Harringtons stats: 12.5 6.2 1.2 Cats stats: 17.5 4.2 2.8 Both shoot 44% from the field, except Cat shoots 35% from the 3 while Harrington shoots 23%....... yeah, really nice trade for the Rox
I think we should go ahead and try out the lineup we have now. I expect Mobley, and Francis to step up and play their roles(leadership). If that doesnt work out,we can do some kind of trade before the trade deadline. Althought Cato is way overpaid, he came through when the rebounding was needed and thats a major factor when it comes down to the playoffs.
I think if there is a way to get someone like artest we should do it.He may have questionable character but i'm sure its not anything JVG can't handle. Also someone like artest instantly makes the Rockets 100% tougher and toughness is something the rockets desperately need. The addition of a. griffin will help but not like artest could. But the combo of both with JVG's coaching style would be the perfect pieces to fit around Yao and stevie.
i think i would have to favor the cutino trade scenario. now i have been a DIE HARD rockets fan for about forever, through all times even when we lost most of our supporters (i.e. during the "choke city" playoff series with pheonix) i even went so far as to make a big shrine which i put in front of my t.v for most of the playoff games during our 2 year championship run, and i swear, we never lost when i had it up. then when i lost my first game using the shrine the following year, i put it away. but enough with trying to explain how much of a fan i am and of most everything the rockets do. i think it is time to get rid of mobley. cuttino is a VERY good player who can score almost at will. but the problem is, when he wants to score, thats all that happens. he tries to score. the rest of the team sits there and watches him try his isolation moves. what happens is our pace is slowed down and the rest of the players fall out of sync. cuttino would be ideal as our 6th man since that is the position that demands that type of play. i think he would blow bobby jackson away in the 6th man of the year awards. it would make our team be extremely competitve in the west, and i also believe we would increase our team scoring average. but unfortunately, due largely to ego's, i dont think that could ever happen. i think cuttino would be offended that he's not a starte, which would lead to more team turmoil and another chance for the 8th seed. if we could have a defensive prescence at the two and cat off the bench to provide that instant offense, i really think we could fight for a top 5 spot. tell me what ya'll think. (sorry if my message is sloppy. no time. at work
I think If I wanted a piss poor attitude on my team, I would have done everything in my power to get Lamar Odom.
If the Rockets come up with Harrington, Artest, and then Rahim, without having to give up Yao or Francis - that'd rock! I'd be really stoked about the season, i would expect big things from that team. ok so the plausible deals we're hearing about are Rice and Griff for Rahim and Mobley and Cato for Artest and Harrington. Francis/ Artest/Paikowski Yao/Taylor Harrington/A. Griffin/Nachbar Rahim/Harrington/Badiane Thats a competitve team, even by the West's standards.
I don't like the idea of bringing a player like Artest onto the team because he can wreak havoc with the team chemistry (which is already lacking as it is). In any case, I feel like Mobley is much more of a scoring threat and is not a shabby defender either. I feel we would be on the short end of this one bc Griffin has a lot more potential than Harrington
Just throwing this out there again. I saw this on NBA.com/pacers, and added the link (hope it hasn't already been posted?) Bird wants another PG or a SG with handles. And his endorsement of Artest is qualified at best. Just hoping that with their trade exception, the Pacers might take Mobley for Artest, as we could really use a bigger body to play the 3. http://www.nba.com/pacers/news/bird_030908.html Q. In addressing the shortcomings at the point guard position, is the acquisition of Anthony Johnson to back up Jamaal Tinsley all we can expect in the short-term, or do you plan to make another move? Or, do you feel Tinsley and Johnson are our 2003-2004 point guards and another move is unnecessary? (From Jackson in Cincinnati) A. I think on any team you might have to have three point guards, or two point guards and a two-guard that can handle the ball. If you have an injury with one of them, you’re sort of left out in the cold, as they say. So we’ll probably be looking for another point guard to stabilize the backcourt. So in the next few weeks we might be looking to pick up someone else. Q. Ron Artest is a real go-getter and is a very exceptional team player, but can’t control his temper, which I think hurts the team’s chances on going far into the playoffs. What are your thoughts on Ron Artest and what can the organization do to calm him down? (From Anthony in NJ) A. I love the way he practices, I love how he plays the game, but that’s an issue right now. It’s totally up to Ronnie. If he wants to stay in the league and stay in the games, he’s going to have to control himself a little bit better. Sure, players get frustrated from time to time on the basketball court, but Ronnie’s got to be very careful this year in the way he handles himself, if he wants to play quality minutes here with the Indiana Pacers.
some of you guys just love to "hate" on the talent level of this team. fact is we dont need anymore talent or roster changes for this year. after last season we concluded that we needed a shooter on this team and we got that in pike. and another thing is some of you have come to expect too much from cat u have to remember he waz a 40 sumthin pick its not like we have a player who is underachieving here...the guy came into the league as a player who had no jumpshot and a lil defense...now if one of you can tell me he hasnt overachieved in his career then im just gonna laugh. yes at times cat does things on the court that make me wanna tear out my hair, but everytime i think about how he is overachieving in this league i stop myself. what do you guys think about that
I don't hate so much on what we have as believe that we could improve, especially since we are dealing with other teams in the Western Conference.
