On the rest of the team and their closeness, I didn't mean to single out any players. It is just that Francis, Mobley, Moochie and Walt, in particular, are very close. Mo is as well and Morris will be since he is buddies already with Steve. Beyond that, the whole TEAM is very close. The only odd man out last year was really Dream and that was mainly an age thing. These guys love Bullard, Langhi and the rest as well. Cato is well-liked but I think they are tough on him and give him a rough time when he isn't working hard. From what I've heard, they are tough on one another when it comes to playing and are very competitive with one another in practice, etc. They are buddies, but they don't seem to pull any punches when it comes to the game on the floor.
That's what got me when people were saying sign Dream at any cost. People were willing to bust up team chemistry, losing Mo, maybe Walt, Shandon, and possibly Bullard just to free up money to re-sign Dream, when the team is so close to breaking through. How would the chemistry look, and how happy would Cat and Francis be if the team had to let their starting PF walk, the top back-up shooting guard, possibly a team captain in Bullard, and a solid veteran in Walt Williams, just to give Dream a huge payday his last year or 2 in the league? I'm guessing Shandon will sign for 4 years 20 million dollars, with an option for a 5th year.
RM, you posted throughout the dream crisis, and I suspect that you read posts other than your own. Why is it then that you have absolutely no understanding of the cap space and opportunities to retain all of the Rockets' FAs? I corrected you on this issue at least 5 times. *sigh*, nevermind. The Rockets were going to lose all of their FAs. You're right. I give up. Carroll even was trying to trade Steve Francis to get an extra 3.5+ in cap space for Dream. *sigh*. What you don't know about the rockHead scoop is that Dream was later caught stealing lemons and tahini. *sigh*. I have to go away for a while now guys. I'll miss you all, but it'll be best for all of us.
I still do not understand why Anderson is worth 4-6 million? Well in todays's screwed up NBA salary system, if scraps like Todd McCollough and Calvin Booth both make over 5 million a year, what does Shandon, who is a solid player, make?
Man Hebe, relax. I'm just going on the reports that the Rockets were thinking about moving a few players to re-sign Dream. I didn't say the Rockets were going to lose all of their free agents, I just assumed it was possible to lose Mo if the Rockets had to up the money on Dream, which obviously wasn't going to happen. Oh well, do what you got to do, hope to see you soon again Achebe!
Those of you b****ing about Shandon's payday should relax. There is a big difference in signing Anderson to a $5m or so deal per year than signing a Cato or some other unproven stiff (e.g. Maloney) to such a deal: even if Anderson does not play any better than he did last year, he is still relatively young and athletic and has useful basketball skills, or at least perceived usefulness. In other words, there is a market for him and he can be traded for something useful if the opportunity or need arises. If the Rockets have the money, they should sign him. While he may not be irreplaceable, he will by no means be an albatross on the roster at any point in the next 2 to 3 years.
the players you named are post players. they suck, but i understand that they are at least big bodies, i guess. but a journeyman-quality guard?
$4 mil for a 6th man, if he would accept that role, wouldn't be overpaying, just look at Tim Thomas's contract.
tim thomas can score. when was the last time you saw a very effective 6th man that could not score? shandn, on a contending team, is either 1) not on the team, or 2) a 9th man on the bench, ready to step in when called upon, but not a regular player.
4 million is not bad for Shandon. But i hope he doesnt get anything bigger than that. He is a backup sg. I think thats what he should be doing. I know that with this that Houston wont probably be in the hunt for Marc Jackson because of what moochie is asking and marc wants a long term deal. If we can sign Jelani Mccoy , I would be happy we that. Jelani gives alot of hustle.
The role of defensive stopper can be very important to a championship run. When a team has a guy going off on you ,you need someone to come in and shut him down. Is Shandon the player for that role? I don't know but I think the Rockets think he is and if he is that is worth 6th man money.
I just cannot understand the Rockets logic. Our strength under contract is clearly our backcourt and the clear weakness is our frontcourt. How could Bullard be waiting for his and we going boldly for Anderson when our pivot position is pedestrian, at best? Why are we not signing Jackson outright and have some depth at the 5 like we have at the other positions. Currently at our 1,2,3,4 we have two players who could start on other teams and at our 5 we do not have any. Take Jackson the only one who could be a starter of the guys available! How can we commit to Anderson long-term and cannot do that for Jackson? As far as I am concerned, Bullard should be on IR all season. And what is this crazy connection with "PIG" when Carlos may still be available. Like the ESPN article said the Rockets do not now justify the #10 rating.
Shandon was a very solid bench player in Utah when they were contending for the NBA title. Granted that his shot was lacking last year but he had a very hard year. He is young, athletic, fast and is a great role player. Who else on our team can defend the Kobes of the NBA, no one. My problem is that Rudy T doesn't use him in the 4th quarter when defense is needed, he would rather use Moochie.
Well that was short lived (it's amazing how beer fixes everything). Shandon mixed it up for the Jazz. Remember Jeff Hornacek's knees? Shandon can get out on the break. He missed umpteen layups and cost the Jazz one of the games in the Finals... but I digress. The Rockets are young. Their core players aren't Antoine Carr, Karl Malone, Jeff Hornacek, John Stockton, Adam Keefe. When you're staring at that pile of bones, Shandon Anderson and Bryon Russell look great. The Rockets sport: Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley, Eddie Griffin, Mo Taylor, Moochie Norris, Kenny Thomas, Terence Morris, etc. They are very young. All of those players can get out on the break and catch a basketball. Few of those players handle the ball poorer than Shandon Anderson. Most of those players will perform their role and never complain about it. Shandon is a decent rebounder and is never injured. He also constantly hustles. I think 6/34 is fair to too much for him (the eb screwed Mobley) but after Shandon signs this contract, he will be merely another element on a young exciting team. He neither breaks nor makes the Rockets. He is entirely tradeable. The exact reasons why he isn't too much of a threat in the lineup are the same reasons why someone else would want to acquire him. It is imperative to have a few players that are actually desirable, and that you'd actually be okay w/ getting rid of.
Wow Achebe! That's the best defense of Shandon I've read. Shandon is one of those rare players who can play 40mpg for 82 games. He is indeed mr. endurance. And we are talking about someone who is often the first man down on the fastbreak...hence all the "Francis waves off Shandon" stuff. Running like that prevents many men from playing 40mpg. That has value. The problem with Shandon is that he does not fit on this team as a starter. That does not mean he won't have on-going trade value or an on-going solid role on this team. Yet if Shandon signs, I'll have this on-going schizo response between Shandon being a sign of our team having great, <b>young</b> depth, and cringing for not saving that depth-money on a center.
