As shocked as I was initially, Battier is a great fit for this team. We just gave up too much in the trade as is. We just need something to even it up and it will be a great deal...especially if it is a decent PF. We got rid of the brainless Stromile, and Gay would've had a lot of growing to do. Now we've got smart veterans who are ready to win...we just need to fill out the roster. We've got the right players so far, just with a couple of holes. Hopefully we'll be able to land a fairly athletic PF somehow to go against the Stoudamire's and Nowitzki's of the west, and Mike James if we're lucky. Definitely need a PF and PG though.
I disagree. Look at Villanueva or any of the past Uconn lottery picks. They all have contributed immediately. People questioned Villanueva's heart just like Gay only Gay was even more highly regarded coming out of Uconn.
As I rethink about the trade, it does not seem too bad. I'm glad that something like this happened this year instead of 2002. We could've sent a high-risk high-reward Yao and maybe Mobley together to Dallas for a proven veteran Shawn Bradley......
LOL, so Jerry West called. I'm glad you got your Spur type player. Will Spurs ever give Narz and #8 pick for Bruce Bowen? It will never happen in a million years.
You know, my first reaction is that we gave up too much. I mean, I would have thought previously that the #8 and Swift would have landed us a top 5 pick. But, I don't think Swift had anywhere the trade value I think most of us assumed. He wasn't THAT sought after last season as a free agent and he didn't help his value at all by underachieving in a new environment under a coach that should have been tailor-made for his talents on defense. Then you add that contract, and I would imagine the Rockets were finding it hard to give him away. I really like Battier. Sure, he is not going to blow anyone away, but he brings a hell of a lot to the table and has a real nice all-around game. He is going to be a great fit here. Plus, there was no guarantee that Gay would have turned out good. Sure, he has all the athleticsm and length to be succesfull, but you have to have real basketball skill, heart and desire to become a great player and all of those traits are all the negatives about his game. You can teach and work on improving a shot, post game, defense etc.; but you can't teach what he lacks. You have to just hope he finally gets it. Besides, this trade fits right into what JVG said at the end of the season. We have a 3 year window and Gay would have not helped the Rockets with any championship aspirations within that time frame. Yes, we probably gave up a bit too much but I believe that this was a solid move that helped the Rockets as a whole.
I completly agree. Battier can be 2x the player mario was on this team. More importantly he brings an intensity and lunch pale mentality that the Rockets haven't had since well... Mario Ellie. I'm talking about diving for loose balls, throwing some elbows, calling out poor performances, hustling, taking charges, and as you alluded, things that don't show up in the stat sheet. Just an all around great teamate and off the court citizen. But that price we paid seems a little high.
No, our cap should stay the same...Swift and Battier's contracts match. Regardless, I think even if we were able to just dump Swift's contract, we'd still be over the cap. At the end of the day, James will still have to sign for the MLE. These facts are true, I guess. But the draft is all about value. We might have gotten what we needed, but we COULD have gotten a lot more. Gay could produce 10/5 next year. Swift already was. Add on top of that the value proposition already mentioned, this argument doesn't look so good. Again, it DOESN'T matter who else the Rockets add and/or how good they may be next season. It appears to me they lost an opportunity to get more for their pick. I guess I wasn't on the phones, so maybe I'm talking out of my ass, but the ESPN analysts weren't particularly impressed either. Should have gotten more in return... Or, as someone else mentioned, with a few more moves, we could add Mike James for the MLE, maybe make the playoffs next year and lose in the first round, and then trade James and our pick next year back to the Raptors for a mediocre veteran.
why deal with jerry west...why....we got burned on SS... st u pi d, why not trust young players, always get some old old old players, whos foult? after JVG came to houston, I really do not see many smart decision.
According to Fran Blinebury from Houston Chronicle ,the trade is all about JVG ,because ,he does not trust rookies and in no way will play them significant minutes.The managements have no choice but to get him a veteran.
Van Gundy needs to go. He is selling the rockets down the river for his own gain. You build your team through the draft like San Antonio and Dallas and the Battier-type players through free agency and minor trades. San Antonio did not add their key veterans by trading away their young talent.
stro = 5 mil 8th pick rookie salary = 1.7 mil ? not totally sure about that one. total = 6.7 mil. battier = 4.9 mil these number may be wrong, but probably pretty close. difference = an extra 1.8 million unless I'm missing something.
