the insurance policy is in the event of a short term injury. in an ultra-competitive conf, every game really does matter. I agree that if one of our stars goes down with a season ending injury, the season is over. then again, that applies to, literally, every team in the nba. so does this mean you don't advocate acquiring a third "star" to suppport and compliment yao/tmac?
Yeah, I feel you but in reality just what kind of contingency plan can Morey hope to come up with here? This thing was set in stone under the previous regime: Tmac & Yao are/were to be the pillars upon which they (Rox) would build a championship contender. Well, if the foundation of your team is brittle and prone to breaking down, then no amount of contingency planning will be sufficient to overcome that. Only a complete rebuilding of this team will fix that and that's something Uncle Les won't allow to happen because he's making too much money dangling false hope to the legions of red koolaid drinkers out there. To answer your question: Diop resigned with the Dallas "Cubans" for 5 years $31 million. I am still LOL at how well that Kidd trade has worked out...
I believe we should go for a third star, but honestly, that doesn't seem very likely. So picking up cheap, effective, valuable players like Barry is the right way to go, even though these kinds of players may not step up when Yao or Tmac or someone else goes down. They are here to make the team AS A WHOLE (note: fully healthy) better.
Nice addition by the Rockets. Hope to see him contribute significantly during the season and especially the playoffs.
Most Houston people are just generally negative... 22 wins in a row is good but doesn't mean anything 55-27 team with best player missing a whole lot of games. Missed starting center and point guard lost 1st round playoff series 4-2. Add Brent Barry to this and most Houston fans say Rockets definitely won't be a 60+ win team. Everyone knows a 60+ win team has a great chance of winning the championship. And this is what this teams does to a so called western conference championship contender team when everyone is healthy... <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/l8xAtDciwrM&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/l8xAtDciwrM&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> So you think adding Barry doesn't mean anything? Pathetic... Just jump on the bandwagon when it passes right by you.
Man, after that thrashing of N.O, I thought the Rockets were indeed contenders. What a world a difference having Yao in there makes. The game is so much easier for the whole team. N.O didn't have a answer for him, as most don't. While don't have that "third" superstar, our team makes up for that w/players who are very feisty and play every possesion like it's the last. We don't have many lazy players on our team.That's a trait many teams don't have. When you combine that with a top defense and a unstoppable 7'6" center, you definitely have a chance to go far. Now the key, keeping Yao healthy.
See I can agree with that. Health is our key. You and I are in the same mindset. Scola and Landry's stats together is a 3rd scorer. You add Brent Barry then Rafer and Battier will give us what they give us not to mention Bobby, Aaron and the 2 Steve's. We have a well rounded team with veterans, good youth and good youth that are developing to be great.
Well said. Shoot, in our first championship, Hakeem was our only real threat. Everybody else pretty much played off of him.
Love the addition of Barry; someone who can shoot the outside shot consistantly. Now someone needs to start finding a way to unload Luther Head.
Like I said, Barry helps any team. People think the rox can't go anywhere if Yao or tracy goes down. I disagree. Artest on the rox last yr is definitely beating the Jazz and maybe even La because they would still have matchups. U cat prevent a star going down, but if Artest is on the team and either goes down, he can make up for one or the other as far as creating scoring opportunities.
Replace him with Maurice Evans and I'll be happy. Sadly the Spurs already got the other guard I wanted, Roger Mason.
Just being consistent, the regular season wins means nothing in the nba. Its about the matchups. Dallas vs GSW, Denver vs Seattle are perfect examples. When u hae major flaws and get in the playoffs, those warts are coming out big time. There is nothing suggest that the Rox would have beaten Phoe, Dallas, or Denver had they been healthy and the higher seed. What was their record against those teams? I haven't looked it up, but I'm guessing .500. So they had as much of a chance of beating the rox vice versa. They Lakers smashed Denver and Utah during the regular season. In the playoffs they did the same. U are what u are no matter how many wins u have.
