Is it me or does it seem like we get shafted when it comes to trading with other teams while I watch teams like Detroit / Dallas and the Magic get great deals. Detroit - Got RWallace for trash / FWilliams for trash Dallas - Got JStackhouse/JTerry and Dampier for trash. (well I like AJamison) Orlando swung some nice deals too like getting TBattie for trash. not blaming our management.. but does Houston have a stigma ? why cant we swing great deals like those? J
I will say one thing, we have a lot of "trash" waiting to be delt! One of the many gripes I have with CD is that I get the feeling he is only looking to make moves in terms of fulfilling "specific" needs. We need a better PG and PF. So we are ONLY looking at those two. What happens if a SG is available that might be a good ASSET? Does CD look into that? At this point, it isnt as much as filling needs via trades but just BUILDING an ASSET base with which to work from. Acquire players that other teams might be interested in, in the future. The Pistons it appears had a need from Frank Williams. But even if they didnt, and lets say Lindsay Hunter was playing just fine for them at back up PG. At least the Pistons acquired a tradable asset for trash. That's a win for them. The Pistons found a team in Chicago that had a loaded position, PG. They then exploited them, knowing they would be very willing to just lop off Williams if they could. That right there is SMART GMing!
take this with a grain of salt....on the radio in NYC, our favorite reporter, peter vescey had some "insider info" about the rockets. it apears that toronto would be willing to take mo if we throw in deke...in return we have to take one of thier bad contracts....jalen rose. of course its just pete playing around on realGM. but just for fun, i think i would do it. i would hate to lose deke, but love to lose mo. i guess jalen would be a good 3rd scorer, extra ball handler, good rebounder for a 3. his contract ends when its time to give yao the max so it doesn't bother us that much. i know its only a stupid vescey rumor but at least its finaly a freakin rumor!
Drew Gooden is trash? Have you seen the numbers he's been putting up this season? He's averaging 14 and 10 in 31 minutes a game. With the Magic acquiring Dwight Howard and needing to shake the roster up, it probably made sense to deal Gooden, but I think the Cavs have gotten more productivity out of that trade. point taken though. I'd love to see the Rockets pull out one of those deals. the McGrady deal was great but what we gave up was hardly trash. We certainly took on some trash though.
Dallas traded Jamison (who SHOULD have been a starter) - NOT TRASH Orlando traded Gooden (lottery pick with upside) - NOT TRASH Detroit traded sent Chucky Atkins, Lindsey Hunter (who Boston traded for Payton) and Bob Sura, Zeljko Rebraca and Chris Mills. ALL EXPIRING CONTRACTS (one of whom is now a Rocket's starter)
I am sure Toronto would do it. They get an expiring contract in Mutombo and Taylor and give up Rose who they dont want anyway. As far as they are concerned they cut payroll and cut out a team cancer. They would take Taylor for that. IF the Rockets did something like that I would push to try to get Donyell Marshall somehow (Seems like Taylor and Marshall on the team is redundant). Or at least swap Lamond Murray for Spoon (years and salaries are similar). That would give us more shooting. Anyway, Taylor and Rose's contracts both end at the same time. Rose just makes a ton more. Rose's on the court production could probably help this team in terms of getting us a 3rd scorer, someone that can create for himself and others and someone that can drive to the basket. However I wonder about Rose the "teammate". Seems like everywhere he has gone he has been labeled a cancer. Whether it is that deal or another deal, I think it is obvious that the only way this team can "improve" is to make a deal similar to that one where we take a LARGER salary on (Rose) for a smaller salary in Taylor..... I dont think I ever thought I would say "Taylor" and "Small salary" in the same sentence!
Jalen Rose's contract is huge, but is the same length as Mo's. Jalen Rose is not much of a passer, but passing ISN'T our problem this year. At 6-8, he can theoretically play the 1-2-3 positons. The problem is, we'd have to get a big in return also, if we're giving up both Taylor and Deke. There's no way the Raptors give up Loren Woods, so would they give up Matt Bonner? Houston trades: Mo Taylor, Dikembe Mutombo, Bostjan Nachbar Houston receives: Jalen Rose, Matt Bonner Any takers?
As bad as the Rockets are, there are plenty of garbage teams out there also who want to change things up too.
Who is Matt Bonner? How about Donyell Marshall instead. I mean with Bosh, Taylor and Marshall, their PF rotation is crowded.
Donyell Marshall would be preferred, I just don't see them doing it. Bonner's a 6-10 rookie out of Florida. Brian Cardinal clone. He gets about 17 mpg, 7 points, 3.5 boards. Kind of a Scott Padgett type player, but more of a true PF and less of a quasi SF.
He also talked about a trade of Jim Jackson and Bostjan Nachbar for Rodney White and Nene, that would be nice.
Ever since Lenard went down and there started to be alot of rumors swirling that they would use Nene to acquire another SG, I always thought JJ would be a guy they would love to have. He is a veteran leader to put on that young team and a player who can do everything well. Plus, his contract is pretty good. Works for both teams as well. I just hope they could swing something else to get a better SF, cause a rotation of White/Bowen doesn't sound to appealing to me.
To solve your small forward situation.... How about Jalen Rose for Taylor+Mutombo if (and that's a BIG IF) you were able to do the Nene deal. Sura Tmac Rose Nene Yao Not saying I would do the Rose deal, just throwing that out there since he is being rumored to be traded.
Yes, the two deals in combination make a lot more sense for the Rockets. Actually, it would be a miracle if they could get them both done. The Toronto deal alone leaves you thinner then you already are in the frontcourt. The Denver deal alone, as mentioned, leaves you with White and Bowen as your SF's. Both deals together significantly improves you starting lineup, imo. The bench still sucks, though you've added White and potentially a Matt Bonner type. If you could get Donyell Marshall out of it as well, CD would once again be a genius... Until that team also fails to score over 85 points a game ever and continues to lose, then CD will suck again and JVG will need to be fired some more.
That sounds like a lot of fun...anything to get rid of Mo (or Howard, or Spoon) and improve the talent base overall. Getting a contract that isn't longer than Mo's in Rose's is a bonus. Although we're left with a huge hole at backup C. Yao is looking semi-tired as it is...we've sorely needed every one of Deke's boards and blocks and minutes. Can Nene slide over? Probably for the same 10-15 mpg that Deke got..but be prepared for Juwan to get more minutes.
Trash + expiring contract = valuable trade bait Trash + long contract = untradable If Ward doesn't have a 3-year guarantee contract, he would be hot commodity now.
I believe Ward has a 3 year contract but only TWO of the years are guaranteed (I think the last year is a TEAM option). And there is NO WAY, at any time in the future he will be a "hot commodity." LOL Even when next year is up, he is only making like 2M a season. When people look for expiring contracts usually they look for ones that are much higher like Spoon's after next season at 6M.
