# Which "Bad" contract should Houston take on?



## Clutch777 (Aug 22, 2005)

Many of you think the next move Houston will make is to trade some of their expiring contracts for a contract that another team does not want. Does anyone come to mind? The only players I could think of are Paul Pierce and Ricky Davis, or maybe one of New York's SGs. Pierce is uncomfortable being a leader for the Celtics, which would make Houston the perfect situation for him, and Gerald Green now makes him expendable. But it all depends on if the Celtics want to go through a complete rebuilding stage or if they would like Pierce and Davis to guide their rookies along.

Personally, I don't think a deal is going to happen unless the Celts get off to a terrible start.

Thoughts anyone?


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## tone wone (Jan 30, 2003)

exactly how money do the rockets have in expiring contracts....

Paul Pierce is not an option for a team like houston. Pierce is good enough to be a number 2 option on a legit championship team...a # 1 option on a good team. Rocket fans complain all the time about Yao not getting touches as is...

think Mo Peterson, Jalen Rose, Allen Houston type players.....not a 28 yr old 4 time all-star who's completely healthy and is in the prime of his career who plays the same position as houstons best player..

also, Pierce doesn't have a "bad" contract...he's a top 5 sg who is 2/3yrs removed from being mention'd in the same breath as mcgrady and kobe


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## Clutch777 (Aug 22, 2005)

tone wone said:


> exactly how money do the rockets have in expiring contracts....
> 
> Paul Pierce is not an option for a team like houston. Pierce is good enough to be a number 2 option on a legit championship team...a # 1 option on a good team. Rocket fans complain all the time about Yao not getting touches as is...
> 
> ...


Houston has like 15 million in expiring contracts plus a couple of mid level players the Celtics may be interested in, more than enough to absorb Pierce's 16 million.

Theres no way Houston would want to take on Mo Peterson, Jalen Rose, or Allen Houston. Those players are ALOT worse than expiring contracts.

and I never said Pierce had a bad contract. I said he had a contract other teams(celtics) did not want any longer. The Celtics have been actively looking to trade Pierce for the past year, so it's not inconceivable that Pierce may be traded for expiring contracts(cap space) and draft picks. He would fill the role of a Larry Hughes 3rd option type player. T-Mac took way too many shots last season, which resulted in him shooting only 42 percent, and I'm sure he would cut back on them if Houston added another legitamite option at the SG. So I'm sure there would be plenty of opportunites left for Pierce to score 20 PPG.


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## Carbo04 (Apr 15, 2005)

C - Yao Ming
PF - Stromile Swift
SF - Tracy McGrady/Paul Pierce
SG - Tracy McGrady/Paul Pierce
PG - Bob Sura

I don't know how well that would blend though. Looks pretty though.


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## The_Franchise (Mar 30, 2003)

Pierce and Rose would not be good fits on this team, as you guys have mentioned distributing the shots would be a problem and their contracts just wouldn't sit well with Yao and McGrady signed to extensions. Plus they are mainly isolation players. 

I think we should look at Matt Harpring, who has an expiring contract with the Jazz. Excellent catch and shoot scorer, not sure whether his future will be in Utah. Mo Peterson would be another nice choice. Other than that there aren't too many effective players who teams would be willing to part with for possible expiring contracts. We still have around $13 million in expiring contracts with Spoon gone.


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## Dodigago (Jan 13, 2005)

Mo Peterson would be a very nice fit, decent defender with good size, nice shooter..

hes a solid #4/#5 scoring option and can also do the little things + doesnt demand the ball


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## Clutch777 (Aug 22, 2005)

If it was a choice between Peterson and no one, I'd take no one. Houston is only around 13(?) million below luxury tax. Yao and T-Mac's backloaded contracts are bound to outgrow the increase in league revenues, and the owner had shown reluctance to go into luxury tax in the past couple years. Taking on a contract like Peterson's will limit Houston's ability to use their yearly MLE over the next few seasons.

