My gut feeling is that at the end of the day, Ron won't be back. First, one misconception that needs to be addressed: Ron is not a good defender. I love Ron. He's absolutely hilarious, he's a terrific leader, and he's been as nice and accomodating to me personally as any athlete I've ever been around. But his defense isn't even average. It's bad. He lives off trying to bump and intimidate players, and when that doesn't work (it especially won't work in the playoffs -- over the course of a series, it sets in more and more that it's all an act with little substance), he does nothing. He can't keep anyone in front of him. Hell, he practically escorted Odom baseline with his left hand (his dominant side) multiple times yesterday. So, you're left with an erratic offensive player (No. 3 option at best) who thinks he's better than he is, with declining defensive skills. His intangibles are extremely valuable, I agree... but at least with Battier, you have the defense. Consider that Artest is also on the downside of his career. At the end of the day, I don't think a starting wing rotation of Artest-Battier will win a title in an era of loaded offensive teams like LA and Denver. Brooks is what he is -- an undersized spark plug who can take advantage of some matchups and the attention drawn by others. But because of his height, he's too small to be your No. 1 go-to option on the perimeter. Just too easy to take him out of the game, if that's what the defense sets out to do.Likewise, while I love Yao and Scola, it's too easy to take a big man out of the game through fronting. Plus, I'm not sure you want to pin too much on Yao, for injury reasons. Bottom line: this team needs a scorer at either the 2 or 3 to truly contend for a title, and I don't think Ron is efficient enough to be that guy. And while you could re-sign him, trade Battier and still bring in a scorer, I don't feel like a marginal upgrade on Battier's offense would be worth it, given the huge drop in defense and poor shot selection. I think the Rockets will try to read the McGrady situation as best they can, and either make an informed guess that Tracy will be healthy and can be that guy, or deal his expiring contract for a long-term deal of a talented swingman on a financially-strapped team. Anyone who thinks there's no trade market for Tracy has no understanding of the economy these days and its impact on a lot of franchises. We're insulated in Houston due to team success and Les Alexander, but league-wide it's a big factor. Now yes, even if I'm right, there's still a spot for a sixth man to come in and play 20-30 mpg at the wing positions. I know that. But I think Wafer is better suited to be that guy. He's the facilitator any great bench unit needs, and he's still on the upside of his career. I don't see Ron and Von both returning -- I think it's a safe bet that the Rockets will either bank on Tracy returning or deal for another wing -- and there will only be decent playing time for one more guy. I think Von is better suited for that sixth-man spark role, and I'm not sure if Ron's ego would accept it, even if he could. Right now, I know the Rockets and Ron are both saying they want to re-up. But it's a lot of posturing. Ron, imo, wants back assuming he can have his current role -- which I don't think Morey wants him to have in his ideal team. The Rockets basically have to say they want him back during the emotion of this playoff run -- he's a fan favorite, he's an emotional leader, and he played a big part in a very good team/season. But for the Rockets to truly become great and championship level, I'm not sure where Ron fits in. My guess is the Rockets explore sign-and-trade opportunities involving Artest for young, athletic bigs.
Things are bad in Indy right now, but they'll only become much worse if they blow up that roster. Granger's their marquee player right now, and certainly the only thing enticing the few people that still attend Pacers games to show up. It'll cost the Pacers even more if they jettison their young buck for some washed up semi-star. What's more, the team would more than likely be moved to new ownership and another city before it folded altogether. Besides, I'm not totally sold that the Pacers should be rebuilding anyways. They finished one game out of the playoffs this season without Mike Dunleavy. Roy Hibbert started to show promise near the end of the season, and he'll only get better. Troy Murphy's a double-double machine, and moving TJ Ford to the 2 and starting Jarret Jack, while making the Pacers smaller, also makes them quick and athletic. Brandon Rush really came on at the end of the season too, averaging nearly 13 PPG in his last 20 games. Pick up an athletic defender to back up Granger, and I'd say the Pacers are sitting pretty, provided they're healthy.
1. Ron Artest - I love the toughness Artest brings but his game is very erratic and he's turning 30 later this year. As a third option, he's great but he shouldn't be carrying the offensive load. I think a 3 year deal between $21-24 million should be enough to keep him. 2. TMac - I wish we could trade him, but his contract means he'll most likely be trade bait around deadline time. IF he comes back healthy and willing to buy into the system, he's still the team's best playmaker and you need to cover this guy defensively. However, his game is on a major decline and he has a history of injury problems. 3. Von Wafer - I agree with everything OP said. He's explosive offensively and is one of the only players can attack the rim, but his bball IQ is very low and he doesn't play much defense. Sometimes it seems like he's just playing for his stats. He needs to pass more! 3 years/$9 million sounds right. The medium questions. 1. Yao Ming - Playing him on the high post more will help him and the team more. The Rockets can't keep trying to feed him in the low post. It slows the offense down and is so predictable. Yao should take most of that responsibility on himself, but we know he can hit that 15 foot shot with ease. It can free up the lanes for our guards to drive, AND it can help extend Yao's career. 2. AB and Lowry - I like our pgs. They've made huge gains this postseason. If Lowry could develop a good long range shot, I think he would be starting. Still, I wouldn't mind signing a vet backup point to solidify the position in case one of them goes down. 3. Backup Center - I want a defensive center to backup Yao. Birdman would be okay, but I'd like some more size and hopefully more than one backup center The small questions. 1. What to do with Joey Dorsey - I think he should be cut honestly. If he played Chuck Hayes-like defense and could make a few dunks per game, I would say stay but he is a marginal NBA player at best and he'll be 26 without much improvement. 2. James White - I don't know what to do with White. I like his potential but he won't get much PT without injuries to our core players and even then I don't see him playing much. If Wafer leaves or if Barry is cut, I say stay otherwise let him go. 3. Brian Cook - OMG he has a players option? CRAP ! Couldn't have said it better myself.
