Why would the rockets guarantee a trade before they saw who fell to them at #8???? That explanation makes no sense to me. Was Battier in such high demand that they had to lock him up the day before the draft LOL I have a hard time believing the trade was guaranteed before the draft depending on a list of 5 players the rockets wanted, this isnt 5th graders trading basketball cards.... OOOH SNAP YOU FORGOT TO WRITE DOWN GAY LOLOLOL YOU HAVE TO GIVE HIM TO ME NOW
Win games. They are a solid FA away from returning to what they were in 2005 which was a 4-6 seed team. All based on T-Mac health. T-Mac and Yao just need people who understand the NBA game around them. It is there job to finish the games. You really think Rudy Gay is ready to come in and be a role guy to T-Mac and Yao. HELL NO. Look what the Grizzlies did when Battier was on the floor. http://www.82games.com/0506/0506MEM.HTM Now look at what the Rockets did with Stromile on the floor: http://www.82games.com/0506/0506HOU.HTM Battier doesn't make mistakes and he defends and shuts down other SF's. Like I said Battier is a JVG guy from head to toe.
I remember last year when West was interviewed and he though Hakim Warrick came from Princeton instead of Syracuse. I forgot who they were targeting but the settled for Warrick. Look, they could be mistaken. I wish the Rox had kept Gay long enough to find some other team disappointed by their selection and work something out from that point. I'm okay with Battier (I'm a Duke fan) but I'm not overwhelmed by it. Hell, I wish we had taken Gay and teventually traded him with Swift to New Orleans and we could have picked Ronnie Brewer (12), Marcus Williams (15) and also gotten JR Smith... but nobody asked me!
I have basically imposed a restraint order on myself not to make a post since I heard of the 'bad news'. I was worried I would say something along the line of this post and get banned. Seriously, we have some knuckleheads at the top of this organization.
The Rockets' should keep Rudy for a while, testing his game and mentality to get an assessment. If it's good, keep him. If it's not good enough, put him on an auction stand and flirt with multiple offers to maximize his value. Even in the worst scenario Rudy is likely to produce 10/5 a night.
This isn't the NFL or MLB. Divisions are next to meaningless. Unless you think Memphis is going to be fighting us for the top spot in the midwest division, there is no point in even bringing it up.
Rudy Gay barely averaged 10/5 in college. He averaged 13 and 4. The number of minutes JVG would use him would mean more like 8/4 as a best case scenario.
This is a good post. I'm ok with trading Gay for Battier, but I don't understand the rush either. ESPECIALLY since we couldn't complete the deal until July 12th anyway. Draft Gay, tell Memphis you'll consider the offer. Then flat out just put Gay on the block. Offers would come flying in. And if West was so hot for Gay like he says he is, his offer would go up. The way it went down it sounds like we got taken advantage of. Sounds like West pushed the issue by threatening something to the effect "we will only offer you Battier right now" or some BS and the Rockets took the bait.
Luther Head averaged 9/3 in his rookie year and he's taken at mid 20's. There's a reason that Gay is rumored as being the No.1 pick and Jerry West thinks he's the second best talent in the entire draft. 10/5 is very feasible for Gay in one or two years. If we truly think that T-Mac will be done in three years, we must trade him ASAP.
Don't just look at what Battier averages points wise. Memphis had EIGHT GUYS, yes EIGHT average double digit points last season with Gasol leading the way with 20.4. I think his points go up a slight bit in Houston.Looking at 14/6 out of him. Would love to see Memphis throw in Warrick or even Lawrence Roberts,but it ain't gonna happen. I think this deal is 100% done. GM's don't renig on each other.
Head averaged that only because of injuries and the team had NO choice but to play him at times. He would have never seen the floor if they stayed healthy. Again JVG would never play Rudy Gay 30+ minutes unless injury hits the team.Not his IMO.
