Say goodbye to T-Mac!
by grungedave on Dec 28, 2009 7:32 PM CST
in Random Commentary
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PrintThe Rockets and Tracy McGrady have agreed to end the charade.
T-Mac is officially on the trade block and will no longer be an ingredient in Coach Sleepy's chemistry experiments.
None of this is surprising. The only drama left is to see whether the Rockets find an acceptable trade partner. My guess is they won't because no one will be able to match the $23M in salary McGrady is owed without forcing the Rockets to take on bad contracts or bad players. At least not based on current rumors...
Daryl Morey may be better off giving McGrady the Marbury/Iverson treatment and just telling McGrady to stay away from the team. Assuming McGrady isn't traded, his contract comes off the books next year and the Rockets will be under the cap with something like $15M to work with. This money will be quite useful in finding a replacement swingman while also attempting to re-sign Luis Scola, Chuck Hayes and/or Kyle Lowry while also working extensions for Aaron Brooks and Carl Landry.
But that's something to worry about in July.
In the meantime, the Rockets go back to being a drama-free team seeking to improve on their 18-13 record. (Translation? GO ROCKETS!!)
Now, in the immortal words of Eric Cartman -- get the fudge out, Tracy!
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As a Warriors fan I’m curious what Rockets fans would be looking for in a deal with the Warriors.
Thing A
So in other words you’re not at all interested in Maggette+Turiaf+Wright+expirings for McGrady+Cook? ; )
Thing A
Magette could be interesting
But not with that package. Nice try though ;-)
www.TheDreamShake.com Co-Founder and Writer
Maggette has actually been playing really well this year, but I think its time for the Warriors to sell on him while they still can. Seems like a deal to a contending team like the Rockets who can acquire him without giving up anyone currently contributing on the court would be ideal, but I know McGrady’s expiring has a lot more value than a good player like Maggette whose long term commitment scares teams. Turiaf is a solid bench big, and though Scola, Landry, and Hayes have been outstanding for you guys this year it seems like maybe one more solid defensive player would help a lot. Is there any way a McGrady trade gets done with the Warriors without Biedrins, Randolph or Curry being involved?
Thing A
With DM at the helm, not a chance
"We obviously didn’t know the scouting report that well on Andersen. We knew he’s a shooter but we didn’t see him play at that level." Phil Jackson on underestimating the aussie
Beat me by one minute, Dave.
So, since I think I provided a more… even-handed approach to this, I’ll copy what a wrote earlier.
This, of course, is not all that different from what we’ve heard for the past several months. The difference, it appears, would be the urgency, but I think it’s safe to assume that the Rockets won’t make any rash decisions.
First, I’d like to address the “distraction” narrative that gets invoked whenever there’s a (former) star player at odds with management. I seriously doubt that McGrady’s issues are any sort of meaningful distraction. I don’t think that Aaron Brooks is missing shots because, just as he’s about to release the ball on a transition three, he remembers that Mac might be in (holy shit I hope not) New York next week and this causes him to flinch. I don’t really see how relatively insignificant problems off the court (provided they’re not causing one player to refuse to pass to another or some such) can cause those sorts of problems on the court.
Second, regardless of how you feel about Tracy and what has happened over the last year, I think it’s clear that this is a less-than-ideal situation. Ideally, we’d want McGrady to be healthy and relatively able to contribute to a playoff-caliber team, so that his trade value were more or so he could be used by the Rockets. In the comments section, I’m sure McGrady fans will argue that this is the fault of the Rockets, while haters others will be apt to blame McGrady for not being happy with what he’s got.
My (brief, because I realized I loathe calculus) training in economics has taught me that economic transactions can be (and under capitalism almost always are) net-beneficial to both parties compared to the alternatives. Philosophy (and life experience) has taught me that things can happen that are really no one’s fault.
I think that this is what’s happening here. I don’t blame either party: McGrady has good reason to want more minutes, and the Rockets have good reason to refuse them. And both “sides” can gain something from this: the Rockets can hopefully get the sort of player they need, while McGrady might find a place where he can mount a better comeback attempt. We can all hope that this is the case, whatever happens down the road.
