this trade is totally unaccaptable!! What were rox management smoking while triggering this deal?!!! Those guys are amzing! Amazingly awful! Fire JVG! Fire CD!!!
I got tired reading through page 46. So I am gonna summarize my opinion here, which seems to be the opinion of many posters here. 1. Before the draft, I thought it would be a good idea to trade the pick for a good proven veteran who can help right away, rather than gambling on an unproven draftee. It happened, although I would want someone a little better than Battier. 2. I like Battier. In fact, I've always wanted the Rockets to get him. He is the kind of role player every team wants: hard working, solid on both ends of the floor (good shooting and good defense), unselfish, smart (not making many mistakes), and good character off the court. So this part of the deal is great. 3. Trading Swift for Battier straight up would be a steal for us. Trading Gay for Battier straight up would be debatable but understandable (risk and potential vs. solid contribution right away). But trading Gay PLUS Swift for Battier alone is just too much in many of our minds. Now, I can reason that Swift might have become a negative trade value. So someone taking him up is a plus, not a minus. It is a little hard to believe no GM thinks he is valuable for his contract. But it is a possibility and I am willing to accept just for the sake of it. And there is still a possibility that we might get something more that is still undisclosed. 4. What pisses me off the most is not trading away Gay or even giving up 2 athletic players for one no-so-athletic guy. What is so bad is the way this deal is done, according to West's quotes in the Memphis paper. I have stated my opinion of the way this deal was handled in another thread. This is so idiotic I can't believe an experienced GM like CD could have done it. It also exposes the shortsightedness of JVG. The only thing that might salvage some comfort is that I hope Moneyball does work. I hope Morey saw something in his evaluating system about Gay that it is the right thing to not take him. I hope they are also right in limiting only 5 guys they want for the 8th pick.
Moneyball does not work in the NBA. In baseball each player is much more unique, 1st baseman and 3rd baseman are much more independent of each other on the field. In the NBA there are only 5 players on the court and what one does greatly affects the other 4. Each player is 20% of the team so there is much more cointergration than in baseball. Moneyball may get you to the playoffs but it will never win you the championship.
Another thing I dont like about this trade is that it leaves us with more holes than what we started with before the draft.
I don't see how this trade leaves us with more holes... I don't know what hole Stromile was filling that any guy off the street like Chuck Hayes couldn't handle. Also it gives us the legitimate shooter that we desperately needed and improves our defense, as Battier will come in and probably be our best defender. Im not saying it's a good trade, only time will tell that, but Gay is just a guy with "potential" and Stromile, he just sucks.
What I don't like about this trade is the fact that we're already low on depth. And now we're even lower on depth. Considering the pathetic backups we play on the court each game, it woulda been wiser to keep Gay and Swift instead of trading them BOTH for Battier. Battier. Battier. Battier. He sucks. Career 10/5 player. Wow, isn't Swift that too? What a pathetic trade.
Ok I can really understand trading Rudy and stro in the same package. BUT WHY couldn't we get someone like JR Smith? and a pick? This is rediculous. I can't stand how little we got. If you add in a pick or something from memphis it'll ease the pain a bit but not much. I just don't like how little we got, not that we traded.
The question in my mind is: If we were actively shopping Swift & Rudy Gay together as a package, what offers would we get? What would we get on the open market in the NBA for these players. SURELY we would get far more than Battier alone, and this is not a move to dump salary because Swift's contract is reasonable.
While Swift's and Battier's points and rebounds may be similiar, I'd like to see a comparison of bone head defensive lapses resulting in opponent makes or free throws. From what I saw of Swift (at times too ugly to watch), his defensive play negated any offensive contributions. Battier will be a big improvement.
The bad part is that although Battier's number SLIGHTLY edge out Swift's, Stromile played only half the minutes Battier did. I would like to see Swift play a whole game for once. Then, critics can do their thing.
Then again the only hope I have is that the previous picks at number 8 were busts. 0 superstars and 8 busts. with Detlef Schrempf as the best player. Looking good Looking good. http://www.82games.com/nbadraft2.htm
I agree. I mean Bowen got more minutes than swift. The Rockets got rid of swift simply because JVG didn't like him. Even though many people don't like Swift, I believe hes better than any power foward we had.
JVG needs to be willing to coach players he doesnt like and who dont fit his mold. After a disappointing season all we had to look forward to was the draft and after a disappointing draft lets PRAY the rockets can make some other deals because acquiring battier and mike james is not going to get us out of the first round. But then again, maybe the front office was just maneuvering to get craig oden next year.
