# The Reality of Our Offseason.



## KeiranHalcyon (Nov 27, 2003)

I really don't have that high of an expectation for our offseason.

1) We have two players that are unlikely to be moved anytime soon. Yao is the future of this team, and Steve simply has too much talent to be traded. (I just ran some statistical analysis, and I think that he's the best guard JVG has ever coached in the league--I'll explain if there's any interest.)

2) We don't have the clout, the prestige, whatever you want to call it, that some other teams have. We've got a great team, yes. We're a playoff team, yes. We're a couple pieces away from being a championship contender, yes. But so are more lucrative teams. Why would some of the "big name" FA's sign in Houston when they could go to San Antonio and work with Duncan and Parker? Or to LA, because it's LA?

3) As much as I would love to see some major changes brought to Houston--a solid perimeter shooting, pass-first PG and a versatile PF to help Yao out--Brent Barry and Rasheed Wallace or Kenyon Martin or Stromile Swift is the ultimate dream--every other team in the league, almost, is going to be after the same things we are.

We don't have what it takes to swing a trade that would really benefit us. We don't have the appeal to bring in good free agents. We're most likely going to be quiet this offseason. Unfortunately.


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## The_Franchise (Mar 30, 2003)

I don't think anyone was going into the Rockets offseason expecting big things from the draft or free agent signings. Rocket fans are eagerly awaiting the fate of Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley, as they have seemed to clash with Gumby's system in terms of consistency and output. 

When you have a potent big man like Yao your guards have to be great at swinging the ball, or atleast making efficient passes. We don't need guards that rely on Yao to create screens for them so they can have an open jumper. If Dawson and Gumby decide to trade Francis before the draft occurs then we could see the Rockets making a play to get a top 13 pick in the trade to pick up one of these prospects:

1. Devin Harris
2. Jameer Nelson
3. Sebastian Telfair (Even though his half court game is supposed to be relatively weak)

But parting with Francis would be a huge decision. It could backfire on the Rockets if they don't get the necessary players to fill in the gaps left by Francis. Trading Mobley would be a little less risky, but we can also expect less in return. His contract is relatively modest but he's 28 years old, so the Rockets won't be able to get much for him if they hang onto him for 1 or 2 more years. 

I expect one of them to be gone. Both are wonderful people for the community, especially Mobley, but I don't see Rockets basketball reaching the 2nd round with these guys on the team. They aren't the professionals we need to surround Yao with.


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## Hollis (Jun 4, 2002)

Sebastian TELFAIR? I would like to improve, win next year, not in 5...This kid is about as NBA ready as I am.

At least you have Jameer Nelson on there...now we're talking.

I like Mobley and would like to keep him...but I think acquiring a good young PG and moving Francis to the 2 would make the Rockets a much better team...Mobley is really the only trade bait the Rockets have in this situation.


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## MightyReds2020 (Jul 19, 2002)

Other than Steve Francis and Cat Mobley and the never ended speculations, the Rockets do have some valuable assets: Kelvin Cato, Mo Taylor, and the 6-million trade exception.

Cato and Taylor are overpaid but they do contributes and they are big. I would think some Eastern teams would like to have one of them as long as the price is right. The 6-million exception could be huge, since it is more than a million over the current MLE. In all teams with 6-million or more cap space, the Rockets have one of the better teams. In fact, I would ranked them #3, only behind the Spurs and the Pistons. The good news is: Spurs and Pistons have their own players to worry about and that will take up most of their cap space, if not all.

I think the Rockets would make some 'big' moves, as long as the Francis-Mobley situations are figured out.


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## Starks (Feb 22, 2004)

Are you guys worried about the back up point guard position? I don't know how easy it would be to find a decent true point, but they will have to find one because I doubt Mark is coming back. I think it's important to have at least one true point on the team because we know Steve isn't one.


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## Yao Mania (Aug 4, 2003)

Don't be too pessimistic now, Houston does make some interesting FA signings... I was pretty satisfied w/ JJ, A Griff, and Pike from last off-season, although the latter 2 were busts... It's not how big the name is, it's what the players bring to the team. And I do think there are many decent players who would want to come to Houston.


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## KokoTheMonkey (Aug 4, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>KeiranHalcyon</b>!
> I really don't have that high of an expectation for our offseason.
> 
> 1) We have two players that are unlikely to be moved anytime soon. Yao is the future of this team, and Steve simply has too much talent to be traded. (I just ran some statistical analysis, and I think that he's the best guard JVG has ever coached in the league--I'll explain if there's any interest.)
> ...




