howard is solid man... if not as a starter a 30 minutes a game type of guy. i think he might experience a rejuvenation when he finally, finally gets on a winning team. he's so maligned for that huge contract, which I mean, is no fault of his (it's not like he decided to pay himself that much money), but he's a solid pro. damn... there's a long time between now and 8/26
Francis is probably the best player of the three (Francis, Marion, Joe Johnson), but getting both Marion and Johnson would be hard to pass up.
We are not just going to give up Francis.. most likely we will have to give orlando either Cato, MoT, or Mobley along with Francis
Unless they trade Yao there is no such thing as giving too much for Tmac. When you have a talent like tmac combined with a solid low post player that demands a double team you dont need Mobley Taylor or Cato. Look at the scrubs that they surrounded kobe and shaq with. Granted Yao and Tmac isnt Kobe and Shaq, but Its a good bet Yao will live up to his potential and the talent will be close. Francis and Yao will never get us a ring.
Francis and Mobley is too much for T-Mac? Hardly! I would give them up in a heartbeat for T-Mac. I would give up Francis, Mobley and Cato in fact. It is rare, nearly impossible to have the chance to acquire a top 5 NBA player such as T-Mac. You move heaven and earth to do it if given the chance. You can always replace role players later. You can almost never get a superstar player. The choice is obvious!
I'd give up our whole roster minus Yao of course to T-Mac. He's one of the leagues best players alraedy and hes just entering his prime. His history of injuries scares me but you got to take a risk. If T-Mac really does want to play here I'd expect CD and Co. to get it done.
But Deuce, if McGrady is demanding a trade, why in the world do you want to give away both Steve and Cat? Its not like TMac just signed a brand new contract and we just want him. Then we would have to offer everyone, yes. But not if he is not happy there and has already given a list of 4 teams he wants to go to. Otherwise, he will just walk for nothing next year. Steve + filler should get it done. The only way we give up Cat also IMO would be if the Suns give up Marion, JJ, and this year's first round draft pick, which I dont think they will anyways.....so again, Francis + filler should get it done.......
TMac didn't not officially demand a trade. He only voiced that he'd want out if the Magic don't get some talents for the team to win. The thing is if they get the top pick in the draft, he might choose to stay.
As good as T-Mac is, I don't see how we improve by giving away Francis and Mobley and fill in the rest with CBA scrubs, at least not next year. Now, if we replace Mobley with Brent Barry and add an Okur or something similar somehow, then we're talking a different story.
It's not about just "improving next year" but improving for the LONG HAUL. Over the long haul as long as we have T-mac and Yao we will always be able to get solid role players.
It's not about improving next year. We're not trying to win a title. It's about laying down the foundation for a team with two 25 year old's with MVP potential. The roster can be filled in over the years with draft picks and the MLE.
here is a new article about tmac: mentions rockets http://www.nypost.com/sports/17088.htm Its from the favorite author of the bbs.
Mcgrady by himself averaged almost as many points as Steve and Cuttino averaged combined last season. A team with two players (Yao and Mcgrady) that DEMAND double teams when their on the floor can make CBA scrubs look like very good role players. Even if the Rockets trade Francis, Mobley, and Cato for Mcgrady, they still have a team built very similarly to the Lakers. 2 Superstars: Shaq/Kobe and Yao/Mcgrady 2 Very good role players: Malone/Payton and Taylor/JJ The rest of the roster can be filled with FA signings.
more tmac: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2004/columns/story?columnist=stein_marc&id=1807865 Both sources claim rockets are making a hard push at getting him.
