2006 draft is not a really stong one, i mean, the 1st pick is the Andria friggin Bargani for god's sake. don't bet ur team on this year's rookie, or you will ends up losing like the grizzlies.
This thread is exactly like the threads that pop up wanting to trade for a player who plays for a team that just beat us. Battier has been outstanding for us, and has years left playing at the same level, given his age. Gay may, or may not, become a star. We'll see. While we're waiting to see, Battier is doing the job for us, night in and night out. I still wish we'd gotten a pick in the deal.
I guess we were never picking Rashard Lewis either, because we had three shots at him and turned them all down. No one regrets that one. That said, who can really say that they'd rather have Gay than Battier right now? Shane's been great for us, almost invaluable. He's everything CD promised and more. I had my doubts. I swore up and down on draft day. But so far they've proven themselves right. When Tmac and Yao are pushing towards the finals, they'll need a guy like Battier playing next to them, not Rudy Gay. We're lucky to have him.
The Sox did make the playoffs that season, but they were swept in the ALCS by Oakland... Sorry...had to clear that up.
Talk about flogging a dead horse. Obviously we wouldn't have the record we have today if it were Swift and Gay in the lineup instead of Battier. I don't know how you can't see that. Maybe in the future Gay turns out to be as good as T-Mac, but how long away is that? Could be as far as 3 or 4 years. We want to have a chance of winning the championship within the next 3 - with 111 at their prime(ish). Besides, we have T-Mac to do the clutch job, and we needed a gluey defensive guy like Battier. And you have to remember choices are made on the spot. There is no benefit of hindsight in the league for god's sake, so saying what if is all pointless. They can only evaluate players based on prior results, not look into the ****ing future of February 2007 or 2010 and see Gay scored 14, 18, 62 or whatever points. Get over it. They bet Gay isn't and wouldn't get as good as T-mac within the next 3 years, so who wants to argue against that?
Pgab, you always strike the right spot with your posts (except when it comes to Francis threads). You are very honest and fair with your reasoning (IMHO) and you are not afraid to see things from another angle - and say it. That said, your message will be lost because the fans are happy with Shane. I am okay with Shane - I just feel IMO that what he gives to us in terms of bottomline (wins and loses) would not have been that different with Rudy Gay. The x-actor is Jeff Van Gundy - he is not savvy enough when it comes to handling newbies - he does not have patience to the "still developing" non-bigs. Rudy fell on our lap - a franchise type player to replace Mac in 4-5 years. Oh well non of that was certain - but as a fan hope [excitement] for the future is part of the sell. I wish Rudy the best.
And larry andersen left the Sox after that season...well at least Battier is signed up for awhile. I don't think we'll be swept in the playoffs either. Comparing Rudy Gay to a potential HOF in Bagwell, yeah that's great, and I'm not seeing it, Rudy has that Swift syndrome, he kinda sleepwalks through games at times, not dedicated to his craft like Bagwell. We kinda have our own Larry Andersen for Bagwell...we trade Stevie for TMac, and Stevie didn't stick around in Orlando either. Ok, I know Tmac was already a superstar at the time...but still.
Rudy Gay doesn't play defense, doesn't rebound, and doesn't distribute. Who gives a flip if he can score a few points?
Its almost comical how so many on here thinks Rudy Gay is a franchise caliber player! The guy is talented and very gifted athletically, but he isnt a franchise type player. I see him as a poor man Rashard Lewis or Richard Jefferson. On almost any team, those guys would be better to have than Shane, but on the Rockets, Battier is a perfect fit. Now before I get bashed, consider the following. What do guys like Tmac, Kobe, Wade, and Lebron have that separates them from the rest of the pack? They are all capable of handling the ball. These guys can "run" the offense. If you have ever watched Gay play, you know that he is not able to do this. It is also not a skill that can be taught or learned over time. Either you have or you dont.
Ever heard of a guy named Luther Head? Your living in the what if world too much...if you looked at games that Rudy played, you would also walk away saying "meh"
I don't care how good Rudy Gay becomes, Battier is more valuable. Battier's defense and consistency makes the entire team better. He made some Spanish PF who didn't play defense into a star. He can make the Rockets into a championship team. Rudy Gay put up better numbers and might be better individually, but Battier is better for the Rockets (or any other contender).
rudy gay had a great rocket career for all of those unsigned 10 minutes. move this to the NBA forum and get this garbage out of the GARM. brandon roy >>> rudy gay roy is the guy we wanted and the rockets never wanted gay. he was not on our draft board...that is the bottom line. we got a great deal getting rid of stro and getting battier. I hope gay has a successful career but get over it! he was NEVER going to be a rocket! the grizz selected gay...not the rockets! how hard is this to understand? and sun12....have you watched gay play? he is a weak defender and he is not a good passer. I think the guy also suffers from stromile swift syndrome.
i'm fine with people who are annoyed with this thread so long as they don't bash Gay. he's playing well and deserves some recognition. yes, we might have passed up a star player. oh well. we got battier and that guy is pretty spectacular as well.
Yes, it is unnecessary to discuss how Gay is playing this season. We have seen how Battier plays for this team, we should give our applause to him not Gay, very simple reason: Battier is Rockets while Gay is not.