Its not just the 10 and 5 he'd have to get to even Battier. but the other things Gay would do along with it. He could be giving up 12 and 7 everynight while committing 4 turnovers and 5 fouls. While Battier would be very efficient with his 10 and 5 opening up the offense with his shooting and getting a block and a steal a game.... Still it was reeeeaaaaaallly shortsided to deal away Gay. Just astoundingly bad What about young players with athleticism makes them seem like they're combustible and about to explode or something? Gay doesnt have passion maybe...but they're treating it like he's an absolute cancer to a team. This preference for the reliable trusty high iq low error plodding overacheiving player is just dumb. How good is JVG's 'coaching' if he cant overcome his stubborness and impatience and bring the best out of a younger player? And why cant JVG see that other teams are WINNING with these young athletic long rangy type players? Yet stick with the David Wesleys of the world cuz they play "mistake free, intelligent basketball". They are "never out of position"... No need to mortgage the future for a year of getting back to respectability. The Rockets werent a player away. And just having Tmac and Yao healthy a full season is at least 15 more wins. Why would management just go along with JVG with what he wants? Its nice they try to provide him the pieces to win, sure. If Tmac goes down again and they struggle, they're stuck with Battier for 4 more years anyway. Which JVG wont be around to see. They should just hang onto Gay, let him DEVELOP....cuz he's not the MAIN guy...have him find his way around. And then trade Luther Head and Stromile or future picks for another serviceble type player similar to Battier. Or just watch him in the offseason and beginning of the year to see how Gay plays then trade him LATER. As if no one would take him then... Would Gay be any worse off than say, a Mike Dunleavy? A plain ol' Desmond Mason or anything? Good gosh.. Bad Bad lack of imagination and foresight into the future.
Gay had 4 guys on his team that went first round, his team was loaded which affected his production. Don't just look at last year's injuries creating PT, last year David Wesley was here and not so next year. That's a vacancy for minutes right there. JVG not wanting to develop rookies has nothing to do with keeping Gay or Gay's production, if JVG is reluctant to develop a rookie that's worth keeping, it's him not Gay who should get the axe. And it's a myth that JVG wouldn't play a rookie unless absolutely forced to, what was on his mind playing Boki in the playoffs? It's JVG's words that if a player can play he'd get minutes, minutes are to be earned. It's not a sure thing that Battier's production will go up either, unlike the Nuggets, the Rockets have 111 to take up shots and if they sign Mike James Battier will shrink back to the 4th or 5th option that he's now. Hell, Juan Howard can still average 14 pts a game given the shots. Any player can score more points given more shots, Battier, Gay, Howard, you name it. What matters is if one can create and make the important shots. That, is missing on Shane Battier's resume and a potential for Rudy Gay.
I hope this trade gets investigated by the league. CD might have been manipulated by West and other teams (Minnesota or Portland). Our hard earned lottery pick is gone !
TELL ME ABOUT IT.....I REALLY AM SERIOUS ABOUT SOME SORT OF INVESTIGATION........WEST HAS GOT TO HAVE HAD SOMEBODY IN THE FRONT OFFICES MOM, CHILD, GIRLFRIEND, OR WIFE TIED UP IN A BASEMENT SOMEWHERE AND IT SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED THOROUGHLY......... WE HAD TALKED ABOUT IT FOR THE ENTIRE 2 WEEKS LEADIN UP TO THE DRAFT IN THREAD AFTER BORING "SAYIN THE SAME THING OVER" THREAD THAT IF WE CAN SOMEHOW GET OUR HANDS ON CARNEY OR BREWER, FOYE OR ROY WE WOULD TAKE IT......GAY WAS COMPLETELY OUT OF THE QUESTION BECUZ WE KNEW HE'D BE LONG GONE....... LOW AND BEHOLD HE LANDS IN OUR LAP AND WE RAPE OURSELVES AND LET ALL THE ATHLETICISM AND YOUTH WE COMPLAIN ABOUT LEAVE FOR VIRTUALLY NOTHING????????? THERE HAS GOT TO BE A MAJOR SPLASH COMING IN THE NEXT 2 WEEKS OR SO AND CD AND THE GUYS ARE GONNA REALLY RUB IT IN OUR FACES AND MAKE EVERYONE ON THIS BOARD LINE UP ONE BY ONE IN FRONT OF TOYOTA CENTER AND START KISSIN HIS *** FROM HERE TO NEXT MONTH
