There's been some b****ing about supposedly "moneyball" moves made this offseason. So, let me ask this, what would the Rockets' last non-"moneyball" GM have done if faced with the same situation? My guess: 1. Welcome back, Ron! 4 years, $48 million. 2. Battier+Scola for Boozer. Whoo whoo! Stole a 20/12 guy from Utah! 3. Von Wafer: Full MLE! 4. We got an disabled player exception, too? TIM THOMAS $33 milllion!! 5. McGrady for Baron Davis and Zach Randolph! 6. Zach got traded? 7. McGrady for Baron Davis and Chris Kaman! (Dean Cooper, could you run it through ESPN's trade machine and see if it works?) Man, that's like 40 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assistrs. Awesome! 8. Corey Maggette is available? 9. Landry+Barry+Skinner (edit: I mean Cook. Those Brians confuse me. It ain't a basketball name I'll tell you that much) for Maggette! Whoo Whoo! Another 20 ppg! 10. BARON/AB/Lowry MAGGETTE/Wafer ARTEST BOOZER/Thomas KAMAN/Dorsey Fill up the rest of the team with minimum wage guys and MY TEAM IS AWESOME with A TON OF 20 ppg guys without Yao!
Kaman earns more than that already. But Joey Dorsey will absolutely get that 6 year 42 million extension based on his AWESOME SUMMER LEAGUE DOMINATION!
You know I would like to see that roster actually lol Seriously though isn't that an intriguing line up.
DD obviously would love him just for getting Von Wafer back. Oh, and Corey Maggette, that would be a dream for him!
If this actually worked salary-wise, +Yao/Budinger/Taylor...that's a very intriguing thirteen-man rotation, to be honest.
I'm surprised that DD doesn't have a more positive reaction to this thread, given how his boy Von is getting the full MLE. Oh, and Wafer gets that fat contract in large part to the unique haircut he donned during his contract year!!! Also, to reward Chuck Hayes for his loyalty to the team and for previously taking a salary below what his defensive skills might otherwise merit, the Rockets will re-sign Chuck to a near-max contract. Because, you know . . . team loyalty is what REALLY counts! (Love you, CD!!! I KEED, I KEED!!! )
I think CD gets a lot of grief and not enough credit for his work with the championship teams and primarily helping teach Dream the hook shot....which opened up all the other moves. IMO, this thread is all "lack of class".. DD
i love this thread. its clearly tongue in cheek, but unfortunately at the same time it is all too true. CD did some great things while he was here, but he also showed a ton of deficiencies in assembling a roster where players are paid at their value. toward the end of his career, his decision making was extremely questionable.
All of this would be much funnier, I'm sure, if I had some historical context on CD. I know who he is, but I wasn't keeping up with Rockets trades/GM years ago...anybody got any reads so I can learn more about this guy?
I thing is for certain, he wouldn't have traded that lotto pick. I can almost guarantee if there was a deal to get a all star talent, he wouldve made that too.
While I am also joining in on the jokes at CD's expense, I completely agree that most people don't give him the credit he deserves for helping the Rockets win its championships and in re-building the franchise. Something that CD definitely didn't get enough credit for was BEING LIKED by other GMs. The Rockets were able to pull off so many trades in large part because other teams would readily take CD's calls. Ask Kevin Pritchard about that. How many other GMs are relishing the "Post-Miles Portland Salary Cap Dilemma" and resulting failures to obtain Turkoglu and Millsap? I can smell the schadenfreude from here!
He made some good deals and some bad ones, but he was always trying his best to improve the roster and would take huge risks to do it. He brought in Tmac, Pippen, Barkley, Drexler, and would not hesitate to swing for the fences.....much more of a risk taker than Morey. Sometimes they worked out, sometimes they didn't......like Cato, Maloney, MoTaylor, Swift.... But I admire the man for taking those chances to attempt to win a championship, he was ALWAYS willing to try to improve the team, and take a shot. You have to admire that......not to mention his work with Dream and all the bigs teaching them the hook....even Yao... A credit to the organization and not deserving of mockery... DD
http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/Rockets_acquire_Battier_in_tra-184447-822.html [rquoter] ... The Rockets went into the draft hoping to land either Washington's Brandon Roy or Villanova's Randy Foye with the eighth pick. But after both players were selected, the Rockets began seeking trade offers. Gay didn't fit with the Rockets because the team was seeking a player who would have an immediate impact. Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson said Memphis called offering Battier and the deal was too good to pass up. "We were very excited when we heard that Shane was available," Dawson said. "We made the deal without hesitation." Swift leaves the Rockets after only one season with the team. He started five games with the team and averaged 8.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. Battier and McGrady both played small forward last season, but Dawson said both players can play three positions on the floor. Although McGrady would seem to be the likely candidate to play shooting guard full-time, the Rockets plan on rotating lineups with the two players. Battier could also share time with Juwan Howard at power forward. "When Tracy is healthy, he can do anything he wants to do on the court," Dawson said. "There's no doubt in my mind he could play the two-guard, but I don't think we want him chasing other two-guards all year on defense. We have a lot of flexiblity with two players who can play three diffent spots." [/rquoter]
The jump hook was actually a counter move to the Dream Shake. Moves are synergistic, however, DS opened up the JH.
