Now that we have Artest, who is going to play minutes at the 4, should we still be wasteing our time chasing Landry and playing games with his management? I mean, it sounds like he has a pretty shakey knee, we already have Scola, Hayes, Dorsey and now Artest, so should we be going after another position? To be honest, and im extremely happy to say it, im not really sure what we need anymore. People say we need an upgrade at the point, but if Rafer shoots 36% plus from 3 point land next year than he is more than suitable for the job. And realistically, what other PGs out there would you want? I'd hate to see Landry prosper somewhere else, but im just not sure he is worth the trouble anymore. Or, another spin on it, do we now just throw the whole MLE at him? as i said im not sure how else it could be spent so throwing the whole thing at him might be the best option. IF he keeps developing it could very well be a good deal however if his knees are bung it might blow up in our faces. So what tye of player should we be going after now? Im thinking another shooter but i really dno. Or is Landry still worth waiting for? Or should we just throw he whole MLE at him?
If the Rockets decide to change tactics on Landry (one way or the other): 1 Definitely DO NOT give Landry the full MLE. That would be crazy. 2 I can't think of one, but if there is a PG on the open market the Rockets want, they could go that direction. After that, perhaps another backup C instead of Deke. They don't need to pursue another PF/SF/SG with the MLE if they turn away from Landry. Tracy/Shane/RonRon/Scola/(Dorsey)/(Barry) plus scrubs is enough. I really hope Morey can upgrade at PG, but the Rockets may value Rafer's continuity with Artest coming on board.
I totally agree. I think his value to the team has gone up now with artest becasue we dont need a defensive or scoring pg. All we need now is a steady pg who can knock down a decent amount of his 3's and this is somethign that think rafer can do. The only PG out there id be interested in is Hinrich bit his contract is too big so i say go to war with Alston and brooks. We now have Barry who can step in there as well and McGrady has always looked comfortable initiaing the offense so i dont see a problem with having him play the 1 for stretches in the game.
I don't really see our stradegy with Landry changing that much...granted, we now have some additional leverage with Artest able to play the 4. but there really isn't anyone on the market who jumps out at you for MLE money: I guess JR Smith could still be in discussion. but then we'd have a logjam at the 2/3 (not necessarilly a bad thing). Jannero Pargo is an interesting name, but he is more offensive minded rather than a table setting pg. if things fall through with Landry, I would not be opposed to sitting on the MLE and crossing my fingers someone worthwhile gets cut during the course of the season. or Les could pony of for Uncle Deke and help him build another wing for his hospital...
1st, we're not going to just throw away our MLE. Morey's not that dumb as you can see. Secondly, Landry's still only going to get what he deserves from the Rocket's perspective until that knee is examined. With Bobby gone, our backup PG issue resurfaces unless we have Barry play there often, which is possible. We've still got Brooks, who may be ready to make the move to more minutes, plus we're getting a PG from Sacto. The question if this was the "minor" trade that Morey was hinting about!
we get an MLE every year and it expires every year there is no point in saving it. I say at this point Landry on a full MLE deal is pretty solid. He would add so much depth to the front court that we need to get to that championship level. There isn't anything else out there and he is our 2nd best scoring 4. why not.
why not janero pargo? he was hitting some pretty important shots in the playoffs. im too lazy to look up the stats but i was somewhat impressed. I'm sure we can get him for a piece of that MLE
I would def be down with getting Pargo, he is better than Alston. I don't think the Rockets are interested in him though
that list looks interesting. I wouldnt mind some sort of combination of JR Smith and maybe someone along the lines of Lorenzen Wright to help bolser the front court. Janero Pargo looks nice as well and he ahs burned te rockets a few times but i dont think he is valu for money because IIRC he wants a fair payout, smeting along the lines of the MLE or just below. Id uch rather have 2 players such as Smith and Wright rather than just Pargo.
I am praying that we get some good veteran ring chasers like boston did last year. I know we're weak at the 1 and 4 but I never see anybody mention our backup center troubles. I love Mutumbo to death and his D but I'd like to see somebody who can put up more than 4 points.
Partial MLE to Landry for short years (2 to 3, especially if he refuses scope). If a player wants to join on the cheap for a chance to win, sign him. Otherwise, don't spend it. We're in Luxury Tax land, and need to keep what flexibility we can for the RIGHT move to put us over the top. Spending it just cause we have it is a bad idea. A poor decision is not a 'nothing ventured nothing gained' situation - it sets us back. Evan
Francisco Elson and Walter Hermann are 2 other names that come to mind for frontcourt depth, however emjohn might be right. Sitting on it and waiting for the right move is probably the best thing to do rather than rush in and make a poor decision.
Don't think the plan with Landry changed one iota. Whether there are minutes for him or not, Landry is an asset if you can sign him to a reasonable contract. So, the plan remains to either (1) match any NBA non-ridiculous offer or (2) hold on to his rights by making the qualifying offer if he goes to Europe for a year. With the current depth of the Rockets (even before Artest was acquired, but especially now), there is great need that can be filled by a FA on the market available for the MLE or less. I figure, even without Landry and Mutombo, the main rotations are going to be: Yao, Scola, McGrady, Artest, Alston, Battier, Barry, Hayes (sub in Landry for him if Landry signs), Brooks. [That leaves guys like Luther Head, Mike Harris, Steve Novak (if he stays), Dorsey, etc. and MAYBE Hayes and Mutombo playing spot minutes outside of the rotation. ] I just don't know if there is any one on the FA market that fits the team needs better than the current projected top 8-9 guys. And the guys outside of the regular rotation are competent fill-ins, particularly for their price.
If Deke refuses to come here,I wouldn't mind splitting the MLE between a healthy Landry and him. Elson will probably sign with some other team before Deke makes his decision IMO.
I'd try and split it between Elson (if Deke don't come back) and Pargo. That would give us major major depth.
