Orlando Sentinel: Magic want Francis, Mobley and Cato

We have been one Francis injury away from the lottery the past several years.

Wait, we WERE in the lottery for how many year?

 

And that's a bad thing? Let's play the scenario out.

Let's assume the injury was season ending but not career threatening.

Yao + TMac + Lotto pick = Championship nucleus.

Even assuming the injury was career threatining, going lotto to add a piece is not the worst that can happen if we agree that Francis will never be a franchise player.

 

I am for ANY deal in which Francis leaves the Rockets. His absence will be an improvement, but the possible addition of one of the top five players in the game would be a miracle. Then the role players would flock here. But I want McGrady and a player or two for our trio. I would take a chance on Hill; if he gets well, he could be a steal. I will leave the contract-money issues to the rest of you.

 

Not true. This team is capable of winning with Francis/Mobley backcourt. They only improved by one or two wins last season. Not only that, but if we happen to lose Francis, Cuttino is more than capable of picking up the scoring slack.

 

So what if we get a lotto pick? CD's just gonna f*ck it up anways and draft some Eurotrash stiff.

 

I would be willing to take a chance on Hill as well. If he is healthy as he claims we'd have an unbelievable team and if he's not then his contract expires at the end of this season doesn't it?

 

McGrady doesn't decide where he wants to go. The Magic hold all the chips. They would be classy into trading him to a team that he wishes to go to, but they can trade him to the Jazz just as easily. Orlando's anything but in a corner, just confused as to what direction to move in

 

No team will trade for McGrady unless a handshake contract extension deal is in place.

 

Have you missed all the talk? Orlando is shopping McGrady not because they are "classy" but because they will lose him for nothing next year if they don't satisfy him.

 

That's always a possibility.

Just remember what happened when David Robinson was "Injured" (playing golf to rehabilitate - yeah right) and the Spurs got Tim Duncan to "complement" Robinson.

 

Having T-Mac on the team sounds sexy----TMAC! YAO!----and it's easy to get caught up in this.

The trade would likely be for T-Mac and Howard, if we give up Steve/Cat/Cato.

I still say this team would be better if we sent T-Mac and Howard to Indiana for, say, Artest/Croshere/Tinsley/Pollard (to be realistic), as we were looking to acquire Croshere for his outside shooting and, yes, relative toughness; Artest would be a JVG sort of player; Tinsley can't really shoot so he'd easily pass it to Yao; Pollard could help back up Yao, etc.

Or let TMac play with Amare and take back the Phoenix offer (Marion, Jacobsen, Voskuhl, and use the #7 for a point guard).

THAT would give us the team we need. But for season ticket sales, YAO and ARTEST doesn't quite measure up to TMAC and YAO (notice the change of top billing as well as the alternate player?)

So I wonder, if we get TMac, will Les open the wallet and use the MLE, or we he go all cheap on us?

 

When can teams start talking to players? Since Tmac is not a FA, can Rox management approch him now?

I think it would make sense to contact Tmac and convince him playing for Rox is his best option. But meanwhile, let him know that Rox's paying too much to get him won't be good for him in the long run. Hopefully, he will hint to other teams he prefer to play for Rox so that those teams won't be too agressive. Then we can bargain with Orlando.

We need at least another quality player from Orlando to make the salary work. Or let them do the deal without Cat.

 

Man, we'de take several steps back if we trade Cato , Francis, Mobley for Mcgrady and scrubs in our quest to build a contender.
This isn't a good deal.
It's like the Cassel/Horry deal all over again. Who did we get for them? A superstar who had back problems and questions about his offseason work ethic. Not to mention giving up our depth on our already little roster.
Now if we give two of the three players they want then maybe i'de do the deal.
But asking Cato/Francis/Mobley is just too much.
All three of those guys this year have proved they have the desire to play defense. McGrady played defense when he "felt" like it. We know how Van Gundy wants this team to play and uptempo offense isnt the direction he wants.
Would we have this discussion of trading Steve if his jumper fell a little more consistently ? no.
Fact is McGrady only shot a little better than francis from the field this year.
Some even say he approaches practice like Allen Iverson.
Will that groove with Van Gundy? Heck, he already ran Doc Rivers out of town,the guy who coached him to the playoffs the past two seasons prior to that.
The only way i'de agree to that deal is if we get Gooden ,Howard and McGrady.

 

The problem with that comparison is that T-Mac is a 25 year old superstar with a decade of great years ahead of him and Barkley was an aging superstar past his prime when we got him.

 

So "tanking" is OK?

 

BUT, in Detroit, you have a Joe Dumars as your GM who had a plan and the guts to follow that plan. Dumars knew exactly what type of team he wanted. He knew exactly what style of play he wanted and built his team accordingly picking both a head coach and players to fit his vision.

The situation is way different here in Houston where there is no one like Dumars in charge and possessed with the vision and determination to pull this type of rebuilding off. No, what we have here is a totally inept GM in CD and the mysterious "committee" that makes all of the basketball decisions. There is no plan. There is no direction. That's why anyone who believes that this group of clowns has the foresight and ability to acquire the right mix of complementary players is making an incredible leap of faith.

 

It would seem that Francis, Mobley and Cato only played Offense when they felt like it.

 

I think it should be McGrady and Gooden for those 3. That would make it even. We can pick up a PG off of FA.

 

What I meant was that I believe that defense wins championships, I believe that exists as a constant. We started playing defense last year and played better. We wore down but the program is now in place. I believe if you add TMAC, along with our defense, you're closer to being a champion than you were before. I mean, let's get serious here. Cato is one of the WORST players in basketball. I mean, he's terrrrrible!! He can rebound ok and play decent defense. Mo is not a rebounder but can shoot, pass, play defense (A block is not the only form of defense) and score at will at times. Cato can't..period.

I love Cat, I really do. He's the one guy that I hope we don't have to put in this deal. Ultimately, I do NOT think Cat will be in this deal. It is quite a bit. However, Cat is not a special player. He's a really good player - a really SOLID player but he's not a great player and that means he can be replaced. Do you know why Orlando is asking for him in the package? Because it's Tracy McGrady. And please, don't buy into all the TMAC can't play D, or is selfish, or is this or that. TMAC is top 5 and he can certainly play defense as well or better than Steve or Cat.

You can win championships with a 'Shaq and Kobe' you don't win championships with Catos and Mobleys and Steves - you just don't. We may NOT win with TMAC and Yao but we MAY and we can't say that now!!! And, I'd rather win with Yao, TMAC, and Cat than without Cat. I do NOT want Cat to go and Clutch can attest as to why I personally do NOT want him to go. However, I would not pass on TMAC. That's me.

Detroit has role players - yes, but they're not average players. Don't confuse role players for avg players. Not everyones roles play well together. All I'm saying is I'm willing to take the chance that TMAC's role will play better with Yao than did Steve's and Cat's. Cato? Seriously, who gives a SHeest about him?

 

Perfect.

Correct.

Exactly.