Seriously, guys, our focus should be on how well the Rockets do with Battier, not what they might have missed out on. If we end up winning it all in the next 2-3 years, then regardless of what happens with Gay (and I do think he will be a tremendous player in this league, just give it time) any and all moves we had made up to that point would be considered a success. Let's just focus on the Rockets, it's absolutely irrelevant how Gay's career goes, it doesn't affect us. It's beyond silly -- and pathetic -- to hate on the guy or wish that he somehow would 'flunk' as a player to make yourselves feel better about the trade...just silly.
Rudy Gay is not an All-Star level talent either. All of the player I have named are more talented than Rudy Gay. If you're going to call Gay "talented," then you have to call these guys talented as well. Oh... another example. The Lakers had 4 Hall of Famers and failed to win the championship. Old Karl Malone and Gary Payton are still light years ahead of Rudy Gay. You vastly overrate Rudy Gay's talent, not to mention the fact that if the talent doesn't mesh the team might go to **** anyway.
The MJ myths continue. 1. MJ tossed in the trade kicker only at the last second and gave the Rockets 15 minutes to decide. 2. The Rockets, and few other teams, have ever offered a trade kicker before so it caught everybody off guard. 3. Mike James, before we traded him, said he was looking to get paid ...which is one primary reason we traded him away in the 1st place. 4. He wanted to play for Houston? Players often use teams as tokens to run up offers by other teams. His stunt for the trade kicker at the last second was an obvious ploy. Mike James didn't really want to play for us or he would have signed with us when he essentially had identical offers elsewhere. It wasn't about a trade kicker. Anyway, I'm derailing. Rudy Gay and Mike James are gone. I'm excited about THIS team.
Who actually saw the game? Did Gay do this with starters from his team and/or against the Pistons' starters? I got offered Rudy Gay for Kwame Brown in my fantasy league. I don't expect to be starting Kwame unless I have major injuries, but I haven't accepted because, based purely off the Rockets preseason game, I thought Rudy Gay was way too green to get serious minutes this year.
Well... do FG% and TO count in your league? I have a feeling that, as young Rudy finds his way in this league, he's gonna throw up plenty of bad shots and got his pocket picked quite often, even when he does put up decent stats otherwise. Then again, we talking Kwame Brown here... he ain't exactly a fantasy beast.
Now to really cloud the issue and twist the screws..... Bostan Nachbar has a good night! 28 min, 6-9fg, 3-5 3p's, 1 asst 1 BS 17 points. OK now who still likes Boki and then who thinks he is the ultimate sucky Euro? But we will never forget his one minute of glory - pimping old Karla!! Whoohoo! Has Moochie signed with anyone yet?
There's already many extensive threads about the Mike James situation. While many people do not realize the manner in which the trade kicker was demanded most definitely effected the Rockets in becoming disagreeable with it, there are other myths too. Your assumptions of MJames "didn't really want to play for us" is just that, an assumption. Finally, I found my post: http://bbs.clutchfans.com/showthread.php?t=117800&page=3 There are several posts on that page that clear up the trade kicker myths. But ultimately, you are correct that the Rockets are what they are now. No need to look back obsessively. I just hope that Rafer and T-Mac and Luther can hold down the 3pt fort in big games. And if they do, the current team would be better than a linup of Yao, Swift Gay Head, T-Mac, James or whatever. If the Rockets can't get the 3ball going from Rafer or Head, then changes will be made.
Yes, both count. I think I'm keeping Kwame. I know he'll give me rebounds, FG%, and a few blocks. He won't rack up the points, but I'm loaded with scorers. It's a 14-team league with 15-player rosters. By the last two rounds, "going to play" becomes an important catch-phrase.
You certainly can blame Larry Brown. Like someone said earlier he had a ridiculous amount of starting lineups. Although it sounds ridiculous, its not hard for me to believe that he was trying to screw over Zeke. He refused to play young talents such as Channing Frye big minutes, when he obviously could have been a big contributer, and he hardly ever played Francis. I thinkLarry Brown was one of the biggest problems New York sucked las year, and he must be one of the most overrated coaches ever
I don't think I posted anything critical of spanoulis until yesterday after watching play two games. unlike the 50k posts threads during the summer claiming he was gonna be the next greatest thing from all these people who actually never saw the guy play.
I still think we got ripped off in the Gay/Swift - Battier trade although getting Bonzi helped me forgive a bit. I don't think people are saying Gay is going to be Lebron or someone of that caliber, but I still believe he will be a better player than Battier and that we did not get enough in the trade. I do believe that by his second year Gay would've been a better fit for the Rox.
Or he could have busted like Eddie Griffin and Stromile Swift. The point is that it was very much unknown whether Gay would fit. It was well known that Battier would fit to a T.
I wasnt at all impressed with Gay in the game against us. 5-20 from the field, in his first damn game. he shot the ball 20 times im sure he was forcing the issue against us- whereas the cool cat Battier just hung back and played his natural game. Good on him. numbers be damned - his veteran presence will be worth its weight in gold.
Thanks for being so supportive of our players. Did you feel the same way about Yao Ming after his first couple of games?
but the point is that if we had been making a selection to keep at that spot it wouldn't have been Rudy Gay. I wonder who it would have been?
yao is a seven foot six center who was a number pick, apples and oranges. edit: I didn't actually mean to criticize the support for v span and it isn't just van gundier. the same people on this board who support the trade of gay because he will need time to develop are the same people who want to wait one or two years on this spanoulis.
