Maybe Olajuwon just resents that his so-called fans were calling him washed-up for 2 and a half years and would like to play for a city that will be glad to have him? As for possible S&T windfalls, I'd certainly take Camby and Thomas without a second thought. I'll also be happy with a future first-rounder or Skinner or whoever. ------------------ RealGM Gafford Art Artisan Cakes
Mo has potential, but not on the Rockets, as long as Mobley and Francis are here... What? That's completely the opposite of the way I see it. Mo has more potential because of Steve and Cat, and is a better player because of them. They free him up for isolation opportunities. They take some of the weight off of his shoulders. They give him shots when he has good looks, and they don't force him to take bad shots. His playmaking ability and shooting makes him a perfect fit on this team. We need a big man who can create, handle the ball, shoot it, etc. Yes, we need a garbage type guy too, but in addition to Mo, not in place of. If you replace Mo Taylor with Kurt Thomas or another PF similar to him, the Rockets won't make the playoffs. ------------------ Draftsource.net-- the premier source for draft info. Profiles, rankings, mock drafts, and more! The Mo Taylor Fan Site
Hey kidrock. Why don't you just leave those damn <A HREF="http://www.thespark.com/content/093099/kid.html">goats</a> alone? ------------------ All hail Fadeaway's Cyberfish -- your 2000-2001 BobFinn* Fantasy Basketball League Champions!
Cat-I guess we have diff views on what the Rockets need... I feel that the Rockets would be better off sacraficing Mo's offensive skills for the sake of having Thomas' hustle and muscle... I feel he does a better job of not allowing his man to camp in the lane than Mo... Granted, the Rockets need a guy at PF who can score inside... But does Mo really score inside? To me, it seemed like most of his points came off of open 10-15 ft jumpers... Mo also tends to disappear after the 1st quarter... The fact that Stevie and Cat need the ball in their hands is why I feel that Mo won't be able to thrive in Houston... He would be able to thrive if the Rockets were a drive and dish team... Generally speaking, when Francis and Mobley drive, they are looking to score more than to pass... And when they do pass, it's usually to an open 3 pt shooter... I feel Mo would be best suited on a team that had a guards who distribute the ball, as opposed to being the #1 and #2 scoring options... I disagree that Francis and Mobley ALLOW Mo the chance to isolate... They don't really allow Olajuwon the opportunity to isolate, so I just don't see how Mo has the opportunities you speak of... I think Kurt Thomas is a poor man's Antonio Davis... ------------------ "Awesome baby!" Dick Vitale
What is this hype about Kurt Thomas. He had a great playoffs against the Raptors, but he hasn't shown any signs of being a regular starter other then a good 5 game series. In the regular season he averaged 10 points and 6 rebounds a game in a little over 27 minutes of action, and Mo Taylor averaged 13 points and 5.5 rebounds a game in 28 minutes of action. So in roughly the same amount of action, they put up roughly the same number rebounding wise, but Mo is a much better offensive player. While Kurt Thomas is a solid defender, he isn't a great defender. If that is the case, see ya Dream! Dream wants to be the focal point of the offense he can't. Dream has to take less money to keep the team intact, he won't. Dream's number have drastically dropped off the last 2 years, so how can he deny that? I think it's the case of satisfying his ego. ------------------ "Instruments are like women: After a while, you want to make love to another." - Nicolas Godin of the musical duo Air [This message has been edited by RocksMillenium (edited July 23, 2001).]
You don't lose the timing that Hakeem has with age, you just lose some jumping skills. Even with that, Hakeem is still the greatest shot blocker in NBA history, and is much more intimidating than Camby. ------------------ Protrolls.com! Keep the ???? alive! The ZRBucks!
