if these are the top 3 guys on CD/JVG's list then we will probably end up with one of them. CD said that the interest the rockets have gotten from FA's is the most it's been since the championship years. swift is probably our #1 choice. if he decides to go after more money eslewhere, then i am pretty sure the MLE will be good enough for one of the other two. i for one do not really trust simmons as a SG. he can't guard other 2's, and has only had one good year. if we needed a SF then i would be all for him. like i said before, if JVG is ok with him and tmac playing next to eachother then so am i. i like the way walkers game fits between yao and tmac's. his attitude, shot selection, and TO's bother me a lot. again, if JVG is ok with him then so am i.
Stro is far and away my first choice. But if the smoke cleared and Antoine Walker was the only PF left unsigned....for the MLE? Hell yes. Repeating what I have posted before in other threads. In the half-court, a Yao-TMac team is as good as it needs to be. The most significant way to improve the Rockets is in their transition game. In transition, Walker is a Point Power Forward and an extremely difficult matchup. If Van Gundy thinks he can get Walker to reign in his "heat check" shots and learn some defensive rotations, I have no problem with him...after Stro is off of the table.
I'm surprised SAR wasn't mentioned. I know he wants more than the MLE, so maybe there's no realistic chance at a S&T. ...or we're just not that into him (but we are into Walker; go figure)
If we end up signing Walker and he then inevitably drives us crazy with his shot selection, I nominate this quote as a Clutch Classic
This is how I have felt for a very long time and have posted as such in the numerous pro-SAR threads. Abdur-Rahim plays the game dispassionately. Walker (for all of his flaws) brings it night in and night out. It's not hard for me to see why VG would prefer a passionate (albeit somewhat flawed) player over someone who basically has just put up numbers.
While I agree with what you're saying, at the same time Walker is flat out dumb as nails and all the coaching in the world from JVG's staff is not going to improve his bball IQ. In fact if such was possible, they would've gotten through to Francis and Mobley two yrs ago. Unfortunately, it looks like all our PF options are not too great. Even Udonis Haslem, who I wouldn't mind getting, is restricted. Meaning Miami will likely match anything we can offer him. At this point I would settle for Mark freakin Blount
SAR appeals to me IF JuHo is here for the long haul because SAR can play effectively at both the 3 and 4 and he wouldn't be here IF he didn't buy into the 3/4. As for the SnT it would have to include Patterson and/or DA. Is he worth that kind of package? However, my sense is that SAR will be a Cav. I also want Scalabrini or Songalia, or even Aaron Williams as rotation 4s. Any of the three would be a terrific upgrade over our current and recent benchies. I would take Croshere (as bench depth at the 3/4), if it brought SJax for Wes and filler.
from Gater: True, but the exact same thing had been said about T-Mac. I remember a game 3 years ago in Atlanta when he just killed us with his offensive rebounding as well as shooting. Losing to Atlanta is never good, but that game has stuck in my mind.
While I certainly prefer Swift, I certainly wouldn't kill myself if we got Walker. I like the idea of Walker the more I think about it. Walker's D really isn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be, he's athletic for a 4, he's one of the top passers at the 4 in the entire league, he's an excellent shooter for a big guy, and most of all... he gets 9 boards a game.
as I agree with many of you on the topic of walker...i have to say that maybe his passion/attitude can be a good thing. someone to stick up for yao like francis did more than once. he could also do the same for tmac. he could maybe be the bad boy of the team...more of a outspoken character on the floor that maybe we need more of. that being said, im about to contradict myself, not really a fan of walker AT ALL. im sure other people didnt like barkley at all either but learned to like.
If you think any player having Popovic (or VG) as a coach can get away with playing dispassionately, you are sadly mistaken. Abdur-Rahim can flat out put up meaningless numbers. I'm in a minority but I'm so glad to Rockets appear to be passing on him.
although this is a FA therad, i can't help but think what we do with Jho if swift of walker signs here and playes 36 MPG. Jho only plays 12 minutes? i think if the MLE is used on, lets say walker, then we would still need a SG and PG. Jho and james for a SG?
Maybe it's just the heat, but like some of you, all of a sudden I'd actually consider Walker...and I've always considered him one of the more overrated players in the league. I don't know what it is, because he really doesn't have great strenghts in any area we need, but he does play with passion and is an offensive threat. I like guys that play with passion as long as they use their brain too. He has a solid frame for rebounding and defending hte post as well. He could be the guy we need to give us an identity and like some of you have said stick up for Yao when needed. I watched nearly the entire Indiana/Boston series and 'Tione seemed to "want it" more than anyone else. Houston could be an ideal place for him (if the price is right) since he wouldn't have to be relied upon as a #2 option like in Boston, and we have some control in our offense unlike the year he was in Dallas. That being said he's probably not the Rockets top choice...but I have a feeling they are going to contact a ton of PF's just to be sure that they get one. They want to establish communication with the Unrestricted guys in case they decide not to play the waiting game with the restricted guys. Walker may come relatively cheap as well...I don't see any of the teams with cap room throwing huge offers his way. At this point in his career he is more of a piece of the puzzle than a building block.
Gater is dead on. I don't want Abdur-Rahim. Swift is far and away my #1 choice. At first thought, I would say 'no' to Walker, but for the MLE? I'm warming to the idea. You have to love the passion with which he plays the game. Everywhere he's gone, Kentucky, Boston, Dallas, and then coming back to Boston and spurring them to a 10 game win streak, he's brought it and everyone around him has loved him. And it's that rare skillset he brings at the power forward position - the ball handling and passing that could really lift this team. If JVG thinks he's he's a good enough fit to target him, then that's good enough for me.
I'd like Walker here. He is a good shooter, but he doesn't take good shots. People on this site seem to not see the difference. I would like to sign him for only 1-2 years, as he is a bit of a risk. If JVG can get Walker to play smart, then he is a hell of a signee. Remember 2 years ago when people said Rasheed Wallace would never win? If Walker can mature and know his role on the Rockets, he'll be a great pickup.
That's an interesting point that I admit I haven't thought much about. I see a few possible solutions if we sign either Walker or Swift. First, if we get Walker, we can occasionally play him at the 3 (sliding T-Mac to the 2) given that at least one, possibly two of our veteran guards will be gone. Second, I don't think it would kill anybody if Swift only played around 31 minutes or so. That's already a 10 minute increase in PT over his previous 21. He's a high-energy player, and limiting his PT just a bit and giving JHo the remainder might be beneficial all around. Plus Swift might find himself in foul trouble a fair bit, given his style of play. The third possibility is of course a trade, as you suggested. No rebuilding team would want him, so it would have to be an older, contending team looking for a contributor up front. I think part of the problem with Walker is that he always felt like he was the star, and most of the time he was actually right, so you can't really blame him. He's always been at least the second-best player on his team, possibly excluding the Mavs, where he EXCELLED for a short period before his head got big again. That's why I feel like he would be a great fit here: I don't think he would have any delusions of being anything but our third-best player. As yaopao said, he's a great shooter, he just takes bad shots. If he accepted that he was third fiddle and took all the wide-open looks T-Mac and Yao got for him, he could be a monster.
Simmons for the MLE would be too good to be true. If he can duplicate the season he just had, he would be worth at least $10 mil per next summer. If the Rockets lock him up to a long term deal at the MLE, he could be the best bargain in the league. Although, in the unlikely case that he does sign a MLE deal, there probably will be some player opt out stipulation after a couple of seasons.
