I think it is time that CD got an official thread where people could give him props for what he did this offseason and admit he just might be a better GM then they are. The two moves that he made this offseason, or didnt make, that had him completely roasted were trading Battier for Gay/Swift, and not caving in to the Mike James' trade kicker. People can whine all they want about not getting enough in the trade, but bottom line is no one would reverse that trade right now and take Gay/Swift instead of Battier. Swift is still Swift, and Gay is a younger version of Swift, while Battier is a huge reason for our defensive success and our 32-18 record. Someone needs to go back and photshop that picture of West clocking CD and switch their faces around. As for James, people screamed that CD held out over a stupid trade kicker and that we were letting the key to our championship walk away. James has underperformed all season, and as of yesterday, lost his starting spot for the foreseeable future on a sub .500 team. He has already complained about his role and that he isnt happy he chose Minn, and surely will become a cancer on that team. Like I said, he just might know what he is doing.
I've always thought CD to be a genius, a gentleman,and one helluva GM. It took me 24 hours to see the wisdom of the deal for Shane....CD had it pegged right all along. In the past I think he's been roasted on some picks that weren't entirely his doing. But when it comes to the art of the deal,wily ole CD is the master. It's going to be tough watching him go,but he bleeds Rockets Red and will always be around to some degree. That said it appears we'll be in good hands with Daryl Morey.
Gay WILL be better than Battier. We just don't have the time to wait for that to happen. Good trades for a team looking to contend within a 3-year window. Mike James thing I never thought was a big deal IF V-Span had turned out to be a good backup PG. But that can all be fixed by signing some old geezer who can give us 15 good minutes, and play with confidence and experience off the bench.
How many of you think the Battier/Gay/Swift trade was done because : 1) JVG wanted Battier instead of what was left on the draft board 2) CD wanted Battier 3) JVG wasn't going to play Gay (a rookie) anyway and the only guy that would probably get playing time was taken ahead of their pick ?
The better the team that Shane plays on the greater his value is.When every possession means something,this is a guy you want to go to war with.To me Battier is much more than a role player.He is a leader and subjogates his game for the ultimate goal...winning ballgames.Battier does many things well out there.It's not about individual accolades for him,it's about titles. Gay may or may not become a star,but it's not a foregone conclusion.
He had a good offseason this past year. He's a stand up, class act all the way. However, he drafts poorly and has given out some of the worst contracts in the NBA (until Isiah came around)
I think the wisdom of the battier deal was, at least for me, really humbling. I think most really avid sports fans have this idea that they could run their team as well or better than the people that are doing it. What CD saw in the battier trade that the majority of Houston fans (including myself) didn't see was 1. the win now importance for the rockets and 2. the importance of team defense and conistency in teh van gundy system. props to CD for convincing me to stay in school and keep my day job.
Can you predict the future? He MIGHT be better on the offensive side, but I doubt he will come close on the defensive side.
I really liked the Battier trade. Battier is all heart, fundamentals, hussle, teamwork, play hard 100% of the time, sometimes score big and defense. That's the exact opposite of Gay. Gay will probably become a very good player and average more points than Battier, but he won't be better in the other areas I mentioned. CD is one of my favorite GMs & I wish him well.
1. When Rox already has the Superstars to build around: CD is good at adding role players, but CD is ordinary at drafting players 2. When Rox does not have the Superstars to build around: CD is not good at drafting CD is not good at signing FA players because he does not know whom to building around. Most GMs are like this. The one unique thing about CD is that he is not afraid of trading for damaged Superstars: T-mac, Pippen, Barkeley. Overall, I think he is above average to good. At least he tries. Lots of GMs are just so conservative. The best GMs in the league are: 1. Detroit Piston's GM 2. Phoenix Sun's GM Colangelo 3. Jerry West (when he was in the Lakers) 4. Indiana Pacer's GM 5. Dallas Maverick's current GM Without the luxury of top picks for a superstar, all of them build superior team around drafting in the mid-round and sign very good FAs, and they are perennial playoff contenders, especially the top 4 GMs. 5. San Antonio Spurs, tanked for the Superstar, knows how to build around Duncan through draft and FA signing. 6. Pat Riley his team is always competitive unless really unlucky with Mourning, but he knows how to pick Wade and trade for Shaq. His FA signing is ordinary though. Therefore he always overspends.
I always thought the Battier trade screamed "Daryl Morey." I agree with #1, though. And yes, that does mean Van Gundy is a -- what's the nice word for "liar"? -- when he says Battier is better than Van Gundy thought he was. As for Gay vs. Battier, look, if an all-male dorm trades half its residents with an all-female dorm, everybody comes out ahead. And don't even get started with the puns.
for the most part i think CD is a below average GM. i'm sure no one forgot the draft where we passed up rashard lewis. trading away cassell and horry was probably one of the worst moves ever. it improved us for the immediate future but totally killed us in the long run. we got lucky with t-mac since orlando's GM was actually dumber than isiah. the list of the other top gm's seem about right. being a pretty GM requires to you trade as well as draft well, and for the most part houston has some of the most horrible picks ever, unless its a no brainer like yao.
