I still don't get your point. You can't fire the owner. It's obvious you think Les and CD have no clue about what they are doing. I just don't understand what the point is constantly worrying about it. Either they get the job done or they don't. As Rockets fans we have to live with it either way. I try to think positively.
So they went from 'in shambles' to 'a good situation' in about half a season. That's some bad shape they must've been in.
I think I'm getting a lot of push back because I am questioning the competence of the guys at the top specifically the GM when they just had a semi successful season. Based on the results of the previous 5 years, yeah, I'd have to maintain that this has been a pretty incompetent organization. Those facts aren't at dispute here. If the Rockets found themselves in dire straits it's because it was the actions of the people running this organization that placed them there. As I have expalined to Nike, it's not an issue of what coulda/shoulda been done nor is this a case of my wanting them to get different players, etc.. My concern is specifically directed at the people calling the shots in this organization from the GM on down to the scouts. In other organizations that have been run incorrectly, meaningful change occurred only after there was a dramatic change in the organization, i.e. Denver. Here, without such a change, we are being asked to accept on faith that the Rockets organization that exists today is not the same Rockets organization of previous years. All I'm saying is that given their HISTORY, that is something that you can't accept just yet. They have a lot to prove and they have two golden assets that I don't wish to see squandered.
The PG we missed was actually Baron Davis. We will be a totally different team if we had acquired him.
The giant mistake the Rockets made was acquiring Mo Taylor Senior (aka Juwan Howard) and having no real plan for playing them. Neither is great, but either could start. They kind of cancelled each other out in a way; neither was comfortable with his role. So they stuck with Juwan. I'm preaching to the choir, I know; we can't have known what would happen to him (injury, heart problem). And Mo? Granted, his contract was an albatross, and now we have some cap flexibility, if we can move those expiring contracts (or rather, if Les chooses to do so). But my source who lived near Mo tells me part of the reason they sent Mo packing is (gasp!) he failed another drug test. Whatever the truth, Les and CD better not stand pat. Our power forward situation was sad; although, when healthy, Juwan did a decent job. I know Les has shallow pockets compared to some nouveau riche NBA owners, but spend some, make some.
-Make it 5 times Sura lumped with other moves. Point out anything in the last 2 years you felt was poor. JJ/Pike over Posey (we don't need to get into it, but like it or not, Les wasn't going to pay for both)? The Rockets avoided the longer term contract for a role player, and now Memphis is grumbling about him being overpaid. Rudy's downfall, imo, was always believing he could mold Francis and Mobley into something they weren't. As such, we built the team around them - we thought Cato was Ben Wallace, Eddie Griffin flamed for reasons very much out of control, and Taylor fit in with Francis/Mobley well. We made some bad moves. We stockpiled picks that turned wasted because Griffin lost his head. Cato wasn't what he was cut out to be. Nor was Taylor. The Norris move was just sad. In the last 2 years, practically every move we've made has either significantly upgraded talent (TMac), or helped our cap situation (Baker/Norris). The only contracts over 3 years we've gone out in the last 4 years or so to acquire have been to TMac and Francis (Howard was a by product). No more Catos. No more Taylors. No more Moochies. You point to San Antonio as the model- they make mistakes, too. They just had to give two first round picks to get NY to take Malik Rose's contract off their hands. The Brent Barry signing looks fairly dubious, as well. We made bad moves and we're paying for them now with deadweights like Spoon, Baker, and Norris. We've also been out of first round picks because of it the last few years. We finally have no more first round debts (and notice how CD stayed away from giving one up at the deadline even for Mike James when other teams were throwing them around for the likes of Jiri Welsch), and all our debts will be paid up when those contracts expire next summer. You say you like the moves we've made over the past year, yet you refuse to look at that as a plus for future moves to be made. CD spent the last year pulling rabbits out of hats- look how we acquired the first THREE guys off of our bench- one 3rd string PG, one injured backup SG, and one scrub attached to a couple 2nd rounders. We finally have the first round pick again, and because we got out of Mo's contract, we have the future cap flexibility situation enough in hand to reasonably use the MLE. We've signed a starter the past 2 summers (JJ then Sura). Last summer, after the TMac and Mutombo trades, we lacked available players to trade, and spent our full MLE on Sura/Ward. How many better minimum level signings were there than Padgett and Bowen? Basically, our wad was spent. We had to wait until December to make anything else happen. When we could move, CD pulled the trigger. This summer, we have a completely different looking roster, we have a first rounder, and we have a full MLE. In addition, we have $19 million worth of expiring contracts to at least get us somewhere in trade talks. Believe me, if our summer becomes draft a HSer and sit on the MLE, I'll be pissed. But I don't think that's gonna happen.