Barry is expected to be the first player off the bench for 3 positions. Now tell me, is that a good sign of how weak off the bench is for the rox? First rox needs Deke to play significant minutes, then rox signs a old and often injured SF3 hoping to find a starting PG (The rox fan in me still hopes that SF3 will return and be the Franchise).Then rox traded 2 players for Bjax to play behind RA. And now another pushing 40 player, in his last legs is needed to play extended minutes? hey i love the addition, he fill a need(3p shooting) and a void(experience). But he is what he is, a player who could still shoot with the best but a player who have his best past him. And you see Morey came out and say that Barry is the number 1 option for the off season.
savior is just a bad hyperbola, but still you cant denied that most are excited about the signing. nope, his the 8/9 player for the spurs. After manu and Kurt. He is expected to cover 3 spots for the rox till any trade. And looking at last season trade, 3 players off, and only Bjax make it here, home town boy Green play 2 minutes(i think). With the same promise last season, i cant see why we be expecting more. He is what he is, his just coming to do his thing, but there is no need to be so excited about him.
Its not ridiculous and ignorant. 55 games is an achievement, dropping out of 1st round is a fact. Getting another player pushing 40, and he be expected to cover 3 positions, just shows how weak the bench is. Imagine during that 10 games that Tmac get himself injured, rox have a 37 yr old Barry starting and playing 30 minutes.
You're right...Brent Barry is what he is...a LLE signee. How could you complain about that move? Regardless of age. Also, I'm not sold on the Spurs not wanting Barry back because he's declining. He produced for them in the playoffs. Remember....BARRY is the one who opted out from the Spurs. The Spurs didn't cut him, Barry left. I'm sure Morey put in a bid for Maggette, but there are other teams offering the same money. The MLE is reserved for Landry right now...we all knew that as fans going into the offseason. All Morey had to work with was the LLE, and he got Brent Barry out of it. Morey coming out and saying Barry was target number 1 for the offseason translates to "Barry was the MOST REALISTIC target for the offseason." The bench is weak...always has been. With this particular team, you have to build the bench with veterans. You already have projects in Novak, Greene, and Brooks. The Rockets need players off the bench that know how to maintain a lead or not let the game get out of hand.
Granted this might not be the Pistons bench of the Microwave days, but it holds it own, with the addition of Barry. The bench that we have now that consists of Landry, Jackson, Barry, Hayes and maybe Brooks and Dorsey is 1,000x better than the one that lost to Utah 2 years ago when we had Deke, Howard and Head coming off the bench. This bench has shooting, Athleticism and hustle. With Yao getting hurt, the bench obviously gets shorter. But realistically,most teams only go 8 or 9 deep anyway. If we're reasonably healthy, we should be just fine.
I mean, we should get bigger and more atheletic, but we got older and slower for a team that is already not quick or atheletic. Then, we waste time on a dime a dozen guy like landry when there are teams loaded at the 4 with players that can do exactly what he can do. Which is catch tracy's spoon feeds for dunks. I'm just saying that the rox have been looking at and passing on atheletic players for so long that when they finally get a guy that finish like he should, they're willing to waste the entre summer waiting on him. I consider myself a realist in the entire situation when it comes to getting players, but they can do something to make this a bonifide playoff contender. Instead we are to hope,wait, and pray that something falls in our laps. Let me ask, what's the difference between any 6m expiring contract and another. What's the difference between moving Swift,jackson or Wilcox? Nothing, but at least if u acquire wilcox,josh boone or someone like that, u kill any leverage Landry thinks he has and the team could use the mle on some help. Its a know and conssten fact Tracy will miss 10-12 games and probably leave in about 3 more. Yao, that's another story because he might miss 30 games. In those 15 games last yr, the rox went 8-7 which was even better than in previous yrs. 8-7 will not get it done without tracy in the west this yr. Sure GSW will fall off, but Portland will move up big time. A 22 win streak isn't happening again next season, but some want to rest on that. I'll continue to support the squad, but its becoming more and more difficult to think this team is about a ring.