But, beyond all that…
Assuming McGrady isn’t traded, his contract comes off the books next year and the Rockets will be under the cap with something like $15M to work with.
More like $6-7 million, plus the MLE, assuming we don’t just renounce the rights to everyone. So you’d better be hoping for a more rational response from Morey than “OMG GTFO TRACY”
by Only_A_Lad on Dec 28, 2009 7:37 PM CST reply actions 1 recs
not really
You have to take into consideration that Scola’s $3M is off the books… Brian Cook’s $4.5M is also off the books… and so is Chuck Hayes’ $2M – I’m factoring all that in.
I'm just adding up the salaries for next year
and looking at the projected $53 million salary cap. As it stands now, the Rockets sit at about $47 million.
no one knows what the cap will be...........
but yeah, if the cap drops more than expected, we may be SOL
When it drops, it drops for everyone,
meaning that aside from The Famous Free Agent Class of 2010 getting max deals, I think a lot of other deals will be both much lower, and much shorter, than usual. Which could help us.
Cap room
There are cap holds on Scola and Landry that are quite expensive,unless the Rockets renounce their rights. And if the team renounces their rights they can only be signed w/cap room.
More to point Yao,Ariza,Battier,Landry,Anderson,Brooks,Taylor and Budinger add up to $40.5mil+. Even if the Rockets gave up their rights to Scola,Lowry,didn’t pick up options for Hayes,Dorsey(duh!) and traded away their First Rd pick,cap holds would add another $2mil so they’re looking at $42.5mil in cap assigned dollars,leaving at best some $12.5mil for FAs and assorted vet and rookie mins to find a back-up PG,a back-up/starting PF,a back-up C and assorted roster fill.
A replacement vet for Hayes will still cost some $800thou on a vet min,so I really think they take Hayes option.
One deal I was discussing
T-Mac and Scola for Biedrins, Randolph, and Ellis. I’d be all over that deal, though I don’t know about GS?
The problem with trading with Golden State is just what do they want? And I’m not talking whether they want a power forward or shooting guard or whatever – I’m talking about what’s their plan? Are they rebuilding or still trying to do something with that roster or are they trying to save cap space or what? I don’t think anyone really knows.
Minnesotan Rockets fan
not sure Ellis could be part of it
I’m not sure the Warriors and the Rockets would want to include Ellis in a deal. His contract is bloated… and he has the exact same type of game as Aaron Brooks.
Something will get done, I just think it will be closer to the deadline.
I don’t think anyone really knows.
I think you’re right on that one. However, as nice of a player as Scola is and as valuable as McGrady’s contract is Warrior fans would still (justifiably) riot in the streets if the team traded away 3 of their 4 best assets who are all still under 25 years of age for one very solid player and an expiring contract.
Thing A
Also, another good perspective on this
but in regards to the VDN rumor mill:
The unsourced, speculative stories that are so prevalent in today’s media, especially of the online variety, drive me up a freaking wall. If anyone were to keep a scorecard on the accuracy rate of the rumor mill, I’d guess that about 95 percent of these types of reports turn out to be absolute b.s. Such is my interpretation of the current report being circulated suggesting that the Bulls have already decided to fire head coach Vinny Del Negro. Only one outlet has reported this; countless others have spread the story. The Chicago papers finally gave in and acknowledged the report, but also were unable to independently confirm it, which is a big, fat red flag.
We put too much stock in this bullshit these days. No offense to Tom, whom I know wants to work in the industry, but sportswriters are generally the dregs of the journalism business, and journalists in general seem to not be all that reputable to begin with. I will believe this 100% only when Tracy is actually traded.
But is there any reason not to fire VDN?
I mean, sure, bogus journalism is in full flower, but the Chicago situation looks dire.
as Doolittle goes into later in the article,
the Bulls are currently on pace to just make the playoffs. And while those fans who post on the internet might currently be outrage, and while it’s also true that the advanced metrics show Chicago to be much, much worse than that, there’s no indication that Reinsdorf and Co. care about what the most vocal fans are upset or about what a bunch of geeks have to say. At the end of the day, VDN is effectively free, while replacing him would possibly be throwing good money after bad.
