For all the people asking to trade Yao, they won't see that happening anytime soon. Yao has been just 1+ year with the team and has a lot of potential. On the other hand, we have a couple of guards that have been with the team with 4+ years and have not been able to demonstrate they can get this team to the playoffs.
No question Rasheed playing out of position at the 3 and being in limbo on the Blazers team has GREATLY effected his statistics this year. Wallace CAN play some 3, but is clearly a 4. I think Wallace would be a great fit talentwise on the Rockets. He would be the 3rd star this team is looking for. He is a complete PF. He has the post up game, he has the outside 3pt shot, he has the defense (lateral quickness and shot blocking. And I think under JVG he would be very motivated to play well. As said above JVG really loves the guy. I think they would click. Wallace would work really well with Yao in providing solid spacing on the floor, no one would double off of him. And if we had Taylor off of the bench that means we would have 3 guys (Yao, Wallace and Taylor) that would be able to post up at all times. We wouldn't have an offensive liability in the post at any time. I also like Wallace's defensive ability to be able to cover the mobile PFs in the league such as Dirk, Duncan, Garnett, Radmonovich, Cliff Robinson etc. We had that problem last night with Walter McCarty against Cato. You haven't heard a PEEP from Bonzi since he joined the Grizzlies earlier this season. I think the culture in Portland is bad. They are all a bunch of "enablers". They cause problems for one another. Take someone away from that bunch and I think many of the problems disappear. The Rockets team is pretty close. If they get Wallace they will accept him and there shouldnt be any problem. Wallace would add a lot for this team.
Duece just persuaded me. I want Rasheed to be a Houston Rocket. The guy is having a bad year compared to his other years but he'd still be this teams best offensive post player, and possible best player. Anytime we talk about a guy having a bad year when he is scoring 17pts a game then we're talking about possibly getting a damn good player. Oh, and if the Rockets do land Rasheed, I hope they try to get Mcinnis included in the deal. That dude is having a real good year.
GATER,are you saying then that Charlotte CAN pick a team's restricted free agent? And is there a link to the "rules" for the expansion draft? Thanks.
First, no player is eligible for the expansion w/o a 2004-05 contract. Boki has one, Padgett and Wilks do not. Therefore, Padgett and Wilks are excluded from the expansion draft. Further, teams can only protect a max of 8 players and every team must leave at least one player available. For teams that have 11 or 12 players under contract, they may have to leave some restricted FA's unprotected. Charlotte can pick them but they don't have to or may choose not to sign them. An example of this is the Clippers who have 9 players contracted for 2004-05 plus Keyon Dooling and Quentin Richardson as QO RFA's. Should the Clippers leave Dooling unprotected and the Bobcats pick him but don't sign him, the Clipps lose the restricted FA status and Dooling becomes unrestricted. Teams without 8 contracts will also be faced with a decision of whom to leave unprotected. If they leave a high-priced FA unprotected and Charlotte picks the player, that player also becomes unrestricted. IMO, there will be a lot of player movement this summer. Some of the info is dated but it's mostly right: http://www.thestate.com/mld/charlotte/sports/basketball/nba/charlotte_bobcats/6143689.htm
I think he needs a change. Maybe if he comes here he will change for the better? I think it is worth a try. He would give us another big man. He could help Yao down low. Yao and Wallace would be tough for teams to handle....real tough!
But who do we sacrifice in order to bring in Rasheed? Maurice is playing well but still has a really, really gross contract and plays basically the same position that Rasheed should be playing (just not as well). Cato would be prime trade bait but he's our only center who doesn't play like a Power Dancer. Cat? Plays OK, better D than before, has adapted better than Steve to the coaching change; but I'd trade him....if he weren't insurance for Rasheed's re-signing. Steve? I'd trade him in a heartbeat, say, along with Mo, if I knew we would get back not only Rasheed but, say, McInnis and a small forward who didn't reek (Darius Miles can play D and can be had; he can't shoot, but hey...)
