aelliot's right. Garnett's contract makes it damn near impossible for us to acquire him. Any 3-way would be damn complicated, and we simply don't have the personnel available to get the deal done. A more realistic scenario would have KG headed to the Blazers for Stoudamire and Wallace.
I want to thank rocket fans for their informative posts. I believe Ming has the potential to be a very good player. However, this potential will never be realized if he spends most of his time playing for China overseas. He needs to play a whole season in the NBA and participate in the playoffs in order to improve his game and get used to the physical play of the NBA. What good is Ming to the Rockets if he isn't here. So if China allows Ming to play for an entire season and the playoffs then lets draft him, but if not then don't. As far as trading Ming we need to get a stud player in return. Trading just for the sake of dumping bad contracts and getting a few decent players is not going to cut it. We need to get value for our number 1 pick. I would love to get Garnett. He would give us much needed size, defense, and scoring, but I believe the cost is too high. We would have to gut our team and this would put us in the same position as Minnesota;a playoff team with enough talent to make the playoffs but never enough to go all the way. Odom is seen by people as our answer to the SF problem. I've read that he has the skills needed to make the position a real threat to other teams. However his history of drug abuse and tendency to get hurt often makes me wary. I believe we can get players in the draft(Butler or Dulevay) that can offer the same impact on our team without the drawbacks These same drawbacks should allow the Rockets to get a chance at Odom without having to give up real high draft picks in return. The important thing here is to look at all our options and get the most from our picks. I 've read posts where Mobley, Francis, or Griffen is traded for players, draft picks,or both during the NBA season. We need to keep these players and build around them. So lets look at the players in the draft and get the people that work best with our core players.
Lol, me and my typos! Yes, he is 300. Bigger than 230, but still with room to grow on a developing body. Thank you for your support and nudge towards correctness.
Am I understanding this right to believe we might be able to essentially trade the #1 pick for the #3 and the #5? If this is so, that would probably mean that we could either have Ming or two of Dunleavy, Marcus, Wilcox, Woods, Niko, Hilario, Gooden or Butler. Two of those guys would go a long way to compensating for Ming, especially with the questions regarding his availability. If the Rockets can get their due diligence done and be assured of having Ming for training camp (with the possible exception of this year), then take Ming. If not, two players from the above list looks like a pretty good addition to our roster. BTW, which two would you take?
I am so so so so sooooooooooooooooo happy with the Rockets' way of thinking. I'm so glad they've got their head on straight. I await a blockbuster trade. It's going to be magnificent, and the aftermath will look like this hopefully: Cato Griffin ----- >> to be acquired Mobley Francis Everyone else, and everyTHING else, can be had. For Garnett, if they want to seriously re-build, we can give them two franchise players in a trade to work with. Jay Williams and Eddie Griffin. That's the first step. Now, already they've got a nice young team in place: Jay Williams --------------- Szerbiack Griffin MJaxx That's already an excellent nucleus, missing one player that can be acquired through trading Terrell brandon, Joe Smith, Nesterovic, or Peeler. Larry Hughes maybe? A trade like this: Terrell Brandon for Larry Hughes Here, age and unjuries to Brandon are made up for with Hughes' erratic shooting. Both teams will benefit, with GSW having a very good tutor for Arenas. I'd prefer Odom and Kandi still. For one reason. Because those guys have nowhere to go but up, and the ceiling doesn't exist for both. If we're firmly in the race for the lpayoffs, I'm sure there will be excellent motivation for these guys to play up to potential. Also, it's nice to hear good things about Cato. Sir Jackie Chiles, The guy who said Cato doesn't care, and doesn't want to, was voicing his OPINION too. Obviously, the Rockets like what Cato is giving, and he's not giving up.
I don't understand that if this guys runs this well, shoots this well and passes this well at 21 and is that big, why are we even thinking about loading up some other team in the west? If this guy has this high of a skill level, why doesn't anyone thinks he can't be a impact player right away like Gasol was last yr. If he can come in and avg 15pts,9rebs and 2 blks, does anyone besides me think we won't be in the playoffs? He is as close to what we need as anything in the draft. Show me the best small forward and I'll show you one that will probably be forced to play behind Glen Rice. Why not take the guy who played well against zo before the kidney thing in limited minutes and show you a guy that can play very well against Divac,Ostertag and some of the other also rans in the West. I think everyone is posturing and trying to get around whatever it is, but for anyone who can't look at this team and tell this team can't use ming this yr is crazy.Odom and Kandi would be nice, but not at the 60 and 80 mill they are going to cost us. Now if that pick was number 5, i could see it, but not number 1. Plus i don't want to load a team up whom might be you're competition anyways. Kandi will never be thought of as someone who could change the game, but this guy could. I wouldn't try to outsmart myself, instead just pick the guy a roll with it.
