As always, I enjoy your posts DV, and since you've summarized the pro-trade crowd well, I'll respond to three of your points here: Point #1 - We may not need it, but it is a tradable asset that is lost. And who knows what that player might turn out to be. We also lost Drew obligation which Chicago probably wanted to get out from under. Although minor assets, I think that we should give a d@mn about them. They can now no longer be used as a throw-in chip in a subsequent trade. Point #2 - You mean, like Posey. I know, he wasn't quite the scorer JJ is, but that's about all JJ had over him. Best case, you're only renting JJ for a couple good years. Then you're starting over, and you've not given that PT to others who could've used it to develop. Not that we couldn't grab a decent SF again, but then you're having to develop new chemistry with the pickup. BTW, by then I anticipated Posey being a terrific role player for us (based on the progress he was making as he adjusted to our team), but that's water under the bridge and now it will be impossible to know... Point #3 - This has been an A offseason only if you operate under the premise that Les is presently not in the spending mode to be competitive with most of the other playoff-bound teams are, even if his team is on the verge of greatness as he professes. If he was willing to spend, my understanding is that if money was no object, we could have had Posey + some of these additional players regardless (i.e. Pike), am I wrong? Seriously, if I am incorrect, capologists, please chime in. Of course, if we pull off a trade to get us an asset which puts us in a position to actually contend for several years, then I join you in giving this offseason an A. It is much too early to judge this offseason given this fact. Given that Les has come through in the past (sometimes too generously), it would not be unexpected he would spend this trade exception (and venture into LT) for the right player, but there have been no big spending moves recently, so I can empathize with the skeptics as well. If nothing happens with the trade exception, or we just get another marginal Adrian Griffin-type player with that money just so we can avoid the LT and say we got something out of the deal, I give this offseason at best a "C-" in the personnel moves, and probably an "A" in the coaching changes, much as I hated to see Rudy leave. Why so low? Because to this point, although we have a better product on the floor, we still did not gain ground towards the ultimate long-term goal of winning a championship, and we may have lost ground towards that end by forfeiting a young Posey and other minor assets we had. The wildcard in this is that maybe certain core players gain additional focus in that they can see how easily they can be dispensed with now, and if that happens, I will have to revise my opinion upward some. I am cautiously optmistic. Maybe the logical explanation is that ever since the MoT/Mooch contract fiascoes, Les has been loath to spend as generously (and maybe Rudy was held accountable for this). With JVG onboard, maybe this changes soon and the money starts flowing again.
T-2, If the edit feature had worked I would have added more about the pick after I originally posted. Second, I'm glad you enjoy my posts as I'm a studying sports reporter at UT-Austin. Back to the trade, Its not that giving up a pick doesn't bother me, but in realism, we are way too young as it is. The pieces are in place, and Van Gundy has two young pups to really develop in Griffin and Nachbar. The team's two superstar talents, Francis and Yao, are also really young and need coaching. I know it sounds odd, but veterans matter. That's what Jim Jackson adds over James Posey. He's been in the league for 11 years. He was like Posey when he came in with the Mavs: Young, and Immature. It's why his reputation around the league is that of a cancer, and why he has bounced around the league for awhile. It's surely not his talent. Posey was athletic and hardworking, I'll admit that. But Jim Jackson's offensive game completely dwarfs that of Posey. Posey just looks awkward shooting a basketball. Jackson is worse defensively, no doubt, but his total package is better imho. Plus add in the fact Posey is just more youth to a team looking for guidance into the playoffs, and you can see why I feel Jackson is a better fit. You mentioned our small forward of the future is gone, well isn't that what Nachbar is supposed to be. It's Van Gundy's job to get his talent to come out on the floor, and if he(Nachbar) fails, we have a stopgap for the next 3 seasons. In those 3 years the Rockets can look to upgrade the spot or draft another small forward if its deemed necessary. After this offseason our big weakness, the frontcourt, looks a lot deeper and better. You have Yao/Cato/Amaechi at the 5 Taylor/Griffin/Cato at the 4 Jackson/Piatkowski/Griffin/Nachbar at the 3 Mobley/Piatkowski/Griffin at the 2 Francis/Norris/Piatkowski at PG You have a more healthy Mo Taylor, an extra shooter in Piatkowski, a legit player at SF for the whole year in Jackson, more depth at center, and if wilks makes the team, someone to push moochie for the backup pg slot. Sure we lost Posey, but Jackson is a better overall player right now, and a better fit for a team sorely lacking veteran leadership. Rice was our only veteran last year, unless you count Cato. Now, you have Jackson, Adrian Griffin, Piatkowski, Amaechi, and Cato. Plus you have a coach that will develop talent in his system and so you should see a much improved team concept. Also, on the Posey contract: If we signed him to what he got from Memphis, we would have been in Luxury Tax land before signing Piatkowski, Griffin, and Jackson. So we couldn't have gotten the best of both worlds. And if you choose Posey, the Rockets don't gain the veteran leadership the team sorely lacked last year. You also aren't nearly as tough, in both a physical and mental sense. Being so young in the past, guys like Francis and Mobley could do almost what they wanted, and if they didn't have the inner drive to get better, the team suffered. Now with Van Gundy and some veteran mentors, our youth should be exciting but yet seem smarter this year. Finally, I disagree about your point on this offseason puts us a step back in winning a championship. Jim Jackson is at least as good as Posey was, and a veteran to boot. Then you add vets like Amaechi, Piatkowski and Griffin and I'd say we are further along than we were last year. These veterans will help the younger players learn and get them a taste of the playoffs so in a couple years Francis and Yao can lead their group to the promised land. If you keep Posey while not signing these 3 vets, you don't have any net change than last year, other than Van Gundy. And while Jeff is a good coach who will rein in our youth to play his system effectively, what happens if some of the young guys take his teaching the wrong way and all we have as a vet is Rice or Amaechi? You'll get an inmates running the asylum kind of deal. Now, when youngsters like Boki and EG cry that Van Gundy is too tough on them, guess what? Jim Jackson can console them and tell them how it helps them based on experience. So can Piatkowski, Griffin and Amaechi. Last year only Rice could. Finally, while adding another great player is a nice thought, I really think the pieces the team needs for a championship are in place. They just need some tough love, guidance and nurturing. That's what hiring Jeff Van Gundy, and signing Jackson, Griffin and Piatkowski is meant to accomplish.
