We don't need one player to catapult us into a championship. We need a) Yao and Tracy to stay healthy and b) a supporting team around them with great chemistry. And Battier is athletic.
I think Battier is a very capable offensive player. He just didn't get much of a chance to show it in Memphis. If he would have played in Phoenix, he would have signed a max contract somewhere by now.
I am one that hated the trade right off the bat. We gave up a young, potential future star, and a guy that I didn't like but had hoped we could get more for. We got a player who people call "smart" and "does the intangebles" possibly because they don't know what else to say about him. They said he was past his defensive prime and an ok 3 point shooter who is too undersized to play the 4. Now I feel like we got exactly what Van Gundy (and I) craved. A 3 point shooting 3/4 who can start at the 4. Just the fact that he's pushing JHo to the bench excites me. After looking further inspection of this trade, I think I feel a little better. We got rid of Stro, who was a big dissapointment. And we got rid of another "potential star" who is being called un-motivated now. This team needs role players who can defend and shoot the 3, and that's what we got. The aquisition of Wells, lucky as it was, also makes the trade look a lot better. Before we got Wells we basically had no important free agents after our hope of James. After we got wells we showed we were willing to go after veteran guys and talented guys, along with role players. Bonzi can be our 3rd scorer, making Battier look even better by putting less pressure on him. I'm definitely happier with the trade then I originally was. I still think we could've at least gotten a 2nd rounder or something more for Swift, but you've gotta give up something to get something, and we definitely gave up an unknown and a under-achiever for a instant starter. It's all good.
If you ask me, Donyell Marshall was 32 yr old bust last year with the Cavs. His shooting percentage was terrible (39.5%, 32.4%). He used his ONE 9-9 3pt game to negotiate way more money than he was worth. His signing was a very bad move by the Cavs. I don't think he's much better than Juwan Howard at this point and both of them are on the downside. For someone who supposedly has a good stroke, the Radman's total shooting % is atrocious. If this is possible, he game is TOO perimeter oriented IMO and I don't think there are many teams that would take him over Shane. But at least he's young enough to improve. He has his big chance this year. If Novak is good enough to supplant Shane next year, great! Unlike the Radman, Shane will have no problem moving to another position or becoming a key reserve. Unlike DM or the Radman, he is versatile. Lastly, you don't think Shane is athletic for a PF? I disagree. He's very athletic, MUCH more so than DM, VR or Novak.
I was never upset with the deal, Ive always thought that it was a great deal for the Rockets position - WIN NOW! As others have said, I think we shoulda gotten a future draft pick in the package (2nd rounder), in light of the Sto' factor. But, if your window to win is now, as it is with the ROX, then you have to love what Battier brings to the table. if youre looking to the future, the Gay end of the deal is a better situation. I heard it said on the telecast the other day that CD is the frontrunner for Exec of the year based on the offseason moves. Based on all the CD bashing prior to the season - How do ya like him now?
You didn't read my last paragraph, did you? Let's put it this way. There are three pieces in this trade: Battier, Swift, and the #8 pick. Now, how high would you draft Battier and Swift if they were in this years draft? To me, Battier would be somewhere from #4 to #7, and Swift would be a late 1st rounder.
IMO, adding Swift to the trade was a case of "addition" by substraction. His lack of b-ball IQ and watching his lack of effort in getting back on defense somehow irritated me to the core. I think Ryan Bowen is the least skilled player in the NBA, but I would pick Ryan over Swift in a pickup game at the Y.
If the point of acquiring Battier was not to catipult us into a championship contender this season, then I really don’t understand the trade. We gave up pretty much our only tradeable assets for him. In return, he’s supposed to be this great glue guy that will bring everything together. If he’s just going to be a good chemistry guy, then we gave up way too much for him. I find it very hard to believe we couldn’t have acquired another great chemistry guy for a much cheaper price. Just a couple of seasons ago, we were able to acquire 4 great chemistry guys (Sura, Barry, Wesley, James) for practically nothing. How do you go from that, to giving up an arm and a leg for 1 chemistry guy?
I’m sure the Cavs regret signing Marshall to that contract, but for his career, Marshall has been better than Battier in pretty much every single category, and what did the Cavs have to give up to acquire him? Nothing, but an MLE contract. They didn’t have to trade anything. Same goes for Radmanovic, who I’m not a huge fan of either. If Novak ends up being the real deal, then there's another example of a player that was acquired for nothing that could give us close to what Battier gives us. The main point I’m trying to make is, those players are of the same ilk as Battier, but why is it their teams were able to acquire them for practically nothing, while the Rockets have to give up so much for Battier? We did not get Battier for fair market value. Even if you think Battier is better than Marshall and Radmanovic, the difference is certainly not a #8 pick, plus an athletic big man with potential (which teams covet). For a shorter/smaller 4, he’s not nearly athletic enough to overcome the size difference. He needs to be a lot more athletic if he expects to legitimately play the 4 full time. We’re talking Shawn Marion type athletic. I’d rank his athleticism about middle of the pack as far as starting 4s go. But if you take into account the size and length disadvantage, he’s going to be outmatched most nights. Either the opposing 4 will be significantly bigger (Duncan, Dirk, Brand), significantly more athletic (Marion, Kenyon Martin), or both (Garnett, Odom, Bosh).
Sura, Barry, and Wesley were playing on the last leg of their dwindling careers and therefore not sustainable. James was relatively younger but hardly a chemistry guy. There is no way for me to go back to that old '04-'05 lineup. It was good for one season mainly because of a couple of feel good stretches at the end of regular season, but that was pretty much it. The lack of athleticism, among other things, was fully exposed when the Rockets were matched up against a superpior team in a 7-game series.
Understood New Jack. I also question Shane's ability to play PF full time. My view on the trade is that we gave up a #8 pick for Shane. For me, Stro counts as a zero; he is no more than roster filler like a #10 player that has flat-lined. Whether Rudy Gay or Thabo Sefolosha is worth giving up for Battier is a debatable issue. Let's see. Shane and Novak don't overlap much, and I can see them on the floor at the same time because Shane is versatile. If Novak turns out to be a stud, a 3 man rotation between him, Tracy and Battier at SF/PF next to Yao sounds pretty solid to me.
I never truly loved the trade, but I'm okay with it now. With all the other offseason moves the Rockets did this year, they've assembled a great team that can contend and go deep in the playoffs. I've also accepted Bat Man playing the 4, which I thought would be a mistake, but in today's NBA you need to be able to run, pass, shoot, and play D which is what Battier does well.
Gay Looked like stro but a little bit more versitle. Maybe he needs time, but he just doesn't look like the type of player that could be a star in the Nba. Maybe its just me. Who knows, only time will tell. I was angry with the trade for about three days, but the first time I saw him play I warmed up to him. I'd say most of us were like that.
Everyone is nagging on the perceived potential of gay, as if he was the next MJ. In fact, to be honest, except for his athleticism, I don't see him anywhere near that class in terms of potential. I for one rate battier much higher than most. It is a lot easier to buy athleticism than it is to buy brains. Brains is what Battier has, he knows how to play the game. Do you honestly think, with Gay on the team, we could maximize him and both t-mac and Yao's ability? I think not. There is only so much you can put into a bucket before it spills.
We all know his D is very good and he is a ultimate hustle player but I like the Battier we saw against S A. Like JVG said, he hurts us when he passes up shots. I felt he didnt play well at all against Dallas. That needs to change.
I was never upset with this trade. I was happy with it from the very beginning and I think it will prove to be one of the best offseason moves we've made in the last twenty years.
