Eh, you can never have too many good players. Too bad Les won't pay the luxury tax. But if nothing else, they're trade bait... and sign-and-trades are always more likely than someone departing for nothing. Besides, people seem to assume that Nachbar will be Peja 2 or utterly fail. Who the hell knows? His tape seems good, but then, so did Jerome Moiso's. We'll tell in time. But I'd rather have a talented SF who's good now as insurance that Nachbar will bust.
The Sonics are looking at a deal for Mr. Rashard Lewis for 6 years at 55 million. Sign him-make my day Wally Walker you idiot. Lewis wants more- what a joke!!!!
Come on people! Since when is a 21-22 yr old who averages 17 and 7 and who has been improving every year worth just the MCE? If he is willing to take that, you snatch him up. Then there are those who say it is because of chemistry. What freakin chemistry are you talking about? That good ole' 28 game winnin' chemistry. That good ole add a Chinese 7 and a half foot phenom and 2nd or 3rd best player on an Italian team kind of chemistry. WHAT CHEMISTRY ARE YOU REFERRING TO when you say Boki is better than Rashard for the team. We know what Rashard can do, not Boki. Rashard has played for the Sonics for 4 years and has not had a fight with Gary Payton - that is saying a lot - J/K. Don't get me wrong, I have high hopes for both of our 1st rd picks this year, but Lewis is a borderline All-Star. People who say that he cannot help or has hit his ceiling, do not know what the hell they are talking about. If he will take the MCE, you give it to him without blinking an eye. If you think he is not worth it, you are delusional and need to up your med dosage.
The problem with this is that you have to sell the Sonics on Lewis' sincerity in signing with Houston for mid-level money, while at the same time cajoling them into taking on Rice under the guise of " future salary cap room". Would the Soncis do it? From a business perspective, the Sonics came under new ownership (Starbucks) last season that put special emphasis on 'personalizing' the relationship between team and fan. How would the fans react if they let Lewis walk without any compensation? It certainly wouldn't be a good start for a team that, from what I remember, was inquiring about the possibility of a new arena being constructed that needed public approval. How sincere is Lewis in coming to Houston? I think he's been pining to return to Houston since draft night. There's signs that lend validity to this notion: 1. He's never built a house in Seattle, despite having been there the past 4 seasons. That's extremely telling. 2. The max demands: it's pretty safe to say we can presuppose he nor his agent ever really thought they'd get the max. Cynics assume that we're just leverage in negotiations; him convienently exploiting his ties to the city to make Seattle blink first in contract talks. I could just as easily say he's going from one extreme to the next as a ploy to force the Sonics into a sign and trade, thus garnering him a substantial pay raise while at the same time landing in his preferred destination. It's the ideal scenario from his perspective. Lewis superfluous? Brings nothing the current hodgepodge of small forwards on roster couldn't provide for much less money? I think most people want Nachbar to succeed more than they believe he'll succeed. He likely will though, since he's more akin to Shane Battier entering the league out of Duke than your typical, wide-eyed NBA rookie. Combine that with his natural likeability, personality and talent-wise, and it predisposes people to be in his corner; to degrade Lewis and take on an attitude of "We didn't need him then, we don't need him now." I see it more as a Turkoglu/Peja arrangement, where the main team is so good that the primary backups still get 18-20 minutes a game on a consistent basis. If a viable deal to acquire him exists which would rid them of Rice, the Rockets have to make it.
All Lewis has to do is say he is signing with Houston come hell ro high water and Seattle will scuttle for the best deal possible. Although, after the Shandon Anderson debacle, nobody will sign a one year contract with the Rockets in hope of showcasing themselves with Ball Hog #1 and #2 on the team.
Not true MemphisX. Shandon got exactly what was promised him - a fat contract. The way the Rockets treated him is exactly why free agents will come here. Even though he did not show the promise that we had hoped, he got his. RT's and CD's word is golden.
