I'll agree that Battier is a known commodity.... for opposing offenses and defenses... In four playoff games against the mavs battier averaged: 6 pts, 5.8 rbs, 1 stl, .5 asts in 32 min. of play Dirk Nowitski averaged in that series: 31.3 pts, 7.8 rbs on 51% shooting so now instead of getting blown out by 40+ by dallas in the playoffs we will get blown out by 30 something....great! I know he didnt guard dirk the entire time (b/c if he did dirk would have averaged 50) but still. I swore off the rockets and vented for several hrs after finding out about the deal as most rockets fan's did, even considered not watching bball anymore, but now I'm back rooting for the Rockets and hope everything works out...basically my hope is that battier fails his physical. on a side note: One thing I don't get...everyone says that Roy is the most NBA READY player yet one yr ago he prob would have been drafted in the second round or not at all...he turned it all around his senior yr b/c he was the man (ie only decent player on the team). Roy's college career: (not much to write home about until his senior yr) 2005-06 33 31.7 20.2 5.6 4.1 2.3 1.8/1 1.4 0.8 2.5 .508 .810 .402 1.48 2004-05 26 24.2 12.8 5.0 2.2 1.5 1.5/1 0.6 0.3 1.9 .565 .741 .350 1.43 2003-04 31 30.3 12.9 5.3 3.3 2.7 1.2/1 1.2 0.4 2.4 .480 .785 .222 1.33 2002-03 13 17.2 6.1 2.9 1.0 1.4 1/1.4 0.3 0.2 1.2 .500 .486 .100 1.32 Gay is freaking 19 yrs old, two yrs out of high school, averaged 15 and 6 on a very good Uconn team with 3 other players drafted in the first round...he has better physical tools than Roy and would have been forced to be the man much like Roy was after nate robinson left. So I don't think its a leap to say if Gay had stayed on and become the man at Uconn like Roy did his senior yr at Wash, his production would have been similar to or better than Roy's and I wonder then if everyone would consider him to be NBA ready. So draft Gay and put him in the d league if u have to cause we are not gonna win a championship next yr with Big Daddy Battier.
Guys, we just got a LOT better. Our depth is better, with the sole exception of the PF slot. The Rockets with a healthy Tmac and Yao are competetive, add in a Battier essentially for a bench player (Swift) and a 19 year old....(maybe player) and you are immediatly better. Battie will be a huge upgrade on both offense and defense and is a smart player to boot. As for depth, we still have FA, and trade exceptions to fill out the roster. But the team now as for rotation players Tmac Yao Battier Howard Alston Head Hayes That is a decent 7 man rotation, and with some more tweaking could be the nucleus of a contender. What if Gay turns out to be EG? I have been saying all along number 8 picks are NOT generally great players, and at 19 years old, he could be the next Caron Butler. The Rockets are not in a position to wait it out, they need contributors now....Battier is a HUGE upgrade to this team. DD
Man I get so sick of the EG comparisons. Passive personality does not mean he's the second coming of EG. EG was a thug, and an idiot. EG cost three 1st rounders. EG had more pressure on his shoulders since Francis was out most of that rookie season with migraines. EG was expected to be a 1st or 2nd scoring option. EG threw his entire future away in an attempt to murder his ex-girlfriend. Rudy Gay has no record at UConn for being a thug. Gay has no reputation for being reckless and stupid. Gay did not cost three 1st rounders, much less players like Richard Jefferson. Gay was not expected to be a 1st or 2nd scoring option for this team even three years from now. At most he was expected to be a third scoring option, and that's only if his potential panned out. Gay at worst will average similar numbers to Battier, but would have a 6'8 height, 7'3 wingspan, and greater athleticism. In other words, STFU with the EG comparisons.
DaDakota, Hayes wouldn't even make a lot of NBA rosters Head will never be more than a role player Howard is one of the worst starting PFs in the league Alston should be splitting time at the point with someone else Yao, T-Mac (when healthy), and Battier are solid but .... a good 7 man rotation this does not make. I can't believe you are trying to convince yourself that this rotation is competitive.
