that he started clowning around.

Honestly, I don’t recall that one.

i would love to see that hook… must be a BIG HOOK… lol

The hook shot taken at the time in question was in the lane, my guess is that it was supposed to be a 6-foot hook shot. The stats still show him as 0-1 from the 3 point line, however. Hopefully this doesn’t ruin the Rockets’ stat guys’ streak of games without an error.

I loved seeing him lose his shit in the playoffs last year.

Shaq was largely horrible.

He got a couple of easy buckets early and I started to think it might be a long night for Chuck but when it came down to it – they really played around each other’s level.

09-10 Shaq = 00-01 Hakeem

Sad day really.

Actually, hell no

ACTUALLY, DOUBLE HELL NO!

You dont fix something that aint broken…hughes sucks, nate sucks and tmac with 1 foot is better then darko…HELLS NO

is probably the most selfish basketball player alive – and worse, he’s not that good to begin with.

He makes all of his teammates worse by being on the court.

and Hughes & Darko aren’t any good use. Nate robinson’s same as lowry, in a way. so why trade?

T-Mac for Big Z from Cavs might be a good idea, for Rockets & as well as the Cavs. Cavs need the 3rd guy to score; Rockets need a big center.

all off these players you mention suck.

I actually had a conversation with Mike Prada of BulletsForever about this last week. He made a hypothetical offer of Battier, Lowry, and Cook for Butler and Foye (and someone else if necessary to make the contracts work). Here’s a short summary of what was said:

Me:

While I like Butler and Foye and their ability to create, you can’t replace Shane’s intangibles and his impact on the defense. Yeah, he’s a fantastic individual defender, but his intelligence and his instincts make the team that much better defensively. He’s often the difference when a teammate makes a steal or helps quickly to force a bad shot, instead being a step too late because they didn’t recognize what the other team was doing. Can’t forget about Lowry either. He does what a backup is asked to do: run the show effectively and efficiently, be conservative when it comes to making big plays, and find a niche, his being his ability to get into the lane, draw fouls, and make free throws. I’d say that the draw of getting rid of Cook would be one of the only reasons to do it.

With any other team besides the Rockets, if we’re talking talent for talent, it’s a good deal. But there’s too much camaraderie here. You give Yao back to the current team we have (yes, the team withOUT McGrady), and you’re looking at a potential darkhorse championship contender, based solely on how each player fits perfectly into the role that he has been assigned
Mike

I’m just frustrated with Caron and feel like we need more role
players, whereas Houston needs someone who can create, at least in the
short term.

I wonder how valuable Battier is now that the Rockets have Ariza. I’m
talking long-term here. Like, Battier has one more year left on his
deal and is 31. Butler also has one more year, and Foye for Cook is
salary neutral (both expire).
Me

Long-term, I’m not really sure what difference dealing Battier/Lowry for Foye/Butler makes. Caron has rarely won wherever he has been (teams like LA and Miami became better once they got rid of him). Sure, Battier’s 31, but he’s not being asked to do McGrady-like things. I think his relaxed offensive role will help him last much longer than that of a leading scorer might.

Then again, thinking about the possibility of a guy like Caron paired with Ariza is interesting. It reduces Ariza’s need to create even more, which is a GREAT thing.

Ariza’s face looks indifferent, but not sleepy. However, his arms are a different story. They flail there like they’re useless and then suddenly come to life for a steal.