Great question: It is true that TJ can not shoot that well, and is certainly not a threat at the 3pt line as Rafer is..... But, what TJ does is make everyone else better, he is an excellent passer.....so thus...you can live with that as long as he is making others better. As I said...2 options....one a Pass first PG, or two a SG that can dribble..... Either works, in a different manner. DD
Calderon for Battier? It ain't going to happen. Sorry but Battier is an above average NBA player. Calderon has the potential to be a top 3 PG in the league. Some os you guys put in Battier's name in every trade, for anyone and everyone.
For the offense we have a "pass first" PG isn't necessary. He just needs to be able to set the table, hit the open 3, and play D. And Rafer is among the best ball handlers in the league, a 3pt shooter that must be respected, and IMO the best defensive PG in the league. To be honest, the only way that position improves is if we get D-Will or CP3, and that's not happening. Now a replacement for Luther Head..... that's should be priority 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,..........
Best defensive PG? I think a CP3 for example is still way better than Alston. If Alston can play the whole season the way, he played most of the second half of last season, than we are ok with him. The problem is, he was never really consistent over the last years. Calderon would be the better shooter and probably also passer, André Miller would be the better leader and scorer. I think we can definetly upgrade the PG position. But more important is probably the SG/SF scoring threat.
DD you are saying the skillset that we need , thats easy. Tell us who are actually the players who own those skillsets and we have the ability to get them.
I watch a lot of raptors' games. I don't think Ford is a good fit for the rockets. He is very fast and shooting first pg. He is a good fit for fast pace team but not for half-court team, like the rockets. In contrast, Calderon will be great for a half-court team; specially with a super C like Yao. After all, the rockets are bulit around Yao.
Calderon = high efficiency player. Therefore, we don't want him. We don't want size. We don't want athleticism. And we certainly don't want efficiency. We'll take the intangibles any day.
It obviously wouldn't be straight up, although it wouldn't surprise me with Morey "The Magician" at the helm. I think there's a chance if they can't find a market for Ford. Battier, Brooks and the #25 seems like a good starting point.
The rockets are built around Yao, a super center. What we really need is a ture, pure pg, like Calderon. The rockets have looked for a good pg for years. We shouldn't miss this chance. I think one reason for Yao's injury is that he played too difficult, too tired. The rockets need to create some easy baskets for him. These two years, Yao's injuries all occurred after Tmac's injuries. I don't think those were coincidences. Because, without Tmac, no one can create easy baskets for Yao. Simarily, Tmac's injury is also because he is always doubled and had to create every single basket for his teammates. I think the best way to reduce the possibility of their injuries is to get a great pg. The rockets should seriously consider to trade Battier for Calderon. Without a doubt, Battier is an important piece for this team. But, he is not as important as Yao and Tmac's health.
I feel a bit skeptical with how this off-season might turn out. Morey was nearly flawless last off-season but we thought we were gettng a package of players who were going to contribute immediately. (francis, wells, james, scola). Though scola has been good, I wouldn't say our PF position is a strength in the west. I've really grown to liking the idea of packaging shane while is defensive value is at a media high. That 22nd win/ kobe lockdown opened alot of eyes. We know that Bobby is as good as gone, but will we package him with Shane. I think the Rockets logically tried become deep with these small additions but as the mavs, pistons, and suns to a lesser extent have shown us that we can be very good with depth but we need a game changer to compete for a title. I think right now our biggest need is for a shooter who is also capable of finishing. We don't have one on the team right now. whether he is a pg,sg, or sf, I don't care. I think miller is our best option right now but we might want to gamble on an euro player. by that i mean players like calderon, udrih, turkalu, vujajic, have shown that they need to be in the right situation. I'm just so tired of this team not being able to hit perimeter shots. Not mention free throws now
The trade with Toronto would have to be Battier and Jackson and the #1 pick for like Calderon, Parker, and Joey Graham. In addition, Toronto re-signs Brezec and trades him to us for our $2.4 million trade exception. That would give us McGrady, Parker, and Graham at the swing positions. We could then see about Siskauskas and/or one more backup swingman with some length that can play 2/3.
they are the same type of player that is why they do need a player like battier type of player. putting a package for one of them and jose calderon one be exactly what the rockets need