Paying that much for an injury reserve type player just isn't worth it. Chances are that he will play behind Juwan Howard and Mutombo.

I still think Houston needs a solid SG or SF to take the pressure off T-Mac. Derrick Anderson might not be the answer.


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## TManiAC (Dec 19, 2004)

I like Mo Pete, great catch-and-shoot player and can play defense.

I also like Mike Miller, best friend of TMac. Athletic combo guard that is built like a SF. Tough kid and extremely coachable.

SFs on Portland are available considering the logjam they have there.

Boston can get much better than what we have to offer for pierce.



> Paying that much for an injury reserve type player just isn't worth it. Chances are that he will play behind Juwan Howard and Mutombo.


Hes just as good of a sixth man as is Juwan Howard, Wesley, or Deke. Def. not an "injury reserve" player and is in fact very servicable.


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## The_Franchise (Mar 30, 2003)

Mike Miller is extremely underrated... one of the best shooters in the league but Memphis isn't trading him away for nothing.


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## TManiAC (Dec 19, 2004)

Mr. Roger's Cardigan said:


> Mike Miller is extremely underrated... one of the best shooters in the league but Memphis isn't trading him away for nothing.



he also has a ridiculous salary. I doubt Memphis will trade him to division rivals, but Im sure if TMac appeals to Mike Miller, Miller would push Grizz management to make a trade. 

Baker, Wesley and Badiane for Miller. Ild do it.


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## sherwin (Mar 21, 2005)

TManiAC said:


> he also has a ridiculous salary. I doubt Memphis will trade him to division rivals, but Im sure if TMac appeals to Mike Miller, Miller would push Grizz management to make a trade.
> 
> Baker, Wesley and Badiane for Miller. Ild do it.


$6M a year for one of the best shooters in the league? When Michael Redd gets $12M for the same ability?

And Miller can't force a trade. He's no superstar. If he called them and asked to be traded they'd laugh and tell him to shut the hell up.


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## KokoTheMonkey (Aug 4, 2003)

TManiAC said:


> Baker, Wesley and Badiane for Miller. Ild do it.


Of course you would, but why would Memphis?


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## TManiAC (Dec 19, 2004)

sherwin said:


> $6M a year for one of the best shooters in the league? When Michael Redd gets $12M for the same ability?
> 
> And Miller can't force a trade. He's no superstar. If he called them and asked to be traded they'd laugh and tell him to shut the hell up.



I didnt want to say this before, but "one of the best shooters in the league" is an exaggeration of his abilities. The fact that he can pass is definitely a plus.

And hes no Michael Redd... for one, Redd's lateral quickness is far superior to Mike Miller. And obviously, Redd is a much better shooter.


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## TManiAC (Dec 19, 2004)

KokoTheMonkey said:


> Of course you would, but why would Memphis?



Expirings and their gaping hole in the front court. Badiane and Baker are servicable, whereas Mike Miller only adds to the salary cap and the logjam at the SG spot.


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## FanOfAll8472 (Jun 28, 2003)

TManiAC said:


> Expirings and their gaping hole in the front court. Badiane and Baker are servicable, whereas Mike Miller only adds to the salary cap and the logjam at the SG spot.


 Still not a good enough for the Grizz to pull the trigger on this deal. Baker is hardly "servicable", Badiane is several years away, and Wesley would only play most of the minutes Miller plays, which would not solve the fictitious "logjam" at SG. At the wings are Miller (2nd or 3rd option), E Jones (2nd or 3rd option), and Battier, with D Jones as a 15-20 mpg 4th option. That's hardly a logjam.

MoPete and Harpring would be nice fits.


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## KokoTheMonkey (Aug 4, 2003)

TManiAC said:


> Expirings and their gaping hole in the front court. Badiane and Baker are servicable, whereas Mike Miller only adds to the salary cap and the logjam at the SG spot.


They are competing for the playoffs, they aren't interested in giving away their players at your team's expense.


