I will be even happier since that would give us MAZ capspace in 2007. Anywho, I think people are getting the Rudy Gat criticism confused. It is not lack of effort, laziness or desire...he is being criticized because he didn't take over offensively for UCONN.
You're right http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?playerId=19058 . Doesn't change my opinion of him and the Rockets. I think he will either be a big star or a big bust. The Rockets really don't need either right now. They need great role players. I was saying that before the Battier trade...mostly to myself because I hadn't discovered the BBS yet...and my wife really doesn't care about basketball...she is still beautiful though.
I'm still pissed about the trade. However, I'm willing to give Battier a chance to show me that he's actually worth a lottery pick + an MLE player. I'm a bit skeptical, though, given his sterling 0-12 playoff record. If he turns out great, I'll gladly eat crow. If not, I shall continue with the sarcastic comments (pretty much all I'm good for in the GARM, along with some occasional Photoshop work).
Glad to get Battier, have always wanted him. Should have gotten an additional something else in the deal
Not really. Marion is much more skilled & athletic and puts up much bigger stats. On offense he is the ultimate garbage man. He is also a great rebounder for his size. Marion's defense is overrated if you ask me. I don't think his defense is anything special. Battier is a defensive specialist. He can shoot the 3 pointer but he's not going to drop 25 points on you if you don't guard him like Marion would. Marion feels underappreciated and wants to be treated like a star. He complains it's not his fault when his stats go down. Battier likes flying under the radar and doesn't care about stats. To answer your question, there is no comparison really.
For all of their physical talent, rotation players who frequently disappear like Swift and Gay hurt teams more than they help them. You couldn't get a bag of rocks for Swift at this point, anyway. If you want a primer on how players with limited stat lines are instrumental to winning teams I can only point you to Raja Bell and Bruce Bowen (not to mention people like Bobby Jones, Cedric Maxwell and our own Mario Elie). In the era of the salary cap you have to have complimentary pieces more than just compling a bunch of impressive stat lines. Battier is versitile, will know his role and can make teams pay for doubling Yao, or McGrady. I like the trade.
Good call BMoney! Players like Swift care more about looking good than winning. Offcourse will have a great looking dunks and impressive blocks every now and then, but a team like the rockets will need players to do the dirty work. They got McGrady and Yao to take up all the spot light, they don't need another player like swift on the court......
My biggest concern isn't the players involved in the trade. It's the fact that we made the trade with Jerry West. He somehow always ends up coming out ahead on any trade he makes. He definantly saw something in Gay and that's what scares me.
Is that because a rich man can afford a much better player than Ryan Bowen...maybe someone like a Battier?
Oh yeah, the Grizz and Heat are involved in a big trade last summer and the revamped Heat win the championship while the remade Grizz get swept again. Just what exactly has Logo done since going to Memphis? Nothing. The shine of Logo's GM's skills has come off since he left LA.
Shane is shooting the lights out of the Aussie. He is at least with 4 3-pointers now out of 5 attempts. 88 vs 49....and 4Q has yet to start.
I agree, everyone is so down because the genious Jerry West is involved and he is so great. But you are right, in Memphis his only good moves were to draft Gasol and Battier. Other then that, his big trade won the Heat a championship, and his first round draft picks include Dahntay Jones, Hakim Warrick, and Troy Bell. Not exactly winning executive of the year anymore.
I haven't seen a fan give a good enough reason to why this trade is good. Reasons include this, which are all bad and irrational: 1. He's doing great on Team USA- Ok good. I like to see him play and he's doing a damn fine job, but his team USA performance shouldn't let us overlook the wonderful potential of this project. 2. Rudy Gay will be a bust- Great fortune readers. You know for a fact he will be? That reason doesn't even stand up on 2 legs. The only reason this trade was good is because Van Gundy can't even develop Lebron James, so he'll have no chance on a prospect like Rudy Gay. He'll have an undesired amount of hate towards him and just be unfair, openly. Here are some good reasons, it was a bad trade. 1. Great present + great future- Every team's primary goal is to be a contending team now AND then. That's a very rare chance, and we had that possibility. Teams like the Mavericks and Bulls contain this chance and they won't blow it. Pacers prepared their team like this about 5 years ago, same with the Spurs. All of those teams have endured a tremendous amount of success, except for the Bulls(we haven't seen them yet with Wallace now.) 2. Pack it in for these 3 years- So if we don't win in these 3 years, then what? #3 on this list, is the reason we won't win it all, but before, who says we can get a ring in these next 3 years? We can't be the worst offensive team, i love our defense, it's premiere, #2 IMO behind the Chicago Bulls. But we have to crack the top 10 in offense, we haven't even added an offensive piece yet. We are putting too much stress on now, and absolutely none to then 3. Athleticism- Every team has 1-3 athletic pieces that are versatile enough on defense to matchup to 2 + players. Right now, we have McGrady(though we hardly use him in athletic/defensive matchups), and Kirk Snyder. If Snyder is our primary one we are in trouble, we gave up our two most athletic pieces in Gay and Stromile. We need some young legs and some athleticism on this team to go anywhere. We need an athletic big man, or combo big man, someone of the 6-8 to 6-10 frame with long arms and just athletic, period that will play 12-15mins just being a "difference' player.
You make some good points but also it is just as unreliable to say that Gay will be very good as it is to say he will be a bust. Like it has been pointed out, this trade can not be evaluated for a few years. Although, I think even if Gay becomes a stud, this trade will be valued on only how the Rox do. It is similar to the Pistons drafting Darko over Melo. Sure it was a mistake, but the Pistons went to two NBA finals and won once right after that draft so if the Rox have the same kind of success with Battier, who cares what Gay does. As for the athleticism point, I think that is overrated. Look at the Heat. Who on their team other then Wade has much athleticism. Maybe Posey, but other then that Shaq, Mourning, Walker, Payton and Williams were low athleticism players. Same goes for the Spurs. Who on that team is a super stud athlete. Duncan, Ginobili, Parker, Bowen, Horry, Barry, Finley are good players but none are the freak 6'8 athlete everyone claims you need. Even, the Pistons are that way. Maybe Tayshaun, but Billups, Wallace, and Hamilton are very solid. I guess my main point is the success of the Rox boils down to Tmac and Yao. Battier does a lot more of the little things that will help Tmac and Yao be better. I think Gay does have more talent, but Battier is a better fit.
http://insider.espn.go.com/oly/wbc2006/insider/columns/story?id=2562767&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab3pos1 Just a quote from a foreign journalist covering the world's. BTW were Swift or Gay invited to the training camp for Team USA. Remember Jerry Colangelo's goal this year was to build a championship TEAM for the US squad, as opposed to the star-laden losing efforts of the last few years. Everyone wants the athletic star potential, but will it make us a better team. If Rudy Gay averages 20 and 10 next year and Shane does everything I expect him to fore the Rockets year which won't match up anywhere near 20 and 10 statistically. I will still say this was a good trade for the Rockets. (although it would have been nice if they had at least gotten a draft pick back. )