So, yes, there are reasons not to fire him. And the fact is that the national media told everyone Del Negro was definitely fired, and yet he’s still at the helm.
I mean, we get told the same things about loads of players at every trading deadline each year, and each year there are one or two big trades at most. Usually, nothing substantial happens.
Sure, I see that.
I am just wondering what Vinnie brings to the party besides being cheap.
I haven’t really been following the story, but have looked at some Bulls stats, and they’re sort of dreadful. So everytime I see the “Del Negro Fired! No really!” story (this is what, number three), I keep thinking, about time.
to be fair
this is actually kinda sad. The McGrady/Yao pairing was supposed to be epic. Now that it’s over it just seems like I just watched a bad movie.
I was far, far more happy the day we got rid of Rafer.
while this is not suprise to anyone (me included)
there’s a part of me feel sad/sorry/relief to hear the news…. T-Mac did his best, althought that statement will sure get my ass kicked by many….
it’s like a bad relationship breaking up…
“hi, Rax, it’s not working out…..”/ “I know… stay the fuck away from me, you freak…”’……
“can we still be friends?” / “hmm….. can I had the ring/clothes/car/vocation package back?”
HAHA! i had too much to drink… sorry.
let’s go shopping!
don't bully me, i am from the D(etroit)!!!
Rockets giving McGrady the Francis treatment
I’ve seen this movie before…
Remember when “we” re-signed Francis and everyone was happy and then he got hurt and other guys stepped up? When he regained his health, he was relegated to bench duty, and after sitting there for a long time, he went to talk to Coach John Thompson about it (and choked up). Eventually he got tired of sitting on the bench, and asked for a trade.
I have no way of knowing, but I wonder if the Rockets ever really wanted McGrady back in the first place, after all of the “play it safe with 7 min/game” talk. It just seems to me that they were content with letting him be frustrated until he eventually asked for a trade, instead of just saying “we don’t want you anymore” or “you’ll have to earn your spot back”.
I’m not saying McGrady should not have been more patient (I mean, there was PLENTY of garbage time available against the Cavs), but I just hope the Rockets don’t do any dumb trades that will horse-collar the franchise. How can we keep Scola, Hayes, Landry, AND Brooks unless we let his contract expire w/out taking on any more money via trades?
by Nowujalo Meekah on Dec 28, 2009 9:38 PM CST reply actions
I don't think they wanted him back
But they tried to keep McGrady from whining to the media by letting him play 7 minutes a game… it’s the best they could do. In the end, that made no one happy.
Who do we actually get though?
it better be someone worthwhile.
I am a bit surprised... T-Mac could have been useful later in the season..
Well, let us see, how the resident dork genius Morey handles this..
Sacramento trade in the works?
According to an article on Yahoo! sports, the Rockets could be looking to acquire currently injured swingman Kevin Martin (of course this all changes if Martin and Evans show compatibility in the backcourt together). I looked at the trade machine, and it says that we’d take back Beno Udrich, Andres Nocioni and Kenny Thomas. We could dump Bryan Cook on Sacramento, but we’d also lose one of our ‘cogs’ to this team (Scola, Battier, Hayes or Andersen) to make it work financially.
Yet this is the 3rd consecutive year that Martin’s been hurt…so I don’t know if I’d necessarily trade one injury prone guard for another.
B^2
In Daryl Morey, Rick Smith and Ed Wade we (usually) trust.
t-mac gone??
any true rockets fans that believe that they rocs are capable of going deep in the playoffs without yao and tmac are CRAZY! tmac carried the rockets through the playoofs for 2 years when yao kept going out hurt and its funny how quickly people forget the amount of work he put in for the team! ariza is not a replacement for tmac in any way shape or form. a tmac at 75 percent is better than most of the dudes in the league at 100 percent… check the stats and records for yourself.
Last year
Were you not watching last year’s playoffs?
