I think that two things are abundantly clear. However, if you do not agree, please take the facts as "assumed" for purposes of this thread, as they're not really what I want to argue about. Here are my assumptions: 1. The Rockets have enough pure talent to "contend." By this, I don't mean they're going to win a title. I mean, that they've got roughly enough pure talent to be a top 8 overall team in the NBA, and with luck, with a couple of series. 2. The Rockets talent doesn't "fit" together. The Rockets have two players at near the superstar level - Francis and Yao. neither is really there, but they're both super valuable players. However, they don't work together. To be at his best, Steve needs a lot of the ball - and he needs to be able to score first and predicate the offense on his ability to score. Yao needs, to be most effective, an offense in which he gets the ball early, in the post, and either takes a shot, or forces the double and kicks the ball out (or to a cutter). Sure, you could have one of these players "adjust;" but if you do that, their talents will be not fully utilized. 3. Yao is the player we should keep, between the two. Francis is not going to become a team carrying superstar - Yao might be, if he figures out how to get the ball when teams want to deny it to him. 4. The Rockets will not be able to get "fair value" for Francis. Other teams know he doesn't really fit, question his worth, and aren't going to give a superstar up in return. (could another superstar b****, whine and moan his way into a trade... and Francis be the best offer? Absolutely. But it's foolish to count on that. So, if you buy these assumptions, none of which is unreasonable - you're left to decide whether or not to trade Francis for inferior talent... or keep him, and have a team that doesn't allow its 2 best players to be at their most effective. Here are the options: A. Trade Francis for inferior talent that "fits." Perhaps a decent possession PG and a good jump shooter (you're not going to get a great jump shooter in that deal), or something. B. Work with the better "talent" that you have, believing that it's better to have good players, than lesser talents that fit better. Sub 1: Let Francis play his game. He's older, closer to his potential, and is used to having his way. Moreover, he is probably hurt more than Yao by being forced to defer. Yao seems like he can be a perfectly good jumpshooting C without having the ball every play. Francis is nearly ruined by having to play the role of Mike Bibby. Moreover, if he looks really great, maybe you can get a better trade for value later. sub 2: Dude, did you not see your own 3rd assumption? Yao has a better chance of being the future. Francis can play his dribble-fest, 1-on-5 basketball when Yao's on the bench. Inside-out games dominate the league for a reason - they best open up the perimeter for everyone else, and supply a terrific option in the middle that you just don't get with Francis dominating play. I think this is a close question... on all counts.
why do u assume Francis will only get u inferior talent? right now, yes, obviously, he just screwed up. U dont trade him right now! and the Rockets will obviously make the playoff.....ok, they should make the playoffs......then u have a player who has 1 year playoff experience, is a 3 time all star in the West, which is saying something, is popular, marketable etc.....U dont think the lower market teams would love to have him? So no, I would NEVER trade him for inferior talents. I believe even right now we can get decent value for him.
T-Mac is the disgruntled superstar we are looking for. And judging by his comments on Yao, I bet he would LOVE to come to Houston. There is a window of opportunity in there, however small it may be. Unless Orlando does something, T-Mac will eventually walk away for nothing. Remember, he already did it to the Raptors. With Francis, they get another marketable star. It's not that far-fetched to dream about this one. Of the choices presented, the course of action is obvius. Francis HAS to go. No ifs, no buts. If it has to be for lesser talent, so be it. One could argue that Rasheed Wallace is lesser talent, for instance... I'm sure we can find a trade out there that fits our needs. Heck, Eric Snow is having a better season than Francis at half price!
I would agree with HeyDude that I can't buy some of your assumptions, almost all of them but especially that Francis doesn't have a robust trade value. But, as you said, this thread isn't for arguing about the axioms. So, given your options (regardless of how you reached them), I'd take Francis leading. It seems to me that's what we've been doing all season and we're still top-8 seeded even after the 4-game slide. I don't think we can win if you reduce Francis' role in the offense. And trading him for lesser talent now is giving up on a playoff berth and throwing away value that could more easily be realized by an offseason trade.
Would you trade T-Mac if you were Orlando? Didn't think so. Anyways, how can you even compare the Toronto T-Mac to Orlando T-Mac? Yes, Toronto let him go for virtually nothing, but thats because they didn't know any better. It's sort of like Jermaine O' Neil before and after Portland. Francis doesn't have to go, period. His numbers have been down and we were still winning. He's been in that transition phase of 2 worlds and it's been tough, it would be tough on any player. You can talk all you want about lesser talent, but the fact is that any trade like that would abandon the season. I want to win now and the only guy I can see making it happen is Steve Francis (or T-Mac, but it's now happening). Steve makes this team run and everyone was a witness to that lastnight. We had more than enough talent to beat the Suns and we blew it, why? Because no one had any idea of what they were doing lastnight, thats why. If ya'll want to win now, we need to stop talking about the Hinrichs, Chandlers, Snows, because they aren't going to help us now, period.
As much as I like Steve, I would like to see a better FIT of talent around what this team is trying to do. That being said, It's obvious that The Rockets are Yao's team to lead to the next level. When the Rockets won championships they had Dream, then everyone else. Guys that fit well and excelled playing around him in that system (especially the 1st championship). We had Dream, a heads up pass 1st pg that could hit the outside jumper (K. Smith), a athletic sg that could shoot and drive (Maxwell), an all around good sf that could do everything well including shoot, drive, defend and rebound (Horry), a bruising pf that was only called upon to defend and rebound (Thorpe), and a couple of guys that were difference makers off the bench (Cassell & Ellie). No stars except for Dream, just guys that worked well together at a championship level. The same can be said of the Spurs in their two rings. Again, I like Steve, but maybe this era with him leading the team needs to move on.
Obviously, we'd all like to have McGrady. Unfortunately, that's almost certainly not going to happen. Even if it does, it's not something that you "plan for." The real question concerns a reasonable course of action that we'd prefer CD to undertaken, absent any "mana from the sky." It's interesting how much opinion differs based on the last game. Even if you assume that everyone who wants to trade Francis (first) would prefer to let Yao run the show as an alternative, that meanst that about 1/3 of the voters want Francis to run the show. After Yao's outburst versus Orlando but before Francis' good game, that would have been unthinkable with the weight of the board. Funny how quickly opinion shifts, when very little has really changed. Probably just means most people are pretty gloomy about the team's prospects, in general.
Not...at...all. T-Mac was an unrestricted free agent who signed with Orlando. Toronto worked out a trade which benefitted both parties to a slight degree ( T-Mac got more $ than in a straight sign, Toronto got back a draft pick) but it was a foregone conclusion that McGrady was signing with Orlando. Toronto offered him the same contract.
Grant Hill isn't coming back, so TMac is all but gone maybe after this season. What the heck can Orlando get if they are forced to trade? I think the Rockets can trade Steve, Cat, and Cato for TMac and some garbage players.
What if Orlando is forced to trade because TMac is threatening to leave the team after 2005 via his player option? They have no choice. Kobe isn't going to Orlando. That guy isn't crazy. He wants to win. What other player is Orlando going to trade for TMac? Steve Francis is good enough for them.