On the backup center issue, we definitely need to sign a tough guy like Zaza Pachulia or Marcin Gortat. As great as Chuck Hayes is on defense, he's not 6'10"/6'11", and he doesn't know how to use the backboard to help his shot on offense.
Offseason Moves:Championship Hopes or Future Should we continue to built on the foundations that has been established with the young players brooks, lowry, landry, wafer(maybe), hayes, and even white (we still have yao, scola, battier, t-mac, and maybe ron as veterns) or trade this young players for older(one-two Seasons left) all-stars such as shaq and nash ? It is possible that many of our young star can develop into consistent players, not superstar. Exs would be like rondo, perkins, Nelson, Ellis, and whoever you can think of So basically, Should we consider future consequences when making a move this offseason
So basically, Should we consider future consequences when making a move this offseason. Uhhh I dunno should we
Nash coming here to get a ring...that's very tempting i am sure for him Shaq coming here to help destroy the Lakers....i am sure Houston vs Lakers will be a rival again just like Kings vs LA under Adelman. This is just the beginning.
i completely agree with this. Ab is a a great third option - a pleasant surprise - but we need a true scoring wing to open things up for yao and scola inside
so, the rockets are willing to trade brooks, landry, wafer(sign and trade), and T-mac to the suns for shaq and nash. The suns are definetly looking towards the future. i don't know this move will be beneficail for the long run
I disagree with this completely. Battier doesn't make people work on both ends, Artest does, regardless of his "gambling" defense. You actually have to guard Artest, while teams routinely leave Shane to play 5 on 4 defense and he still won't burn them. Look, I love Shane's defense and intangibles too, but great scorers will still get their points no matter who is defending them. He's not willing or able to counter that with his offense. He is at this point in his career a 20-30 minute defensive specialist unless he becomes more assertive offensively.
I understand where you're coming from, I really do. I think Artest can play a vital role, maybe even better than Shane, in making you a good to very good team. But to be a great or championship team, I'm not sure where he fits. It's not as simple as just throwing the most talented players out there -- they also have to work together. imo, Ron's offensive game is too erratic to work as the No. 1 wing option, but his ego won't let him play a second-fiddle to another wing (or even a sixth man role) where he'd be most effective. He thinks he's better than he is, and that's a dangerous combination. Shane struggled from the field against LA, but he can make threes at a ~40 percent clip, he can move without the ball, and more importantly, he can get the ball to Yao and playmakers at the right spots, better than almost everyone else on the team. If you have the capability at the other wing spot that a healthy McGrady (or a replacement) would give, he fits, especially with what he gives you from a defense and intangibles perspective. The one area I completely disagree with you is the statement that "great scorers still get their points" in the context you're referring to it. As Michael Lewis said more eloquently, Kobe can score 30 in a game and there's still a chance the Lakers might've been better off had he not played at all. Shane makes elite wings work. He makes them expend energy. He makes them take tougher shots and shoot lower percentages. He's monumental in your defensive rotations. Perhaps most importantly, he prevents you from having to double-team -- so even if Kobe's having a red-hot shooting night, like Game 2, then you're not having to give up uncontested dunks or threes, like you do everytime Ron makes his laughable attempt at covering Kobe. There's certainly an offensive dropoff, though I don't think it's as great as you think. But I think you can afford that dropoff if you're getting the kind of offensive play from the other wing spot that you need to truly be a championship contender. If you're not, Artest might give you a better chance than Battier of keeping your head above water and being a playoff team. But I don't see the fit on a title team.
Yao needs to lose 30 lbs and play at a lighter weight next season. He's carrying too much weight in his lower body.
Darel Morey said in his interview this morning on 610 that Rockets have 4 picks from previous trades.
I think he was reviewing how they have gotten 4 picks in the last 3 years and will be looking to do the same this year. DD
Trading t-mac before he comes back is a mistake. You will not get much value in return, and if he does recover back to form, you will look like an idiot. Morey won't take that risk. I think more likely is that T-mac comes back mid-season and Morey plays it by ear. If he performs that well, he may keep him. If he sucks it up again, he's a salary dump.
I'm trying to make the same case to my buddies up here in Dallas. In order to be great, you have to be willing to think outside of the box and fight the need to be complacent. There's no way we can go into next season with the mindset that there are enough minutes for the combination of McGrady, Artest, and Battier. I'm tired of having a team with two small forwards at the wing positions. I don't trust McGrady or Artest to guard SGs, and for everything that Shane does, he's not a SG. Bless his heart, he takes it for the team and defends the Kobes and D-Wades of the world, but what we're really missing is an athletic perimeter player who can play defense and shoot the three while playing alongside Yao (in a Yao-centric offense) and off of Brooks. If somehow, Morey is able to move BOTH Mac and Artest and get younger, more athletic, and for the love of God, longer, we're going to make a HUGE leap towards becoming a true championship contender.