I love the Rox, but I don’t think with out a presence in our front court can go deep into the Playoffs this year. Especially after watching Cleveland with Shaq/Ilgalskus (sp?) or Orlando with Howard, or even Lakers with Pau and Bynum.
ah, denial is powerful
The T-Mac you remember from 2004 and 2005 ain’t walking through that door. Not for the Rockets… or whomever we trade him to. 30 year old SGs that just went through microfracture surgery and are carrying about 15 lbs too much simply aren’t going to be superstars anymore.
“tmac carried the rockets through the playoofs for 2 years….” That’s actually one of the funniest absurd statements I’ve ever read or heard. News flash: Tracy has NEVER won a play-off series with the Rockets or the Magic…ever. “Carried”?
by SavannahRocketFan on Dec 29, 2009 12:47 AM CST up reply actions
you haven't watch the sports since late last Spring, have you?
please recheck your stats & records…..
don't bully me, i am from the D(etroit)!!!
So T-Mac is gone. Damn.
He was my favorite player when he was in Orlando and then he came to Houston where I was living. It was absolutely perfect. So many hopes, so many moments, but it never really came together.
by VBG on Dec 29, 2009 12:19 AM CST reply actions 1 recs
This is pretty much how I feel about it
He was always great (and, with a lot of luck, he may one day be great again), but it just didn’t happen for the Rockets while he was here. That wasn’t his fault, it’s just the way things broke (quite literally, unfortunately).
Well, two things:
1) These things are always more complicated than the internet makes it appear. Fans on the internet seemed to have turned on McGrady back in February. When I talked to most fans I met in real life, however, they tended to express more of a fondness for the guy. Maybe you can say that most fans are necessarily “casual” fans, and thus less likely to be aware of McGrady’s “sins,” but I think it’s probably that most fans are not the obsessive, overreaction-prone types that the internet attracts.
So, in all likelihood, McGrady is much more popular than one would be led to believe.
2) He’s not a player, but Kubiak is probably more divisive right now. You’d probably get an interesting mix of responses to questions about Dunta Robinson, too.
Personally, the loudest arguments I ever heard about a specific Houston player were regarding Morgan Ensberg.
fuck Dunta. That guy is 100x worse than McGrady
And Morgan Ensberg was awesome. For a whole season. Then… well…
I think we should trade to golden state in the following trade:
GS gets: T-mac, Brian Cook, David Anderson
HOU gets: Anthony Randolph, maybe raja bell if we can get him (or maggette), but definitely a swing man.
I would love to get bell over maggette. maggette is anti-morey/adelman type of player anyway and bell is not. he is a very good defender and shooter. that could be really nice having a defensive stopper when ariza or battier is not playing. plus, adding another shooter is always great because when yao is back, double teams are going to happen a bunch and we will have nothing but great 3-pt shooters around him for the open shot.
i was too lazy to research the contract issues so all of you have permission to call me an idiot if this trade looks false.
Rockets>>>>>>Jazz
Texans>>>>>>>Titans
Super Mario>>>>>>>Vince Young
this doesn't work under the cap.
GS has to match T-Mac’s bloated $23M salary… and tossing in Brian Cook only makes it worse for us. You have to be within 125% of the salary to make it work.
i've heard we were just going to trade for randolph and nobody else.
that seems like not enough though.
Rockets>>>>>>Jazz
Texans>>>>>>>Titans
Super Mario>>>>>>>Vince Young
by Rockets 4 Life on Dec 29, 2009 11:04 AM CST up reply actions
again
Us Warriors fans will lose our minds and riot if the team uses Randolph to free up cap space. Giving up Randolph and various expiring contracts like Bell makes zero sense as it would essentially be giving away Randolph for free. Randolph+Maggette makes slightly more sense as we’d at least be using Randolph to unload the long term money owed to Maggette, but since Maggette has been pretty damn productive this year (match his per minute numbers up with Amare’s and prepare to be surprised) its not exactly an appealing proposition for Warrior fans. Sure our front office is stupid and you’ve got some boy-genius GM, but I don’t think even our front office is stupid enough to hand over Randolph in any McGrady trade that doesnt at least include Scola or Landry coming back to us too.
