dragonsnake, if you're saying we need more than one star (Yao) to compete, I agree. I do feel we need to upgrade the PF position, but I don't feel that the PF has to be the second offensive option. In fact, I'm inclined to think that the PF probably shouldn't be a high offensive option because chances are it will interfere with Yao in the low post (think about the problems of Dream and Sir Charles). You mentioned the Lakers. The recent Lakers have never had anything more than a roleplayer at PF in each of the years they won the championship. I think who we have at PF will be critically important, but I don't see why we have to have Rasheed or some other big name over a guy who plays good solid defense and can hit the open shot and keep his defender honest.
Yeah plus you guys are living in a dream, how are we supposed to get someone like Rasheed or Webber or an allstar w/o giving up SF or YAO.
An "All Star" or Webber and I agree. But Rasheed is not nearly that big of a dream. It all depends on how well the Pistons do in the playoffs and how much they're willing to offer Wallace who is an unrestricted FA. If things go sour, Wallace can tell DET he will sign someones MLE...someone like the Knicks. Which makes a draft pick from the Rockets and a SnT a better scenario for DET. The Rockets can absorb Rasheed's new contract for up to the TE of $6.99m. Our TE is ~$2m more than the MLE.
think about the problems of Dream and Sir Charles). Relativist, don't take this personally, I'm not singling you out, you just happened to be the person that mentioned this. I keep seeing references to how Hakeem and Charles had problems playing together. I find that pretty funny. They won what 57 games in a one season? They played together fine. The problem was they were both getting older. Them slowing down and starting to break down was our problem, not their styles of play.
He has a huge contract but Jerome Williams is EXACTLY the kind of HUSTLE, HIGH ENERGY player we need coming off the bench. I wouldn't mind swapping Mo Taylor for him if I knew we were getting another PF that could score to make up for Jerome's lack of offense.
GATER, that is exactly the scenario I outlined in the past and hope will come to fruition. That's why all Rockets fans should root AGAINST Detroit. The sooner they get bounced from the playoffs the easier it will be to get a chance at Rasheed Wallace. For the Pistons, it will all come down to what means more to them, Okur or Wallace. Clearly Larry Brown in the "win now" mode will vote for Wallace. But Dumars has the long range in mind and might feel it is better to sign Okur now since he has more upside and a longer future with the team. Pistons will HAVE to offer one of them MLE monies and both of them are worth MORE than that. Something has to give there.
The time Lakes won three championships, they had 1 MVP, another top 5 in their team, Shaq is in his prime and argubaly the most dominant player in the history of NBA, there is no comparison of that Lakers team with current Rockets. My opinion is if you want to win a championship without a top 5 player, you need to have two perfect complementary star to have a chance. Yao Ming has potential to be a top 5, but he is not there yet.
Gater, So, regarding the cap. There is no way that the Pistons can resign both if they command more than the MLE? I thought that the Pistons held Wallace's Bird rights. Is it true that if they go over the cap to sign Wallace that they lose their MLE and Okur becomes unrestricted?
The problem is that Detroit doesn't have Okur's bird rights since he was a 2nd round pick and was signed to the standard a 2 year contract (instead of 3 year for 1st rounders which gives teams the players bird rights). Because of this if the Pistons are over the cap (which they are until they renounce Wallace) they can ONLY offer Okur up to the MLE. And if they renounce Wallace they can't sign him. If they resign Wallace to a big number then they can only resign Okur up to the MLE and most people believe that teams such as Utah, Phoenix and Denver will over Okur contracts above the MLE. Detroit is kind of stuck here.
There will be several options and good player to be had. The big question is whteher the Cheap b*stard will open his wallet after we built him an arena.
What happened to the PF we drafted first last year? Is he in the developmental league or in Europe? He was supposed to be raw but very athletic.
I wouldn't worry about him for another year, atleast. But I think he is playing for the German League? Anyone care to correct me?
I like Marcus camby I think he is a freeagent coming this summer. He played for JVG so In think we should try to go for him.
Camby flourished under JVG and I actually wouldn't mind seeing under JVG again. If they get rid of Jeff B. in Denver, Camby will most likely leave.
If we can't maneuver a way to bring in Sheed, I would be happy with Camby. He's had a pretty good year in Denver, but I worry about the injuries and how big of a contract he would want.
Given the less than stellar postseason Webber had, has his market value gone down? Especially we the knee injury? Could he be had by the Rockets for a package of the trade exception, plus players other than SF or Yao? Me thinks Webber's last shot as a King was yesterday's three pointer which rattled out.
Given all you say, why would the Rox, or any other team, want to take on that salary matrixed with that knee?
