Thats pretty much where the lux tax will be. Even if you add a mle or lle player, does that look like a team that can beat La or denver? I also think those are good numbers for scola and lowry, but haywood can get 6m and start for a team.I think scola is going to be part of the deal or a deal. I think lowry might be out at the end of the year especially with broks coming up for a conract extension. All of thi brings me back to a couple of points and ideas. The rockets need to trade shane and his 7.3m contract and if they don't make a big move of somekind, the rockets are doomed to be a 50 win 5th seed for the next 3 yrs which equals no ring. just my opinion.
I would trade Ariza, because Shane expires next year along with Yao, and can help you expedite the rebuilding process if Yao can not come all the way back. DD
Of course u would despite the fact shane is older,slower,and gets paid more for nothing. I already know your feeling and trading ariza would not expedite the process. He makes mle and have shown when surrounded with players he can make plays and big shots on a championship team and thats something shane hasn't. Get rid of the old players first,you know the rule
No, he has shown that surrounded with the "BEST PLAYER" in the game he can be a 5th option. Since the likelyhood of us getting the "BEST PLAYER" in the game are unlikely, we should look to jettison him and his attitude. The guy lacks fundamental skills he is not worth the money. At least Shane has value next year as an expiring asset.....what I am talking about is purely about team building not about basketball.... But I do think Trevor and Shane are pretty much equal on the basketball floor......and please think of Jack Haley and his rings before you bring up that crap excuse about Trevor being on a championship team......lots of guys are on championship teams that are not that impactual. DD
So you think haley contributed as much as trevor did last year in the playoffs? Don't let your man love for shane and dislike for trevor cloud your opinion. They don't win game4 in the finals with shane and not trevor. How do i know? When was the last time shane did anything on the road in the playoffs? What about the crucial steals in denver? What about the 13pt 3rd quarter when everyone was struggling? I could go on and on and it wouldn't do any good because you have your mind set. Trevor has shown that he can make big plays at big times in the playoffs for a championship team. Now you can say he had the best player and whatever, but for years shane had the best big in yao and a top 5 wing in tracy and did jack in the playoffs against utah. In memphis he had the same pau gasol,williams,posey,wells, and others and couldn't win a playoff game and played terrible. The history doesn't lie and if you're saying haley contributed as much as trevor, then i guess you were taking one of those old man naps
DD won't like Ariza EVER. It's no use to argue with him and I've grown to accept his opinion. It also saves me from developing carpal tunnel. If Ariza scored 50 and saved kids from a fire he'd still hate him.
If Ariza learns how to dribble the ball, and play within his own abilities, I will be more than happy with his play. But I can not recall in my nearly 40 years of watching and playing basketball a 24 year old player that suddenly learned how to dribble the ball. Honestly, it boggles the mind that his fundamentals are so crappy, he has gotten by on his length and athleticism, as well as playing with great teamates. To me he has 100% been exposed, and the Rockets chances of getting teamates as good as Kobe, Odom and Gasol are limited, they need Trevor to do more than he will ever be capable of delivering because he just doesn't have the skills or the mental toughness to do it. If he goes back to the 4th or 5th option spot, then fine.....but honestly Reek, he is just not that good at the sport of basketball. No need to sugarcoat it for the weak of mind.....he is what he is........and not worth what we are paying him. DD
Honestly, I never thought of him as more than a 12-15ppg kind of guy. I don't know what the expectations were, but i thought he would be a shane type iof guy except cheaper,younger,and more athletic. I thought and still do that by the time they get it figured out in terms of roster,he would still be young enough and his game would've matured. They didn't give up a lotto pick or big money, they gave up mle money, thats it. Anyon who thought he would be a 3rd option type was sadly mistaken. If yao was back, he would be 4th optiion. If yao was back and butler is here , he's 5th option. Go find out how much 5th options are paid and or their compensation in terms of the draft.
Battier has been around much longer, and he can't dribble any better. Its pretty clear that the Rockets want Ariza to test his limits. That's what he's doing, and it should be no surprise that he ends up making a lot of mistakes as a result. As he and the Rockets get a clear view of his ceiling, and as better offensive players are placed around him, I think he'll go back to being the efficient player he once was.
Agreed on Battier, I am not that big of a fan. The only thing he has is that he KNOWS who he is and what he is good at and what he isn't good at.... If Battier tried to do more he would look exactly like Ariza looks now. My point is that we don't know if Yao is going to come back strong, and Battier expires the same season as Yao does, so it gives Morey more flexibility going forward if you keep him and trade Trevor. He limited him to 20 minutes a game, and he only started something like 20 games for them. He knew EXACTLY what he was......DM apparently did not. DD
How did a thread about Caron Butler coming to Houston devolve into typical Battier/Ariza-bashing or Battier/Ariza comparisons? Neither will be involved in any trade with Butler because their salary plus McGrady's salary is too much to move at once.
However you slice it, Butler has the best handles of those three wings and we'd have a surplus of wings, especially if Chase doesn't leave in the deal. Seems like something has to give. And we still wouldn't have a real 2.
If the Rox get Butler/Haywood, I halfway expect them to release Scola in the summer, and re-sign Haywood, simply because they need another true center, and less of the (relative) midgets. Also depends on how high they are willing to let total payroll go.
DD really want's Ariza to get traded in this deal. He want's to use his Jedi mind tricks and make it so. He even posted the wrong proposed "deal" on Spermstalk.
So you you don't think it had anyhing to do with the talent of the lakers? How much did his minutes go up once they dumped radman? What about the playoffs which is critical? It seems to me that once they solidified their rotation and i'm not looking at the stats, ariza played 30 mins a night and played even more in the playoffs especially late in the playoffs. Or maybe I'm wrong on this one?
The Rockets aren't dummies. Obviously Ariza did good things with the Lakers if the Rockets wanted to use their MLE on him. He was a terrific role player on a championship team. No reason for people to take that away from him, just because they aren't happy with his play half-way in to his first season as a Rocket.
I know I am late to thread. The trade seems plausible. I am slowly coming around on Caron Butler. I do think Jose is getting flamed because of his "super secret place." Look, I like others on this board am a season ticket holder. I have been since 2003-2004. I have never heard of a place in the TC where only season ticket holders are allowed. Additionally, season ticket holder events are attended by sales staff and personal ticket representatives. They do not have insider information that will pass to their ticket holders. Their job is to promote and make sure you renew your seats.
