Wally World?

I just really don't think that I would care what our pay role was if we were contending for championships every year and a team that starts Yao, TMac and WallyWorld would have to be considered as contenders for a very long time. Throw in Sura and Howard as the other two starters and that is a fairly solid line up. Not many teams could boast a player like Juwan Howard as their 4th scoring option.

 

Best info I have....Wally is owed $55m for 5 more season and Mo is owed $18.2m for 2 seasons. Considering Mo backsup Juwan and Wally would backup TMac....case closed.

 

I don't see Wally as a back up at all. He would bring the Shooting touch that JVG has said the Rockets are lacking. Wally would surely start at the 3 spot. I just don't see the T-Pups trading an all star and one of the best pure shooters in the game for MoT. And according to the USA Today, Wally's contract is only 2 years longer than MoT's because MoT actually has 3 years left not two.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/salaries/playerdetail.aspx?lname=T&player=384

 

You might not, but Les probably would, especially considering that we'd be paying near-max dollars for the third option on offense who doesn't play D.

 

And a rail thin frontcourt:

Howard 4
Spoon 4
Yao 5

Even if we picked up Mutumbo or Clark, we would have the worst PF rotation in the league. Cato/MoT couldn't handle a lot of PFs last season, Howard/Spoon would be even worse.

However, JJ off the bench would be really nice.

 

MoT has 3 years to go, around 27M right?

Since it doesn't matter if we get under the cap, according to you, and JJ is way up there in age, maybe it's better if we get someone like Wally who is NOT a MAX player yet can play a huge role for this team?

 

The reason they'd trade Wally is financial reasons - he makes slightly more per year than MoT, and makes it for 3 extra years.

They just re-signed Spree to an extension, so they need to get rid of someone. Kandi and Wally are on the block, and it's been mentioned before. They are dying to dump him for SAR - it's Portland that's refusing.

 

I'd love to get Kandi and Wally. Ok, Sane, tell me how. Just for fun, I'm going to play along, and show what I'd do.

I know Minn. has crazy payroll. 80+ mil., vs. our 55mil. You know they want to move those guys, who don't get along with their teammates. We all know that stuff.

What can we do to help them?

I don't know how much TE we have. That's the real key.

Yeah yeah, Taylor and Pike could fill a role there. Sure. Boki, too. They'd probably also want Mutumbo, if we got him, or someone to play that spot. A Boki/Taylor/Mutumbo package could fill out their roster nicely to take the trophy from the Spurs., and Wally would give us a real chance at the prize,, playing the wing opposite Tmac.

E. Johnson/Mutumbo/Madsen....vs..... Yao/Kandi/Howard
Taylor/Garnett/Hoiberg..............vs.....Howard/Spoon/Padgett?
Garnett/Boki/Hassell..................vs.....Wally/JJ
Spree/Hassell.............................vs.....Tmac/JJ/Gaines
Cassell/Hudson..........................vs.....Sura/Lue/Ward

Both teams are better. Boki/Mutumbo/Taylor fit in with the Wolves' team players better and give them a smooth running machine.

Wally and Kandi fill our needs perfectly, and JVG gets the most out of them or gets fired. We have good insurance for the risk with JJ and Howard able to help.

So, there's my effort at playing along. I guess we get rid of AG and Wilks with Pike in the Mutumbo deal. I'd fill out the end of the bench for our roster with some vet min or nbdl guys like Tmo, that could help in a pinch, and provide injury insurance.

So,just for grins, there's my scenario. Of course, this would require CD to pick up the phone, instead of just answer it. Well, that's just a little cheap shot for grins. Of course he can dial the phone. Do they want to?

 

Yep, 3 more years for Mo not 2 like I stated. I screwed up my spreadsheet when I posted in the other thread about not having cap room in the foreseeable future.

Since we agree that we're going to be over the cap and contracts don't matter, I propose that close to a Wally Z skilled player could be had with a mid class exception. The only way I'd trade Taylor for Szczerbiak is if it were a substantial upgrade. And since I don't think Wally is that much better than Sura (Z is a better shooter, but much worse defender), I'd personally not trade big for small.

The problem with starting Wally over JJ is that Wally needs shots to be effective. (Sound familiar?). There's almost a direct corelationship between Wally's FGA's and his productivity. Having WZ trying to get shots in a JVG half-court set while sharing the ball with Yao, TMac, and Howard wouldn't be pretty.

IMHO, this trade would never cross the collective minds of Rockets' management and Wally will be a TWolve for 2004-05. Since he was injured most of 03-04 I'll discount those stats but let's watch what happens when he's not the #2 option and has to share the ball a whole season with Spree and Sam C.

 

Wally's problem, IMHO, is an inability to get along with KG et al. Therefore, in Minny, he'll never reach his potential. With his contract and history he may never get out of 'sota.

 

GATER,

I agree that this trade is not going to happen. Having said that let me make a couple of comments.

1. Wally does not need the ball to be effective. Wally's defender must and will respect his outside shooting touch. Wally's defender can not back off of him and leave him wide open on the perimeter like they could do with most of the players on our team a year ago. This fact alone IMO makes Wally a great addition to the offense. If teams do leave Wally alone then he is one of the best at making the open perimeter shot all the way to the three point arc and beyond.

2. What Wally like skilled player could be had with the exception? There are very few players in the NBA that have the kind of outside shot Wally has? Peja, Dirk, Berry and who else? People with his type of shooting touch are not a dime a dozen.

3 I love what MoT brings off of the bench but with the way MoT plays its not exactly like trading big for small. MoT is a big forward but has never really played like a power forward. MoT is avg on defense and does not really rebound very well nor does he block shots.

 

Man, Minnisota has a staggeringly huge payroll for the market. Huge!
We might help them grease a trade with our TE, if we can get something useful out of it, but I don't see Wally being who we'd end up with. Still fun speculation to read.

 

While MoT isn't the best PF in the league, he is still a big body that can score. The Rox right now have a decent PF rotation with Howard/Taylor/Spoon or Padgett, trading MoT or Howard would leave us with the worst PF rotation period.

As good as Wally's shot is, it won't do anything if Spoon's man can just leave him to guard Yao. I think we all agree that our PF position was our achilles heel last season, trading MoT or Howard would make our PF situation even worst than last season.

 

I completely disagree.

Spoon was not good last year...he was very good and productive while on the floor. Plus, Spoon is a back up...not a starter and no player in the league is going to just ignore Howard.

BTW, Spoon hit over 50% of his shots last year with the Rockets and they were no all with in 5 feet of the basket like Cato's were.

And if we get a player like Keon Clark then our PF position would actually be better than it was last year, IMO. Howard is better than Taylor Keon is just as good if not better (at least on the offensive end) then Cato is.

 

Just for the fun of it I ran a MoT and Spoon for Zerbiack and Olawakandi at the realgm trade-a-thon thing. It passed. I see Kandi as a huge waste of unmotivated talent, and don't really see Wally as a high need player for us. On top of that, I basically like Spoon as a back up. But all that being said, if Minnesota would accept, I would be tempted.

I have to assume McHale would laugh us off the table, but they might consider it from the money aspect. I am pretty sure they already have a starting PF.