I hope this will end speculation about a trade for Ron Artest. Bird, Carlisle stick with Artest Pacers' new president, coach debunk popular notion by saying they want to keep the team's controversial forward. Ron Artest has taken the changes in stride: "People get fired, people get traded. Things like that are going to happen." -- Matt Kryger / The Star By Mark Montieth mark.montieth@indystar.com September 9, 2003 Ron Artest's days with the Indiana Pacers are fading like the final whispers of summer now that Larry Bird and Rick Carlisle are running the show. That, at least, is the line of logic that appears to run through a significant segment of the Pacers' fan base, which can't picture the team's controversial forward coexisting with the new guard. That line runs into a quick dead-end, however, when it reaches Bird, the team president of basketball operations, and Carlisle, the coach. They profess to love Artest. They respect his game, like his personality and are confident added maturity will address the issues that caused him to be suspended for 12 games last season. In fact, their comments sound strikingly similar to those of former coach Isiah Thomas and team CEO Donnie Walsh. Bird has talked with Artest several times and watched him work out at Conseco Fieldhouse. Carlisle put Artest through workouts a few times before he was officially presented as the Pacers' new coach last week. They came away with a mutual impression. "Ronnie is an incredibly hard worker," Bird said. "I told him I wish I had him working out in the summer with me when I played. It would have been fun. "I know he's gone through tough times here and there but he's got a ton of ability. And when you sit down and talk to him you just love the kid; it's incredible." Artest has adapted quickly to the franchise's new regime. Thomas left a message on his cell phone last weekend, but Artest -- busy following the recent birth of his daughter -- had not yet returned the call. Artest says that doesn't mean he's happy Thomas was fired, just an indication he accepts the reality of professional sports. "I'm just taking it day by day," Artest said. "People get fired, people get traded. Things like that are going to happen. Nobody's job is safe." Artest did call Bird shortly after he rejoined the organization July 11, and asked him: "You were slow, but you always got around people when you drove to the basket. How did you do that?" Bird was amused, and had the answer. He took what the defense gave him. In fact, Bird has told Artest he admires Artest's defensive effort but sometimes plays his defender too tightly away from the basket. That causes Artest to get beat off the dribble, which happens to be how Bird -- slow as he was -- got by quicker defenders. Carlisle describes Artest as "a nice guy" and "a man's man" and claims to be "very optimistic about this kid." He cited Artest's age as a factor in the issues that dogged him last season. "This guy is only 23 years old," Carlisle said. "Part of him getting by whatever issues are there is his maturing process." Artest said he isn't concerned about reports Carlisle had personality differences with his players in Detroit that might have led to his firing despite 50 wins each of his two seasons as coach. In fact, he takes Carlisle's serious nature as a positive sign. "If he's like that he's kind of like me," Artest said. "I don't have a great relationship with my teammates or coaches. Everything goes by so fast, you don't have enough time to give to your family and your team. "As long as you respect who you're working with and you respect the job they do, that's all that matters. I'm not in it for the relationships. I'm in it to win." Bird said he has seen Artest make improvements with his shooting and ball-handling this summer. Fans, however, are probably more interested to see if Artest's demeanor improves. Artest was suspended for seven games by the NBA, another by Thomas and missed four games after exceeding the league limit for flagrant fouls. He finished the season with eight flagrant points, twice as many as any other player in the league. Artest promised late last season he would never be suspended for another game. He made it through the final 12 regular-season games and all six playoff games without punishment, and plans to continue the streak. Bird hasn't focused much on the subject in his conversations with Artest, other than to make a basic plea for participation. "I told him, 'Our fans pay too much money to come in here and watch great players play, and you're a great player,' " Bird said. "I'm not going to harp on it, but we can't have that." Artest agrees. He realizes the impact of his absences, and has memorized the numbers. Of the 13 games he missed -- including one because of an upset stomach -- the Pacers lost eight. He figures if he had played in those games they could have won eight. That would have given them 51 wins, the top seed in the Eastern Conference, and perhaps avoided a first-round playoff elimination and saved Thomas' job. "Nobody has to tell me what happened," Artest said. "I know what happened. I know if we go 8-5 (in the games he missed) the whole season could have changed. That's not a good feeling. "If we're going to win games, I have to be on the court. You can't be suspended (for 12 games). You can't do that two years in a row. One year is more than enough."