I still say I had one of the best over-all trades for KG Houston gets: KG, Knicks #7 Knicks get: #1, KT (or mooch), Marc Jackson? Minn gets: Spree, Camby, Mo Taylor, Rockets #15 Houston gets KG, the no-brainer. All-star all around. They also get the Knicks #7, which could be used to pick up amare possibly... Francis Cat KG Griffin/Draft pick Cato/Draft pick Knicks get their beloved #1 to get Ming with, but they also get Marc Jackson to help with their front court - they were after him before, correct? Then add in KT or the mooch for added scoring (and D in Kenny's place) Jackson(mooch?) Houston Anderson Thomas/Jackson (KT?) MING Minnesota wants to move in a diff. direction (pure speculation) and they get it.. with Spree/Camby they dont lose that much of a a defensive presence, add Mo Taylor in there and they dont lose ANY scoring presence IMO. Brandon Wally Spree Smith/Camby Camby ------------ honestly I think thats a REAL fair trade all around... EDIT: plus Ming goes East, just in case
some questions and clarifications: 1) much as I would live forever erect to see it happen, after more thought, I am beginning to see how very difficult if not impossible it would be to trade for garnett with his current contract. that having been said, I now want to ask about something even more impossible. . . if, if, IF garnett really really really really really wanted to leave Minnesota. . . would he even have the legal option of re-negotiating out of his ridiculous current contract if he wanted to? I mean, if he reeeeeeally thought Minnesota was a bad situation, and he knew that his only ticket out would be to re-negotiate a more salary-cap conducive salary. . . would the players' union even allow such a thing? I realize that this is a preposterous suggestion. 2) if the rockets really can't get garnett, they have to pick Ming. I am terrified of the downside, but the reality is that it's really hard to win an NBA title. you're not going to do it by trading for scrodom or olowopanzy. dunleavy and butler are both players I think would be great on this team. . . but only great enough to get our asses swiftly escorted from the 2nd-round of the playoffs. unless we get Garnett, drafting Ming is the only move I can see that has the possibility of bringing greatness with it. of course, it also brings with it the possibility of looking like complete fools for a decade. no one should pretend there is anything easy about this decision. 1) Garnett 2) Draft Ming 3) Tread water for who knows how long
<i>I still say I had one of the best over-all trades for KG Houston gets: KG, Knicks #7 Knicks get: #1, KT (or mooch), Marc Jackson? Minn gets: Spree, Camby, Mo Taylor, Rockets #15 </i> It may be a nice idea, but it doesn't work under the salary cap. You've got Houston giving up somewhere between $7.5M and $10M and getting $22.5M in return. That can't happen.
Pops, you could have impressed us if you would have posted about us getting the #1 pick before the day of the lottery A trade for KG using Rice, Mo, CM and EG would work on RealGm. Us throwing the in the #1 might even make it fair. But that gets us back to the issue of sort of gutting both teams. The only way we should open dialogue with the Clips is if they start the talking with Brand. Brand + #8 for Mooch + #1 would work. Brand + (Odom or Kandi/s&t or Miles) for #1 + KT + filler could work too. In short, unless the Clips start with Brand and a little more there is no use talking to them. None of the other guys are sure enough bets to be the principal on a deal with the #1 on this year's great draft at the top. Remember Brand went for a #2 in a draft that didn't have a sure thing like Jason Williams nor a stand filling, media grabbing, potentially dominant Ming. Aside from Brand, I might not mind getting Battier and the #4 (Gooden) for something like the #1 + KT + JC or a similar deal for #4 (Woods) and Swift. In sum we either get no less than a sure fire all-star (but less than All-NBA quality) guy (e.g., Brand) plus a little more OR we only agree to slide a couple of slots (#2-#5) while getting a player with 1) an already solid starter though with a slightly lower ceiling (Battier), 2) a few more questions as being a complete player (Odom, Jamison) or 3) a talent with more to prove (Miles, Swift).
kissofdeath, I compared Ming to Sampson around midnight 2 days ago in thacabbage's "Dare to be Great" thread on page one. Did that as well early in this thread, along with Smits. Who else could he be compared to assuming he's not a "Chinese Bradley"- as OP lumped him in with. I admit to knowing little more than what I've read in the various sources available to us all... but if he's NOT stick-man from Dallas, and he's as has been described by sources with the opposite view of the Bradley camp... except for possibly Smits, who else could he be compared to? A Sampson with a strong lower body that can hold up to the NBA pounding that did in Ralph would be outstanding. Let's Dare to be Great. (unless we can get KG)
Not. The TWolves would be brain dead to give up a proven franchise player in a trade without getting back the same. This trade is a nonstarter without including Francis.
Griffin and Jwill are potentially two franchise players. Thats two potential franchise players plus maybe a couple of good role players. It could be done but at what expense on our end. If we can do it without losing Cat and Francis, I would do it in a heartbeat.
Can someone explain to me how we can get the 3rd and the 5th pick for Jay-Will? The third pick goes to Golden State and the 5th to Denver.
I generally enjoy Pops posts, but I take everything he says with a very large grain of salt. Pops may write stuff like "RT likes Ming but ...", but I would be very surprised if RT said "Hey Pops! Here is what I really think about Ming ..." It is much more likely that Pops has a talkive friend in the Rockets inner circle. Whatever Pops friend hears (which may not be the whole story for all we know) is morphed by the friend's perspective (like the friend gets wet dreams about landing KG). Similarly, Pops morhs what he hears from that friend by his own perspective. BTW, I am also very sure some of what he writes is solely his own opinion. In the end, what we get is second hand info from the Rocket brain trust, which as other posters have noted is spectatorly right sometimes. This is very cool WRT this particular post, I am amazed that Pops has noted that CD has said (paraphrased) "Its Yoa or a franchise player". He goes on to mention Odom (whom I am guessing Pops adores) in a trade for the first pick. Odom is not a franchise player. There was loads of talk about a Odom for the fifth pick before the lotto. I can see that trade. After winning the lotto, everything changes. The Rocks now have the power to get a real franchise player, with the pick or from a trade for that pick. What I expect the Rocks to do is to evaluate the top players in the draft and all the trade offers in a very deliberate manner, taking weeks not days to reach the level of definitiveness that Pops post indicates.
