At this point, I don't really think it matters. It takes less energy and time to enjoy what we have than it does to worry about what we don't. I do think Drew will fare pretty well in Chicago. Ironically, the Bulls passed on our point guard and ended up getting one from us anyway. ------------------ Save Our Rockets and Comets SaveOurRockets.com
My 2c: (1) Lewis. If we had it to do over again I'd still trade an aging Willis for 2 mid-level first round picks. Lewis - it ain't hindsight, since most of us were sickened by the Turckan pick when it happened. At least we weren't left holding the bag - we traded him for another pick (that we haven't gotten yet). Drew's still got a chance in this league. (2) He will be decent. The triangle is a tough offense to run, and the PG doesn't tend to put up good assist numbers. But he could hit alot of open shots if Fizer and Brand draw double teams down low. Giving up two second rounders for a starting PG was not a bad move for the Bulls. Even though Crawford will eventually steals his job. ------------------
BigDog, yes...But still, if we were to draft again, I'm taking Al Harrington not Rashard Lewis. Harrington was the big mistake, IMO.
It still pains me that we don't have the hometown kid here. I don't think he's going to be the bust-ass all-star that many think he will be, but he's perfect here. Fast, long, has the outside shot, can play the 2, 3, and 4. He's not the master of Iso's, but we've already got a couple of them. He would be just the young run-n-gunner to feed off the greatness of our guards. It should be pointed out that we can't really measure if the Willis trade was worth it- we still don't know what we've traded for; the two mid-1st round picks have in turn been traded for more picks we don't have yet. From the Willis trade, we now have a first rounder from Detroit and another first rounder from Chicago or two 2nd rounders. Who knows what players they will be, or what trade package they will be thrown into? And in the cases of all the trades, of Willis, Turkcan, and Drew, we have cleared cap room.
I still have a hard time believing that the Rockets didn't pick up Rashard with THREE chances to do so, but I still think that trading Willis was the right decision at the time. He was obviously aging, and the chance for so much youth was refreshing. Getting Dickerson was great, and the thought that we COULD have had Harrington and/or Lewis shows that it wasn't really a bad move in and of itself. On the other hand, even if you don't like Rashard, I don't see how picking him up would have been a worse decision than Turkan or Drew, either one. Drew was playable, but I never really saw him as an improvement over Maloney. But it's over, so it's cool. ------------------ "There are three kinds of lies: Lies, Damned Lies, and STATISTICS..." - Mark Twain -
FORGET about Lewis ,the guy had a chance to play in Houston.But he chose the money instead.Thank your lucky stars for guys who want to be rockets,ala Shandon Anderson okay enough already about lewis. ------------------
Trading Willis was the right thing to do. Lewis has done nothing in the NBA yet. I think most everyone here would like to see him do well, but he is still young and hasn't gone through his growing pains yet. I look for Drew to have a good season in Chicago. ------------------ In order to be a success in life, you need 2 things: 1. Don't tell everything you know.
Rockets would of gone after Lewis if they could but the sonics could match any offer houston had so he lewis had to stay. ------------------ "You look a team that's been to the mountaintop like the Houston Rockets, I'm going to put pressure on myself to be the best possible player that I can be. With the pieces they already have in place and myself, we can do some amazing things next season." Maurice Taylor
This thread got me thinking about the '84 draft when Portland reportedly offered Drexler and their #2 overall pick for either Olajuwon or Sampson. On the subject of hindsight is 20/20, just think of what we could have had taking Drexler and then selecting Jordan with the 2nd pick overall. If not Jordan, we could have had Barkley or Sam Perkins. But to answer your question, I think letting Lewis slip was the bigger mistake. ------------------ Don't EVER underestimate the Heart of a CHAMPION!
Oh i forgot to mention that i would have traded Sampson and not Olajuwon, for the record. No way would i ever trade Dream. ------------------ Don't EVER underestimate the Heart of a CHAMPION!
I still say this whole Rashard thing is tired. Looking back it's easy to see how well he would fit now. But that was 2 years ago when we didn't need someone who was going to take a while to develop. Just as no one would've thought that Sam Cassell or Cuttino Mobley would have done as well as they have, the same is true for Rashard. Sure he had raw talent but we didn't need a project at the time. Clutch, I know you completely disagree with me but I still have no regrets. We were looking to win that year or the next. We had no idea things were gonna go down like they did last year. The youth movement was not suppose to start yet. Of course it's easy now to look at our lineup and then look at Rashard and say "What were we thinking?!" That's the way it goes. Hindsight is 20/20. If he still wants to come home we can get him in a couple of years after he's actually proven something. He'll be good but who knows how well he'll be once the league actually pays attention to him. He did well last year because the focus was not on him. Let's see how he adapts to defenses that start paying more attention to him. ------------------ RocketFuel is dead!
Kevin Willis was better than Dream or Barkley when he was traded (okay, maybe not Barkley). Trading him was the dumbest thing the Rockets could have done. Hell, it was the dumbest thing they did do... other than not going through the later trade to get him back. ------------------ "Everyone I know has a big but... come on Simone, let's talk about your but."
Rashard Lewis has to learn you can't play who you want to play for in the NBA , If Rudy Tomjanovich wanted Mirsad Turcan over Rashard Lewis I pretty much think that says it all about what Rudy thinks of High School stars . Bryce Drew has a lot more space in Chicago , If he can establish himself as a good enough player with the Bulls , he might not turn out to be Matt Maloney2 after all . ------------------ This signature space for rent call 555 ...
1998 playoff series vs. Utah Jazz Kevin Willis Game 1: 18 pts, 14 rebounds Game 2: 10 pts, 12 rebounds Game 3: 4 pts, 8 rebounds Game 4: 8 pts, 8 rebounds Game 5: 16 pts, 11 rebounds Per Game: 11.2 points, 10.6 rebounds Hakeem Olajuwon Game 1: 16 pts, 13 rebounds Game 2: 16 pts, 5 rebounds Game 3: 28 pts, 12 rebounds Game 4: 27 pts, 15 rebounds Game 5: 15 pts, 9 rebounds Per Game: 20.4 points, 10.8 rebounds
Achebe -- Right on, dude. How stupid were we anyways? I mean, its not like we were gonna end up trading one of those picks off for a stud point guard or anything.... ------------------ It doesn't matter if I have a signature!
I can't really say that trading Willis was a mistake, until three or so years after the Rocks make those picks. The idea was to get younger and rebuild, which this trade will eventually accomplish to some extent. Not selecting Lewis now appears to be a mistake. If the Rocks' offseason plans for that year had actually worked out, Quittin' would still be getting the bulk of the 3 minutes, i.e. there would be no minutes to keep Lewis happy. Also, I still don't know how good Lewis will get. There is a definite chance that Lewis will never be an all-star. No. Drew is not a NBA 1; he is a 2. 1s do not merrily dribble into traps. I predict that the Bulls will exercise the option for the fourth year of his contract, but not re-sign him after his two years there. ------------------ [This message has been edited by No Worries (edited September 30, 2000).]
They said Steve wasn't an NBA PG either and he proved them wrong. When Bryce started he was a very good leader and passer. I think he can do it if given the chance.