Thing A
Trade strategies
Depending on how the rest of this season plays out (and considering that we don’t currently have the size to compete in the postseason, it could be a tad bit dissapointing) the Rockets have some interesting choices to make in 2010.
Here are a couple of strategies to ponder:
Strat 1:
1) Let McGrady’s contract expire, and go after Stoudemire in 2010.
The Rockets have been incredibly effective as a transition team, but McGrady and Yao, don’t fit that mold. Amare Stuodemire does, and, while he seems to be back completely from microfracture surgery, and while his eye injury seems not to be affecting his ability to score, he would be a perfect fit for the Rockets new athletic look.
2) Find Yao a home in the East.
Yao has a player option in 2010 for $17 mil., which means if not re-upped, he is not too expensive to trade for for most teams, especially with his talent. His health may be a trade issue, but East teams would drool over having a 7 footer to bang aganist Howard on a consistent basis.
Detroit, Indiana, Milwakee, New York could benefit greatly by trading for Yao. They would inherit a new face for their franchise, and get a proven All Star to boot. Yao for Prince/Maxiell, or Murphy/Foster would be great value trades for both teams, while a trade straight up for Michale Redd may be for likely, or a salary dump scenario like a trade for Curry/Jefferies from the Knicks.
Anyway you cut it, what you get is just bench help or stop gaps for players you really want down the road, and no new contracts over 2 years left in length.
3) Extend Scola
Scola is playing in the final year of his contract in 2009. He has to come back to the Rockets. Not only does he have a great feel for both ends of the court, if he only had to play his position, he would be more effective. He is the gritty type you need to win championships, and can’t get away.
If this were to happen, the 2010 roster will definately have:
Stoudemire
Ariza
Brooks
Battier (last year of contract)
Scola
Landry (last year of contract)
Anderson
Hayes (team option)
Lowry (team option)
The 2010 Rocket team will be a playoff team, but still missing a piece or two to compete with the likes of the Lakers, Denver, Portland, and Dallas.
2011 will be the big year for the Rockets, because they have to convince the face of the Thunder to come back home. That’s right, Kevin Durant is the final piece, and the Rockets can do it money wise in 2011.
Here’s how:
In 2011, the only player they have under contract is Ariza, at $6 mil. (and Scola for probably $4-5 mil.) That means they could do what the Celtics did, and throw big short term contracts at two big stars. Those two stars would be Durant (for the maximum), and resigning Stoudemire. I don’t think it would work if you extended Stoudemire first, because Stoudemire wouldn’t agree to take a little less, if there wasn’t a guarantee that Durant was coming.
With Durant, ans Stoudemire locked in, the rest of the option players could be signed for a little less, knowing what kind of team they had. Plus, Brooks, Landry, Battier, Hayes, and Lowery aren’t going to get max deals anytime soon.
If they brought most of the key people back, the 2011 roster could look like:
C- Stoudemire
PF- Scola
SF- Durant
SG- Ariza
PG- Brooks
Bench:
Battier
Landry
Hayes
Lowery
After that, you wouldn’t have to add too much more than depth, and THAT team would be competitive, athletic, and something Adelman could do great hings with.
Strat 2 coming soon…
Piston will take Yao
for Prince & Maxiell… & throw in C. Atkins just to sweet the deal… and a very HAPPY smile….
where do we have to sign?
don't bully me, i am from the D(etroit)!!!
any proposals that involve Yao being moved are ridiculous.
1 billion fans in China can’t be wrong. We’ve got to start from the premise that Yao is the only absolute on this team, at least through the end of his current contract. Yao’s accepting the player option for next season is almost an absolute certainty.
Yao accepting the player option is not a certainty. One tiny setback with his foot could keep him out part of next year... To prolong his career, he needs to find a slow, half court offense...
by khanthemighty on Dec 29, 2009 1:26 PM CST up reply actions
Ok
i guess reasonable minds are going to have to differ on the Yao player option point for now.
