Le”Decision” – 8CST

simmons posted this link from a reader:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H76DwHgOwpA

same nwo analogy. and ya, it's amazing how similar the two played out.

simmons posted this link from a reader:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H76DwHgOwpA

same nwo analogy. and ya, it's amazing how similar the two played out.

Just have to interject - the NWO had one of the worst theme songs in wrestling history.

Before anyone jumps in, top two is a wash between Kane's old theme and Sabu's theme. I'd give it to Sabu since Kane's theme is intertwined with the pyro.

Kade,

As the others have alluded to, the Rockets were not in a position to challenge during free agency - after all, it's not like they have the cap space to sign any of them outright. The strength of our position is the sheer number and variety of attractive assets we have acquired, and what Free Agent is going to care about those? It's the other GMs who care, so it's them we have to deal with. And they aren't going to be playing ball until the FA ruckus is over and the front offices can take control of the reins again. Which as it happens, is right about now! So let's sit back and wait for the fireworks :).

Kade,

Only Morey knows... of course the FAs are all signed, but with the plethora of assets we have available for trade, I find it hard to believe that he will be satisfied with doing nothing. Although, I'm with you if he does nothing, we deserve an explanation.

Knix getting Randolph doesn't help our case...

Kade:
Who is left? I really hope Morey at some point can explain to the Rocket fans why he’s done squat this offseason.    

Because overpaying for assets is for chump teams?

Because the most appropriate acquisition target elected to play elsewhere of his own volition?

Who is left? Trades can be executed for just about everyone not named Kobe Bryant or Dirk Nowitzki. There's no reason why the Rockets needed to pounce on the 2010 FA class like most other organizations. They're desperate.

Look, of all the quality front-offices, who's making any significant moves? None of them.
- Sam Presti hasn't done much in free agency, though he did sign Durant to an extension.
- Buford just convinced Splitter to come to the NBA, but he is exclusive to the Spurs, so it's not like they've made a major move in FA either
- the Blazers made some draft-day deals, but now, sans-Pritchard, they've been quiet too

Who else is even a really top-quality GM? I'm not convinced Kupchak is, but the Lakers haven't even signed their own PGs yet.

Why are you so antsy?

Alituro: Oh, but you know Morey is like a king vulture waiting to grab all the best carrion when the dust settles after such a massacre. Gotta love this guy.    

Who is left? I really hope Morey at some point can explain to the Rocket fans why he's done squat this offseason.

Personally, I find the 1 and 5 positions to be very important in today's game. There are a lot of good point guards right now, but we're noticing that because the game favors talent at that position. Good centers are becoming more rare, which is all the more reason to exploit your talent at that position if you are lucky enough to have it. Scorers are just, everywhere, and easy to find. So it's interesting that Miami needs a PG and C right now.

The Heat won't be short on scoring, so I'd move Wade to the 1 and find a cheap SG who can hit threes when his defender leaves him to help on a bigger star. PG is too important of a position to leave it for someone getting the league minimum when you have a max-level guard on your roster.

Stephen: Cade,
Paul’s not joining the Heat next yr. He’s still got a yr left on his contract before his option yr. Miami will have nowhere near enough to trade for him.
And if he opts out in 2012,Miami will still only have whatever the MLE-type deal the new CBA will have.(Somehow don’t see him turning down $18mil to take $6mil/yr for a few yrs.)    

If Bosh/Wade/Lebron are willing to take less then certainly CP3 will.

@ Rahat

I think we should start a trade rumor for Steve Nash or Deron Williams. Lets start with Nash and the Suns. First the Suns need to rebuild after letting Amare go to the Knicks. What about a Aaron Brooks Scola or Hill and Jeffries or Battie with a combination of our Knicks picks, they are going to be a lottery team. The Suns give us Nash and Lopez, and some other player to make the salary match.

The Jazz- I know they will never give up D-Will but I can dream right?- Actually I hate the Jazz so I am not even going to try and think of a trade scenario with them.

Chris Paul- How worried am I that Paul is going to end up in Miami just like Lebron and Bosh did? I mean they made a pact and they all stuck to it! Even if that meant leaving 30 Million dollars ( Dr. Evils voice from Austin Powers) there is no way the heat wont land CP3 as well. Pat Riley sucks.

Ok Rahat, I need some help man. I would love to read an article about what trades options the Rockets will be looking at before the trade deadline. What teams? What players? Who we really need? What position to we address first? Who is more likely to leave the team via trade?

-Love the articles, keep up the good work.

Go Rockets

Should never try posting from work. Rush to post and make some "turribal" spelling errors. Sorry.

Re the Knicks.
Randolph is one of those all-world talent guys that hasn't gotten it yet. If he does,watch out. The question is whether he will. On one hand,pretty immature(could be because he's young) and has been known to love the clubs(uh-oh).But he tries,plays help D,when into it really competes and can take over stretches of games-just doesn't do it very often. Throw in he and Nelson did not get along at all. For the Knicks,they get a yr to see what he's got.And he can play some C against back-up Cs and PFs masquerading as Cs.

Unnoticed is NY is starting to get guys who play D. Turaif is basicaly an energy D guy who blocks shots at a ferocious rate,rebounds and as long as he's limited to @20 minutes,a very effective player.(Of course D'Antoni will play him 30-35 minutes.)Randolph will compete on D. Azuibuke is a defensive specialist w/a 3pt shot.
Gallinari asked to guard the other team's best,Douglas is not a bad defender and Walker,Chandler will occassionaly try.