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## TManiAC (Dec 19, 2004)

FanOfAll8472 said:


> Still not a good enough for the Grizz to pull the trigger on this deal. Baker is hardly "servicable", Badiane is several years away, and Wesley would only play most of the minutes Miller plays, which would not solve the fictitious "logjam" at SG. At the wings are Miller (2nd or 3rd option), E Jones (2nd or 3rd option), and Battier, with D Jones as a 15-20 mpg 4th option. That's hardly a logjam.
> 
> MoPete and Harpring would be nice fits.



I have to agree that Baker is not as "servicable" as I made him out to be. Still, he would make a satisfactory option at 5, where they desperately need help. Badiane has the offensive tools to be an NBA player, its his offense theyre worried about. He is also a satisfactory third option behind Pau Gasol and Hakim Warrick. Both are more "servicable" than Steven Super Scrub Hunter will ever be.

as for my "fictitious logjam," you are misinformed... 

SG: Eddie Jones | Mike Miller | Bobby Jackson 
PG: Damon Stoudamire | Raul Lopez | Troy Bell | Dahntay Jones | Antonio Burks

That seems like a very heavy guard rotation to me. The Grizzlies would free 7.5 million off their cap and be about 6 mill below the salary cap after this trade. That gives them some money to work with to get a solid center in the next offseason to solve their front court problems. David Wesley is just as effective as Mike Miller as a scoring option off the bench behind Eddie Jones. 


PG: Damon Stoudamire | Bobby Jackson 
SG: Eddie Jones | David Wesley
SF: Shane Battier | Brian Cardinal | Hakim Warrick
PF: Pau Gasol | Hakim Warrick | Malik Badiane
CN: Lorenzen Wright | Jake Tsakiladis | Vin Baker


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## FanOfAll8472 (Jun 28, 2003)

TManiAC said:


> I have to agree that Baker is not as "servicable" as I made him out to be. Still, he would make a satisfactory option at 5, where they desperately need help. Badiane has the offensive tools to be an NBA player, its his offense theyre worried about. He is also a satisfactory third option behind Pau Gasol and Hakim Warrick. Both are more "servicable" than Steven Super Scrub Hunter will ever be.


Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Badiane more defensive? And what does Hunter have to do with this?



> as for my "fictitious logjam," you are misinformed...
> 
> SG: Eddie Jones | Mike Miller | Bobby Jackson
> PG: Damon Stoudamire | Raul Lopez | Troy Bell | Dahntay Jones | Antonio Burks


No, I'm not misinformed. For one, the logjam, if there ever has been one in Memphis (and there once was), was on the wing, meaning SG/SF. Secondly, Lopez is headed to Spain, Troy Bell was waived a long time ago, D. Jones is an athletic 2/3, and Bobby Jackson is a PG, even though he doesn't always play like one.



> That seems like a very heavy guard rotation to me. The Grizzlies would free 7.5 million off their cap and be about 6 mill below the salary cap after this trade. That gives them some money to work with to get a solid center in the next offseason to solve their front court problems. *David Wesley is just as effective as Mike Miller as a scoring option off the bench behind Eddie Jones. *



Are you kidding me? Miller is a better and much more consistent shooter, he's bigger, he's a better playmaker (he played PG for the Grizz a couple years ago for a week and put up spectacular numbers). There is no question Miller is by far the better player. Also, there has been no indication the Grizz are dumping salary.



> PG: Damon Stoudamire | Bobby Jackson
> SG: Eddie Jones | David Wesley
> SF: Shane Battier | Brian Cardinal | Hakim Warrick
> PF: Pau Gasol | Hakim Warrick | Malik Badiane
> CN: Lorenzen Wright | Jake Tsakiladis | Vin Baker


Nowhere near as good as the present Grizzlies roster. Wesley is a somewhat major downgrade to Miller. A project in Badiane is not the direction the Grizzlies are going.


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