Forgive me for jumping in on this so late, i only came into work ten minutes ago and saw this.....pretty dissapointing, i think we all hurt ourselves in pretty much assuming James coming to Houston was a done deal. There is still plenty of talent to be had and it will be interesting to see how creative CD, Morey and JVG think they are. Rockets are still a few peices away from being serious contenders as we are all fully aware. Other than that there's nothing i can really add to this that hasn't been said already, i was lukewarm about his signing/non-signing anyway so lets hope the brass has a B-Plan.
Kobe has one but m_cable nailed you below. Pay up! EDIT: In addition to m_cable's list Gary Payton tail end at SEA...he had to approve of being traded to the Bucks. Ho Grant had one as well. Jalen Rose had one late in his career.
exactly...it's a good combination of youth and veterans, of high flyers and solid contributers along with 2 superstars...in many ways, similar to rockets' championship years
Matt Geiger Loy Vaught Malik Rose Brian Grant Mark Blount Ruben Patterson Etc. A simple google search came up with this list of "all-star type players" who have trade kickers: http://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&lr=&q=nba+trade+kicker
I'd rather get Anthony Parker from the Euroleague, and one or two other players... a PG, obviously, and a 4/5. Use the TE's and split the MLE. Get some bench depth, quality depth. Parker is a 6'6" SG, who's been the best Euro player the last few seasons. He's 31, but he just wants a part of the MLE, being tired of playing overseas. (he's an American) The guy is a quality player. The meltdown here is predictable and understandable. James did what he did, and the big mistake was putting all our eggs, apparently, in one basket. The real mistake was letting him go originally. As Doc Rocket said, inside info since JVG came to Houston has been hard to get. Those of us who've been here a while can tell the inside information flow has diminished a hell of a lot, and I'm sure the tragic lose of Popeye has a lot to do with it, but you never know. It might not have made any difference. Hey, everyone will be obsessing about some new guys before you know it.
I stand corrected. I still don't think he is worth one though. I'm not a fan of having to pay a player to trade him.
I completely agree with this quote, which is in reference to our lineup potentially being: mike james/rafer/jlIII luther head/rudy gay yao/deke j-ho/stro/hayes t-mac/bogans/novak I don't see how we could put a better team on the court through who's left in free agency, so I hope CD has some sort of plan. Maybe we're tanking again for next year when the draft and the free agency group are both supposed to be strong. I don't know.
No I don't blame him, he went for the money just like he said he would. I just don't like how he complained about the Rockets dealing him and then saying it wouldn't affect his decision. He has to know that what you say on the radio ("I will opt out") could affect the personnel decisions for the team.
This is from a t-wolf board. Supposedly MJ was on Min. radio right before he announced his decision. http://www.twolvescentral.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3899
This is the funnest thing said defending the management. If plan B is better than plan A, then why put it in plan A in the first place? What does it say about the management is plan B is in deed better than plan A?
So many want instant gratification.Mike James is the soup d' jour. Contrary what many believe,there are other options...better ones. Look at our need for a sizeable 2 guard.How about a PF that can pick the glass and play some D?We DO have assets,but more importantly...There are plenty of guys that want to come to Houston for a shot at multiple titles alongside Yao and Tracy.Houston is a very desirable destination STILL. The sky is falling.The sky is falling.C'mon,at least give CD enough time to put the puzzle together.
I need to take some time and read a little of this gigantic thread, but my initial reaction is that the Rockets would be stuck without Battier, Gay, Alston, or James had they kept him originally. James would have walked for nothing. We wouldn't have done the trade for Alston. James would have pumped up or win percentage last year by scoring in McGrady's absence, so we would not have drafted anyone. By getting rid of James we at least have a serviceable point guard next year and Battier. Mike James let us know last year loud and clear that he wanted money. That wasn't completely accurate, but it was a good enough warning that he wasn't feeling loyal to any particular team.
He was being sarcastic. I looked at the Loy Vaught profile. It seems like the kicker increased his salary, and he had to waive it prior to one trade. Is that what you really want from James?
