The Rockets should take a look at Boston's roster. They have an abundance of guards and centers. I would love to land a guy like Welsch to the team.
Yeah, a Welsch/Blount trade doesn't sound too bad actually. Here is how hoopshype scouts Welsch: Plays both guard positions... Great fundamentals... Excellent shooter... Good athleticism for European standards... Above average ballhandling skills... Has a resemblence to BRENT BARRY. Sounds like a guy who could fill our starting spot well under JVG. I heard somewhere that Ainge is trying to build a very up-tempo team so maybe he would be expendable.
I dont see why an athletic shooter would be expendable in an up-tempo style team. And I don't see why Boston would trade Blount for our garbage right after resigning him.
I don't understand why MoT for Booth and Daniels hasn't been done yet. I get the feeling we don't want to trade MoT. He's been working extra hard this summer and is apparently trying to be in super shape for training camp, and if CD and co. know this then maybe they don't want to trade him until people see him in great shape and his stock rises? I say we just renounce the TE, and split our TE between one of the two PG's and Keon Clark.
I'd like our roster if we did that (.6 MLE to DJ or MJ in a 3-4 year deal, .4 to KC in a 2-3 year deal). Maybe offer 3.3 2-year deal to Eric W for the vet exception. Under those conditions I think we have a fairly affordable contending roster and would not be upset with Les for not allowing the TE to be used.
I would give them both 3 years, with the 3rd year being a player option. If they'd prefer two years, that's fine with me. The idea behind this? Our big summer should be 2 seasons from now. Spoon and Pike come off the books, and MoT is in his final year. Yao is going to be extended. We wouldn't have a ton of capspace I don't think, but we'd be able to do a lot of maneuvering. The only players currently under contract beyond 2 seasons are MoT, Howard, Yao and T-Mac. MoT will be in his final year, so we could easily get rid of him. But Yao and T-Mac will be making around 27-28M, with MoT making another 10M. Then 5M for Howard. That's 43M right there, without any draft picks and FA's we sign over the next 2 years. Assuming the cap is at around something like 46M? We basically have little to no capspace unless we dump Howard or MoT for shorter 2-year contracts. If we trade MoT for Chris Mihm and Yogi Stewart right now, we're looking at a damn good cap situation in a couple of years. So basically, I'd do the 3 things: - Sign Keon Clark and one of the two PG's with the MLE. - Renounce the TE. - MoT to the Celtics for Mihm and Stewart. Our team is just as good if Clark is healthy enough to play 25 minutes: Yao/Clark/Yogi/Mihm Howard/Clark/Mihm/Spoon JJ/Boki/AG T-Mac/Pike Lue/Jones, James or Daniels would be fine too Competitive team, bright future. We're basically using the Spurs blueprint, but we have T-Mac and the yhave Parker.
Because nobody wants him with that bloated contract. He was offered to Philly for Snow and Philly wanted Howard instead. They have been shopping him but there just doesn't appear to be a lot of interest in him. Frankly speaking, he's been a disappointment what with the injuries and drug problems so this should come as no surprise to anyone. I suspect that the REAL reason CD has done nothing is that he simply doesn't know what do about filling the holes created in the T-Mac trade. Talent evaluation has never been his strong suit anyway.
That's true. I don't know what I was thinking. Thanks for straightening me out. Guess I should have went to bed 5 minutes earlier. Ha!
J [/B][/QUOTE] A trade with Cleveland would be ideal MoT for McInnis/Battie they have so many PG's now.. expensive PG's in Snow, McGinnis, Ollie.. You do realize they traded Ollie to get Snow. Snow is now their only overpriced point guard.
Sometimes I wonder if our problem in trades is that CD might be so eager to offer Mo in a trade, rather than Juwan, that teams are balking. Stephen A. Smith (I know, I know, he's a loudmouth, but...he's a fun loudmouth, and such a transparent Knicks fan) intimated that we wouldn't offer Mo rather than Juwan. Don't know if that's true. Still, in their eagerness to get rid of one PF rather than another, therein could be the problem?
If you liked Steve Francis on defense for the Rockets, wait till you get a load of Marko Jaric! Seriously, he's been mediocre for a while, you guys need to let go of his draft previews and focus on his performance, which has sucked, royally. He might very well be the worst starting point guard in the conference. Guys like him and Jiri Welsch quickly discovered that being an athletic point guard in Europe and being one in the NBA are different things.
Damon Jones is the point guard that I want. I would love to see him signed for around 15 million over 4 years. Then we could go cheap and sign Steven Hunter to back up Yao. I would call that a good offseason. Weatherspoon should be moved but no one will want him until next year when he has an expiring contract.
MoT for a draft pick would work...so MoT for Daniels would definitely work. Someone actually said that they were expecting MoT to have a breakout year! (I couldn't contain my laughter) Its not like he's a youngster and he pretty much played as well as MoT will ever play. We just have to get him off our books. I would give all the respect in the world to CD if he gets rid of MoT or Spoons contracts this year. Even if we dont get a PG out of it this year. I'm more than willing to wait a year.
small snippet from The Dallas Morning News about the Rockets and Damon Jones. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/basketball/mavs/stories/072404dnspomavsdate.6087c.html (registration required) Point guard update: The Mavericks are still on the lookout for a veteran point guard. Milwaukee's Damon Jones is one of the best names left on the free-agent market. But the Mavericks have no money to spend and would have to trade a player for Jones. Houston is one of the front-runners for Jones, who had an excellent playoff run last season. Atlanta, Seattle, Miami and Milwaukee also are vying for Jones.
Does anyone know anything about Marcus Banks from Boston? I read somewhere that he might be on the block cause Ainge really likes how Delonte West is playing this summer. I just don't know that much about him.
I like Jones and all, but damn I hope Seattle gets him, so that WE can get the trade for Daniels done.
it looks like we are the front runner for jones, james, and ward. i think that the rockets can't make up their mind right now, so they will wait and see who goes elsewhere. whoever is the last one left we will grab for a basement level salary.
