I am very proud of this team, VERY PROUD. However, I doubt next years team looks very much like this one. Morey has a huge task ahead of him, and the challenges are great, whom to trade, whom to sign, and how to do it all in a manner which advances the team rather than causes regression. The Big questions. 1. Ron Artest - do you re-sign the guy? He adds a significant element of toughness, but his shot selection and skills are on the decline. He will be seeking big money, but one thing Morey has been good at is not overpaying for production. Ron is just not an efficient player on the offensive end, and far too often goes one on 5, even in games the team is winning (remember Chicago). I am not sure what to do with him. He might be worth a 3 year deal for $18 million, but that would be a pay cut, and he probably wants more. The problem is that most of his skills are covered in Battier who is a much better team and overall defender and plays within the offense - so I personally hope that Ron gets his money in a sign and trade situation for a team looking to add his toughness..... 2. Tmac - Oh man, he had to have rankled the front office with his announcemnt on his blog about the surgury, and he probably pissed off his teamates with his lack of committment to conditioning last offseason. All that being said...what do you do with the guy? He is EXTREMELY talented, but his situation and contract do not meet what the team needs. The Rockets can not afford to wait on Tracy to get better or take a chance that he won't. They have to move his $23 million dollar contract to a cash strapped team to pick up some players that the other team doesn't want or wants to rebuild from, something like Monta Ellis and Turiaf or Maggette...or Granger and anything from Indiana......the Rockets have to move Tmac this offseason, that is when his contract is most valuable...once the season starts it flips to can he play anymore...and I don't think the Rockets want to be the guinea pig that finds out. 3. Von Wafer - What do you do with this guy? When he started, he was better than both Tmac and Ron, more efficient, and in some games off the bench he was pretty good too, but.....his attitude, and lack of paying attention on both ends of the court can be maddening. Also, how much does he want? I would think the Rockets may want to lock him up long term for under $3 million a year, and that may be fine for Von......if he is willing to accept $9 million for 3 years, I think he stays. The problem comes when another team comes in and offers the same money or a bit more and a starting spot, if you are Von, you have to take that deal.....a chance to play more minutes is a chance to increase your value and improve as a player, for that reason alone I think the chances of him staying are 50/50 at best. The medium questions. 1. Yao Ming - What can you do to keep him healthy? This is 3 years in a row he has broken down, the team already decreased his practice schedule, how can they pay a guy max money that can not play max minutes or provide a consistent presence for his team? I hope they get Yao out to the high post this year more and open up the lane for Lowry and Brooks, get Yao away from the low post some and free him up from all that banging. Yao can hit that shot, he just needs to work on it more often, and it is better for his body overall. The big question for Yao will be tabled until next year, if he gets injured again, then the team has some serious thinking to do about his future and contract etc. 2. AB and Lowry - they both got valuable experience in the playoffs and AB particularly had success against HIGH caliber teams. Will the team continue to let AB grow into the scoring PG that this team needs? Will AB be able to get better at passing the ball to his teamates, will his teamates get better at moving off the ball to help him out, or will the team go after a veteran PG like Bibby, or Andre Miller - I think they stay put here, they have young PGs under contract for little money, and if you surround them with smarter players you can minimize their mistakes......that means getting a wing that can also create to replace Ron. 3. Backup Center - Got to sign someone like Chris "birdman" Anderson to come in and add some athleticism and defensive pressure to relieve Yao. If that person can also shoot like Robert Horry, even better ! This will be a tough assignment for Morey, we have gotten a lot of effort smaller guys, can we now get an effort..bigger guy? The small questions. 1. What to do with Joey Dorsey - The guy showed nothing at the pro level or at the D-league level and reports of his work ethic are really disheartening, will he step up and become an NBA player or are these 2 years his only ones in the NBA? 2. James White - Can the rail thin dunking machine do some damage at the NBA level, or is he Von Wafer insurance? No one knows what he can or can't do, but he will be a 27 year old athletic player, so there could be hope. 3. Brian Cook - OMG he has a players option? CRAP ! All in all, I think this team is on the upswing, but chemistry, and leadership and team building are hard to tinker with and get right. Morey has done a brilliant job this year by making lemonade out of lemons, but there are some serious issues to address with this team and leadership etc. This team is on a teeter totter, it could go either way...... Morey - it is on you !!! In Morey we trust..........FOR NOW !! DD
Does playing Yming less practice even do anything? Its not physical play (compared to a game) and I honestly think it hurts his game. (he will sometimes start off slow...is it because he plays less in warm ups?) Would playing him less then 34 mins a game help? Look at my sig, why wouldn't it help? Slow down wear and tear and give more rest? We can only hope this summer off for Yao with his dedication to conditioning will help out. Rartest was a big factor in our success. I don't care how you look at it. I wouldn't offer him more then what he makes but your offer is a bit low? I think he can be utilized better and by all people I don't understand why RA didn't implement this? (post ups?) Wafer, I agree no more then 3 a year and if I have to choose Wafer or Ron its Ron easily. But if you do trade Tmac in the offseason, does this mean we can afford both? I would love to see Brooks move to the starting 2. Find a back up center (that we will actually play during the season) and then a starting 1 (using Lowry as back up or vice versa).
