Tell you what, make a three way deal with LA and take Brand or give Orlando whatever in the hayull that they want. Throw in a future #1...whatever it takes. Get Brand or Tmac and lets get this show on the road.
Call me crazy but i wouldnt trade Francis for Brand.......Brand might be the better player slightly, but less of a fit w/ Yao Ming........
Hype does not always translate to wins. NBA management teams are responsible for guiding their organizations from a much longer term perspective than the, "I need a quick hit, give me the #2 and you can have T-Mac", average fan. A fan sees stars with prospects, a GM weighs risk against reward, and sometimes even the Clippers (see Brand) make the safe choice. I would venture that a longer term vision that might see a near guaranteed EC CONTENDER with Francis, Cat, Gooden, Okafor and Cato as a better option than the (very) high risk associated with taking Howard. Is Howard really a much better prospect than was Chandler, or is it just that he is a newer prospect? A longer term vision, looks fondly on the Francis, Cat and Cato deal, not (correctly so) because it is hype, but because in the EC that team is a contender. I would think that the GM would see beyond one year's season ticket sales or fan craze over a draft pick, knowing that downplaying and recovering from losing T-Mac will take time; running a perpetual loser out on the court even with the 1 and the 2 will not build fan loyalty. As mentioned, see the Chicago Bulls for the most obvious example of that strategy.
I think the point is that , if you are going to trade Steve, it better be for a comparable player. I would prefer Tmac but if all we could get in Brand then so be it. Outside of either of those players, I would not trade Steve at all. Although I still would not understand why Tmac would want to goto LA without a bigman like Yao.
Very good point. Sure, Orlando may be "looking to the future" with the proposed Clippers deal, but by the time that team can really step it up, Weisbrod will most likely be gone, a victim of several lottery-bound seasons. Therefore, he's likely to do a deal that will offer instant gratification, as he has to be concerned with his job security. (And Magic fans are already calling for his head.) Advantage: Houston.
What is the profile on Orlando's GM? I honestly don't know but that might tell us more about what direction he is willing to go than anything else. I heard in passing that he was a hockey guy. Does he have a track record of taking gambles? completely blowing up teams? Building an expansion team from scratch? All of this would help us figure out where things are going to go.
I dont think any player could fit with yao worse than francis did. His game went to complete crap this year. Couldnt even make an uncontested jumpshot.
Well which one is it? The bruising, 25 year old all-star PF, or the sweet, 25 year all-world swingman? Tell me!!! Just kidding. Maybe we can pull a Dallas, and start a rumor we're getting both. So it sounds like Orlando is haggling right now, no?
Even if Chad Ford did make up the Clippers deal, I don't see how the Magic can like that offer better or why T-Mac wants to go there. Maggette, Wilcox, Eli? What have these guys done? Granted they are all young with potential, and a high draft pick is involved, but these guys have won absolutely nothing in their careers and I don't see how the Magic get better from this. Maggette is a great scorer, but not better than Mcgrady...is he going to lead that team to the playoffs? Wilcox hasn't had much of a chance I don't think but he won't put any team over the top. Steve, Cuttino, and Cato will give them three guys with a lot of chemistry that have reached the playoffs in the WEST. There is no doubt in my mind they could win 40 games in the east next year, easily making the playoffs. Which lineup makes them better next year? 1) Steve, Cuttino, Hill/(some other SF), Okafor, Cato 2) Ben Gordon, Maggette, Hill/SF, Okafor, Gooden The Clippers may be able to give them a stockpile of talent, but we've seen where that takes you. Both the Clippers and Bulls have done that and gotten nowhere. Orlando would be stupid to take that deal over Houston or even Pheonix.
This is key. Outside the draft, this is the only way they can get a player of McGrady's caliber. I posted in another thread that the Clippers are the one team that would trade for T-Mac no matter what he says. They would dare him to take a pay cut and walk away next summer. The Clips have never cared about player threats before, why would they now? IMO, this is the one deal in which T-Mac is powerless. With the Clipper deal, all that matters is what the Magic think. To me, it is the difference between rebuilding slowly while sacrificing wins (with picks 1 & 2) or rebuilding while winning immediately (with the #1 & Francis).
I tend to think the rockets deal is just as good as the other deals. I understand why you think the phoenix deal is so good with marion included. Marion is such an all-star foward that led his team straight through to the playoffs, oh yeah thats right they only won 29 games. And maggete was the second best player on the team with the worst record in the west. Thats what I would want as a fan. NOT. Look and notice that Francis and Mobley have led the rockets to winning seasons 3 out of the last 4 years. The one losing season Francis was suffering from the migranes and missed 25 games. And I don't know if anyones noticed but this draft is not particularly good and is filled with many questions. There isn't a buzz around this draft. This draft reminds me of the one that brought Michael Olawkandi #1. There's no Yao, Carmelo, or Lebron.
T-Mac has to like his new team. He has to agree to sign long-term. That's that. The Phoenix deal isn't better. The Clippers? Please. Think of this team in the East: Steve Cat Gooden Okafor Cato Not shabby at all. Chad Ford, get it right. Come on.
I don't think Draft Picks are as attractive to the Magic as everyone thinks.... just ask the Bulls and Clippers how Lottery Picks every year works out.
all i know is i dont want the overated franchise on the rockets next year. Others teams surely do know this, but hopefully the magic will take him.
I also thought that T Mac's original reason for wanting out was to play with a top big man...that would leave 2 destinations...Houston and where ever Shaq plays next year. IMO, Chris Kaman isn't exactly what T Mac had in mind
