m-cable, of course I know how it works and that we are a longshot to have even a top 3 pick. I was pointing out that no trade would be considered before the lottery was held, therefore; we will know then what we have to trade. It is not a foregone conclusion that we will have a poor first round pick.
Response to Master Ice You are right - Charles BArkley was t=one of the best power forwards in history. When he played for Philadelphia I was one of his biggest fans. I still think he was misunderstood at that time and under rated. A gifted player. I was very proud for him that he got traded to the Suns for Horncek and change-a new begining for him and s shrewd dealk by Jerry Colangelo. He was MVP on the Suns in 1993 and went to the finals. His choking made it possible for the Rockets to beat the Suns after having us down and playing us in Pho.-their home court. Recall "butt kicking" time. That was history. I agree he was one of the best. We gave up too much to get him in my opinion. Cassell has been traded many times- but that speaks to his trade value. He is highly regarded throughout the NBA. He is a proven winner. Robert Horry has 2 rings from the Rockets, three from LA, and one from the Spurs. More than being at the right place at the right time. Charles BArkley declined rapidly after being traded to the Rockets. Hakeem and Glide did less of the hard partying than Mr. Barkley. They weere in better game shape. It cannot be debated that BArkley came to camp in '97 --35# over weight. He clashed with Clyde almost immediately. He created chemistry problems. He was a good rebounder. He would showboat and back the ball into the basket and slow the game down to a crawl. We gave up too much to get an overweight declining player. I argue that he is entertainment only at TNT. He is a clown-not an analyst. He gets a free pass when he talks like he has not even really watched a game. Charles BArkley may as well wear a clown costume and mask. He is no analyst- he is a buffoon.
Looking at big trades: Jerry Colangelo acquired Barkley from Philadelphia for a cheap price-Hornaceck and change. Barkley was at the peak of his career in '92 and '93. Colangelo got a lot of value for Barkley-getting Robert Horry and Sam Cassell. Recall that the Suns effectively shopped Barkley without the Rockets getting the disaffected player discount.
If you are going to trade McGrady, you have to get back super-star type players in return. My proposal: T-Mac + Swift for Rashard Lewis + Ray Allen
We’re dealing with a different NBA now than we did +5 years ago. One where balance is stressed more, great role players are much more important to success, and the necessity of 2 or more superstars is much less. The top 4 teams in the league (SA, Dallas, Phoenix, Detroit) all have only one clear cut superstar, a great cast of role players, and balance in their lineup. So you can’t really compare trades that were made several years ago to trades that were made not long ago. I’m not at the point yet where I’m ready for the Rockets to trade Mcgrady. I would wait to see if there were any other possible ways to significantly increase the level of talent of the supporting cast. But if trading him became an option, I don’t think the old adage of “the team with the best player wins the trade” is necessarily true anymore. Not if it helps fetch Yao a supporting cast that is somewhat comparable to Dirk's or Duncan's.
IMO, just the opposite is the tue case. With today's salary cap a team can not afford two max players unless they already have an excellent supporting cast they acquired prior to awarding the second max contract. We will be right back where we are right now, 2 superstars and a cloud of dust. L.A. faced that same problems a couple of years ago when Shaq and Kobe made so much of the money that the Lakers were not able to procur the right role players after awhile.
