Orlando might prefer the Pacers' offer. For us to win, McGrady has to call the shots. The pitch to him: Yao will take more pressure off you and create more opportunities for you than O'Neal or Stoudemire will. He's a bigger inside-out ball movement target. He's a more automatic double-team drawer. He's a better passer. He sets a bigger screen and shoots better if you pass it back to him. Bottom line: cleaner looks for you in the inside-out game; a clearer path for you on the pick and roll; more space opened up for you to do your thing. Did I mention the comfort of knowing, while you're on defense, that there's a 7'6" guy behind you? And guess who collects his outlet pass after he blocks the shot. Now, how does McGrady call the shots? Easy. No team will trade so many good players for him without an understanding that he'll sign an extension ASAP. The Magic can't give the acquiring team that understanding. Only McGrady can. So, Tracy, it's really simple. Tell the Pacers and Suns that you can't guarantee them an extension. Tell the Rockets you can. And welcome aboard.
I question whether Indiana would really do some as drastic as trading their entire team minus O’Neal right after just having a 60 win season (best record in the NBA) and coming so close to beating the World champions.
I'd love for Tmac to come here, but I'd hate to lose Mobley. Him and Jimmy were our best perimeter shooters and Jim can't log 38 mins a night like he did this past season. I'd do the deal though. Tmac along with either Howard or Gooden is good for me. I'd probably take Gooden. Howard just seems like a rich mans Mo Taylor. This season is also important for nachbar because in a couple of years we're going to need him! The only team this would really lack is a legit PG. With Yao and Tmac, who wouldnt want to come here?
Really, REALLY key. I'm guessing McGrady would prefer both the skill level AND spotlight owned by the Rockets and Yao Ming over Indiana or Phoenix. Indiana probably has more to offer. Phoenix does not. But, either way, Houston is the optimal situation. One issue I can see with our end is the money thing. It cannot be a one-for-one swap, so Orlando will have to include a player or two. We cannot include the TE unless it is just Francis for McGrady, which it clearly will not be. Francis and Mobley together probably won't do it for Orlando. If we throw in Cato, we'll have to get back AT LEAST Howard, maybe another player to make it work. Cap guys, help me out. Personally, I'd ask for Gooden. The guy will have no place on the team when they draft Okafoor (oh, God, my spelling is awful).
The bread and butter for Indiana's success is their defense and Artest is arguably their butter. Take him away and the depth off the bench (harrington and bender) and they wouldn't any better than this past year's team. Hopefully McGrady sees it that way. Rockets on the other hand, they lose some good players but Francis and Cat are offensive weapons...like McGrady. You aren't making a trade of defense for offense like the Indy Proposal. So basically there wouldn't be any DRASTIC drop in our D (a loss of course with Cato packin his bags as well).
Francis, Mobley, and Cato for McGrady and Gooden. I think that would easily fill our SG and PF slots. Then we just have to find a PF and a PG from FA or from the draft and we're good to go.
Wouldn't the Magic be hesitant to trading McGrady to a same conference rival? If we trade Francis, I don't want to play him any more than we have to. Just a thought...
Historicaly teams like to trade out of their conference, but in this case Orlando will go for the biggest buck!
Eventhough the Pacers seem to be offering more, I agree with Jeff that McGrady's decision is the key. Its not a factor that Indiana is selling off half of their 60 win team (which Orlando will like), its that their trading half of their team and THE KEY IS - does McGrady want to play with only O'neal left?
yeah, thats pretty much what it's going to come down to - would Mcgrady rather resign a long term deal with Houston.. or Indiana?
I actually think the Phoenix offer is kind of compelling from the Magic's perspective too. Joe Johnson is equivalent to Cuttino Mobley, except with a better cap number. So the question is, would they rather have Marion or Francis? They probably would prefer Francis as he would fill seats. But any advantage here is probably mitigated by the fact that Phoenix is offering a high lottery pick with which Orlando could draft a PG. While Cato is better than Voskul, his salary number hurts quite a bit too. If I'm Orlando and thinking true rebuilding, then I would very seriously look at Phoenix's offer. It would give them a very young team: SF: Marion PF: Okafor/Gooden C: Voskul SG: Joe Johnson PG: Ben Gordon, Livingston, etc.? (via draft) Hell, in the east, they could play Okafor at center, much like Detroit does with Ben.
