If Mo continues his game on the upward trend, would you let him go, for the chance at C-Webb? ------------------ TheMugg
First off Mo's had his ups and downs. He may have a rise in scoring and productivity but he in noway measures to Webber. If he has a continuous rise in productivity till the end of the year, it will really remind me of the Wizard last year. He had a great end of year run but now he's sub par. Mo needs to show what he's got cause he's putting it all on the line for the big bucks. What the Rockets see out of Mo will probably be the best he'll ever be able to put up because he has to progress. It's his duty financially. Mo can easily wait to see if the Rockets get Webber or not. I mean he knows the Rocket's system, what he can and can't do...and he can get the most money offered here. If he decides to leave and we don't get Webber, I'm still fine with that. That's a risk the Rockets were willing to take and should take. There can be another free agent the Rockets can pick up like an Antonio Davis.
no matter how well mo plays, I think if you have a chance to go after a player of Chris Webber caliber you take it. This year, Webber has been the MVP of the league behind Iverson. ------------------
i personally would burn my bridges by releasing Mo. Look what happened to Orlando this last year. They (and Grant Hill)thought that they would definitely Duncun, before he decided to stay with SA. I would be the happiest person in the world if the Rocks sign Webber next season. Btw: what is up with Webbers ankle? He has been out for 10 games now. Just pray its nothing serious ------------------
Webber was in some serious agony when Malone stepped on his ankle. But if it were very serious, I think the organization would have been forced to report the fact by now. As a recent magazine article mentioned, the Kings are learning to play well without him, which is good. 'Cause he won't be there next year. ------------------
Everybody really needs to listen up on this one. I say we keep Mo Taylor and not even try to get C Webb. The Rockets have one 8 of their last 10, and though Olajuwon finally decided to play at a level he should have been palying at the whole time, I don't think we could have done it without Mo Taylor. We can sign Mo Taylor to a long term contract and still have money to pay other good players that would fit the rockets system. If we sign CWebb, that's it for signing other good palyers for a while, and could quite possibly force Olajuwon out of Houston. More over Mo Taylor is the best fit to a Steve and Cuttino type game. Steve and Cuttino need to penetrate and dish the ball out to a shooter if the have nothing, and Mo Taylor is the perfect fit for that. If CWebb was here he would just be clogging up the inside, and then Steve and Cuttino would have to be like Kenny Smith and Vernon Maxwell and hoist up 3's all day. That's not the type of play that fits them. Besides Taylor is Younger than CWEBB and is continuing to get better. The big name players do not necessarily mean a championship. Does the names Barkley and Pippen come to mind? I loved those guys but they just did not fit the system. Remember the two rings we got with Horry and Cassell? They were not big name players, but they fit the system and are up in the Championship collumn 2-0 over the big name players. In conclusion, on paper CWebb is overwhelmingly the clear choice, but for anybody who knows the Houston Rockets style of basketball Mo Taylor is definitely the better choice. ------------------ David Ojobaro
We can sign Mo Taylor to a long term contract and still have money to pay other good players that would fit the rockets system.If we sign CWebb,that's it for signing other good palyers for a while, and could quite possibly force Olajuwon out of Houston. What salary are you suggesting that we sign Taylor for? How do you intend to sign Taylor and afford other free agents? Please explain how Olajowon's situation is any different if we sign Webber or Taylor? If CWebb was here he would just be clogging up the inside, and then Steve and Cuttino would have to be like Kenny Smith and Vernon Maxwell and hoist up 3's all day. Have you seen Chris Webber play? He sets up on the perimeter or the high post a lot. If you sign Taylor and still lose Olajuwon, then where are you going to get rebounding, shot blocking, interior defense and consistent post up scoring? Does the names Barkley and Pippen come to mind? Are you aware of the age of those two when they were acquired by the Rockets? Are you also aware of Chris Webber's age? In conclusion, on paper CWebb is overwhelmingly the clear choice, but for anybody who knows the Houston Rockets style of basketball Mo Taylor is definitely the better choice. Interesting statement, but I believe Rudy and CD are familiar with the Rockets style and they are going to make a run at Webber. ------------------
Webber or Bust ------------------ President of the Steve Francis, Jamal Crawford,Larry Hughes, and Charles Woodson fan club.
Hey aelliott, OK, I agree with a lot that you posted against my former opinions. I am just going with the the saying "if it ain't broke don't fix it." Mo Taylor is doing a awesome job and fits into the system well. After thinking about some more you are probably right. I am a little fuzzy on how the Rockets can sign or resign current players (Shandon Anderson) if we get CWEBB. I figure he will take up what is left under the salary cap. But buy signing Mo Taylor we know we have a good player that fits the current system very well and can get him for much cheaper allowing us to be able to sign others.
