You guys are all evil. The very fact that, after reading through this thread, I'm actually warming up to the idea of Antoine Walker as a Rocket is a testament to that fact. I hate Antone Walker! You're evil, evil men.
I think this is spot on. I'm not a big Walker fan, but it's mainly about his attitude rather than his skills. I think under JVG's hand he could be very productive.
Franchise players don't need anybody to stick up for them. If they do, they're not franchise players. Every team needs toughness, however a good portion of that needs to be supplied by the two superstars. Yao is 7'6". He should stick up for himself. Walker doesn't provide toughness. He provides bravado. Toughness is measured by how much you bang in the post and how you don't give up no matter what, not by how much you can talk.
I have 2 main problems with Walker. (1) He's too inefficient to be a 3rd option playing with 2 superstars. He turns the ball over too much for a big man. He averages at least 3 turnovers a game every season and averaged a terrible 1.03 TO/Assists ratio last season. He shoots too many 3's and he's a 53% free throw shooter. (2) He's not the defensive presence that we need at the 4. I'd rather have a shotblocking/rebounding big man that can do the dirty work. Even if it means getting a player that lacks offensive skills. I don't view him as the ideal fit as our 3rd scoring option and I don't think he fits as the ideal power forward in this system. The only thing he has going for him is the passion he plays with.
The more I think about it the more I want Walker on the team. First, he has the range, size, and court vision to really help our team. He will be able to make the pass to Yao on the block and can take alot of pressure off T-Mac as to having to create shots for the team. Obviously his fault is that he is a bit reckless with his shot selection, but with Yao, T-Mac and Tone on the floor, I doubt he will see any defenses intent on stopping him. Also, he's spent 2 seasons on three teams. I think its about time for him to realize he's getting up there in years and a few championships and a steady job location would sound pretty nice. So we could have him for "relatively" (I use the term VERY loosely) cheap because the other upper echelon teams don't need a PF. Finally, Tone wont have to play out of his normal game. He won't to force up as many 3's now and his % should definitely go up. I dunno. Just making a case for Tone. I want him now.
They're trying to pull a fast one on everyone, "Ugh, Yeah we're in contact with Stromile Swift, Antoine Walker, and Bobby Simmons", makes us think, "That's outstanding! Swift and Simmons would be great fits!". Only until later do you think about Walker, he's not a bad player, just a bad fit on the Rockets. He doesn't cover up for Yao's weaknesses at all like the ideal PF would, he does rebound well for his size, will he continue that in the West? Simmons is my dream SG, and I won't complaine about Swift, but Walker? For the good of the Rockets and for his own good, he should go somewhere else where his versatility from the PF position would be more appreciated.
from NewJack: And if JHo goes down again then no one in the league will defend our 4's at all. The entire league is going smaller and a young Oakley-type, or even a Cato-type from two years ago couldn't help us against the entire league going smaller and faster. I know many people here completely agree with you, but the way teams play Yao and T-Mac we have to have a 4 that can drain the open mid-range shot, and play adequate defense in a conference where no one can really guard the premier 4's anyway.
According to nba.com, Simmons is an unrestricted free agent. Is this true? http://www.nba.com/transactions/player_movement2005_free_agents.html
Talking and signing are very different animals. Of course these players' agents are going to talk to us. BUT, do we have the money and/or assets to actually do a deal? I wouldn't get too excited until we announce an actual signing. I just hope our "splash" is not as disappointing as our draft.
I can't speak for most, but to me, the ideal PF next to Yao is basically one that covers up his weaknesses. You can't have a soft or powerLESS power forward next to him, can't be slow, can't be nice. It would be better if he didn't share the same strengths as well, Juwon Howard for instance is a much better offensive player than he is a rebounder or defender. Yao is obvioulsy better scorer, rebounder, and defender than Juwon, but the order of those three things is exactly the same. That seems redundant to me, that's why a guy like Tyson Chandler would be a perfect TEN for this team, Stromile Swift would be a great fit for this team as well, so would Kwame Brown and others like them.
We have no cap space. That's why our negotiations are limited to all or part of the MLE (~$5m), the vet minimum (~$1.7m) or a sign and trade (SnT).
My "ideal" 4 for this team (who is a non-superstar player) is someone like a Horace Grant when he played for the Bulls. A semi-athletic rebounder who can play good defense and hit an open jumper. On offense, we don't need a 4 who can create his own shot, who takes up space in the post or who has good post moves. Just a high energy player with a decent basketball IQ who will know his role on the team and get after it with gusto. I don't think our 4 should be the 3rd scoring option on the team.
Swift and Simmons would be two of my top 3 targets, but count me in the SAR club as the 3rd choice. Walker is just so unpredicable and inefficient (horrible efficiency ratings for a PF and lots of TOs), I think we would make a worse 3rd cog/role player than SAR. Sure I'll take Walker for a full MLE if he is the guy left (probably over DM just because of age), but I'd feel really squemish about his fit. Swift SAR Simmons Those would be my three to target, 5 year MLE to any of them. Further we don't need to trade Sura or James. All 3 are unrestricted, so their current team would probably facillitate a S&T rather than lose them for nothing. Use an expiring contract (Spoon), next years #1 and maybe NY #2. I would not want to give up anything of value for Walker (no S&T), but again if he is left after these guys, and will sign for an MLE, sure.
Based on the Fox news post (the 6 people we contacted included SAR), it is possible we contacted SAR but the money wasn't close, or it is close to a done deal with someone else (Cavs)--and this could be the reason he is not listed a one of the 3 targets in the current referenced report.
I guess a slightly better post-up game? A little better rebounding? Other than that, he really isn't much of an upgrade from Howard. The only finesse PF I want is Walker, because he at least causes matchup problems.
