ah-hem. i'm sorry...you didn't have to be clairvoyant to know that a man playing at Yao's size...for that number of minutes...and rarely getting an offseason...was going to break down in his early 30's. there were a few of us around here screaming that forever....it was talked about pretty regularly even when we drafted him, in fact --that you better win with him quickly, because you weren't looking at a long career. anyone who ever played at 7'5" or greater was out of the league and/or playing tiny, tiny minutes by the time they were in their early 30's. and none of those players logged the kind of minutes that Yao did. i'll readily admit i didn't know mcgrady was gonna break down like that. but at the first instance of back problems, you oughta start thinking about alternatives...because those don't go away.
Not Comparing player dude... Just letting you know they didn't just get nothing in exchange for TMac. Also Igoudala... Ain't going to solve all of the Rockets problems if he is acquired. Just looking at the glass half full bro.
the problem is...we don't know what we actually acquired there. my 10 year old things williams is super-cool because he looks good dunking....that's about all i know so far.
Didn't Lowry have back spasms earlier this season.... Man we should have traded him. Oh, and Dwayne Wade had knee issues in 07 and 08. Man, were they dumb for not trading him.
I'll bring two that I've brought up before. 1) Not pulling the trigger on the Amare deal. The typical argument for Morey's side is that he was going to NY anyways, but as I've stated in other threads, there's no indication that was ever a hold up in the deal. The deal stopper was Phoenix not willing to have Amare take a physical in such short notice. 2) After missing out on Bosh, we should have gone after Boozer. I know he's not particularly a fan favorite around here, especially as an ex-Jazz player, but he's a phenomenal player, and arguably better than Bosh.
we're not building around lowry. and this is ENTIRELY different from dealing with the injury problems of a man who is 7'6" and over 300 lbs. we knew that going in. every player who has ever played at that size has faced limited minutes or the end of his career in his early 30's.
With the McGrady deal you knew exactly was you got in return. Kevin Martin - one of the most efficient scorers in the league. 23 pts per night. Bad defender. Jordan Hill- lottery pick. Project big man. 1 first round pick and1 potential pick swap. Jared Jefferies - veteran defensive stopper. Then with the Terrence Williams deal you got a sf with amazing potential and a lot of questionable attitude issues for a lottery protected pick that mirrors the pick that we got in the McGrady deal other than the fact that it is the Rockets pick and not New Yorks and the the one we gave up was top 15 protected and not top 5. That's a good return for a former star whose career is in question and Carl Landry.
i was speaking of terrence, particularly. i'm not enamored with kevin martin. i think he will always be the best player on a bad team.
There's no way to know what opportunities Morey had. We can only judge by the product we see. That's his job, to be responsible for the pieces on the floor. Just like a president who inherits a bad economy, he has to take responsibility for what he has. The choice of coaches, picks, trades, whatever - there's been enough done for him to have had an imprint on this team.
It was reported by Feigan of the Chronicle that Amare's agent showed no indication that he would sign an extension with the Rockets and they would not agree to a physical.
that's the end of it right there. in pro sports, winning is the bottom line and all that matters. morey needs more time...but if we go 2-3 years more without assembling a team that really is a contender (no, not the kind of "contender" many of you thought this current team was last summer) then it's time to think of something different. morey may be the smartest guy in the world...but if it doesn't translate to wins, ultimately, it's not as valuable as it needs to be. this roster is entirely his, now. let's see what he does with it. i'm not interested in another, "one playoff series victory in 13 seasons" stretch for this once-proud franchise. forgive my impatience, but it's been a while.
Martin is who he is and would be coveted by most every NBA team. He's in the top 15 in scoring every year. He wasn't brought here to be the best player and that doesn't mean he is. He is the best scorer. Even if you don't like like Martin which is understandable be thankful that he is at least a large arrow in Morey's quiver for a big trade. He has the most VALUE of any player on the roster right now. As for Terrence, he looks the part and has the tools that of a player like Andre Igoudala... Arguably more potential, but has a questionable attitude now.
I agree, he deserves more time. There's a learning curve for a young GM and Les has to know that as well. He's gaining experience and seeing how things work out. It's not easy for sure. But he definitely should be criticized for the choices he has made that did not work out.
this is the problem...you're judging the acquisition for martin by looking solely at martin...at how he would be valued if we wanted to trade him...not at how he fits in this squad...or the huge defensive holes we have in the backcourt with him there, given that our PG is undersized to begin with. that is EXACTLY my concern with the way this team is (or more accurately is NOT) being built. you can't pair those guys and expect to be a real contender. every kenny smith needs a vernon maxwell -- and i'm reasonably certain maxwell wasn't real efficient i don't think morey would ever bring in a guy like vernon, for instance. maybe i'm wrong. someone has to play some defense, ultimately. but the valuing of players more for how the rest of the league would view him for flipping...instead of how he helps THIS TEAM is a mistake, in my view.
There were serious injury issues for Yao before he went down again in LA in the playoffs. In the 3 prior seasons, Yao had 3 played only 57, 48, and 55 games.
I understand your impatience and frustration but Yao Ming is still in his last year of his contract. The Yao Ming/McGrady era hasn't really even ended yet. It took a team like the Knicks ten years to become relevant again and that is in the most popular sports market in the US. Being critical of Morey's moves is rightful but acquiring a superstar is all about opportunity and for that you cannot blame Morey or Les. He's doing everything he can because Les Alexander will not except anything less.
He brought in Artest. Morey didn't bring him in for his inconsistent and ill-advised shots. Artest's sole purpose was defense. He also went after Dorsey soley for defense, but it didn't work out. He went after Battier instead of Gay for defense. He went after Ariza for his defense also. Artest, Ariza, Dorsey, and Battier are extremely inefficient, if you are using that word to mean great offense with few mistakes.
1. i don't care how long the Knicks waited. they made stupid decisions in hiring management and it cost them. 2. ultimately it's morey's job to assemble a roster that wins...and there are no excuses that matter after a certain period of time. i'm not sure what that period of time is, frankly. 3. sadly, les has accepted a lot less for a long time. one playoff series victory in 13 seasons sucks. there are only like 5 or 6 other franchises in the league that have gone through that kind of futility over the same period of time. this franchise used to be revered....it's enough already.
battier is a moneyball dream. highly efficient, right? +/- stats looked great when we acquired him. Gay is a chucker...like Vernon was....Vernon was a lock-down defender though. you need someone in your backcourt to play defense is all i'm saying. i'm with you on artest and dorsey. good points.
I agree he had serious injury issues in prior history but THAT YEAR they were poised to compete for the title. They were all in that year to win it all. It was a gamble they had to make at that time if they wanted to win at that time. If they would have traded him midseason in 08 you are basically throwing away the opportunity to win it all that year. What kind of message does that send to your management, fans, another players?
