Rockets trade Rice, Cato, Norris, Nachbar and Chicago's 2nd rounders(Drew trade) to Warriors for Jamison, Folye, Welsh, and Fortson. Rockets line up C-Yao/Foyle PF-Griffin/Taylor/Forston SF-Jamison/A. Griffin SG-Mobley/Piat. PG-Francis/Welch
Its a shame noming's trade proposal has absolutely zero to do with the two main reasons the Warriors are making the Dallas trade. I love it how every personnel move that has been in the NBA is somehow turned into a "why don't the Rockets do this or that" thread.
Cato is a really minimal upgrade over Dampier. So GS gives up their "best" player for a very small upgrade at center, rice's contract and some bench scrubs? No, they did better with Dallas's offer.
I know. But Dampier is on the warrior's roster with a hefty contract. Cato is a minimal upgrade over Dampier and Cato has a hefty contract as well. In the trade suggested in this thread GS takes on Cato + Dampier. No point. At least with the Dallas trade GS gets a stud pg, a position GS is in dire need of.
Why can't the Rockets be better without trading one person? I consider the Mavericks a complete project, and the Rockets a project in the making. This offseason the Mavericks did the following: 1- Lost one of their defensive minded players when they need defense more than anything. 2- Gained an offensive player who needs the ball in his hands to do well when they were already one of the best offensive teams in the league. The Mavericks have more unfulfilled potential in their existing roster than they really have in trade potential. They need to learn how to play defense (something they took steps toward last season).... not try to buy their way to a championship. Remember, you can only play 5 guys at a time, and in a championship series you only need to go 7-8 deep (6 if you are Pat Riley). The Rockets haven't changed much this offseason, but I think they still have one of the best rosters on paper in the league... I know that potential doesn't win championships, but I am comfortable with potential at the moment. And that thought doesn't need to be qualified with a JVG ultimatum for next season. In the near future I could see the following: 1) Yao>Nowitski 2) Francis>Nash 3) Mobley=Finley 4) Taylor=LaFrentz 5) Griffin<Jamison The matchups look fine to me.
Yao is no where close to Nowitzki..... In the future.....Mobley will definitely be better than Finley. they are like the same! But right now...Finley is more explosive and stronger and bigger and taller. In the future....Finley will be too old and Mobley will become better. Francis is already better than Nash. I agree that Taylor can become as good as Lafrentz..probably better. Now Griffin....he still has some potential. The Mavs have gotten better. But no defense at all! I guess they will score their way to victory....which they can definitely do. They have like 5 very very good offensive weapons.
Yao will be a better defensive player than Nowitski ever dreamed unless someone's priorities drastically change. He will rebound better, block more shots, and change games defensively. I can only hope that Yao becomes a great offensive player. It is possible that he will become as good as Nowitski at his respective position. I'll take the defensive minded guy any day.
I'm sure Cuban & Nellie are laughing about this trade that they pulled off with the Warriors! I think GS just got combustable Nick & bench warmers thrown in!
kinda like the maple leafs fans..... everytime a big time player got signed or traded by a team, they come up with this: "man, the leafs should have signed him" or "man, we could have put a better deal on the table".....
Doctor Robert, comparing Yao to Nitwitz is like comparing apples and oranges... you can't. Dallas has no one remotely like Yao as a center (Bradley?? don't make me laugh!) and we have no one close to Dirk. If I had to choose between the 2 it'd be easy... Yao, every time. It's far harder today to grab a center even remotely as good as Yao is already, much less as good as he WILL be. I just wish we had Dirk next to him... now THAT would be something.
I am a Rockets fan too......but would you really take Yao over Nowitzki? I don't think so....I would definitely pick Nowitzki even if I were Colin Pine...............? Or Yao's brother.
To be fair to Dirk, 7 footers who can play 3 positions and who are virtually unguardable with a traditional SF, PF or C don't grow on trees either. Dirk is no doubt the most unguardable person in the league, with all apologies to Shaq. I digress though and would probably go with Yao also just because its easier to win with a dominant big man than to win with a dominant SF/PF hypbrid like Dirk.
Puhlease... Leaf fans are at least realistic with their trade proposals, and the Leafs actually were in the race for such big name players. So its a differnet story.
Thats only because you dont think all that much of Yao Ming in any case. Lets hope he proves otherwise.
