Yeah, yeah, yeah........new GM. If you really think we need to dump CD and get another GM, then who pray tell is available that would be an upgrade? Find me a GM with better credentials that is available to come to Houston and run this show. Auerbach? West?
When a team sucks with one coach, you (rightfully or wrongfully) blame the coach. When the same team sucks with more than one coach, you have to look at the players. That's true even if you have two mediocre coaches, let a lone two (by reputation) decent coaches. I was a strong advocate of getting rid of Rudy last season because his easy going style didn't fit us. I prayed they would be better with a man with a noose around their necks but that didn't turn out to be true. Then it is quite simple, this group of players does not work and you can't teach an old dog (Cat, Steve) new tricks. Who is responsible for player personel then? CD. It is the players fault for playing like crap. It is CD's (and to some extend, Rudy and Les) fault for giving them the chance to play like crap by keeping them together. They dug the grave themselves. But it would have been OK to say "OK we made a mistake, this is not working, let's go in a different direction." Had they done that it would have been fine and we'd be better off acknowledging we have a problem. However, CD shows himself unwilling/incapable of making that decision. That is a sign of a bad GM. Those that can't adapt go extinct. It's not like we're betraying our players and CD or being disloyal or anything. We gave Rudy plenty of chance to improve. We gave the players the benefit of the doubt (oh they're young and the West is strong). We gave CD years to do something. They didn't. The way I look at it, this team with its chemistry (or lack thereof) will be no better than first round fodder even if Yao becomes dominant. We can either sit on our asses and be happy about it or make CD make a trade. And if he doesn't, fire him.
I usually don't point the finger at anyone, but I do believe CD has put us in a stalemate position. Why: 1. Outside of SF and Yao (virtually untradable), the Rockets don't have much to offer teams, actually Cat is our only valuable asset. 2. Although most teams would welcome a Cat/Cato or Cat/MoT offer, Cato's and MoT's contracts make them almost untradable. Teams are way too cautious with the luxury tax to take on such contracts. 3. Mooch is the perfect example of our stalemate. Contract makes him untradable. 4. Our abundance of big guys last year (eddie, MoT, Cato, KT) has quickly turned into a shortage of big guys, with nothing in return. CD has made some very good trades, enough to make him one of the most respectable GMs in the league, but good trades usually take a risk and some don't work out. I think the Rockets not making a move this year for a real 3 or 4 has really hurt us, and the fact that we have 3 OVERPAID players, any offers that the Rockets make can be easily countered by another team.
I was going to comment on him, but I waited until someone mentioned him. Lewis, as has been stated in VARIOUS threads, is a guy who everyone wonders how did the pass him up for Drew, Dickerson, and Turkcan? Well how did Milwaukee, Atlanta, Charlotte, LA (Clips), Denver, San Antonio, Indiana, LA (Lakers), Chicago, Utah, and Dallas pass him up (That's more than a third of the league, btw)? BECAUSE 'SHARD WAS A HIGH SCHOOLER WITH AT LEAST 3 YEARS BEFORE ANY PRODUCTION WOULD ENSUE. He's NEVER in his career averaged 20 ppg. Sure, I would love to see him play for the Rockets, but at the same time, he's not god damn Jordan. If CD is an idiot for this, then so is a guy like Jerry West. YES, the Rockets had a chance to sign him this offseason, but he was too expensive. Blame LES for not opening up his wallet. Again, when CD got Pippen, it was great. Pippen signed a 5-year, $55 million contract with the Rockets. He averaged less than 5 points per game. He stank. Amazingly, CD traded Pippen AND HIS SALARY away. Same thing with ****ty Shandon. Same with Rice. Do I think he's a great GM? No. But, considering the cap room and salaries that have pinned the Rockets down each offseason that go back to before he was GM, I feel he deserves more time. How long? I have no idea, but I do have a good idea of what will happen in the near future. VG wanted to be a coach and executive with the Rockets. Meet your next GM:
Just a question: How come are "joined" dates are wrong? How did my "Nov 1999" change to "May 2003?" Wow Mr. Mooch, thats a lot of posts in just one month.
I have to go with MR. mooch on this one. any team would love to have francis, even for the cash that we are paying him. MOT looked fairly good in his Clip days, and showed that he has some potential. Who knew that he would have spiraled downward since. EG was suppposed to be better than Rahseed Wallace ever was. Who knew KT would end up better than Eddie. Its all luck. If it wasnt for CD would we have retained Mobley at the price we have him for right now. We would be playing moochie at the point with Steve at the 2. or steve running the point and some scrub like juaqin at the 2. Its all a matter of luck. recently CD has had some bad luck, but guys give it some time.
Mirsad Turckan was traded for a first round draft pick. He was hardly a wasted pick. Collier on the other hand . . .
I don't understand what you're trying to say. Shard never put up 20 PPG neither did EG. Every team in the draft passed up Shard, well same with EG. Shard was a high schooler, EG was a 1 yr college player, you can't honestly tell me that one year makes a difff. Shard waited 3 years before his production kicked in, EG waited 3 years before his production completely disappeared. What matters is what happens here and now and Shard is a very decent player while EG is a worthless piece of crap. I was never so excited about the 3 picks for EG trade but I guess you can make an argument for that. But why did we pass the chance to dump EG sooooooooooooooo many times? It's not like we didn't know he had a problem. It's not like he's wowing us with his numbers. Bottom line: Shard is a baller who wanted to play for his hometown, EG is an immature crackhead who shot his girlfriend.
I was excited when we got eddie... i would have done that trade then.... nachbar? no... CD has different taste than me.. i dont like the decisions he makes.. and something about those big goggles of his... its just not workin out
Sure we got mobley but like i said before for every 1 good thing he has done theres another 3 to over shadow it. & CD having Bad Luck recently, i dont think so i would call it being a BAD GM!
Shawn, you seem like you would be a great GM. If you were the Rockets GM right now, what moves would you make this season and this offseason?
First and for most i would trade Cat for a true point and move Steve to the 2 spot where he belongs. If this dosnt go through, i would look at the free agent market R. Strickland would be my first choice but now that he is gone i would most likley look at M. jackson to slove my problems. Next i would try to trade for a PF, maybe R. Wallace though that is a BIG gamble. Maybe try to land D. Gooden from the majic for Cato or Mot. In the off season i would have my heart set on trying to land Koby, if possible. & theres alot more but none of that stuff is worth talking about becuase its not gona go through. Thanks for asking though
Does a GM even have to be a professional with a lengthy background in blah blah blah, or can they just hire some jerk off the street? If the latter's the truth, then sign me up. I think superfans could make great GMs... What if the GM position was given to this board in its entirety? We could hold boardroom-esque discussions in threads and bang it out on Realgm.com, then submit a proposal to a chairman...say Jeff or Clutch. They would then call other teams and get the player personnel changed. It would kinda be like Green Bay where they own the Packers, but better. Rockets fans make the transactions. Survivor part 14: Surviving an NBA season with the Rox. Who will they vote off next? Tune in next game and learn. There will be a pregame phonetics coaching telecast in which you can learn to pronounce the name of your team's newest foreign member with Cynthia Cooper as your host. That's some good stuff right there. Tim, if you're reading feel free to get the ball rolling. There's some great marketing opportunities out there.