You know, having to have this conversation at ALL really annoys the heck out of me. If only Rudy and CD had not temporarily lost their sanity on draft lo thos many nights ago, we are not talking about this now. How many of you were like me, sitting there stunned, watching the draft roll as the Rockets passed on the local phenom not one, not twice, but THREE TIMES??!! I didn't really even care if he was going to be all that good or not, I was just really into the idea of taking another local hero and crossing our fingers (remember a guy named Akeem?) that he would turn out to be decent. I knew that it would mean increased local interest, therefore, increased ticket sales, etc etc, at least for a while.. and if he turned out to be a dud, then no one was going to be upset, especially because we had 3 first rd picks.. and then, Mirsad Turkcan??? Who the heck??? What the HELL were they thinking? And then the guy never plays a SECOND for us?? Ok, so they got something for his rights, bla bla bla.. but still.. To this day I have never yet heard a reasonable explanation as to why they passed on Lewis.. By all accounts, the Rockets even told him they would take him.. does anyone know what really happened? Did Les step in and make the decision? Was there some injury rumor, or character issue? What? And I don't CARE that 'all the other teams passed on him too' argument. Lewis only had ONE hometown, and only ONE hometown team passed on him, US, and so it's an especially aggravating mistake, unlike all the other teams who didn't take him. Dang it I am STILL mad about this!!
The Sonics #1 priority this offseason is to sign Lewis, which means they don't mind paying him a lot of money. If Lewis wants to sign here, he better know we can't afford the max. Don't forget what the NBA is all about, "Show me the Money"
1. He was 4th on the depth chart. If any of the other players would have been chosen, Rashard would have been next. 2. He was a high schooler who needed time to adjust to the NBA. The Rockets, at the time, were a playoff team who needed help immediately not 2 or 3 years down the road. They did not have the time or the space to bring along a project. Yeah , Rashard was a project. He has turned out to be a good player but you act like everyone knew he would do this well. Oh the possibility was there but how could you know since all he had ever played was high school ball on a team who was not the best in the state? There, you got 2 good reasonable explainations for what happened. Now take off your "hindsight is 20/20" glasses and... get over it! let it go! be at peace!
You also have to fear Rudy's and CD's tendency to sign players for MCE with a wink-wink deal in the future...a la Mo Taylor (who I happen to think is still a bargain despite Griffin behind him) or Shandon Andersen (ugh). Rashard at the max will screw up the future of Ming, Steve, and Griffin's contracts. Remember you can't have a stud at every position.
One of our insiders did mention something a while back. On a thread asking what number Ming should wear, I believe it was Doc Rocket who said it wouldn't be #7, so maybe there is something going on
I agree with Haven..you can never have enough good players. I think people look at the Blazers and think that is what happens when you have too many guys that are good enough to start. If Lewis would take the MCE to play for us, we shouldnt hesitate to sign him. We can worry about what to do with him next year.
No, I specifically said I neither knew nor CARED if he was going to be good, we just almost universally wanted one of the 3 choices to be spent on the local kid, regardless of how he turned out. Nothing at all to do with hindsight. And I have heard the 'depth chart' thing before, but since the guy who must have been 3rd (Turkcan) never even played a lick for us, then that just makes it even worse. Anyway, that being said, put me down now as one who hopes they don't get him. It seems like now, for the first time in a long time, the Rox have both a team with a bright future, and a legit plan as to how to make sure that we can keep this team together if it does in fact manage to become a contender. I think tossing a guy into the mix with only comparable talent to what we already have, but who yet will think he deserves to be paid more than the others, may possibly improve the team in the short run, but would definitely disrupt the long-term plans this franchise seems to have established. Unless we can move some serious bodies out of here (Cato, Rice, KT, Morris) at the same time they acquire Lewis, then the deal would not be good for the franchise. (By the way, was that Manute Bol who posed for all those Iron Maiden album covers?)
Seattle won't participate in a Sign & Trade with Lewis, so unless Lewis wants to come home for less $$$$, that is the only way he is getting here.
Dennis2112 explains the Rockets' draft-night F***-up 4 years ago very well. The painful thing, to me, is that (hindsight being perfect) we drafted Bryce Drew (based on his Valpo heroic NCAA shot) and Mirsad Doogie Hawser Turkcan. That same year, we did get Cat in a steal. That's something. I'd love to have Rashard Lewis here. Yao + Lewis = butts in the Compaq Center seats. And yet I won't get my hopes up. Nashvegas, That was a good catch. I don't remember that about "Ming not wearing the #7."
And I don't CARE that 'all the other teams passed on him too' argument. Lewis only had ONE hometown, and only ONE hometown team passed on him, US, and so it's an especially aggravating mistake, unlike all the other teams who didn't take him. Dang it I am STILL mad about this!! If we had gotten Lewis, who knows if we are ever in position to get Francis or Griffin or Ming. Every franchise takes risks, makes bad moves, and misses out on some prospects. That's just life.
