What does ZRB, DearRock and CBS Sportsline have in common?

What does ZRB, DearRock, and CBSSportsline have in common? They're willing to let a young swing guard, who started every game the last 2 years, and a young, talented PF walk just to make a 38 year old center happy.

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"Instruments are like women: After a while, you want to make love to another."

- Nicolas Godin of the musical duo Air

 

Can I answer?

They don't understand the situation at all. This has NOTHING to do with the luxury tax. Nothing. The Rockets are 15 mil under the cap. You would have to be 10 mil over to pay the luxury tax, which is basically impossible if the Rockets are trying to resign their own free agents. That alone should tell you how much these guys lack in basketball knowledge.

Also, I highly doubt they watched many Rocket games. These are stat-sheet gurus. They don't watch the games. The Rockets were on national TV one time. It's impossible to see how good Mo Taylor is in the system, how great of a fit he is in team chemistry, etc. if you don't watch the games and just see these stats of 13 points and 6 rebounds per game. I like Hakeem too, but the notion of the Rockets mortgaging their future to keep the damn guy another 2 years is ridiculous.

Also, another thing: if they were underbidding the guy so much, why is everyone else offering roughly the same amount?

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Not only roughly the same amount Cat, some EVEN LESS! If the rumors are right, all New York can offer is the mid-level exception, and Toronto is offering Dream 3 years 15 million dollars. Houston is offering 2 years, 20 million dollars. How is that under bidding, and what does that have to do with the luxury tax!?

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"Instruments are like women: After a while, you want to make love to another."

- Nicolas Godin of the musical duo Air

[This message has been edited by RocksMillenium (edited July 23, 2001).]

 

Houston offering 2 years $20mil???? That's news to me. I would imagine Dream would sign that deal in a NEW YORK minute.

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"18 seasons, two championship rings and a decent run at the end of last season make it hard to believe they'll let him go just to pacify two players who are not worthy of such concern" Address that for me please, when it is all to get Taylor and Anderson, not Webber or DRob.

Mo Taylor is a huge piece of this team's future. He can play outside and inside, can shoot the ball, can create from the power forward spot (something you need), and can defend. He also plays near 82 games, loves playing in Houston, and is an unbelievable fit in team chemistry. Giving him up for an aging 38 year old center who will complain about touches and only play 50-60 games a season is crazy. We payed the guy 16 million a year for 5 years-- huge money. We don't owe him ANYTHING. You have to look at it from a player standpoint. Are the Rockets better off signing Mo Taylor to a long-term deal, or signing Hakeem for two years? I don't see how anyone could make a logical case to take Hakeem.

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Ooops, my mistake OT, you're right, I meant 2 years about 11 to 14 million dollars. Got mixed up between what Dream was asking, and what he is being offered!

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"Instruments are like women: After a while, you want to make love to another."

- Nicolas Godin of the musical duo Air

[This message has been edited by RocksMillenium (edited July 23, 2001).]

 

It's ok for the Knicks to be restricted from offering Dream a big deal because of Clarence Weatherspoon, but it's not ok for us to be restricted because of Mo Taylor?



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Maurice Taylor and Shandon Anderson are FAR more important to the Rockets then Weatherspoon will be to the Knicks!

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"Instruments are like women: After a while, you want to make love to another."

- Nicolas Godin of the musical duo Air

 

Funny stuff Cat.

So you blind Hakeem "loyalists", how much is too much for 2 years of injured half-Hakeem? Are you willing to let Mo walk?

Me, I'm a rockets fan. Hakeem fanatics can go and worship him on some other team if they want. I'm sticking to the rocks.

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Sportsline is dead on.

I could understand lowballing Hakeem if we have some quality studs lined up.

But lowballing him to overpay a soft, defensive liability like Maurice Taylor or a complete bust of a FA acquisition like Shandon Anderson is just a bad decision and basically a complete joke.

I'd personally rather have Kenny Thomas at $1 M than committ long-term with a $5-6 MIL deal for a guy like Maurice Taylor, who is the worst rebounding PF in NBA history, very soft, and can't play any defense.

Also, if you sign Taylor now, forget about getting Duncan, McDyess, or any other elite FA in 2003. If you sign Hakeem to 2 yrs, 13 MIL instead of this lowball offer of 2 yrs, 8 MIL you have a much better shot of getting Duncan or McDyess.

How can you give $6 MIL a year to a guy like Taylor who can't BUY a freaking rebound? What kind of market is there for a PF who can't rebound or play Defense?

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Get Cato out of there...

 

I generally don't read what they have to say?

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So you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking,
Racing around to come up behind you again.
The sun is the same in a relative way but you're older,
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death.

 

So you guys want to run a talented young PF off of the team just to keep reliving the nostalgia of Dream? Don't you guys get it? Dream is a multi-millionaire. He doesn't need this money. The Rockets aren't "low-balling" him because they are the "evil organization looking to show Hakeem who is boss", they are offering him a somewhat lower contract so that they could keep their own free agents. If Hakeem cared about winning, and was such a team player, he would take less money to stay on the team and help the team grow. People use the excuse "he is a free agent pursuing offers", but in the same breath the same people are trashing the organization for doing what is right, and that is REBUILDING!! So lets get rid of a quality swing guard, and a young, quality PF to make a 38 year old center happy, what then? When Hakeem breaks down during the season, and he will, what then? The Rockets lose their starting center AND starting Power Forward, all because Dream wanted one more big payday. People act like the man is poor, the guy is loaded. If he wanted to walk for more money, inform the team so that they can prepare for the future. It's insane to give up young players because people can't let go of Hakeem Olajuwon.

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"Instruments are like women: After a while, you want to make love to another."

- Nicolas Godin of the musical duo Air




[This message has been edited by RocksMillenium (edited July 23, 2001).]

 

The way I understand it is we'll be using whatever capspace we have leftover on Steve's contract. The Rockets will end up spending the max on steve, taking away whatever space we would have to sign a Duncan or McDyess. As stated in previous topics, the only way the Rockets could get a Tim Duncan is through S&T, not a straight signing.


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So you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking,
Racing around to come up behind you again.
The sun is the same in a relative way but you're older,
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death.

 

Please. Taylor is at least average, and in my opinion, an above average defender. His positioning his good, his lateral movement on defense is good, he has the body to bang in the post... I have watched Mo carefully in this area.

Also, I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but Hakeem didn't enter the league in 1984 as a superstar. He improved over the years, and got to be one of the most dominant players of all time. So he can improve, but others such as Mo Taylor can't? Mo showed enough on both the offensive and defensive end to warrant a long-term deal worth at least 6 million. And he fits well, loves playing in Houston, and wants to learn and improve. I'll take a player who loves the Rockets and is eager to improve such as Mo Taylor over someone like Hakeem who apparently loves money and can only play 50 games per season. And, on Duncan, that is the year that Steve's contract extension kicks in, so don't count on going after him unless you can work a sign and trade. If Mo doesn't work out here, don't you think a young power forward with potential like Mo would be good sign and trade bait for someone trying to start over after losing Duncan or McDyess?

Also, Allan Houston has nothing to do with the Knicks offer to Hakeem. NOTHING. He was given that deal because the Knicks had his bird rights. Had they let him walk, they still would've been WAY over the cap, and their offer would have to be the 4.5 million dollar exception, Houston or not. The fact remains, they chose to spend that 4.5 million on Clarence Weatherspoon instead of Hakeem.

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