I really think at the end of the day,the Rockets will sign Dream.If not,we have many interested takers in the East.He will dominate over there,with the lack of legitimate centers.He can still change games with his defense and when used correctly can dominate games.You just have to regulate his minutes.History has a funny way of repeating itself and with a Hall of Fame center of Dream's status and game,I would imagine he will surprise BIGTIME over the next few years...especially if he gets dealt to the East.Think about our record over there.Those teams have no answer at the five,therefore I believe his trade value is much higher than thought.Don't get me wrong,I want and believe him to be staying here,but if he gets dealt,I see us getting value in return.Now,the important thing is that we get talent, capspace,and need...possibly a three way deal leaning towards the former.As mentioned by another,my impression is that he is shopping around to see what the Rockets are going to match in the end...probably.... a two year deal around 12 mil...I love the man,but this is business and I understand whats going on.Either way WE will reap the benefits bigtime....Keep him please,but if not enjoy the windfall,whether it be through cap exceptions and a quality young player,or an established talent in a 3 way...They are just posturing right now and thats natural....It's gonna be O.K...In the long run Houston will have our ICON forever and the team will benefit either way....We will come out ahead!! Buck up!! and Kidrock....Dream still changes the game on the defensive side more than any other 5 ..blocks,guick hands,and however this funky zone is going to fit in,I'm sure he will love it on both ends.Even when he was having problems getting in shape and achieving consistency in his offensive game for awhile,the old defense was still there...He has it on both ends...Thats why these Eastern teams are slobbering over him... and one last thing...When comparing his contract up there, how much do you think he loses playing there versus here?TAXMAN!...He's staying unless someone bowls us over. Bottom line,if the Rockets want to sign him,I believe they can do so for a bargain..the ball is really in their court. ------------------ Everybody has a little bit of Watergate in em - Billy Graham [This message has been edited by hardwood (edited July 23, 2001).] [This message has been edited by hardwood (edited July 23, 2001).]
We should do all that we can to keep Dream as long as its within reason. If we happen to sneak in the playoffs next season we will be better off with his experience and craftyness around the basket than a younger player. If we do a S&T with lets say the Cavs it will definitely hurt us in the playoffs.(considering we get there) I was actually a little suprised we only offered him 4.1 mill. I think we could pay him 5-6 a year and noone would complain. What do ya'll think? And why some people want Kurt Thomas is beyond me when we already have a similar garbage type player at a better salary in Kenny Thomas. Also, I do believe Francis is looking to pass more. At the beginning of the season he was passing to much and people started to complain that he wasn't looking for his shot as much as he should. The only problem is that he needs more options, but we might have solved that in the draft and also with Langhi getting stonger and more confident with his shot in the league. I think the best thing we could do is not sign SA in the off season. That will give the younger players more PT which they sorely need. These young guys have alot of potential that they need to fulfill , but I know RT will be reluctant to let him go. Now if we could only get some of Langhi's hustle and motivation to rub off on Cato. Only in a perfect world ------------------
I would agree with trying to keep Hakeem, if the $$$'s are reasonable and MAX 2 years. But I am very concerned about chemistry, more now than ever (...he wants input into the gameplan?) Hakeem is not accepting age gracefully, and I fear he will b**** even more unless the ball goes through the pivot (er...when he's healthy). He still has skills which would be missed on the court, but maybe he no longer would be much of a loss to this team.
Where did Dream say that he wants more touches? Seems to me that he said that in the beggining of the season when Rudy wouldn't even play him in the fourth. Once Dream started getting the touches we went on that win streak. I can't imagine Dream wanting more touches than that. Even so when the ball entered Dreams hands and was kicked back out to the perimeter we were a much better team than when the ball was in "The Cats" hands for 23 3/4 seconds. Plus the thing that everyone forgets is that when Dream came back FOCASS'd our defense improved drastically. As far as the Broccli trade goes as much as I like the Chuckster it was a bad move by CD in aquiring him. Yes it helped us beat the Sonics but lets not forget the entire Rockets team was banged up that year. Elie had just came back from the broken wrist. Drexler had the bum knee due to the Chuckster Basically the Rockets lineup limped into the playoffs. At one time the linuep was Tim Breux, Sam Mack, Mark Bryant, Pete Chilcutt and I forget who. Also the Sonics went to the finals that year so who is to say that the Rockets would have beat them with Chuck. Also the next year when we got Chuck it was partly due to Matt Maloney's clutch trey's that we won. I just don't understand the Dream hating. ------------------ "We need to FOCASS".... Akeem Olajuwon
"I was actually a little suprised we only offered him 4.1 mill. I think we could pay him 5-6 a year and noone would complain. What do ya'll think?" -Amen. The frustrating thing is that Hakeem would probably sign for that amount IMO and we'd STILL have enough to sign Taylor and Moochie, while letting Shandon go. All parties would benefit if the Rockets just increased their lowball offer by about $2 MIL a year. ------------------ Get Cato out of there...