I don't think Yao's injury's are a result of 'banging down low' His injuries are always freak injuries. Not sure if playing the high post will help that.
The foot problems are not freak injuries, they are injuries as a result of being 7'6" tall and 300+ pounds..... DD
I'm not quite sure in which world Von Wafer is a starting NBA 2. I think he should be re-signed as a 6th man. I don't think he has the basketball IQ to start and he definitely needs an attitude adjustment. IMO, there are really only 2 major questions this offseason...Artest and a backup C.
I do believe this roster will look different come next year. Morey is not going to stand pat. The only thing that really looks set is our PF situation. I don't think you can ask for more from Landry and Scola at the rate of $6Mil a year. You can't beat that. Regardless of what the Rockets do with the roster for next year, they need to come out swinging early. The chemistry and rotation needs to be set in place before the season starts. Adelman had too many issues with the rotation because of the injuries with T-Mac, Battier, and Artest. Even though our record was 53-29, it's not going to be good enough. The Blazers and Nuggets will be better next year. I can't throw in NO because they have more issues than anyone can image. They can't afford all their players right now and health is also their problem. Dallas has a chance to make some changes with Kidd coming off the books. It won't be that much of a change because they only have $7mil to play with. I would also guarantee that the OKC Thunder will be better. I think they will be big players during this off season. I could see them making some noise come 09-10.
Sit Yao out for the first 25 games of the season... and limit his regular season minutes to 25 per game.. and he can make it throughout the playoffs.
I am saying there might be a team out there that is rebuilding that would offer him that spot....and he would be a fool not to take it. He is good enough to be a 20ppg scorer on offense, but can he play defense and stay within the team? That is the question...with him. DD
Big questions: Ron Artest - I don't want to resign him because of his skills and shot selection. He is not a team player. He really hasn't stepped up. The thing is, with him on the roster the team got to the 2nd round so he kinda automatically deserves a contract. But sign and trade is really interesting. Tracy McGrady - I don't think we are gonna trade him in the offseason. We are not gonna get anything good instead. Granger? Are you kidding me? Just pay attention to his rehab, force him to work hard and control it so that he comes back healthly next year. Give him a chance next season, if it doesn't work you can trade him till February 2010. But as you said, he is a big TALENT. IF he stays healthly (if if if) we may really be a strong team next season, at least for WCF. Von Wafer - He has nice offensive skills. But what he should work during this offseason is defense and passing. Understand you are a role player, because sometimes it seems like he feels he is Tracy McGrady of the team. Put a big poster in front of your bad saying : PASS THE FREAKING BALL! But he would be a nice addition off the bench next season. The medium questions Yao Ming - He is gonna have the whole summer off so maybe this will help. But in general, you really can't do much about that. You just can't control that. But finding a backup center and playing him less minutes next season will be crucial. AB and Lowry - Don't force things. I am ok with Kyle and AB, they are gonna be better next year. But I'd be more comfortable with AB comming off the bench so that he can come in and give an offensive spark off the bench. Andre Miller, Mike Bibby - those would be great names for starting poing guards. Backup Center - You just have to sign someone. Someone who can play 20 minutes a game, someone who is an energy guy, who can grab rebounds and play defense. Just a solid, maybe a veteran backup. The small questions. What to do with Joey Dorsey - He really hasn't shown anything. Maybe this offseason will help him and maybe he will even become a good backup center. James White - I like this guy. He is athletic, he can dunk and looks like he may be that energy guy. Who knows, maybe he will become a new Von Wafer? Brian Cook - ....... IN MOREY WE TRUST
1. Yes with Ron you could easily see the toughness he has brought to our team. An excellent defender and a loose cannon sometimes offensively. With him and Battier on the floor we can gaurd and superstart in this league. 2.He comes back and plays if he is good you keep him and if you can make a trade that makes the team better do it. 3.I think there is alot of players out there that can do what Wafer does. Will miss his energy and dunking if he leaves. If he does I bet James White could do what he does. 1a.)They limited him this season a little and he made all the way through. He brings too much to the table to not keep him. The problem is we can only have one injury prone superstar. Sorry Tracy. (AOL voice "Goodbye") 2a.)AB has to learn to be consistent. If we could only combing AB and Lowry I think we would have a great starting point gaurd. 3a.) Shot blocking the Rockets definatley need some length and shot blocking. Chirs Anderson sounds real good. 1b.) Had plantar facitis so he never really played too much. Don't know what he really is capable of till he gets some NBA minutes. Trade Piece anyone? 2b.) Wafer insurance. OR Tmac insurance 3b.) Just learn to play defense and rebound and pass the ball and only shoot 3s. Here is a vladmir radmonovic mixtape go lock yourself in a closet with it. Oh but know when your contracts up your gone. Good post I can't wait to see what Morey is going to do. I have high hopes and seems to never dissapoint!
