Speculation, based on the fact that they were the ones that offered him 50 million this offseason. They have also inquired about Kevin Martin... The ball is in the Rockets court, certainly.
Has that actually been confirmed? I've only ever seen that floated in the GARM. Anyhow, I don't think they're trying to "win now". Especially if they're parting with Harris for Caron Butler who has an expiring contract and is out for the season.
The nets owner is probably looking more at his popularity in the spanish speaking world than he is his longevity (he's a quality player, no doubt though), and scola is really popular in the spanish world, prokhorov is trying to create a global brand.
They are trying to build a winning roster for their move to Brooklyn. That is priority number one. Devin Harris and Avery Johnson have been at odds from day one, in Dallas and in New Jersey. New Jersey has been reportedly interested in Brooks, Martin and Scola... Would you take Favors and a buttload of picks for some combination of these guys? It is tempting, I must say...
Don't think his game will translate to the NBA well. He's the next Adam Morrison. Get Terrence Jones.
Dallas better not get Wallace...though they deserve it because they make bold moves instead of Morey who trades for assets, buys picks that turn out to be nobody's and doesn't sell high. We're the NBA's laughing stock. Every year you hear how good the Rockets are, supposedly could go to the WCF and supposedly the deepest bench in the NBA this year (!) Haha, let's enjoy another 10+ years of mediocrity.
No offense but as a Bobcats' fan, Houston nor Portland better get Wallace either. I am somewhat hoping (again, as a Bobcats' fan) that Jax strained hammy last night proves the need to keep both he and Wallace if that team wants to make the post-season. But if you were to get either one of them, I think it's a great boost to the Rockets.
i think thats sort of the problem, wallace uis a good enough player that charlotte sits in or around the edge of the playoffs in a weak conference, and considering charlotte is losing a fair chunk of money, jordan needs to do something to get them out of it, and cutting payroll and hoping to get a cpl young players and draft picks here or there are sort of it. Mediocrity is bad, mediocrity and -20m per year is worse.
I understand your comments and I think in a different market, you'd be spot on. But if this is about knowing your market and your contributors and your strengths, it's a different ballgame. Wallace alone has no bearing on "the edge" of the playoffs. Wallace by sheer force of will couldn't win us the remaining games we needed in 2008-09 to make the playoffs and if it weren't for the trades that brought Jax and Thomas and Ratliff last year, we'd never gotten there then. This was a mess of a franchise before Larry Brown came in and although he stayed too long (this summer and beginning of the year), he was why we were on the edge of the playoffs in 2008-09, and got in 2009-10. And anyone that thinks that Charlotte would do well to trade a proven asset for "picks" underestimates the sheer volume of negative press the club already gets for draft decisions (DJ over Lopez, Adam Morrison, Sean May, Kwame Brown as an overall #1 when MJ was w/ the Wiz org.). They might do it - I don't know anyone in the FO - but we have not fared well in that department - we've done far better trading for known quantities - and there is plenty of editorializing around here to make sure noone forgets it. Wallace is the face of the franchise and this is not the same franchise that somewhat weathered the loss of Larry Johnson & Alonzo Morning (which was a big blow to CLT). It's very very different here now. A city that's still somewhat frustrated at a mayor and city council that pushed the building/paying for of the downtown arena for the NBA (they incorrectly often target Bob Johnson for that), still angry at George Shinn for how he took the Hornets (and the name, a Charlotte-centric name from the Revolutionary War) to NO when he tried to force the city to pay for his coliseum and was rejected. There are still large swaths of fans that hate the Bobcats as they cannot see it for anything but an arrogant owner naming the team after himself (Johnson). And that leads to a franchise that has had a lot of difficulty (especially with a - until very recently - rather exciting football franchise) getting fans and keeping them. Charlotte needs to make the playoffs this year, they don't need to get to the second round, they need to get in there again (and I say, win one game). So putting that together, a somewhat disinterested fanbase thinks that Diaw is some weird guy that rides a Segue and owns a French restaurant downtown - they would miss him in the games results but they don't pay that much attention. They think Jax is some "thug" (something you read all the time in the city paper comments section) and that he just jacks up shots - they don't realize that he's never made a single headline off the court, gives a lot of himself to kids, loves Charlotte and has made nearly every single game winner we've had since he's been here. They thought Felton was "trash" because Jameer Nelson had his way with him in the playoffs last year and he didn't have "all star" numbers - they didn't pay attention to the coach last year running offensive sets into oblivion and making his PGs his mouthpiece to the team for everything that wasn't right. But if you traded Wallace, well then everyone knows him and everyone in this town loves him. He's the second coming of Mugsy Bogues to the community and rightly so. GW is a great guy and he deserves that warmth he gets. But for that reason, it's why keeping GW isn't about 9mm a year. And if they "just" make the playoffs, it would prove that the team didn't sell it's soul to Larry Brown for one playoff tease. It would also give Silas a huge vote of confidence that he could not only simply right the faltering LB ship but steer it in a better direction. Therefore it's not mediocrity to us "just to make the playoffs" despite what it might seem. In other words, your fanbase might understand and wait through a rebuilding period. This one, no way - they'd lose any ground they have captured since Jordan bought the team and that's why my guess is, Crash retires a Bobcat. I could be massively wrong - but I don't know how they could pull it off from a PR perspective otherwise.
it is for the Kings. They put themselves in a much worse position from a salary cap perspective (i.e. taking on Brad Miller's ridiculous contract) and the best player they get out of it is a one-dimensional average bench player.
I don't know really, that Jordan is shopping him and for not much more than young talent and salary relief seems to be the going price, it might all be bull****, but at this point, i tend to think not. Whilst i agree with you on most things, i disagree on the rebuild thing, there aren't many fan bases that without a pretty much guaranteed light at the end of the tunnel can go thru it (perhaps cleveland and oklahoma, but houston certainly aren't). The sad reality for MJ is that he's losing 20m a year out of his pocket, and sure he still earns 40m or so thru his brand and probably will continue too indefinitely, whilst the local/enthusiast in Michael may accept breaking even as being ok, 20m is a lot, i think its a somewhat sad part of reality of how much small market teams struggle financially.
Where's Wallace at?!?!?! Spoiler <iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/YrSy9r0-lMg?hd=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
