It looks like there will be a whole bunch of big men FAs next summer, when Kenny T. will be an RFA. Take a look: Tim Duncan J. O'Neal Kandi (most likely) Clark Nesterovich Coleman Kemp K. Malone E. Campbell P.J. Brown Add to this: J. Kidd, G. Payton, Stackhouse, Bonzi Wells (most likely), plus the whole bunch of Clipper RFAs (Odom, Maggette, Brand, A. Miller) and there is no way on Earth that there will be enough money for a team to offer Kenny something substantially more than his qualifying offer of $2.2M. What that means basically, is that the Rockets can have him on the cheap for this AND next year and only need to move him is a very compelling offer comes about.
K.T. deserves a bigger paycheck and more playing time. He's a Rocket I hope we can keep. However, Eddie and MoT have him boxed out of the paint here in Houston. I see Rudy and C.D. doing the same thing for him as they did for Matt Bullard -- sending him to a team that can utilize his talents, perhaps for a first round pick that we don't have so far in the 2003 draft.
I think that's an excellent point, Kayman. And I don't think Kenny is much like Matt Bullard. Just recently, at the Tito signing announcement, CD praised Kenny's defensive work. Sadly, we really don't know how MoT is going to hold up this year, and while Eddie is incredibly promising, there's the tiny risk (IMHO) that he's always going to prefer jacking 3's to mixing it up down low -- even after he fills out up top. Anyway, I think KT is really valuable in this situation, and the dude has improved every year.
Kenny's going to ask for a deal similar to Mo's. I'd rather have Mo. Kenny could easily be traded during this season if Mo comes back strong.
Please. If Matt Harpring and Popeye fricken Jones are getting FA love KT will at least be able to get some multiyear 4.5 mill exception money from a team where he could be assured minutes. 2.2 mill will not get it done unless KT really wants to play in Htown. Sides, the FA pool could diminish rapidly if the players re-sign with their own teams(as per usual).
I really like KT and I really hope he stay with the rox. I would really like him to stay with the rox for as long as possible. Ya heard dirty. Holla
Can't we just get rid of Cato instead? Maurice and Ming at center, Eddie and KT at the 4 position. I like KT and I am absolutely positive no one seriously likes Cato.
cato would make a good houston rockets mascot. other than that, id say we dump cato,glen rice, and kt right now for rashard lewis. yeah i like kenny thomas also. but the rockets need to make sacrifices. wouldnt this be a tight starting line up??? c: ming pf: taylor sf: lewis sg: mobley pg: francis.
i'd rather have cato than kt. errrrrr. that name! i hate that guiys so much. Once he is gone we will make the playoffs. If KT got a shot like malone then i would love the guy. But to be that small and al you can do is drive into the tall 4,5's then you will not help. If he had a jumper he would be awsome. But he doesn't and it has been 3 years and he still doesn't have one.
Sorry, a little off-topic, but I think Cato would make a lousy mascot. Maybe a sullen frowning mascot would be cool in a German, arty way, but I think the Rocks can do better. ... And they can hopefully pay less for a mascot.
After some careful thought, I think we should maybe hold on to Kenny, I mean, who could we trade him too and who would we get that contributes like me does? I would love to hear some thoughts on that, I mean Kenny is pretty good.
Yeah like he could do those flips in the air the way Turbo does. An Clutch is about 100 times better then Cato.
kt is our future 3, after rice gets old(er) and cant play significant minutes anymore. we will have boki and kt at sf.
We've seen KT bust his rear end, putting points on the board, playing good defense in power forward position, regardless of his height, but I think he blend in really with the ROCKS! Hopefully we can offer KT a descent contract next year and get rid of Morris, Mooch, Rice and especially Collier!!
We should be at least seeing what a team like Miami has to offer right now. Don't get me wrong, I like KT, too, and hope he stays, because if he plays with the same kind of attitude of the bench as he did starting all last year he will be one of the best 6th man in the league. But a team like Miami, which will probably have to use its starting PF at center all year long, and has few serviceable bigmen left with Mourning out, may be able to use KT, especially in the East. With Kenny, we are in a position in which we should explore possible trade options that may be beneficial to the team, but at the same time, be happy with what you have, try and fit everyone together, etc. (granted, that whole argument can be made for Mo, too, depending on who you like better).
Hopefully KT doesnt go anywhere, he held it down for us some nights when the other Rockets didnt bring it. Some people forget that.
1) I actually do think that Cato will make an excellent and necessary (if overpaid) backup to Ming...Remember, Ming will undoubtedly have several games where's he's in very quick foul trouble, and Cato's value will be evident...Additionally, I suspect that one immediate strategey opposing teams will take against Mign is to hammer away at him, and as such I think his minutes will be very carefully monitored..again requiring Cato..It wouldn't surprise me if Cato ended up averaging 25 minutes a game or more... 2) While I love Kenny's effort, his departure would be the obvious solution to our forward logjam... 1) MoT is virtually untradeable (at any value) until he shows he's over the injury and in shape, and even then he's considered overpaid by many. 2) Rice is untradeable. 3) Nachbar will need minutes, and trading him makes no sense. 4) Griffin will need even more minutes, and trading him makes even less sense. 5) Morris' departure wouldn't create any significant relief in the jam, and he also still provides what no one else on the team does, a guy who can play solid D at the 3... As such, Kenny, God Love Him, is the obvious guy to go...