That's exactly how I see it. Cato would be a starter on most teams. Not a great starter, but starter nonetheless. Getting Amaechi means we now have a backup center to Yao Ming, and Cato's officially on the table. Signing Jim Jackson makes me think someone wouldn't pull a trigger on any trade unless we threw in Mobley. I wish we wouldn't have to, but honestly, Cato+Cuttino is VERY attractive, particularly to an eastern conference team with no center.
Picking up Amaechi makes Cato no less expendable than if we resigned Jason Collier - in fact less in my book.
DV, I can't help but feel we could have still grabbed a veteran or two as important backups/spot starters and still kept Posey. I think I disagree that JJ > Posey, btw. True, JJ is playoff-tested and Posey is not, but in the playoffs, if you're a superior athlete, you can always fall back on hustle, defense and athleticism, even if you're choking on the shots. Re: Boki, I think we have too many indications (his lack of PT, his summer league performances) that we'd better not count on him. You brought up a point which I didn't mention regarding the definite benefit of playoff experience that we'd get by insuring a playoff run through signing of more vets. However, I'd decided that since we were getting there anyway, and since we're probably going to lose in round 1 this year regardless, the guys like Francis, EG, and Yao cutting their teeth themselves wouldn't hurt us in the long run. I think they could adjust the following year. Besides, isn't it more fun to watch when you don't hire a mercenary to get the job done (a la Fakers), and have your team's players grow into greatness? Knowing that JJ & these other rent-a-vets just got here and will be gone before our championship runs makes it harder to be enthusiastic for their success. In my mind, that is one of the problems in baseball. Every MLB team switches 2/3 of their roster every year it seems like. Yep, we have a nice Austin contingent here on CC.net. I'm a transplanted Houstonian living in NW Austin, and can't see myself going back. If you do end up staying here, maybe you can help fix the Austin sports coverage.
JJ is definitely a good edition to the team, as much as I thought Posey fit in with this team, he was asking for too much and his shot was too inconsistent. JJ is an athletic freak who has a nice shot, with Pike/Cat/Steve shooting three's, it will be nice to have a guy that can consistenly hit 8-10 ft jumpers.
I'm from Katy and am a junior at UT, who lives on mopac at Spicewood Springs. I just got home from the thrilling K-State-UT game in fact. You want to know my feeling about Posey. I liked him at the price we traded for him since I felt Thomas was a poor fit with Yao. However, after watching the guy play, the dude is athletic but looks awkward on a basketball court. He can play good defense, but his shot is ugly. I don't know how he even had that good stretch at the end of the year. I was in favor of keeping him, but this team needs guidance more than it needs talent. Jackson is at least Posey's equal on a team built around Yao Ming, and teams won't sag on him like they could with Posey. Also, on the point about veteran leadership, just look at LA. When it was Shaq and Kobe, and very few vets, they didn't win. But along comes Rick Fox, Phil Jackson, Horace Grant, Brian Shaw, and Robert Horry. Guess what, they win 3 straight titles. I'm not saying Posey couldn't have grown with the team: he could have. However since our owner didn't want to go into LT land, which is understandable for a team that hasn't even made the playoffs yet, i'll take the shooting of Piatkowski, the all around game of Jim Jackson and the grit and toughness of Adrian Griffin for the same price. Plus, veterans are needed to make a championship team. James Posey is a talented young player, but once again, not a guy that can be there when guys pout about Van Gundy's style, or help them on the floor in crunch time. If you can find me multiple really young teams that have ever won a championship in the 3 major sports, I'd like to know who they are, because there aren't many. Also, James Posey is an average SF in this league and a role player. He wasn't a star before and he in all likelihood won't be one now in Memphis. Jim Jackson is at least better offensively, and Van Gundy will make sure his team plays solid defense, as that is his mantra. And while Jackson holds down the fort for a few years, CD and the brass decides if Boki is the long term solution or they draft another small forward or they sign or trade for one. And considering we got in my opinion an equal or better SF than Posey for 1/4 the cost, and added two more solid veterans to the mix in Piatkowski and Griffin, letting James go was worth it. If we had resigned Posey at the Memphis price, we would be close or in Luxury Tax land, meaning you don't get Piatkowski, Griffin or Jackson, and all 3 of them are better than one James Posey, and two minimum signings. Also had we kept Posey, assuming Les doesn't want to pay the LT, we are just as young as we were last year. Who knows if Van Gundy by himself is enough to make us a playoff team, but by adding 3 solid vets I sure feel more comfortable about our chances. And the bottom line is James Posey is a decent player in this league nothing less nothing more. He is a role player, a guy, like Piatkowski, like Jackson, like Griffin, who is replaceable. So to sign those 3 players, who obviously give us some veteran leadership for our young team, to very efficient deals, rather than overpay one role player in Posey who puts us no closer to the playoffs and our ultimate goal than before, is a coup for management. Now, its on Van Gundy and those 3 vets to help Yao, Steve, Cuttino, Eddie and others get that taste of playoff success and what it takes to win in this league. They also can show from experience how the little things matter, which young pups like Steve, Cuttino and Yao may not have been quite as aware of before. I hope that explains why I like the moves.
