but honestly, why would any GM do this trade? They get one injuried SG/PG, one bench warmer for almost a whole season plus someone with unlimited potential for the last 6-7 years. This trade is really impossible.
I hope you are wrong on the 2-3 years timeframe? It was gut wrenching to see Tracy go through one season- if we just repeat one more such season, we will basically be rebuilding!
I'd like for you rethink this statement since Swift contributing "right away" seems to be a misconception. Case in point? Chuck Hayes did more for the Rockets last year on the court as a ROOKIE than Swift did as a multi-year vet. What has Josh Childress done exactly? Wow that was jumbled. So basically we get Fortson for his expiring contract--something that we need in the form of cap relief--only to trade him away for a LONGER contract AND a high pick too? I'm sorry but Fortson ain't worth a PRODUCTIVE player (i.e. Fisher or Pietrus) AND a "high lottery pick". To package him with a player that might not play ever again (i.e. Sura) and a player that shouldn't play ever again (i.e. Bowen) for a HIGH lottery pick and a center that is still serviceable makes me wonder what kind of incriminating evidence you have on Danny Ainge for Boston to do this. You do realize that we have Tmac and Yao maxed out right? Not to mention that we still have Howard on the books. Adding an overpaid backup center like Raef is not something we actually need right now. He isn't a bruising PF nor is he the shooting guard or the poing guard we need/want. As for all these picks, you cannot seriously think that we can play ROOKIES significantly and expect to win. I don't care how many times Cassell and Horry are brought up. For every Sam and Robert, there are many more Darius Miles and Tractor Traylors that have done nothing in the NBA. And you can't even use Horry and Cassell as proof that rookies work out since the picks you want are pretty high while Horry (11th pick) and Cassell (2nd rounder) were lower picks and weren't even projected to be the players that they are now. Yao and Tmac are pretty much either hitting their prime or are in their prime right now. You need to get players that you know of. Guys that can contribute. To expect rookies and unproven players to come in and all of a sudden turn this team around is absurd. I don't call it contending; I call it rebuilding.
I wouldn't want Raef at all. 1 he makes so much money and cant do anything the Rox need. He doesn't defend, a streaky shooter, and is soft as butter. The Rox really could use a guy like Childress, though and i would give that pick for him. I really like childress and would rather give Sura and Swift for Randolph, a more known proven younger commodity. Randolph is a very good rebounder,scorer from 18ft, and is young. True he makes close to max, but at 25 along with Ming and McGrady who are close to the same age, the nucleus would be set. Then use the mle to fill the bench with versitile players. A guy like James Jones as a rangy shooter and also a guy like McCarty as a guy to come off the bench in certain situations to play guys like Dirk,. They're not that far away as a talent standpoint.
If you're that hot to pick up Sheldon Williams and Rodney Carney, there's a good chance that we could trade the #8 pick to NO for their #12/15, and if it goes like Draft Express says, we could take Carney and Simmons, if it goes like NBADraft.net, we could take Williams and Redick, if it goes like About.com, we could take Redick and Splitter or Simmons, if it goes like CBS/Sportsline, we could take Williams and Carney. I don't think its worth dumping Swift for what we could probably already get in a trade of draft picks. We'd be better off trading Swift to a team who believes he didn't fit here, and is ready to take off with the right team and coach ... like a CHI. If they want to give us Chandler, Gordon, Duhon, whatever ... we need a good SG. But, I'm not sure our PF position is all that bad, either. Between Howard and Swift, they combined for 20.7 points /11.1 rebounds/ .9 blocks, and including Hayes and Lampje, it was 25.1/17.1/1.3. That's better than most teams get out of their PF position. We're just dissappointed, because we thought Swift was going to take off. The real issue is that YAO arrived this year. By him going to the next level, our team is going to be MUCH better, more important than any player we pick up. Now we need steady role players, who can knock down a shot when its kicked out to them, and play stingy defense. That's why JVG missed Scott Padgett ... he was a shooter, and could knock down the 3. Our shooters from last year dissappeared this year, either from injury, trades, or age: Sura, Padgett, Wesley, James, Barry ... and Anderson never panned out. As much as I like James, and him bleeding Rocket red, I'd like to see us pick up someone younger than James, so we can add youth to build around Yao/McGrady ... perhaps Ronald Murray.
