We won't even make it the 2nd round, if Yao goes down. It doesn't matter if we trade Battier, unless we are getting Duncan, Gasol, or Dwight Howard to fill the void. Realistically, Battier will only get back another roleplayer.
That is because there is no such thing as a Kobe stopper. He makes Kobe work for his shots. A lot of Kobe points against us comes from him taking jumpers. There is nothing you can do about that.
But you know when you can force Kobe to score 40 points shooting 30% it's fine. If you force him to take 40 shots it is fine. Just like Shane did in last game of 22-game winning streak. Kobe scored 24 but he scored it on 31 shots taken
i'm sick of these threads that diss Shane. He's a great hustle player like Scola and an awesome defensive pressence. look at him yesterday when he was on the ground scrambling for the ball and like two utah players elbowing him in the head after the steal. Thats hustle and defense. With him in the starting line-up with the likes of Yao, McGrady, and Scola, we'll have an even better chance this time next year. If anyone, trade Luther already. Aldelmen has given him lots of chances to prove himself.
GATER and I have been saying you can't get a better player in return for him for a long time.He will always be the kind of player that a well stocked offensive team would like to have but you can never get a 3rd scorer for him.
Where you been . . . only people worthy of getting Props is T-Mac and Yao The rest of the Rockets are considered Garbage by most of this board Rocket River
I'm willing to trade Luther for a high 2nd round pick but his value may be lower than that right now.
package a low value deal for something big, kind of like last offseason with Scola and Spanoulis. (small chance, but i have high hopes) Send off these players for a new back up center or decent point guard: head, hayes, novak, and yes...rafer (odds are low since he's injured now)
Exactly and for all the people who say Artest, well Kobe lit him up this season too. I would do a Artest for Battier trade though, I would not do a Mike Miller for Battier trade though. Battier means a lot for this team and he also hits open 3's.
You're a little out of touch with reality these days. It's been reported several times that Morey was looking to trade Shane this past off-season, but couldn't get anything he liked. Shane was in the Artest deal, but the Rockets didn't want to give up Brooks ( ). If McGrady isn't traded this summer, it will be Shane without a doubt - we just need more offense. I've always been the opinion that it's better to take a great offensive team and teach them to play defense than vice versa.
Battier is not all that good, but on a rare occasion, such as the last game against LA, he showed that he can be a great defensive player. While he still has something to offer, we should try to move to a more athletic player who is a more determined scorer and still plays defence- such as Artest . We are a soft team and we need an increase of talent,height, strength and athleticism: I would protect Yao , Scola, Novac and Landry, everyone else can be used to improve the team. Mutombo should retire and Chuck should only be good enough to be 12th man. on a contending team p
Like I was saying Battier for Josh Howard would really improve this team in terms of athleticism and rebounding AND scoring
You can't sell this guy short. We all knew his offense could be non-existent. That's a given with Battier. Even then, he's improved his offense this season, adding post up skills and driving ability. Actually, his knock is that he NEEDS to do it more often. On the defensive side, it even seems like he's kicked it up a knotch this year. It seems he took less charges and made more blocks. I just LOVE it when he stops an opposing team fast break layup. How many times have we seen that this season? He's even done it in the playoffs. Stick this guy on the opposing team's best perimeter player and let McGrady and Yao do their thing. He's the most consistent BY FAR in hitting wide open threes. Imagine how many more open looks he'll get when Yao's back. He's the perfect fit for those 2 superstars. Just find him a LEGIT 3rd scorer backup so you won't be forced to put Battier in because of poor performance of his backup. How could you want this guy gone?
what risk he hasn't done crap i say we trade him for josh howard or jason terry i think its the end of an era for that mavericks roster i say get one of them
I hate to bring up the intangible thing, but our defensive intensity is no accident. It's because of guys like Battier and Mutombo in the locker room setting the example. Adelman's teams aren't known for tough minded defense, so where else could it be coming from. I wouldn't trade Battier at all. With Yao in the game he can just camp out on the three point line and get open looks all night.