Scarface, Dream whined last year on multiple occasions, saying the ball should go through the 'big man'. Pops said above that it is one of his demands now. And about how well he played later in the season...did anyone see the same games I did earlier on? When he came back, he sucked. Maybe he played well later because he was finally recovered well enough, and then Rudy decided to play him more.
Dream complained about more touches and his role in the offense during the halfway point! In fact, when he didn't get his way he asked to be traded or waived. People need to realize, the Rockets can't let Dream be the focus of the offense. The Rockets going on a run at the end didn't have anything to do with increased minutes, it had to do with Dream finally being motived and trying! ------------------ "Instruments are like women: After a while, you want to make love to another." - Nicolas Godin of the musical duo Air
I do think the Rockets should offer more than $4.1 million, but I have no idea if that will harm the other FA signings. If it does then I would have to agree with the Rockets management. If it doesn't then they should add a bit more to it. I personally don't like a 2 year deal because there's a pretty good chance he may not be around for the second year. If he can still play at the end of next year give him another contract. If not, that money can be better spent on younger prospects at his position that will help the Rockets future. I think Hakeem fears this as well and wants to have a gauranteed contract so he will get paid regardless. There's a guy called a coach that should be the one (and only one) focused on points c and d. Hakeem is a player just like the other guys on the team. Players should have input but its not something that should hold up a contract. ------------------
I don't know what run some people are talking about. I specificly remember we had to win like 6 of the last 8 (or something like that) and we couldn't buy a game. The entire squad played out of sync and pretty selfish. I remeber saying to myself -what the hell are they doing out there? I hope they've learned from that because we could have been in the playoffs. ------------------
Marcus Camby 63 games, 33.8 minutes, 11.5 boards, 12.0 points Kurt Thomas 77 games, 27.6 minutes, 6.7 boards, 10.4 points Othella Harrington 44 games (Vanc, 30 in NY where he wasnt utilized well), 29 minutes, 6.6 boards, 10.9 points Keon Clark 81 games, 21 minutes, 5.3 boards, about 8 ppg Austin Croshere 81 games, 23 minutes, 4.8 boards, 10.1 points Al Harrington 78 games, 24.3 minutes, 4.9 boards, 7.5 points Raef LaFrentz 78 games, 31 minutes, 7.8 boards, 12.9 points It is awash, in my opinion, whether Hakeem returns or not next year. We will not be winning a championship with him on our team ever again (whether he stays or goes). If he goes, I wouldnt mind seeing any of the above players on our team. I would try for the one that fits in with the team style and has the best contract situation. As to the Camby/Thomas for Olaj/Taylor idea, we should definitely resign Mo Taylor. I, for example, would prefer a lineup of Keon Clark, Mo Taylor, Eddie Griffin, Cuttino Mobley, Francis ....if possible, over Camby, Kurt Thomas, Eddie Griffin, Cuttino, Francis ------------------ American business long ago gave up on demanding that prospective employees be honest and hardworking. It has even stopped hoping for employees who are educated enough that they can tell the difference between the men's room and the women's room without having little pictures on the doors.
In Fairness about Hakeem's complaining about touches- Hakeem said he would be happy to play the running game, and do what was best for the young team. He said he would sacrifice touches. Hakeem said all this! But he also said... That if there is a situation when the Rockets are playing a teams with weak, or no real center at all, that he is still capable of beating those guys, and so the Rockets should exploit the matchup. I think the dream has a point. Even if you disagree that Hakeem can still be productive against certain centers in the league, at least be fair and state both sides of what Hakeem said. Because while Hakeem did want the ball more, he also stated that he would try and fit into the offence anyway they wanted. ------------------
When Hakeem plays at least 30 minutes, including the fourth quarter, he is at least the fourth best center in the league, and I would argue the third best, because D-Rob is a soft git playing with Tim Duncan. Order of centers: Shaq Dikembe Hakeem D-Rob Ewing Divac Sabonis That's about it. ------------------ Protrolls.com! Keep the ???? alive! The ZRBucks!
