message board even before game 7 was over. While you don't necessarily have to trade Battier, if his value is at an all-time high, you would be foolish not to see what we can get for him. The problem with Battier is that, in addition to his intangibles, he needs to produce a consistent and modest amount of tangible offensive production, due to the high mpg he plays, for this team to be successful. 1-6 for 3 pts in over 30 mins in the biggest game of your career is unacceptable. He might give you some 20 pt outbursts one or twice a season, but for the Rockets to excel he needs to consistently produce on the offensive end (like 10-12 ppg) due to the amount of time he's on the court. Apparently for some of you that's too much to ask. It doesn't look like he can do this. Battier gets complacent and content with standing in the corner when everybody is healthy, which creates a whole host of problems for the Rockets including his defender not exerting energy on defensive end, sitting in Yao's lap, roaming and creating havoc etc... So there are a few options: 1 - When T-Mac is traded for a play making wing, Battier becomes a 15-20 mpg player. 2 - Battier is traded. 3 - The Rockets continue with the status quo. I think the best option would be to reduce his mpg and make his role more situational and dependent upon the opposition. However, if you can move him for Prince, Marion, or Stephen Jackson, you do it in a heartbeat. There's no need to even think about it. For example, Jackson only makes 800k more than Battier and he's just as good of a defender, but he also gives you 20 ppg, 6.5 assists pg, and 5 rebs pg. It's all about winning the championship. You make whatever moves necessary to accomplish this goal. I still can't believe this is a guy who had more fta attempts in one season for the Grizzlies than his entire career as a Houston Rocket.
I guess people who are talking about battier's defensive prowess forgot about the first yr when jvg came we jumped from bottom to the top 5 instantly. Also, in the injury season, they were still top 5 defensively, just couldnt score. That being said, why would the team drop off when they were a top 5 defensive team when wesley and tracy had to guard the top wings? I've never seen a guy given so much credit for so little. Bruce Bowen is on the bench, so is posey. Battier should follow and his intangibles can be felt for 20 mins which is appropiate.
Battier must take vacations on odd games. Games 3, 5, and 7 had neither focus, hustle, or determination. I believe there was a heartbeat present but as we could plainly see, that isn't necessarily an indication of life. I'm not in favor of moving him under (almost) any circumstance and I do like the guy very much, but let's not forget this team laid some major goose eggs during this series.
A lot of people think I'm against Battier when I point out his limitations but I do realize his value to the team. What could he possibly yield in a trade is the real question like others have said. I feel that players like Outlaw or Pietrus/Matt Barnes could be obtained but not a Marvin Williams. The presence of Ron Artest has decreased the need to go for a more offensive minded role player. What we need is a replacement for McGrady. If we can use part of the MLE to re-sign Von Wafer or to go for Barnes in case Wafer leaves while retaining Ron and Shane,that's fine with me unless we can use the MLE to get Chris Anderson (unlikely) or go for Zaza (somewhat more likely). If we had a physically and mentally healthy/motivated McGrady,there would have been no need for Von Wafer or for a possible Von replacement like Barnes.
Stephen Jackson only makes 800k more than Battier. Jax gives you solid D, 20 ppg and 6.5 apg on offense along with 5 rbg. Not to mention his ability to make big shots in crunch time.
Totally agree. These guys that want to trade Battier must be watching the games with a big fat woman on their laps. Do they really have a good veiw on the games ?
Why are people confusing the need of a perimeter playmaker with a perimeter scorer. Kevin Durant is a perimeter scorer, Brandon Roy is a perimeter playmaker. To a lesser degree, Kevin Martin is a perimeter scorer and Stephen Jackson is a perimeter playmaker. We don't need any guy (like Wafer) who can shoot and get to the rim. We need a player who can create offense. Our team's offense goes south when the defense tighten up and we have no one who can make something happen. It doesn't matter if this playmaker is a PG, SG, or even a forward.
Saleem, I'm not sure what you mean. Is it because the deal would be lopsided, because it works money wise. However, I doubt Golden State would do it. They would probably want more in return for Jackson, but it wouldn't hurt to ask. http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=p2svzw
Please run some plays for Battier to score to keep his defender honest. Battier should get at 10 - 12 shots per night
S.Jackson's value is greater than Battier's IMO. Jackson is an underestimated leader as well. GS will want more than Shane for him.