Wow, great post. This is actually the first post I've ever read by you, and it was damn good.


Anyway, if the Rockets want something nice via trade, then Francis would have to be involved, and we all know that it's not easy to swap a player like Francis for a player better than him. With that said, Houston is going to have to look at the MLE or sign-and-trade for a significant improvement in talent. I really think the Rockets need a perimeter guy to come off the bench, specifically a PG. Just to throw out a name, a guy like Rafer Alston would do very nicely for the Rockets, but it's a long shot that Alston alone would take the team from the 7th seed to a top 4 seed. IMO, if the Rockets can't find that one other player that takes them beyond being mediocre, then they've got to get depth. To me, their bench was terrible. Clearance Weatherspoon? He plays hard, but he's not a good basketball player. In a league where guys like Mark Madsen can play minutes, I guess there is room for Weatherspoon, but he shouldn't play enough minutes. Then there's Mark Jackson, who battled Charlie Ward for the slowest PG in the league. It's kind of hard for a passing PG to excel when he's not quick enough to get into the paint. I think even a guy like Chris Duhon would be better than Mark Jackson. Piatkowski seems like a good fit and all, but it's unfortunate that guys like him and Padgett don't really benefit too much from Yao getting the ball in the post, since Yao doesn't get it enough IMO. And with that said, I just think Houston needs to look for some depth. Piatkowski and Padgett can shoot, Maurice Taylor is awesome off the bench, and Weatherspoon offers some physical play, but aside from Taylor, there's not much talent in those guys. 



I guess it's ironic that I say that Houston needs talent while the thread is questioning the ability to get talent.


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## KeiranHalcyon (Nov 27, 2003)

First, thanks for the compliment.  

As far as talent goes, the Rockets have it in abundance in two players: Steve Francis and Yao Ming.

Everyone else on the team is a good player, but not nearly as talented as those two.

Which makes our situation hard.

Steve is simply too good to trade without getting a LOT back in return--which won't happen, most likely. And even if we DO trade him, we're still left with a gaping hole at the point (unless we trade him for a PG). I think that, if Stevie were to be traded, that he would make it his mission to explode every chance he got, especially against our team.

Yao will not be traded for many years, if ever. He will be the Rockets' number one priority for his time in Houston.

Piatkowski and Padgett, like you said, fit well in the ideal system--which would involve Yao getting the ball in the paint, then kicking it out to avoid the double-team.

Problem is, he doesn't get doubled very often in the paint, because he isn't IN the paint that much.

Teach Yao to force his way inside and then kick it out, and you've got the second coming of The Dream.

Back to the main point: barring a trade that benefits us in the areas we need (perimeter-shooting, pass-first PG and a good solid PF), we're stuck with the FA market, where I think EVERY team in the league is after Brent Barry. At least that's how it seems. Boy should be flattered. (And then, he should come to Houston. )

As it is, though, I don't think we'll have any luck fixing what needs to be fixed--I plan for another early exit from the playoffs next year. :sigh:


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## KeiranHalcyon (Nov 27, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>KeiranHalcyon</b>!
> I really don't have that high of an expectation for our offseason.
> 
> 1) We have two players that are unlikely to be moved anytime soon. Yao is the future of this team, and Steve simply has too much talent to be traded. (I just ran some statistical analysis, and I think that he's the best guard JVG has ever coached in the league--I'll explain if there's any interest.)
> ...



I very happily stand corrected. This offseason should ROCK.


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## The_Franchise (Mar 30, 2003)

*Now we just have to figure out...*

what to do with Juwan Howard.



> Originally posted by <b>The Franchise</b>!
> Hmm... what about Juwan Howard for Calvin Booth straight up. A last resort option for the Rockets if they can't find anyone in FA, Booth is a poor mans Cato, and even though he has never averaged more than 20 mpg in his NBA career, the Rockets are desperate for a big, defensive presence in the paint and Booth can't do that bad of a job playing 15 mpg backing up Yao or playing alongside him when the Rockets need defensive stops. Plus, Howard's game is too similar to Taylor's, so he is pretty expendable right now.
> 
> Booth makes $19 million over the next 3 years, Howard makes $32 million over the next 5.
> ...


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