I want Artest to be our 6th man next season. I dont care if we start T-Mac (if he gets in shape) or Vafer. RonRon was supeb when he came in from the bench. Starters: Yao Scola Battier T-Mac Brooks Second unit: FA Landry Artest Vafer Lowry How sweet does that look??
I don't think TMac is tradeable at this point. Even if DM could find a trading partner, the Rox might not want to take on two or three average players with expensive, long term contracts. The Rox would be bailing out another team's long term cap problem, just to get TMac off the roster. The Rox's better path may be to hold their nose and keep TMac around for one more year.
There are a few things we saw about Ron in the playoffs. He's not a scorer and I'm not talking about his shot selection. He can score but he isn't a scorer. I think when that responsibility is on him to score, its too much pressure on him. I personally believe he's at his best when he's playing tough defense and attacking the boards. He's gotten a lot of points off put backs.
That is good news....one thing with feet is you don't want to over work them...and Yao banging down low and trying to get leverage is tough on the feet.... He needs to extend his range to the 3pt line.....for his own and the team's good....when they front, move out top big fella. As far as Artest etc, Morey is not the kind to overpay, or saddle the franchise with a bad contract, I don't think Ron is as valuable as many here believe, he will not have a lot of suitors on the open market. In fact, I dout he would get offered anything above MLE money, the quesiton is, will he be insulted if the Rockets low ball him? Because that is what Morey SHOULD do..... Actually, if Morey is smart, he will let Ron explore the market first to set his value...let him get the bad news elsewhere ..... DD
Crap...you are right, I forgot about him....personally, I hope he retires....but if he plays one more year that is ok too, he is smart so can contribute some, but is just not fast enough to play major minutes any longer. DD
big questions: 1) unless you get Ron at a favorable contract and favorable years, you let him walk. you plan for the scenario where he doesnt come back. 2) be rid of him asap, because he is not going to gain value as the offseason progresses. his value is entirely as an expiring, and you need to move him to know what you need to do with the rest of the roster. all your other moves depend on what comes back in a tracy deal. 3) let him walk. i know there are a lot of von fans here, so this will be unpopular, but he is a spare part. especially given that if you move tracy and get something back, you wont have a ton of playing time for someone who only puts in effort at one end of the court. medium questions: 1) yao - not much you can do. rest, rest, rest. basketball is a very physically demanding game, and if yao keeps getting injured then what can you do? maybe you dont give him the max in two years, i dunno. 2) AB and Lowry - these two are fine. great complementary set of PGs. i think you're set here for the future. 3) backup center - if i'm morey i buy into the draft and pick up a long 6'10" guy to backup yao. or get a 4/5 swingman. don't pick up someone elses trash here please (i.e. no rasheed wallace or the like) easy questions: 1) dorsey - joey will be fine. he just needs a little time. 2) white - a project to replace von. has potential to be much better than von, and i think i'd rather keep him than von anyway. he's cheap so it doesn't matter much in terms of your other decisions. 3) cook - who cares. you have him so you have him. nothing you can do. if you want to be rid of him, you package him in a trade as an expiring contract, or with an overproductive player like shane or scola. otherwise, let him sit at the end of the bench.
Ron has value to the team but not to extreme that people here believe. The biggest problem is that Ron's skills are the exact same thing as Battier's. Don't get me wrong, Battier can't post up like Ron but they both do the same thing. Morey isn't going to give a lot a money to Ron. Ron has value to other teams but most teams aren't going to want to give him big bucks. Not for a person that can't shoot and the playoffs are a prime example.