According to the article, Portland would trade Sheed for some values between: 1) Low end: Kurt Thomas, Mutombo, Anderson 2) Hi end: Antonio McDyess, a pair of first rounders, Maciej Lampe, the rights to Milos Vujanic, $3 million to pay off Charlie Ward's contract. If Houston wants him, it will cost! From the look of it, anyone or 2 players beside Yao and Steve are not enough. The Trade exception we have is not that enticing either. At worst, Portland can let Sheed walk and sign FA themselves. Their payroll will be just $36 mil next yr.
The trade values are higher now, because Portland would have to take back several large contracts due to the size of Rasheed's current deal. The trade value will be less next summer in a sign and trade, because Rasheed could walk for free, and because Portland won't have to take as much back in contracts, given his next contract will certainly be less than this one (especially if we send the trade exception, which may put us in the driver's seat, compared to other teams). Remember that Chicago traded us Pippen for Roy Rogers, in a sign and trade (which contract Portland graciously later took off our hands). If we really want this fool, we should wait until next summer. Unless Portland wants to take Spoon and MoT, he he.
Rasheed wants to come here. from www.realgm.com NY Post- * Despite Orlando's mini-resurgence after getting ransacked 19 straight, GM John Gabriel, who helped Pat Williams get the franchise off the ground 15 years ago, may be joining Doc Rivers in exile. An embedded security risk reveals COO John Weisbrod is quietly searching for a replacement in perfect synchronization with Gabriel dealing and continuing to wheel. According to numerous suitors, Tracy McGrady is the only untouchable member of the Magic. For the time being, anyway. Should McGrady decide not to sign an extension after the season, owner Rich DeVos almost certainly would be compelled to entertain trade offers. You can't do worse than overseeing Shaq's Laker free-agent getaway without compensation, but allowing McGrady to split in the summer of '05 would finish a strong second. * Although a tad tainted by his criminal conduct and ridiculous rhetoric, bidding for Rasheed Weed's services has sharply escalated within the last week. Resolved to rid themselves of the rising free agent, the Blazers gave permission to agent Bill Strickland to elicit trade propositions from teams his client would consider re-signing with come summer. So far, all three Texas teams and the Hawks - maybe even the Pistons - are involved in the auction. Rasheed's preference is the Rockets, I'm informed; the obvious appeal being Yao Ming and Steve Francis, which is why they refuse to include either one in trade talk. Meaning, Houston may have to wait until the offseason to pursue Rasheed. Unlike the Mavericks, underlines a Strickland trustee, who might be inclined to give up Antawn Jamison and Eduardo Najera (but would rather include Tariq Abdul-Wahad), depending on the health of the Lakers' feared foursome and Mark Cuban's mood following a two-game skid. Long before the Spurs' manufactured their 12-game victory march, they offered Rasho Nesterovic, Malik Rose and Ron Mercer for Rasheed, the same source maintains. As for the Hawks, they're eager to move Theo Ratliff and Alan Henderson for Rasheed. The Blazers, I'm told, countered with a request for Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Stephen Jackson. Though an Atlanta official denies it, I hear the Hawks are head-hunting for a special someone to succeed coach Terry Stotts. Orlando's awful start should come as no surprise, reports column-conscience John Milich. "Shawn Kemp was a father figure to many of the guys."
Nothing would sicken me more than Rasheed Wallace being a rocket. No thanks Sheed peddle your racist wares elsewhere.
Think of the scoring, the rebounding, the SCORING!!! Am I crazy for wanting to pursue the best player on the market who happens to play our weakest position?
I hate to think I would welcome the thug on the team, but he would provide some offense and some guts. We still wouldn't have a floor leader for the team, though.
I have a feeling the Blazers may try to include Patterson or Derek Anderson in a S&T deal with Rasheed in the summer. The TE could be more useful then since many teams may not have enough quality players they'd be willing to move to do such a deal. I could see JVG willing to take on Patterson (defense) and Anderson. It looks like Portland really want contracts that end in 2005 (like SAR and S. Jackson) when Stoudamire, D. Davis, and McInnis all come off the books. Unfortunately, all we have is A. Griffin.