Any rotation that has a healthy TMac and Yao is going to be competitive....look at FRICKEN Miami....they just won with a declining Shaq, an awesome Wade and a bunch of cast offs. Chicago had Jordan and Pippen and a bunch of role players. Houston had Hakeem and Clyde and a bunch of role players San Antonio has Duncan and Parker & Ginobli and a bunch of role players The Lakers had Shaq and Kobe and a bunch of role players WE HAVE YAO AND TMAC, we do not have time to wait for Gay to develop. London....Gay could be EG, he could be Butler, he could be Swift, he could be Wade, he could be Len Bias.....dude...he could be anything....but we don't have 3 years to wait for him to find himself. If he comes in and averaged 15ppg this year, and is all caliber, then it will be a mistake, but most players picked below top 5 end up being at best a role player.......he is a HUGE RISK, especially for a team trying to win...NOW....not in 3 years. I like the move, and the more I think about it...I like it a lot. We are stronger in the starting lineup and we got rid of a player who is flat out stupid, and had to give up the potential of another player. The Rockets are building for THIS YEAR.....and all of you are going to be very happy when we contend THIS YEAR... DD
Problem is this team could've gotten a better player than Battier a role player for what they gave up. Now they have no fufture to build on. They have no athleticism at all. They dont have that potent 3rd scorer right? Why is it a team would pass up on trying for a better player or collective better duo of players, rather than rush a trade they didnt have to, and for what? Why the rush? A role player?
No Battier can not guard Dirk but he can guard Josh Howard. And remember what Tmac did to Dirk in the Playoffs of 05. A healthy Tmac and Yao will make everyone around them better. Especially Rafer. Luther Head will be a year older and hopefully a lot better and Chuck Hayes should be better too. This off season is NOT done. The Rockets will get better.
I would not think about getting radmanovic...he is very slow, unathletic and not really a smart player...his shot is decent, and that's it..... bring mike james back, trade JHO for whatever....o yea, get rid of Rybowski!
I feel Battier gives the Rockets a viable 3rd option, and COULD be an important part of a championship team (ala Robert Horry)...I think he will play a lot at the 4 for us next season. I am taking a "wait and see" approach to see who else we bring in. This definately tells me we are going for a championship in the next two years (possibly at the expense of our future). I am actually glad to be rid of Swift I cannot stand seeing low BB IQ like that in such a phenominal athlete. I am hoping we got more in return than just Battier. Regardless, If TMAC is healthy we can win 55 games next year, if he is not, we are a 45 win team at best. With another 2 key additions this offseason we could be a contender. Let's at least give management the benefit of the doubt until their roster moves are completed. This looks weird now but may be part of a larger plan.
10 ppg. Not the thrid scoring option we were looking for. Not the shooting guard we need. Fills the backup 3 slot (bye bye RyBo?) for a freaking 8-10 minutes a game!!! And we still don't have a starting 2 or a backup 1.
Gay doesn't need "development" to be what Battier is NOW. At the very minimum he will come in as a rookie and be Battier's equal.
He will get more than the 7 or so shots a game he got in Memphis, he will be asked to shoot more here. I imagine he will be around 15ppg... DD
I too am happy that we got rid of Swift, but the trade was still lopsided. Also, this just proves that CD made a huge mistake by signing him last offseason. For the contact, I thought it was a risk worth taking. He didn't perform up to his contract last year, but he was learning a news system, and his potential still make him worth his contract. We didn't need to give him away for nothing, and further dig ouselves into a hole at the 4 spot. there's no denying it. CD scewed up big time ... again.
For the most part -- Juwan Howard is no longer a starter. Battier is our mobile 4, capable of guarding most 4's in this league. McGrady just doesn't perform as well at the 2 (statistically a HUGE drop off) and it isn't good for his durability either. McGrady and Battier can switch between the 3-4 depending on how well they match up with their opponent. PG: Alston / Sura / Head SG: FA Signing / Head SF: McGrady / Novak / Bowen PF: Battier / Howard / Hayes C: Yao / Deke I’d be pretty happy if we nab Bonzi Wells for the MLE and resign Richie Frahm. Small ball is here to stay.
This might sound silly, but I agree. In the same sense that Michael Finley went bonkers in Dallas while Nash/Nowitzki were demanding tons of attention I think Battier can be a solid third scoring option/3 bomber and the rangy defensive perimeter hawk that we so desperately needed. I want another pick from memphis for Gay though, damn it!!!
This is a fact, Swift did not fit into a Yao/Tmac team, and CD did screw up by signing him, but if we traded Swift for Battier everyone would be talking about how we just raped Memphis. Gay is the X- factor, if he is a low motor guy, and ends up flaming out, it is a great deal for us, if he is an OK pro, the deal is even, if he turns into an all star, then we made a mistake. However, we got better.....THIS YEAR !!!!! And our team is going to be competitive....THIS YEAR......and 55 wins is a lot better than 30. DD
Has it been confirmed that Battier is the only asset that Memphis is giving us? If so, if seems Jerry West took us to school, but I'm not sure if all the details of the trade have been announced.
I have a feeling that is not all that will be involved in the deal. It might be the gist of it, but we will be getting something else..
