Happy about adding Bat to the team but just think we could have gotten more out of the whole deal. That being said, not nearly as pissed as I was on Draft day
There was never a doubt in my mind that he'd fit in fine. I have always liked Battier but my dissapointment was in that the Rockets could of gotten more out of Memphis. At the time we didn't know about Snyder, Bonzi, or how well Novak was going to turn out so I feel alot better about it now than on Draft Night.
It's way too early to say who's got the better deal. Battier is a great fit without doubt. But you never know what kind of player Gay is going to be.
Well, I beg to disagree. If you look at Battier's career stats, he is scoring 45% FG% 38% 3-pointer, even better than TMAC's career stats at 44% FG% and 34% 3-pointer. He is just molded into the habit of playing a blue-collar role player, doing all the dirty work, very very selective in taking shots. He is way under-rated offensively. I know it could just be 1 preseason game; but then in the game versus the severely under-strength San Antonio Spurs, after urged by JVG to take a bigger role in offense, and when TMAC was cold all night shooting at a poor 5/15 FG% 0/2 3-pointer, Battier was at 7/13 FG% 3/5 3-pointer........very solid 2nd scoring option already.
Battier played 38 minutes against a bunch of scrubs... Frankly, he's been hard to spot in the preseason. I think he'll pick it up when the season starts, but I wouldn't want Battier as my number 2 scoring option unless my 3rd and 4th options were really good, too.
If the trade did not go through that would mean a)another person to cut from the team b)juwon starting at pf c)less minutes for hayes d)less minutes for novak,head e)not many mins for gay (esp with bonzi signing) f)having stromiles contract for minimal production.. g)forcing tmac to play other team tougher offensive wing player more often than he should h)easier to collapse onto yao since gay and stro have not proved to be good shooters and i am sure there are more...granted i wish we got a future 1st round pick or something from the grizzlies but i am satisfied with the trade now after seeing all what shane brings for the team
if gay has a decent rookie year (comparable to josh howard's and prince's) and rox still don't make it past the 1st round this year then I'll be upset
The euphoria I felt when Gay dropped to #8 was something I'll never forget. I told my son the Rockets were going to get the player they should have drafted if they had the #1 pick! It was an awesome feeling. The complete disgust at the Rockets after the trade rumor surfaced is even more unforgettable. For about 12 hours I was totally down on the team for doing something so stupid. Now, I'm fine with the trade. I was labeled a "Stro-hater" before, during and after he was here. The guy is close to worthless on a contending team that needs a solid contributor. After considering Rudy Gay the last couple of months, he probably won't be the superstar I projected. I like Battier a lot. He is the anti-Stro. But his ability to play PF effectively on a full-time basis is still TBD for me.
So easy to "satisfy" a Rox fan. I can't believe someone said that it will be a bad trade only if Gay turns out as good as T-Mac. IMO, it will be humiliating if Gay has 10 / 5 (Shane Battier stats of last season) in his rookie year. After all, Rox traded No. 8 pick AND a athletic big man for a 10/5 player, who never brings any playoff success to his former team.
its not a bad deal at all. but, it would have made alot of people much happier if Hakim Warrick was included in the deal..
No matter how anyone here spins it Jerry West fleeced the Rockets. It simply is an unfair and lopsided traded. I think we can win some titles with Battier................however unlike others I am not going to say that just because of that the Rockets were not fleeced.
Once again, the trade is not about Gay. They were not going to draft Gay, period. If you want to gripe about not getting Gay, gripe about their talent evaluation, not about the trade. The trade is about the right for the #8 pick. Memphis happened to think that Gay is worth the pick. And it is not about whether Battier fits. I have always liked Battier and always wanted to have him on our team. He is a guy I would have no problem rooting for. He is the kind of role player every team need. However, is he worth a #8 pick plus Swift? I thought not at the time of the trade. I am not so sure now. Think about it this way. (Forget about contracts. Let's just consider basketball value.) Battier was drafted at #6. Granted, his class was one of the worst in recent history. But this year's class wasn't very deep either. So we were swapping a #8 for a #6. Moreover, the #8 is unproven, while the #6 is proven. My estimation is that it would probably be fair if we threw in a late first rounder to make the value even. So the question is, is Swift worth a later 1st round pick? Well, Swift was a high 1st rounder. But everybody knows that he is not going to fulfill that potential value. I think the trade was pretty fair if you look at it this way.
i liked the trade from the very beginning but like easy said, this has nothing to do with gay. it's been made clear that he would not have been our pick either way. if you really want to look back, see how sefalosha does in a few years. either way those who keep pointing out 10 and 5 are just stupid. we can get maurice taylor to come in here and average 10 and 5 and it wouldn't remotely compare to what else battier brings to the table.
The trade only looks good because we got lucky with Wells and all of our other free agents / rookies have been looking good. As for the trade itself, Battier for 8th pick and Swift, I still think Memphis got way too much from us.......
I like how everyone knows the inside story of the negotiations among teams. So many fan on the BBS seems to know exactly what other options Memphis and Houston have out there for Battier and Swift/8th pick respectively. Hurray to insiders!
I still view the trade as a low risk, low reward move. From what I’ve seen so far, Battier seems like a solid player, but not a player that’s going to catapult us into a championship. The biggest asset he provides is his outside shooting, but I can’t help but think we could have acquired another sweet shooting 4 for a lot cheaper. The Cavs got Donyell Marshall last offseason for MLE money and he pretty much gives you everything Battier gives, plus a lot more rebounding. The Lakers got Radmanovic, a better shooter than Battier, this summer for the MLE. In a season or two, who knows if our second round draft pick (Novak) doesn't end up replacing Battier as the sweet shooting 4 that Van Gundy has been coveting. Another thing that worries me is we have virtually no athleticism at the 4/5. Everyone we have is either undersized (Hayes, Novak), unathletic (Yao, Howard, Mutombo), or both (Battier).
If only the Rox had those kind of 3rd and 4th options ... Battier has a nice O game, hitting spot up 3 pointers and put backs, but it is not enough to be a 2nd or 3rd option. Can he create his own shot? Does he have a go-to move? Is his first instinct on the perimeter to pass or to shoot?
I'm still indifferent towards the trade. I feel Rudy Gay's growth as a basketball player would've been accelerated playing with Tmac. As for Battier himself, he's a rocket so I wish him the best.
