Obviously, the pick would have to be part of a package simply to achieve matching salaries. I just meant I could see someone overpaying for a pick in this draft, as people have been talking this draft up for a couple of years now. This place is pessimism central. I'm not trying to spin this, but we're acting like we just lost out on the T-Mac sweepstakes or something. Really, I don't think we have the luxury of spending our whole MLE on one guy with all of our holes, and we might be able to better fill our holes with the TE now that we're not focused on a guy that didn't really fit our needs.
I won't be suprised a single second if/when we deal our 2007 First Rounder, I also won't be suprised when they trade it along with Luther for someone like Kenny Thomas. I can't stand the Rockets right now. The front office's BS is getting out of hand.
Well Houston fans aren't known to be the greatest fans in the world. Surprisingly the Texan board took the Bush deal better than people here are taking the Mike James situation. Crazy.....
I am getting very close to advocating trading McGrady and just building around Yao in order to fill some of our needs on the roster, which as Clutch said are PLENTY, non of which have been addressed at all ever since McGrady came to town...
So no Mike James. The guy didn't like it here anyways. He wanted the money and he got it. Hometown or not. Most people will go where the money is. And why didn't the team just throw in a extra year and a trade rider? It's not the cost but the option to get out AND the rider that scared off the Rockets. Can't blame Mike for wanting to have the cake and eat it too. He wants max $$$. He is not getting it now. (Bad timing for him to be free agent this year). MLE is all he gets. So he demands a player option so in 2 years, he is free to test the waters again (maybe). But he covers his butt in case he flames out and then he still have a 4 year deal. The rider will give him more cash and takes always good, right. As a team, that stinks. This team will trade anyone on a drop of a dime if they don't fit in. Slowmile didn't fit but this was his favorite team. This is 1 year. 1 stinkin' year. Sure, his BB IQ is single digital and all he can do is highlight reel dunks. But he came to the Rockets for less. Dam if this isn't a business. And I am the first to think Slowmile needs to be moved but still, it hurts.
Gotta feel for T-Mac, wanted out of Orlando because they continually struggled to build a team around him. Now he faces the same dilema in Houston. I aslo get the feeling Yao Ming won't make his opinion heard on this matter, he's much too nice a person.
Come the February trade deadline, if we are not plausible title contenders, I would hope would consider starting over. Perhaps we should embark on a four year plan with an eye towards luring either LeBron, Wade, or Melo in the summer of 2010 to play with Yao. They will all probably sign shorter extensions, it is sounding like now, with opt outs for the summer of 2010. Meaning, they would be unrestricted free agents all at the same time. Coincidentaly, that is when McGrady's huge deal is over. We need to not take on any contracts that run past 2010. Hopefully, there will be a new regime in place before then, and we will have better talent evaluators who can help us stock some good young players in smaller rookie contracts, following the Chicago model for rebuilding. If it means trading McGrady to Chicago next February for their right to switch picks with New York in the 2007 draft (which is gearing up to be the best ever), then that should be explored. I've all but given up hope of a title run in the next few years, so I would not be troubled by a long term plan to get younger and build around Yao.
This really isn't about trading Gay & Swift and losing Mike James.... the REAL STORY is not getting Brandon Roy OR Mike James!
I think panic mode is fair. We got one good role player instead of three. And one of the three could be much more than a role guy. And who says we even land Banks?
Lol, the people in Orlando totally don't feel for T-Mac. If he wants out here he'll be given the "booed every time he touches the ball" treatment in two cities
We should take on an overpayed guy like Francis. Howard and Alston for Francis. I think the contract length runs similar (3 yrs).
And Gumby is to blame for that. It is so sickening to hear that the reason why Rudy Gay was traded was because the Rockets wanted to "win now", yet they can't give a 31 year old, lights out shooter (something they desperately needed) a 4 or 5 year deal. So much for wanting to win now - it is like they are some teenage girl who can't make up her friggin' mind.
Two years ago I was roasted here for openly questioning if CD & Co. were the right people to trust with the task of finding the right "role players" to surround TMac & Yao. At the time, I had given up on his ability to do things right based on the Eddie Griffin debacle, his bad FA signings and his horrible drafts. Well, it's two years later and with CD running the show, nothing has changed except the fact that the Rockets today are worse off than they were before in terms of fielding a contending team in the West. With CD, the more things may change, the more they remain the same. That's why I don't begrudge those folks who are pissed at him, JVG & Les because they still care about what happens to this team - their team. And as long as fans still care about the Rockets there is still hope. At this point in time, hope is about all we have left to cling to.
Perhaps that is why Morey was hired. Additionally, I whave no problem trading a first rounder for a TALENTED palyer, and I would even overpay a tad at this point. I would personally start any trade talk with the first round pick in 08.
HillBoy - Let's get one thing straight. Two years ago you were against the McGrady trade for the reason you just outlined - you said you didn't think management was competent enough to surround the two players with a good supporting cast. You were right - they haven't been able to. However, in hindsight, you still make that trade 10 times out of 10. With McGrady, we atleast have hope. I don't even want to think of what shape this team would be in if Francis was still our second best player.
What's the harm in doing that anyway? The Rox managment BOTCHES EVERY SINGLE DRAFT PICK that they have anyway, so go ahead and trade it so we don't have to all sit around pissed off next year that they botched another one. "With the 2nd pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, the Houston Rockets select Greg Oden, of Ohio State University. We have a trade to announce: The Houston Rockets have traded the draft rights to Greg Oden and cash to the Minnesota Timberwolves, in exchange for Mike James and Eddie Griffin."
