Do we still own the ability to deal Bob Sura's contract? That coupled with just 1 young stud or draft pick may bring in something solid. Assuming maybe Les sticks to paying a little luxury tax... Scola only plays well in losses. Mutombo is done next year. I still want Haslem.
LOL @ the pic.. by the way, all it takes for Brooks to "start messing up" is a Chauncey Billups or Baron Davis posting him up all day.. before we know it, little Brooky will become our biggest matchup problem... we need a REAL PG, by real, I don't mean a Rafer Alston.. I am talking about an over 6 foot 2 guard that can shoot, drive to the basket, and dish out assists.. James & Francis were supposed to be our guards, James is just flat out sucking and Steve hasn't gotten the opportunity to show us what he can do (the 2 games where he sucked were post-tailbone injury games, so we can't really consider them a fair representation of what the guy can still do)..
if i had to chose 1 pg to start a team with it'd be Chris Paul, and all he has on Brooks size wise is 15 pounds...they are the same height. 15 pounds matters, of course, but I think Brooks willa dd some weight and muscle. I wouldn't give up on Brooks so fast...
IMO the most valuable trade asset is Mike James. He has a sizeable enough contract to get someone decent back. He hasn't been that bad, it isn't a lack of effort on his part too, his shot just hasn't been falling. That's a Rocket-wide problem though. I think they'll keep Francis unless they get another PG in return Rockets would want a vet backup. I don't feel they consider James a PG. Also Francis is looking like he is done and another year on his contract is still another year especially as how teams baulked at taking on Jackie Butler's contract which is marginally less than Francis's. It'll also be interesting to see if there are any trades if the Anta guys avoid being traded.
I read on SI.com the other day that the Grizz were willing to trade Gasol for picks and money, but on the condition that teams take away some bad contracts off their books along with him. If thats the case, I can certainly see them trading Mike Miller away for the same thing. So the question becomes, how much are the Rockets willing to take back? What if they insist we take back Stro Swift along with Miller?
All james gives you is a jumper if its on. Plus he a worst finisher than rafer, going left and has to use his right hand to finish because he doesn't have a left.
Jason Kidd, Sean Williams, and 1st Rounder for Tmac and Rafer or Mike James. JKidd can hold the bigger two guards and AB can hold the other guard. Yao improves, Sean Williams puts Hayes were he belongs on inactive list. We transfer our 2 1st round picks and move up to get a high scoring 2 guard.
Yes, it speaks volumes - two franchises known to make horrible decisions regarding personnel. The Rockets are done with Steve Francis - the guy is dirt cheap and only has upside. Even though he's a shell of his former self - he still makes a contribution. He's clearly mentally not in game shape - that is, his confidence has been shattered. He hesitates when he shouldn't, passing up open looks - yeah, hes playing scared, like a man scared of going down further instead of being open to the possibilities. He'll be ok. He'll be a contributor. These things take time. Everyone wants instant results and solutions especially in sports. But folks, sometimes it does take some time for guys to learn a system, get comfortable in a role, and gain confidence in themselves. Like I said, there's not reason NOT to play Steve because at worst he'll be an insurance policy, and at best he'll find his groove and really make it tough to decide how minutes get split out between Rafer/Brooks/Francis. Even James will get time. Rick Adelman is definitely showing us that he doesn't write a player off easily. Look at Rafer and the confidence he's playing with. Hand it to Rick - he's a smart guy.
Actually I think you'll find that lately the Portland team is looking pretty sweet. No coincidence that it coincides with them trading Francis. That being said the Blazers never even looked at Francis, so I dont think saying they judged him is good. They never wanted him, they just wanted to get rid of Randolph
All you had to post was Francis has been a non-factor this season. Your post makes you sound dumb. One of the reasons for Portland's recent success in the last ten or so games can be linked to James Jones shooting at over 50% FG & 3P percentages. Prior to that run he was getting DNPs and they had 1 win in a 9 game stretch.
