From what I have read it is not going to be a good year for free agents in the NBA. Especially ones that will command top dollars like Ron Artest. Teams are not really in the buy mode as you saw when the trade deadline came and went. Teams are in the sell mode and looking towards the future. I can see Ron signing a one year deal with the rockets and becoming a FA again in 2010 when teams have more money to spend.
It would be great to hit a home run... By the time nash is done with his contract in Phoenix, he is already going to be washed up. I honestly don't think we will be bring in any super stars so to speak, so our best bet is two very good players. With half the league's financials going south, I would imagine that Morey is only preying on teams that are thinking of letting players go for the sake of A) the cap space to sign someone in 2010, or B) Alleviate themselves of any contractual obligations past 2010, so that they can restore their financials. Richard Jefferson is a name that comes to mind that has come into discussions before. I will have to research more to find out more about what players are available past that time point.
Assuming McGrady is out of the picture, we need to keep Yao, Scola, and Battier as our veteran core, Landry, Wafer and Brooks our young nucleus. And we still need to get a high caliber player to replace McGrady. I am still not sold on Artest being our future. He is just too unstable to be one of the cornerstones of a contender. And his offensive game is not top notch enough to be the high volume guy beside Yao. He'd be good to have around as our third guy. So either we get a high pick from trading McGrady or get a very good free agent in 2010 after letting T-Mac walk.
what is this list i keep hearing about? listen. i like yao a lot. i believe the team can win big with him. but you have to understand that if he's not sure about resigning here, it's not the end of the world... for a few reasons. as good of a player as yao is, there are better (younger) players to spend max money on in 2010. if he chooses to test FA waters, the rockets can too. there are a lot of weaknesses in his game. he brings so much to the table and is obviously a clear cut advantage to have on your team, and in the locker room (teammates/coaches love him), but he can't close out a game thanks to zone defenses. he turns the ball over more than most PG's do, and he's a major liability on the PnR which teams go to all the time when its a close game against the rockets. remember, he's going to be 30 years old that summer. his stamina, health, speed, and athleticism (which are all major weaknesses) will start to regress around that time. he may only have a few productive years left after that summer. if he's looking for long term, and the rockets are looking for a 3 year type deal, they may have to part ways. my first choice would be to resign him. second choice would be to sign a major 2010 FA. last resort would be to S&T him.
I agree with Smoothie to a degree. Rockets existed before Yao and will continue to exist after Yao. I like Yao a lot and I don't think his flaws are as bad as people always seem to point out. He always gives us more advantages than disadvantages. Getting Wade and Bosh after shipping out Yao and Tmac is a pipe dream. Why would they pick Houston out of all the organizations. If Bosh wants to win, he would go with Lebron to Cleveland or New York. The only chance of attracting a veteran superstar is if we already have 1-2 allstars and a great core that can contend for a championship. Like I said earlier, either keep Yao, get more quality players and contend for championship OR let Yao go and rebuild and start grabbing young, quality players. I have great faith in Morey and I see good things to come for Houston regardless.