My other comment is that I think Stoudemire is a bad fit for this team. Stoudemire thrives with a distributing, passing point guard who can find him slashing to the hoop (I believe PHX has one), and the Rockets don’t have a player like that on the horizon. Besides, I think Yao is a much better player than Stoudemire, so I don’t see why we let Yao walk and pay Stoudemire comparable money. Yao is much better on the defensive end, and I think they’re comparable offensively. I don’t think this team needs to run-and-gun in the future to be successful. Brooks, Landry, Scola, Budinger, Yao are all more than competent in the half-court.
So many other problems here, though. Durant will be a restricted free agent in 2011—OKC ain’t letting him go.
Stoudemire is the anti-Morey kinda player
By all accounts Amare Stoudemire is a freak athlete.
But…. by those same accounts, Amare has a 10 cent head and a low basketball IQ.
Not exactly the kind of player Daryl Morey is going to pursue.
Artest
…and Artest was? Anti-Morey guys are guys that are incapable of bringing deep playoff runs, or championships, back to Houston. Morey believes in Adelman, and his ability to wrangle egos. He gets out of the scouting team’s way, and allows them to get good young talent, and he is proactive when he sees attrition (see Ariza acquisition). Morey is smart, but Morey wants a winner back in Houston. Anyone who can do that is on the table…
by khanthemighty on Dec 30, 2009 1:21 PM CST up reply actions
Financials say otherwise...
Although I’d the odds are in favor of OKC keeping Durant for most of his career, he is in a similar boat as LBJ. He is the biggest fish in a very small pond. The financials of running a team, and the relative ability of a team to afford a playoff caliber squad, will dictate where stars go, and ultimately where Durant will go.
There is a direct correlation to teams with playoff caliber squads, to team salaries, to media markets. To some, this seems obvious, and to others, unfair, but that is the way the ball bounces (no pun intended).
For example, last year’s playoff teams had an average team salary of $75.6 mil. The lowest team salary belonged to the Atlanta Hawks, at a little over $60 mil. The average team salary of last year’s non playoff teams was $53 mil, including the NY Knicks, at around $77 mil.
Here are the media rankings of last year’s playoff teams:
1. LA (2 in nation)
2. Chicago (3)
3. Philadelphia (4)
4. Dallas (5)
5. Boston (7)
6. Atlanta (8)
7. Houston (10)
8. Detroit (11)
9. Phoenix (12)
10. Denver (16)
11. Miami (17)
…and you get the picture. This year’s salaries are larger than last year’s, however, the league salary cap went down to $57.7 mil. This means that teams over this mark will pay luxary taxes when the season ends.
OKC is ranked 45 in media markets (third lowest market ahead of Memphis and New Orleans), and will not be able to compete, salary wise with some of the teams mentioned above. Durant’s advisors will tell him this, and they will also let him know that, although they may auction half of the city to keep him there, it won’t leave much else to put a playoff caliber team around him.
To do that, he has to move to a large market, or be mired in mediocrity. Cleveland is facing this problem in 2010, and they have the 18th ranked media market.
When it comes down to it, parity is linked to the pocket book, and teams that have will always have, and teams that don’t will be reabsorbed into the fold. OKC doesn’t have a future, unless they get some huge economic growth very soon. Teams like NYK, CHI, HOU, DAL, BOS, and LA, will always have money to get more than one big fish, and the Rockets are in a position to do that in the next couple of years.
Outside of the financials, Durant’s tie to Texas is a definate draw. We just have to make sure he doesn’t go to SA or DAL instead…
by khanthemighty on Dec 30, 2009 1:16 PM CST up reply actions
you would..
Rockets>>>>>>Jazz
Texans>>>>>>>Titans
Super Mario>>>>>>>Vince Young
by Rockets 4 Life on Dec 29, 2009 3:29 PM CST up reply actions
very interesting.
i don’t see us getting stoudemire though. however, i think Durant is most possible.
