My Laker friend is friends with another Rocket fan who thinks Rafer is the next thing to yellow fever. During Game 5 he was trying to explain to me how Radmanovic was their Rafer Alston, and I told him, "No". Then I pointed to the Odom and said, "That's your Rafer. When he's on the Lakers can't lose, but he disappears for games at a time." Now Rocket fans ask yourself, do you want another Rafer?
Very well written post, no i don't want another rafer, if you saw what Kobe said to odom, they both knew he was gone after this yr
Odom could actually do some nasty damage from the high post. Don't want him, just sayin... Odom will be a much better player when Bynum is starting at C. And Ariza is their poor mans Battier.
where do I start with this proposal? first of all, there is a stickied thread at the top of the heap thats called "random trade thread". This is the definition of a random trade proposal. secondly, the contracts don't match. and finally, the I doubt the Lakers want to part with Lamar - who has star quality - for Batman who is a role player. A great role player, but a role player nonetheless.
Lamar is seriously overrated, people constantly rave about his versatility but Battier's consistency puts him a level above Odom.
yeah no thanks to odom, we really dont need another person who has the habit of dissapearing from game to game. we have plenty of players who fit that bill already.. now if rafer could just shoot a decent percentage we'll be okay.
No way the Rockets need a soft and tentative player. The Rockets need Ron Artest!!! BJ + Aaron Brooks + 2008 1st round for Ron Ron. Done Deal! We can plan for the 2009 championship parade now.
No...Battier is better than Odom.....from defense to deadly 3 pt shot. If you want to get rid of Battier, you have got to find someone that is actually better than Battier regardless of position and Odom is NOT BETTER than Battier.
I know Lakers fans who claim that Mo Evans or Vladimir Radmanovic are better than Shane Battier. NO way...
The only thing this Finals proved is that we need Battier to keep the defensive intensity for our run to get a ring. It also proves we need a third scorer. Two isn't enough. The Boston trio had 3 major scoring options, for their 1st season together. Houston had their two options all season (I'm saying because we didn't just pick someone up during the trade deadline like L.A. - and I'm negating the injuries). The Lakers got Pau at the deadline and there wasn't enough time to gel. What we need to do is to find that 3rd option. Morey knows this. That's why he's looking for a scorer in the draft. We don't need a scoring PG, if Boston taught us anything. We need a 2, 3, 4 punch, or for us 2,3,5 punch that will keep teams honest and allow our 2nd tier (Alston, Scola, I'm looking at you) to handle tying up loose ends. I'm not saying our bench can hold up to Cassell and Posey when we're playing BJax and Landry, so that's what we try to shore up through the FA/Trade Market. We don't need a splash. We need perimeter scoring/defense and a serviceable backup 1 once Jackson is gone. Here's to another offseason, Go Rockets!
I like the Odom for Battier senerio. How about this: Odom Farmer for Battier Rafer Luther The addition of Farmer to the trade = out the pros\cons between Odom and Battier. + we ried ourselves of Head!
This one guarantees another 5 year in a row championship for LA Lakers , you shouldnt be serious right ? Rafer > Farmar Battier important than Odom in a road for championship and Luther Head wont harm you if you have enough talent to win a ring , but no we dont have enough right now .
If it is true the Nets want to jettison Jefferson's contract we could offer one expiring BJax and Battier (3 years, same as Jefferson) and the 25th pick for Jefferson and the 10th. Works on realgm. Just don't know if getting back Battier contract which is about half Jefferson's is worth it to them.
I would think the Nets are a logical choice. They want to move out Jefferson to clear cap space for The Summer of LeBron also starring DWade CAnthony et al. And are the Nets moving to Brooklyn, and would want to make a splash with one of the aforementioned free agents? Since TMac is no sacred cow in my book, basically make TMac and Jefferson the centerpieces of the trade, and throw in contracts on either side (Hassell, Head, Hayes, Van Horn, maybe Swift). The idea is we wind up with RJeff and the #10 (Brandon Rush?) and #21 picks (backup center or PG?) Basically trading TMac for Jefferson and an NBA-ready draft pick or two wouldn't be bad. Now I'll go whistle Dixie out of my you-know-what.
I would also trade T-Mac in a second for the right package, but I think we can get more for him than Jefferson. It would also not address our backup SG issue. In fact we would then have 3 SF's with Jefferson, Battier, and Rush. I'm pretty sure Rush is way too large a downgrade at starting SG and we still would have no backup at the position. If we already had a solid SG lined up by trading Battier I might go for it.
You're probably right, although defensively, Battier could play the 2. I think if I did something like this deal (being so hypothetical) I'd move Jefferson or Battier for a real PG (BDavis) and a solid shooting guard. It's tough to gauge TMac's market value. I'm just not sold on a halfhearted superstar carrying us to the promised land, but if he's still in a Rockets uni next year (as is likely), I'll get out my Bible, and if that doesn't help, I'll toss in the rabbit's foot, four-leaf clover, horseshoe, and I'll find a golden St Jude pendant....
How about this one: Rockets trade Tracy Mcgrady and 25th pick, 2nd Round pick Pistons trade Sheed, Billups New Jersey trades Jefferson, 10th pick Mcgrady goes to Pistons Sheed to New Jersey along with Rockets 25th and 2nd rounder Billups, Jefferson, and 10th pick to Rockets Rockets make out like bandits. Can package Battier and expirings for more depth at PG, C, or SG. Detroit gets their superstar and gets rid of Sheed. New Jersey jetisons Jeffersons contract and gets an expiring in place of it, plus 2 draft picks in a deep draft. Works in realgm
