I know this is very grinch-like, but I regret giving up those 2nd round picks in the Mike James deal. I've been a proponent for the last few years of grabbing European players with those picks and scoring big-time with them down the road. I would still want the James deal done, but I will miss those picks.
Not to nit-pick, but I'm surprised that San Antonio was able to get Nazr Mohamed for Malik Rose, I think we should've looked into him (if we didnt) before taking on Moochie and Baker.
Well, hopefully, when those picks come up, theyll be somewhere between 48-58. Here are players picked between that range the last 10 years who have made a name for themselves in the NBA: Kyle Korver Darius Songaila Rasual Butler Jason Hart Ryan Bowen Predrag Drobnjak Alvin Williams Mark Blount Shadon Anderson Fred Hoiberg Thats 10 players out of 110 picked in that range (9% success rate).
Nothing. I raised my eyebrows when it was reported that the Rockets gave up a 1st round pick to basically dump Mo Taylor's salary, but once that report turned out to be false I was on board. The team continues to need a banger at the 4, but I think that is something that can be addressed in the offseason.
The fact that San Antonio got Nazar Mohammad is a really sick thought. I've always thought he was a pretty good center, and he can defend Yao a lot better than anyone they had before. The Spurs just became my pick to win it all outright. Hopefully the Rockets prove me wrong.
I got a dang good reason why for ya... 2 First round picks let me repeat that for ya just in case you skipped the first one... 2 First round picks if we had given up two first round picks + Mo for Nazr....this place would have experienced a China Syndrome (nuclear meltdown for you yunguns) Good player....sure....not that bad....but worth a decent player PLUS 2 first round picks?? Im not real sure about that.
If I'm not mistaken, the Rockets still have both our picks this year? We kept our first, and we got a 2nd from the MoTaylor trade. We lost our 2nd rounder from 07 but still have everything else. All we lost in total is Gaines, MoTaylor and a 2nd Round pick for Mike James, Moochie, and Vin Baker. Absolute steal
What's funny is that the picks are from the Spurs and Suns, almost ensuring that they are going to be among the last 3 or 4 picks in the first round. Essentially 2nd round talent, but without the option of offering non-guaranteed contracts. Have fun with those picks, Isiah! Evan
The 2nd rounder from the Knicks is for 2006, if what I've read is correct. There's a lot of confusion with the details though. If it is a 2nd rounder for 2006, we may as well toss it out the window (it will likely be the first year with the age limit in effect, resulting in a very shallow talent pool. Remember, this isn't just high schoolers but foreigners as well) Evan
whats not to like, i ask? we basically parlayed mo taylor into mike james. the ideal trade scenario was to trade mo taylor and his fat contract for a guard who can play d and hit the open 3's. well, we a got true pg who can play d and hit the 3. and the timing too! to get him right after sura goes out. the fact that we didnt give up the #1 is icing on the cake, but i think id feel the same even if we did give up #1. the other benefit of the trades is that it allowed us to cut strickland and bring back moochie! MOOCHIE MOOCHIE MOOCHIE
I like everything about the deals except for getting Mooch back. I couldnt stand him before and was glad to be rid of him.
I don't like the Mo T for Moochie + Vin Baker deal at all. Remember last year when we were saying, "hey we picked up Clarence Weatherspoon's awful contract, but at least it's not as bad as Moochie's horrible contract?" Well now we have both! AND, to top it off, we have Vin freaking Baker to play third-string C/PF. Oh great
I don't like getting him back either. But at least once Sura's healthy, his ass will be on the bench where it belongs. And it's not like he'll be a cancer like Mo Taylor had become. Plus, the Rockets can go back to playing Cab Calloway's "Minnie the Moocher" number from The Blues Brothers during timeouts.
I'm not too worried about giving up the second rounders. If the Rockets ever scout a player and want to draft him in the second round, it's not too difficult to acquire a second round pick. You pretty much buy a second rounder.
Is it just me, but we gave our 2nd rounder to the buck, and took in a 2nd reounder from the knicks. So we essentially traded a later 2nd rounder for an earlier one.... and lost a late 2nd rounder in 2007 one early 2nd round pick for two very late ones sounds like a good deal in itself to me.
Not sure if you realized...but not ALL trades are about getting talent for talent. Moochie riding the bench at $4.5 million for one more season is better than Taylor riding it at $9.5 million for two more.