I like Mo but any time you get a chance at one of the 5 best players in the league you have to go after him. Webber scores just as well as Mo plus he brings better defense, rebounding, shot blocking and more size. Nothing compliments a better outside game than a good post up game. "If CWebb was here he would just be clogging up the inside, and then Steve and Cuttino would have to be like Kenny Smith and Vernon Maxwell and hoist up 3's all day.-RocketsAstros" Rockets already use the 3 pt shot as much if not more than any team in the NBA. The Rockets guards are just as likely to jack up a three as to take it to the hole. Besides with all the ISO's and clear out plays the Rockets run getting Webber out of the middle will not be a problem. One other note...C-Webb plays with his face to the basket as much as he does with his back to the basket. So don't worry about C-Webb fitting in. One last point. Nothing stops a fast break more than having your guards having to pick up the rebounding slack because your big men are not getting the job done. The Rockets have been getting more fast breaks lately because of Dreams rebounding the last few weeks. Why? Because Mobes, Anderson and Francis have been able to take off down the court more when the opposition shoots the ball because there is more confidence that Dream is there to get the board and make the outlet pass. Imagine how much better we would be at the brake with C-Webbs 11+ boards and trailing the break. ------------------
Maurice certainly doesn't deserve more than,lets say, a Cuttino Mobley. ------------------ [This message has been edited by ROCKETBOOSTER (edited March 03, 2001).]
I am just going with the the saying "if it ain't broke don't fix it. Sorry, but I'm not satisfied with a team that is fighting just to make it into the playoffs. We've got a long way to go before we can even consider standing pat. The Portlands and Philly's of the league are still trying to improve, why shouldn't the Rockets? Have you seen our record against Portland, SA, LA, Utah and Sacramento this year? If we stick with our current roster, then the best we can hope for next year is to make the playoffs and be out in one round. Mo Taylor is doing a awesome job and fits into the system well I'd have to disagree. We need rebounding, interior defense, consistent post up scoring and shot blocking. Taylor doesn't provide those things. Next year when Hakeem is gone, we'll have gaping holes in those areas if we stick with the current team. Having a number three scorer is a nice luxury, but not at the expense of all those other things. I am a little fuzzy on how the Rockets can sign or resign current players (Shandon Anderson) if we get CWEBB. It's really pretty simple. First, Anderson is only a free agent if he elects to opt out of the last year of his deal. If he doesn't then obviously he's still on the team. If he does opt out, we'll have the ability to sign Webber and then offer Shandon an early bird deal (same as Cuttino signed last year) and exceed the cap. If he accepts that then he's taken care of. If he wants more money than Mobley, then I don't think that he will be resigned anyway. But buy signing Mo Taylor we know we have a good player that fits the current system very well and can get him for much cheaper allowing us to be able to sign others. Back to my original question: How much are you suggesting that we pay Taylor? If you plan on paying Taylor $6M or $7M, then you're only going to have $3M to $4M left in cap space. That type of money is not going to get you much in the way of a player, let alone multiple players. Remember that about 22 to 25 teams in the league will be holding a $4.5M exception next season. Personally, the choice between Chris Webber and no cap space vs. Mo Taylor and $4M in cap space is a no brainer. ------------------ [This message has been edited by aelliott (edited March 04, 2001).] [This message has been edited by aelliott (edited March 04, 2001).]
Sure, we have won 8 out of the last 10 and thats great but look at the two games we lost...Portland and Dallas. Portland is a powerhouse in the west and Dallas is headed there and we did not beat either one. Many of you say that Mo can be that other player that turns our team into a great one, but I'm not sure yet. Right now, my choice would be to take a shot at Webber. When we start winning against the best teams more often instead of going 0-14 then I will be happy to where the Rockets are headed. Right now, we're beating the teams that we are supposed to beat, but can't take that step forward in beating the teams that we are underdogs to. So, I believe the saying "if it aint broke then don't fix it" does not apply here because our team is not good enough now to be broken and we've got plenty of ways in which we can upgrade our team. I've liked watching Mo play lately but I'm not convinced he is the solution to getting us into the playoffs every year, and Webber would do that. ------------------ "Steve is good. Steve is real good." -- Cleveland's rookie point guard Andre Miller on Rocket rookie point Steve Francis
