With the additions of Vspan, Snyder, and hopefully JLIII.... i'm starting - just starting - to come around on this offseason. at least the feeling of "complete disaster" has started to wain a little bit. we still need a PF, and i still think we got jobbed on battier deal, but i'm starting to come around.
I guess treading water is better than going under. I'm thrilled to get Battier, hate giving up Gay and adding iffy backup PG's is really a non-story. I guess we aren't going to get any size/defense at the 2 to shut down the oppositions rain of 3 pointers, I guess we aren't going to get a 4 that will blockout and rebound Everything depends on Yao and Tracy.
I dont want to grade it from f to a but I do say its been good if not great offseason and the reason I say this is because with a healthy Yao and T-Mac the Rockets only needed a few more pieaces to be contenders and I felt like those piaces needed to be young players with energy and fight in them, Yao and T-Mac dont need a bunch of stars just guys that can make open shots, hustle, play hard everynight and this team can be good if not great. Battier was perfect for this team and I have a crazy feeling that Snyder will turn out being a huge addition at the end. Kill Bill reminds of sura a little, strong, not too fast but smart and will to go to the basket. I say there are more players to come and we did start out with little money and alot og wholes to fill but I think things have played well so far.
well, since my thread posting abilities have been disabled.. here it is. what we could've had at PF http://youtube.com/watch?v=yCso8qP_Mm4&search=rudy gay
I give them an A+ !!! They are trying to win now, strike while the iron is hot...the Battier deal was a GREAT deal and the others are really remaking the roster in a hurry. We have gotten to be a younger, more athletic, and better shooting team, and much more flexible as well. I am not worried about Yao and Tmac's injuries.....they will be fine, look at their histories, both of them played 75+ games on average......excluding last year. I don't think you build a team around the possibility that someone gets injured, you build a team that you assume will stay healthy and if they do, you are off and running. I think the Rockets are maybe one PF addition away from competing for a title THIS YEAR BABY !!!! As it is they are capable of a WC finals, if not slipping into the finals with the current roster. I am PYSCHED !! DD
In a way, the Rockets' front office has unintentionally accomplished two divergent goals this offseason: (1) get players to help them win now; and (2) get younger. By making the Battier trade, the front office was clearly more interested in winning games over the next 3 years than possibly having another star further down the road. (By the way, for the last time, the Rockets didn't trade Rudy Gay. They traded the 8th pick. The Rockets were not interested in Gay and--had they not made the trade with Memphis--would have likely either taken Ronnie Brewer or traded down for Brewer, Thabo Sefolosha or Rodney Carney.) However, by botching the Mike James deal, the Rockets were left with few alternatives but to trade for Kirk Snyder (an EXCELLENT move that filled the need for a taller, athletic SG the Rockets had been missing since Shandon Anderson was traded) and to bring over Vassilis Spanoulis and to begin his NBA development. Along with JLIII's spectacular summer league play, the Rockets have, perhaps unintentionally, infused the team with young players would could actually play meaningful minutes for this team. Players with 2 years of NBA experience or less: Kirk Snyder Luther Head Chuck Hayes John Lucus III Vassilis Spanoulis Steve Novak Combine that with the fact that McGrady just turned 27 and Yao is 25, and all of a sudden, the Rockets are a relatively young team. Heck, even the "old" Shane Battier won't turn 28 until right before training camp. While the current roster probably won't win a championship THIS year, the future is looking very bright for the Houston Rockets.
Where is our Starting SG? Well if it is Kirk Snider- dont you think that is a bit too soon to celebrate our 'success'. The management will continue to sell the 'value ' Concept! Just trade howard for D miles and Sign a Decent guy at PF who will just be a pest for the Opposition PF's. We will never match up well unless we get extremely lucky. Frankly I will let go of Rybo and Sign Ariza and Jumain Jones and head to training camp. ( We could do that with the rest of MLE and just the smaller TE)
no comment.... <object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/yCso8qP_Mm4"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/yCso8qP_Mm4" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>
Right now I give this off-season a grade D. They definitely improved their roster. But almost every move will be an improvement based on how pathetic last year's roster was. They definitely get younger, but almost all their young players are second rounders or undrafted. If that model can succeed, why NBA need draft anyway? But "we have Yao and T-mac". Crap.
Right now i would give this offseason a C, only because the mangement contradicts its "win now" mind set with signing young inexpereinced players (Snyder, JLIII, VSpan) However with a few moves (if possible), remaining MLE, and the large TE to use we could move to a B+ offseason. Possibilities: 1) Sign Ely with the TE. 2) Sign House with the remaining MLE. 3) Trade Howard/Head/2007 1st round draft for Maggette. (yes i know we are giving away our first round pick next year, but if we "win now," it will probably be a lower pick which we can aford to give up) Alston/House/JLIII Magette/VSpan(also at the 1)/Sura TMac/Snyder(also at the 2)/Novak Battier/Ely(also at the 5 to go small)/Bowen Yao/Deke I believe we can win big with this roster. I'm not sure if the saleries match for the howard trade, and this is just speculation so please don't come out to kill me. Any feedback?
The last two moves have been good, but they are both very low-cost, low-risk moves for players who could pan out. They were decent recovery moves. But their two big homerun swings they whiffed. Battier is a good addition, but came at a price that should not have had to pay. His addition meant Mike James was a must, and they couldn't get him (when it seemed like he was gift-wrapped for us). I think more is coming so no offseason grades just yet - but they seem to be doing better, in my opinion. Let's see... you've posted it 8 times today, it's been posted a million times on this board, and you wonder why you now don't have thread-starting abilities?
