The reason the Pistons do not get slammed for the Darko selection as much is because they won the title that season. If they had come up short (Atlanta doesn't give them Rasheed Wallace for nothing) then that pick would be viewed as one of the worst in NBA history. They passed up 2, maybe 3, future Hall of Famers for Darko. If Houston wins an NBA title then it won't make a difference if Gay turns out to be the next big thing. You win the the trade. However, if T Mac goes down or you come up short of winning a title and the PERCEPTION is that you needed some more of whatever Gay is giving the Grizzlies then this board will be smoking.
This really feels weird but for the first time, I agree with MemphisX. The trade will eventually be judged on how Houston and Memphis will finish this coming season. If they both make the playoffs, good, if Houston wins the title or just plainly go farther than Memphis then we can say it was somewhat a good trade, BUT, if Memphis goes ahead of Houston, I would expect people outside of TC burning pictures of CD, Moneyball, and JVG! So this trade imo will be judged by the season's outcome for both teams. **out of topic but Memphis has STILL yet to WIN a playoff game so, I hope the slide continues so at least the pain of the trade wouldnt be that hard to swallow. lol.
Was two years of Barkley worth Cassell and Horry? Probably not. Will 3 good years of Battier be worth Gay and Swift? Still mortgaging the team's future....
and to top it battier is no where near the type of player barkley was heck hes not even close to horry at that time
The Rox got 4 years of Barkley, 1 of which they got him to play almost for free. I would say it was definitely worth it as it took them within a Karl Malone bear hug of the date with Jordan that everyone wanted. Not to mention, it resulted in one of the greatest posters coming here. Cassell is good but has not done too much since leaving and Horry will give you about 100 quality minutes per year, mostly in the playoffs and mostly shooting threes. I would be pissed at any GM that wouldn't make that trade. Battier doesn't rely much on athleticism, so there is no reason to think he will only maintain this level for 3 years (when he will be 30, isn't that in most guys' primes?). If Gay becomes some kind of superstar, then it will be a bad trade, like Dirk for Traylor. If he becomes like Battier, then it is a fine trade, because Battier is closer in age to Yao and TMac so he will help more during their prime years. No matter what, trading for a 27 year old player is not mortgaging the future, it's not like they traded for Allen Houston.
Then the Rockets are paying a few million less for the same production. The Rox management considered Stro to be a negative value, it would appear. Given that, Gay would have to be better than Battier to even things out.
I do not buy that Stro could not have been traded for something, his contract was mangeable and for the amount of playing time he received his numbers ok, they might not have been able to get Battier for him but his trade value was not negative.
I think it has been reported that Memphis choose Swift over Howard or Alston. I would have too if I were them. If I were the Rockets, I would have demanded their 1st or a future one to include Swift in the deal, but oh well. Swift did not have negative trade value, a 26 year old who consistently gives you 9PPG, 5RPG, over 1BPG, and who plays the 4 or 5, and with an MLE contract, has trade value. Just because people expected 15, 8 & 2 based on his orginal promise does take away that he is a usefull player in a reasonable contract. You will find lots of worse back-up 4/5's in the league at far greater salaries than what Swift has.
That's what bothers me the most about the trade. He was a productive player for us at a reasonable contract. We gave him up and a lottery pick. I wish we could have gotten more in return.
^^ to be a cheap prostitute who did not perform his rightful duty and being pay $5million per annum for 5 years is a good deal. I like it. Mike James
I wouldn't doubt if that happens. Swift was mistreated badly and we gave up on him after one injury-riddled season where he wasn't able to complement a healthy Yao and TMac. Now watch as players won't sign with us for lesser money because we don't reward loyalty and aren't fair.
Agree 100%. I don't think Memphis will be as good as everyone says. They lost Bobby Jackson. Lorenzen Wright will likely leave. And they lost their lone true perimeter defender. And you're telling me Gay will become some freakish All-World athlete under Fratello's slow, grueling halfcourt pace that values pick-and-rolls and offensive rebounding a lot more than dunks and running the floor?
Then after that happens "the logo" will use his superior trade skills to get Big Baby Davis or some other Top 5 talent... Or maybe he can call whatever GM the Rockets have on the books next Summer.
that isn't a good thing. Memphis wasn't going to win a title with group that they had. So, them missing the playoffs next would actually be the best thing for the franchise. In a 2 year span they get a playoff berth and 2 lottery picks....I think memphis fans would take that.
I agree. I only said that the Rockets considered Stro to have negative trade value. I have posted before that I thought they could have gotten more for Gay and Stro than just Battier. I am happy to get Battier and I am happy to be rid of Swift (he doesn't bring the toughness that I would like to see, and this was true of him in Memphis as well). I think the trade was good in that I like our position better than I liked it before, I just think that it was not the best deal that could be done.
Swift never was suppposed to be our secondary scorer. Sad but majority of the playing time he had wasn't with T-mac and Yao both on the floor. I believed that he was our PF. Along with Swift, Gay would've completed our starting five; now we don't even have that. Rockets management are dummies.
