All, Here's our latest: http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/The_Art_of_the_Deal-277109-34.html Working to get all future updates to play nice with RSS. Thanks for reading! JCF
Well done as always, but when you quote Macbeth here you should show some respect. Where has he been anyway? I firmly believe Adelman & Scola's (could throw in Landry & AB here too) second year possibly could be huge. If not, things will change. This year. Get your new boss to give you access to players and I bet you'd elicit a quote that would benefit Les more than he imagines. IMHO you've got as much credibility (if not more) than anyone who's ever been an employee (or a beat-writer). Les could really use that right now.
There are different ways to make big splash. It's time to stop playing it safe. Instead do something ballsy. Maybe for eg letting Landry go to get James Jones and Walter Herrmann instead. Giving up both Alston and Battier, ie losing depth to upgrade a single position.
The Celtics got away with it partly because of being in the Eastern Conference,and they did need a certain James Posey who is/was? their Battier equivalent. No one is advocating giving huge contracts to Maggette and Posey but if the Rockets really believe that piece meal additions eg Brent Barry, who only had one good playoff performance (along with missing 51 regular season games) will make us the Celtics,they are going to be in for a VERY rude shock. I read what Morey said getting one more "big player" will help us but tell us is someone going to give them one for free? It will cost a lot and may not amount to gaining much of anything. Gasol like deals don't happen every year. They will probably have to wait till the end of the upcoming season to make use of the expiring contracts. I like your writings but I wonder if the company wants you to tow their line.
Wow. James Posey is one of the big names we can't get? Good lord. He's not even THAT good. He's the kind of guy you like to have coming off the bench. That's about it.
Man, Rockets.com is going to rock now that JF is on board! We're going to get real insight instead of regurgitation of facts that most of us already know. Thanks, Fritz!
Great article. I disagree in part because we have played it safe for a while now and don't have much to show for it. The bottomline is we need another good-great player that can get his own shot. Without him, we will continue losing to the best teams in the NBA. Really simple. Of course you do not overpay a free agent and put the team in financial heck, but the Rockets can not afford to go through another season wishy-washy on getting this third player.
Are you sold on this stance or are you going through the same indecisive torment that I am? One part of me is convinced we need to go after a Vince Carter, Jason Terry or whoever and the other part of me wants to see us make a couple tweaks then roll into next season with the same group. Trade B-Jax now? Trade B-Jax later? Keep Battier? Use Battier is bait? Is Rafer good enough? Get rid of Rafer? ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Typical offseason day for me so far. I've never been so unsure of what to do!!!!!!!
Thanks... I think. Can't tell if that's a genuine compliment or biting sarcasm. And thanks, Invisible Fan. Can't believe I allowed that typo to slip through the cracks. Good catch, it's been corrected. And jmwilliamson: The implication was not that James Posey is a big name, nor did I mean for readers to infer the Rockets can't get him. I was merely saying he is one of the bigger available names among this free agent class and that the most important thing when it comes to signing any free agent in this year or any other is value. Again, thanks for all the great comments. JCF
Same here. They have to do something, but going back and forth on the how, why, and when. Well, I agree here.
Great article as usual. I do agree we need more value than star power. By that I mean a worthwile 3rd scoring option, it doesn't have to be Ray Allen or Michael Redd (or even Maggette). Someone who can bring a scoring punch like Mike Miller while holding his own as much as possible on D. Who that would be? I don't know, I'm not the GM.
Rafer is not good enough,but we can't afford to throw him away. Battier might be useful as part of a package which unfortunately may include Scola which will be bad IMO, unless they can really get lucky.Battier by himself can't get a difference maker. B Jax can be part of a package for a "star" even though the probability of that happening is low. The Rockets aren't likely to get anything for him right now. I admit I wouldn't go for VC unless we get an additional 2/3 who can play defense and even then I wouldn't be completely sold on him.
Oh, I would go for VC, very much so. I do agree however we need a 2/3 (if we got him) that can defend since both T-Mac/VC won't defend.
This story is very true. We traded away a future star, Rudy Gay, and an expiring contract (this year) for a smart, likeable, workhorse but mediocre player like Shane Battier. We would have paid Rudy Gay far less money for far more productivity and had a bargaining chip / solid reserve player in Swift for Adelman's system. Instead, we have years to go paying for mediocre play. I wish Morey had taken advantage of his self-proclaimed strategy.