Rockets>>>>>>Jazz
Texans>>>>>>>Titans
Super Mario>>>>>>>Vince Young
by Rockets 4 Life on Dec 29, 2009 3:33 PM CST up reply actions
Per 36 minute numbers this season
Player A
21.1 pts 9.4 rebs 1.4 assists .8 stls .9 blks 3.1 turnovers .610 TS%
Player B
22.5 pts 7.3 rebs 2.6 assists 1.0 stls .2 blks 3.2 turnovers .617 TS%
Player A is Amare Stoudemire who would likely cost you a max money type of contract. Player B is Corey Maggette who could be had along with another useful player (Brandan Wright? Rony Turiaf?) via McGrady trade and would cost a whole lot less financially both in years and yearly money. Both Stoudemire and Maggette come with some considerable injury concerns, but Maggette’s natural position is at the 3 where the Rockets have a whole lot less depth than they do down low right now. If I’m Morey I’m thinking I can get a better player than either Maggette or Stoudemire for McGrady, but if forced to choose between the two its a no-brainer I’m going with Maggette and keeping Landry and Scola.
Thing A
Last seasons playoffs as an example and more...
You probably have a job waiting for you as Daryl Morey’s new CFO for saving the team money, but unfortunately this strategy won’t win you very any basktball games in the post season. Let’s take a look at last year’s playoffs as an example, starting with the Finals, and working our way back:
The Lakers and Magic of 09 are both sound examples of what the league is trending towards. This trend is partly because truly talented 5’s are simply a rareity nowadays. The lakers front court featured 7ft Gasol, 7ft Bynum, and a mixture of 6-10 Odom/ 6-8 Ariza. Aside from having typical center size, none of these frontcourt players are similar to traditional 5’s like Yao, or Kaman, Bogut, Miller, Big Z, or O’Neal.
The Magic were built the same. 7ft Howard, 6-10 Turkoglu, 6-10 Lewis. The same can be said of Denver, Dallas, Boston, Utah, Portland, and New Orleans.
Talented swing men are not as rare in the NBA nowadays, and the Rockets had one of the best in Artest last year. Granted, we were decimated with injuries throughout the post season, and we may be talking about something different had we had our big three in the playoffs last year. However, the era of the traditional ‘back to the basket’ 5 will disappear when Duncan and O’Neal retire.
Trading McGrady for a 2 and a 3, or a talented 3 and a stop gap 5, will only prolong an inevitable ‘rebuilding’ of the Rockets. The Rockets should trade Yao and McGrady while both still have some value (injury past aside), and can get exactly what they want when they do.
They gave the McGrady/Ming experiment a good try, but the league is changing fast. Play is speeding up. Players are getting faster (Rose, Evens, Jennings, Paul). Brooks has a chance to have a Rondo effect for the Rockets, if he doesn’t have to do it alone, and if the offense doesn’t dictate that he slow down.
Getting an athletic frontcourt for the Rockets is imperative for next season, and it begins with your 5, otherwise you are going to have to switch what you got in the 4 spot as well. Of the YOUNG and talented 4/5’s that are out there, there are only 5 that reguarly play with their back to the basket, or play out of position well:
Aldridge
Horford
Noah
Boozer
Stoudemire
(you could make a case for Zach Randolph this year, but he’s lazy and a basket case)
Out of those, only Boozer and Stoudemire is available any time soon:
Per 36 min:
Boozer
19.9pts 10.9 reb 3.6ast 1.0stls .06blks 2.8trv
Stoudemire
21.1pts 8.9reb 1.1ast .09stls .08blks 3.1trv
Both players have similar stats in the post season:
Boozer
20.4pts 12.4 reb 34 games
Stoudemire
25.1pts 10.4reb 36games
So you can make an argument for either one, but I would choose Stoudemire, who i think is more talented.
by khanthemighty on Dec 30, 2009 10:13 AM CST up reply actions
CP3 going nowhere
ESPN reports that David West may be traded before the 2010 trade deadline to get the Hornets under the luxary tax threshold… looks like the city isn’t the only thing rebuilding in Nawlins.
by khanthemighty on Dec 30, 2009 1:30 PM CST up reply actions
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