I can't imagine or believe that Larry Bird and Indiana's front office is willing to trade the whole team for one guy. I mean this is Larry Bird we are talking about. He played for the Celtics who was probably the best all time in terms of team play. I ask myself over and over. They had the best record in the league, they gave Detroit all they could handle (with Oneal banged up), and are still young enough to get even better. Why in the world would they make this trade? I still cannot come up with an answer and therefore, even though having the best package, I think they will utltimately back out. TMac said he wants to come to Houston, not Phoenix. I think we have the upper hand.
I don't see Phoenix' offer as better than ours. Johnson is an interesting player but, IMO, between he and Mobley, you have a wash. Francis is the much bigger name between he and Marion and a marketable star. Cato could be a solid starting center in the east. The draft pick is important, but the Rockets could offer a future #1. The other problem is McGrady's desire to play in Phoenix. The Suns are re-building. He doesn't want to play for a re-building franchise even if it does include Amare Stoudamire. We have a signiture star in Yao, who also is probably the second best center in the league already, a proven coach, a new building and the ability to build an entire franchise around he and Yao. That is no small thing.
Jeff - a future Rockets #1 isn't going to come close to the Phoenix #1, especially considering the Magic can draft a potential franchise PG at #7 in this draft, whether it be Livingston, Gordon, or Harris. I mean, after a deal with Houston, the best Rockets #1 would probably be about #20 in any given draft -- it's hard to find an impact player there. I also don't think the Magic want to kill their cap, either. Cato carries a large number still and while his deal gets more and more palatable by the season, I'm not sure he's the best fit. Francis may be more marketable than Marion, but he also comes with some question marks as well. Marion is a pretty marketable guy in his own right, and the talent is a wash. The Suns, beyond Stoudemire, will have a load of cap room....they could get Nash, Okur, or even Kobe (probably not, but an option) with that money this offseason - or even make Brent Barry an offer he couldn't refuse. They have a decent center prospect in Zarko Carbarkapa, a decent point guard prospect in Leandro Barbosa, and may still hold the rights to Milos Vujanic after a trade (he's been rumored to be a part of a McGrady deal, though). They'd still have either Jacobsen or Johnson to play the other swing position. They also have one of the better foreign talent evaluation programs in the league. They are rebuilding, but with McGrady, the program accelerates. As I noted in another thread, too, the Magic have a history of dealing with the Suns and McGrady is apparently willing to at least consider a deal there. In the end, I think it's the draft pick that draws the line between Houston and Orlando, as well as Johnson's youth and potential. McGrady can force the Magic's hand, but if he says he'd sign with Phoenix...I think that's where a deal most likely gets done. But, if he says Houston...all of the above is a moot point.
Eventhough Phoenix may be a rebuilding team, if we trade our starting backcourt and one of the best backup centers in the league (defensively) then we may be considered a rebuilding team as well. Hopefully not
Watch this happen. Now that Shaq has demanded a trade, ironically on the same day that TMac decides he wants to leave Orlando supposedly, watch TMac start crawfishing about where he wants to go and who he is willing to sign an extension with. That dude is putting pressure on Orlando hoping above all that Orlando will do anything in their power to get Shaq daddy down there and then he can play in his hometown with his best buddy who happens to be the most dominant big man in the game. Watch it happen. Not until Orlando and LA refuse to play ball with these superstuds will TMac be interested in committing to another team. At that time, I would highly suspect that team would be the Rockets, his second choice behind staying in Orlando and playing with Big Aristotle.
I just think we see these teams differently. Phoenix may have cap space, but they ARE re-buliding. The whole reason McGrady is leaving Orlando is because of their refusal to try and win now. Phoenix has a ton of question marks without dealing away Marion and Johnson. The draft pick is obviously good for the Magic, but the situation is not nearly as good for McGrady. As for Marion, no one knows who he is outside of NBA fans. He is a fantastic player who has played on one all star team and never been in the dunk competition despite his freakish leaping ability. He has no marketability outside of big time NBA fans. Francis does. I still think it is going to come down to McGrady and not the package of players. Houston is the best fit for him.
The more I read about these trades, the more I think a strong arguement could be made for each team's offer. I'm sure each team's fans will debate the hell out of this deal (particularly Indy's given how close they were to making the finals). As a result, I think ultimately we need Mcgrady to profess a preference, not simply have one. So here's to hoping reporters badger him with questions of where so that he can force the hand. If he's indifferent to the 3 teams, then its a true crapshoot.