Excellent response. MLE? May not happen. The expiring contracts will be used to make deals happen IMO, so MLE will be either unnecessary or capped out due to other way of spackling the cracks.
For all we know, the vote of confidence given to our roster at the beginning of the season could have been just motivation, and privately, management was worried about the state of Rockets affairs. We're not "in the know," so we don't have the facts (and never will). Obviously, management was indeed worried to some extent given the flurry of trades that went down during the season. In the "What have you done for me lately?" department, CD passes with flying colors. Now, can he keep up his hot streak? I honestly don't know. But neither do you. The Rockets, in the past 5 years, have compiled a 212-198 record (.535) and have made the playoffs twice (both under JVG). Mediocre? Probably. Incompetent? Hardly. Oh, BTW, will you admit now that you were dead wrong about Mutombo?
Timeout from the NIKE/Hillboy Show. With $19-21 million in expiring contracts and a full MLE, I'd think we have alot to offer a team overloaded with bad contracts and virtually no hope of making a run at a ring. There are alot of possibilities for three-way deals. I like the suggestion of taking J-Dub and Cardinal off the Grizzlies hands as long as we get Mike Miller too. The free agent I'm really hoping the Rockets make a run at is Abdur-Rahim. He was lost in the Blazers rotation and needs a team where he can get minutes. The rebounding and scoring that Shareef can bring to a team like the Rockets would instantly put us into the top 3 or 4 teams in the West.
Actually the likely scenario is the other way around. The expiring contracts gain in value the closer we get to the Feb '06 trading deadline. So we might not realize that value until then. Who can say? But chances are our MLE will be spent this summer before we do anything wiht the expiring contracts. And depending on what we do with the MLE we may let those expiring contracts....expire because of it.
We obviously need a backup 4, that can play the 5 if need be. I like Gadzuric, or Wilcox... I dont like Swift, I think he:s too fragile. Yao / Deke / Gadzuric Juwon / Gadzuric / Padgett T-Mac / pick / Bowen DW / Barry Sura / James Ok, so use the pick to get the best athlete 1st choice would be Warrick, dont care if he:s a 3 or a 4, the guy can absolutely play and with Yao and T-Mac, he`ll be great. Also, I`d definitely be looking to get another shooter. Mike Miller, Radman... keep wishing guys. Would you trade them if we had them... especially for Spoon, Ward, Ddub... give me a break. Artest, really do you guys think we can get this guy. Realistically Chandler, Curry, Rad, Miller, all these guys are pretty much untouchable. So lets think realistically Gadzuric MLE Pick (warrick, garcia, best player available) and trade exprining contract for a shooter... preferably a someone to take Ddubs spot.
but SAR would be nice here, I know his game is redundant to Juwon, but he`s younger, fresher legs... but been a loser everywhere he goes. NVE would be nice, for a vet`s min... let him take Mike`s spot as the 6th man, that would open up some more options... like trading Spoon, Moochie, Baker, and Ward with some picks and get younger fresher legs in the backcourt. 1. Gadzuric 2. Gerald Wallace 3. Wilcox we need to be looking at guys we can get realistically... draft I`m all for Warrick and get a first pass PG in here.
Sign a Power Foward My Order 1. Reggie Evans ( Seattle ) 2. Stromile Swift ( Seattle ) 3. Donyell Marshall ( I dont know about this one.. cause I want a powerfoward who can grab boards and is young. My god a PowerForward who shoot 3's?? Why? )
This has been discussed ad nauseum. If you don't think the Matt Maloney, Kelvin Cato, Moochie Norris, Mo Taylor, Glen Rice, Bostjan Nachbar, Bryce Drew, Mirsad Turkcan, Roderick Rhodes, and Terence Morris (and on and on and on) moves set this organization back, well we really have no starting point for a discussion.
Looking back, I don't necessarily think Cato set us back as much as he actually kept the team in contention. No argument on the other guys though.
Donyell Marshall is a career 7.7 rpg guy. Juwan Howard is a career 7.3 rpg. Marshall has averaged over 9 rpg five times in his career. Howard has never done that. I'm not saying Marshall should come in here and take over the starting PF spot, but he'd be a great asset off the bench. The guy isn't a bad rebounder. His numbers were down this year because his minutes dropped, but the previous two seasons starting in Toronto he averaged 10.7 and 9.9 rpg. Even if we draft a young PF, I wouldn't mind seeing Marshall here as long as he is fairly cheap. And I'd much rather see Donyell and some rookie than overpaying for Stromile Swift or trading for a big contract guy. Evans is good also, but I just hate playing the waiting game on restricted guys.
