POLL: Is it a cap issue, or is Dream thrawting growth

It would be nice to have Hakeem, but all his games are only hurting the rockets. The rockets NEED to settle the PF position and get rid of cato and/or get a new center if Hakeem stays. The problem is noone knows if Hakeem is staying. Hasn't he made enough money...is his pride so much that he will end his great career in another city for more money?
Anyway enough with my rambling, it is both issues, it involved cap issues because the rockets need to look towards the FUTURE...Hakeem would be nice to have but not to jeopardize any deals that we could make. Him being involved in the offense wouldn't be a detriment, but the problem is he is getting old and cannot play the minutes or amount of games he could at one time. I hope Hakeem decides to take a pay cut for the welfare of the Rockets or gets out so we can sign someone soon.

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It is definitely a cap issue to me. I feel Dream will only add to the offense, allow us much more versatilty as the kinds of offenses we could run. I know we are not building towards next year alone but if Griffin plays at a R.O.Y. level and we get off to a good start we could be a very dangerous team. Dream compliments Mo very well - j/k.

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Sort of....
Hakeem shouldn't be sacrificing the Rocks future for more money for him.
I'd be fine with signing him for as much as he wanted, but he's getting old and prolly can only play another year. We need to focus on getting a deal with Mo T or another PF and definitely need to get rid of Cato for some other center. Maybe if Cato hears all the **** people are talking and how everyone hates him, he'll play to his potential, but who knows what that is?

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I want Dream to consider the team 1st. Hakeem 2nd & Houston third. After all this is a team game.

1) Tell managment and media that he wants to be renounced so The Rockets can get all current Rocket free agents resigned.

2) Then the Dream has 2 choices

a)accept a contract below 7 Million (all poor hakeem, not enough money)

b)agree to an incentive contract which could potentually pay him 11 million (through productivity, games played, ect....)

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Keep Mo Ta & now we have Ta Mo

 

Personally I think he wants:

(a) Respect to be demonstrated on his terms. He wants the rock in his hands at key points in the game and he wants it known that this is still his team. Despite all this "future" business, all this "Steve's team now" business, I think Hakeem plays the media game and smiles and verbalizes endorsment of the concept. But in his heart he feels this team to be his still. He feels he has earned and he is still capable of carrying it.

(b) He takes the term respect and embodies it in action. He demands the rock out of respect. He becomes petulant. He demands sytem changes to use him more. He criticizes his coach. All to no, or little avail. He has lost some standing. He paints this as loss of respect. The only option open to him is wait until contract time. Wait until an opportunity arises. It has now. He is using all the leverage he can muster.

Personally, I think I want:

(a) Hakeem to remain a member of this team. I would like him to take a role of leadership. That leadership should not be measured by his salary figure or by the number of touches he gets per game. Leadership should start right now. Today. Here's the phone.

(b) I think he should be allowed to demand the team to use him to his best advantage. But once the decision is made to go in a particular direction, he either plays the team game or leaves. If this "waiting game" is all about Hakeem waiting for the team to tell him, ... "we give in, sorry we made a mistake, and yes we will build our entire offense around you" ... well bye Dream. That is not a player I want on our team roster. We have had those guys before. It doesn't work.

(Sadly, I would be embarassing if that is what all this boiled down to.)



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I think its a cap issue. I don't think we have lost interest in Webber or maybe another free agent. Otherwise, we could sign Dream to whatever he wanted, sign mo for the midlevel exception, and SA and Moochie to the early bird.

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Sorry Kripee Kringle

I'll spell it out Cap Issue.

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Keep Mo Ta & now we have Ta Mo

 

I think Dream wants a cap. It's been 16 years since the Rockets last handed him a cap (other than those kind of loud & zany 'champion' caps... and you can't wear those outside).

All the rookies get caps... do they know that that's probably the last cap their team is going to give them? You start out your whole career thinking... "hey, we get caps".

 

CAP ISSUE

... couldnt agree with you any more. That is how i always felt we should approach this as well.

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...The OTHER Dark Meat

 

I just tried to use thrawting in my Scrabble game and they told me it wasn't a word so I lost. When I was asked for a definition to clarify the word, I could only come up with "it's when you put a straw in a thing....you have a thrawting!"

Thanks alot, Crispee .

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Hakeem (if he plays at late last season level) is definitley worth 6 to 7.5 million. If he could stay healthy he would be worth ~10 mill. But that is only if he agrees to play a team game. Although still being capable of above average play, if he is going to disrupt the chemistry of this team by thinking me 1st, I don't want him.

We saw two sides to Hakeem last year, First half (ME first) and second half (accepted role as team player). We need to figure out which Hakeem we get next year.

1st half Hakeem -- don't sign him because he thwarts growth

2nd half Hakeem -- Becomes a cap issue. If there was no cap I would give him what he wants to stay

So which one is it?

Seeing how much fun he had at the end of last year I would have said we get 2nd half Hakeem this year.

BUT...

Based on his recent behavior (not being "available") he may still be 1st half Hakeem.

I will be optimistic though and say that we would get 2nd half Hakeem so it is really a CAP ISSUE.

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[This message has been edited by BayouRocket (edited July 12, 2001).]

 

my architecture prof once told me that anytime someone gives you an "either/or" question the correct answer is "yes!"


since i know Heyterproof doesn't believe in the existence of gray ...

i'll vote #2. no matter what he took salary wise, i don't watch an injury-riddled, overdemanding, living-in-the-past, grumpy "icon" on my team. his ornery nature is not the example i want around these "kids" (and they are kids).

if he could drop that personality ( ) ... things would be different.

but if my aunt had balls, she'd be my uncle....

 

CAP ISSUE!No doubt if Dream said he would'nt take discounts. Then,there you have it!

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Rudy T. will find and fulfill Rockets destiny.

 

" ... but if my aunt had balls, she'd be my uncle.... "

I've got an aunt like that. Are we related?

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Taking into consideration the free agent market, which only has 1 hit wonders, and no sure things at center, the biggest issue to me is the "unavailability" and mind games. There's no one out there that I think would really help us (I don't want to play crap-shoot with Nazr, Jackson, and Maculloch).

But, there's no reason for Dream to play the "business" games. And no reason for us not give him a 1 year 10 million, unless Fegan tries to pull some stunts such as attaching Shandon, or suddenly a good young proven center like Ratliff or Lafrentz was available basically at the expense of cap space.

The Rockets obviously played there best ball when Dream was effective, I don't think he's asking for 25 shots a game, and the "Dump-it-in" offense revisited.

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"I always thought Hakeem was the better offensive player and DRob the better defender." Spurever

Shaq would probably agree.

 

No way. No how. Giving Dream the $10 million only validates his claim that this is his team. I too believe Dream belongs in Houston and that he should be part of the family. However, sometimes it is better to move away and see each other at get togethers than to live with each other in the same household.

Question for you guys. Most superstar athletes have sacrificed one way or another. Does anybody remember a time when Dream sacrificed for the team?

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Fuggetabout it

 

Question for Bigboy. You claim most superstars have sacrificed in some way for their team. Do you have anything to back-up such a statement?

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