I caught a little of it. Anyone get it all? He said Brooks will continue to get minutes the rest of the season unless he starts to struggles or has really bad match ups. They sound pretty sold on him. Say goodbye to Steve?
I think Francis is done. I really expected him to be our third best player and give us something like 14/4/4 but that isn't going to happen. He still has flashes of the old athleticism but I think mentally he is spent. He has always worn his heart on his sleeve and I think the last few years have just drained him. James, on the other hand, looks to be in great shape and every bit as athletic as he was the first time he played here. Eventually, that jumper is going to start falling for him (assuming he is working on it) and he will be a spark for this team of the bench. Having said all that, I like Brooks and think he has earned more minutes.
Given the relative contract sizes, I suspect Steve is much easier to move than Mike. Neither are impossible to move... the real question is whether Les Alexander wants any part of what other teams would give back for each of them (most teams want to trade worse/longer contracts for shorter ones).
Who would've thought Steve Francis and Mike James would be riding the pine? Definitely not I. It's amazing how Steve has just completely fallen off the radar. And it's amazing that James has played like the dog poo that he has. I still think he's going to be a factor this year, but right now he just looks like he's playing like he's gotten his contract, and let himself get fat and happy.
Morey sounded a little demoralized at the beginning of the interview, but he was surprisingly forthcoming. When Mark asked about the current climate for trades in the league, Morey said this is the time when most teams have evaluated their rosters and are ready to make moves. He said teams that feel that they're falling out of contention for this season start calling teams that feel they need to make a move to get over the hump ("like us" Morey said). Furthermore he said things have been very busy and that bad teams are willing to sacrifice this year for future years. In closing, he said there is nothing close to being done for the Rockets (but that doesn't necessarily mean there isn't). To me, that sounds like some bad teams have been calling to try and get expiring contracts or picks from us in exchange for talented players whose longer contracts aren't necessarily in line with a particular team's plans moving forward. I believe there will be a trade. Nothing mind blowing, but likely a 5 or 6 on a 10 point scale. Something like a Francis/Snyder combo for an MLE level guy or something.
steve was doin good,seemed to be on his way to being better till the tailbone incident, i also think he plays scared tio get benched. i say play him,he can only do better. with tmac out he should see minutes. if not,let him retire a rocket
Good to know that's how Morey thinks. I have been wondering when certain teams will go into "tank mode" and start jettisoning their more established talents for youth, salary saving, and picks. I'm figuring that the team's primary assets would be Luther Head, Future picks, the short contracts of Snyder and Francis, Landry, and MAYBE Brooks. My prime candidates for a potential Rockets trade are: Clippers (Cassell? Tim Thomas?) Grizzlies (Mike Miller?) Bulls (Joe Smith?) Wolves (Antoine Walker, Marko Jaric?)
Makes sense. His shooting range is limited, though... and I'm not so sure if the Rockets, already having spacing issues, can afford to have someone without 3 pt range at the PG. I mean, if you have A.Miller, Bonzi, McGrady, Hayes (or Scola), and Yao on the court, that's gonna be one clogged up paint area. Why not? This guy can shoot the hell out of the ball and does other things-- rebounding, scoring off dribble, passing, etc. decently. I can imagine a lineup of Rafer(or AB), McGrady, Miller, Battier (who has played a good amount of 4 this year) and Yao really spreading the floor. Anyhow, maybe I'm just obsessed with bombing from the arc.
Man, I would love to have Mike Miller on this team. He's definitely a great 3 pt shooter, has good size, brings a ton of energy and knows how to play cohesively as a team. I agree on Andre Miller. A non 3 pt shooting PG would not work on this team as it is currently assembled.
You misunderstood me. When you said "prime candidates for potential Rockets trades" I took that to mean realistic trading pieces. This was supported by the fact that all the other players you named were in fact realistic trading pieces. Then I saw Mike Miller's name. There's pretty much no plausible way to get him and that's why I was dumbfounded. As for wanting him, of course we would.
Right now I'd say Aaron Brooks is the closest thing we have to an valuable asset, and I would not trade him. I think he was a legitimately solid pick by Morey and he will be running this offense soon enough. The Hayes/Battier combo is such a stalemate right now because without them we have no defensive prowess whatsoever, but their limitations on offense have been all too obvious in Adelman's system. I think Morey is caught between a rock and a hard place trying to figure out who can move and how it won't completely mess up what small semblance of quasi-chemistry we are holding onto.