The Knicks desperately need a PG/playmaker.
If it was me,I'd throw $6mil at Lowry,the rest at Anthony Morrow. Fallback w/Livingston,maybe Childress.
Do wonder if they get desperate enough to call McGrady.

Some quick thoughts.
Regular season success as they will be able to run away from tired teams. Good teams will pack the paint and attack the rim and take their chances.
But Playoffs-hmmm.
No outside shooting from regular starters so teams will pack the paint. Which moves either Wade to PG or LeBron to PF.Interior w/Bosh and LeBRon,questionable to say the least on D.

Team right now that could pose a huge PlayOff problem is Chicago,esp if Bulls can find a wing scorer.
Boozer will beat up Bosh,Noah anchors D w/hard fouls(and LeBron has shown if you hit him hard often enough he'll start settling),Rose destroys Heat PGs moving Wade over to cover him and Wade,LeBron have had little succes against Thibodeau defenses.
I'll even predict a healthy Bulls knock off the Heat in Second Rd.

I love reading all the negative reviews of Lebron's debacle last night.

I think the Heat will win 60 games if the Big Three remain healthy (a big if), but they don't seem to match up the well against the Lakers and Orlando (teams with punishing inside games) and the lack of bench depth will hurt. Outside Lebron, the defense will be average, depending on what stiff they get to play center.

The Knicks look like a mess to me. No point guard and no defense. Turiaf is indeed a good hustle player, but exactly where does he play. Do you have him and A'mare on the court at the same time. Randolph is a great shooter and will score, but his rep is a selfish, no defense kind of guy--is that right?

The Knicks will only be a little better then they were this year, Amare and D Lee are almost identical players, but i rate D Lee higher just because Amare will go down hill without steve nash throwing him pin point passes all season long. Although i think they did well with The S&T for Lee, Randolph and Turiaf will be good role players.

Just have to interject - the NWO had one of the worst theme songs in wrestling history.

Before anyone jumps in, top two is a wash between Kane's old theme and Sabu's theme. I'd give it to Sabu since Kane's theme is intertwined with the pyro.

Oh, but you know Morey is like a king vulture waiting to grab all the best carrion when the dust settles after such a massacre. Gotta love this guy.

Kade,

As the others have alluded to, the Rockets were not in a position to challenge during free agency - after all, it's not like they have the cap space to sign any of them outright. The strength of our position is the sheer number and variety of attractive assets we have acquired, and what Free Agent is going to care about those? It's the other GMs who care, so it's them we have to deal with. And they aren't going to be playing ball until the FA ruckus is over and the front offices can take control of the reins again. Which as it happens, is right about now! So let's sit back and wait for the fireworks :).

Shocking news. LeBron will definitely reap what he sows before it is all over. After last night there is now one sentence that includes the words "basketball greats" and Players such as: Jordan, Kobe, Hakeem, Bird, Magic, Duncan, Robinson, Malone (K), and so far even Yao, Wade and Pierce, and many others in the past, that LeBron will not be included in. A more suitable sentence for him will now include Barkley and Shaq.

It will be interesting to see what kind of talent this move pulls in for MIA, guys will be swarming from all over willing to take a pay cut for this opportunity. That being said, granted that they will end up having effective role players instead of nobodies, I see this team getting 55-60 wins (it's still the east). The east's top teams next year should be Bulls, Magic, Celtics, Heat, Hawks, assuming that the Cavs and Raps are now lottery bound, that leaves 3 spots open for anyone. If Amare gets his wish and lures one or two big names, I can see the Knicks coming in between 6 and 8, although with a losing record. Then you have the Bobcats and Bucks probably somewhere down there. A complete reshuffling of the conference doesn't really bode well for our Knix Pix IMO.

Patrick - good post. You forgot Gary payton and Karl Malone.

Kade,

Only Morey knows... of course the FAs are all signed, but with the plethora of assets we have available for trade, I find it hard to believe that he will be satisfied with doing nothing. Although, I'm with you if he does nothing, we deserve an explanation.

Knix getting Randolph doesn't help our case...

Kade:
Who is left? I really hope Morey at some point can explain to the Rocket fans why he’s done squat this offseason.    

Because overpaying for assets is for chump teams?

Because the most appropriate acquisition target elected to play elsewhere of his own volition?

Who is left? Trades can be executed for just about everyone not named Kobe Bryant or Dirk Nowitzki. There's no reason why the Rockets needed to pounce on the 2010 FA class like most other organizations. They're desperate.

Look, of all the quality front-offices, who's making any significant moves? None of them.
- Sam Presti hasn't done much in free agency, though he did sign Durant to an extension.
- Buford just convinced Splitter to come to the NBA, but he is exclusive to the Spurs, so it's not like they've made a major move in FA either
- the Blazers made some draft-day deals, but now, sans-Pritchard, they've been quiet too

Who else is even a really top-quality GM? I'm not convinced Kupchak is, but the Lakers haven't even signed their own PGs yet.

Why are you so antsy?

Alituro: Oh, but you know Morey is like a king vulture waiting to grab all the best carrion when the dust settles after such a massacre. Gotta love this guy.    

Who is left? I really hope Morey at some point can explain to the Rocket fans why he's done squat this offseason.

Personally, I find the 1 and 5 positions to be very important in today's game. There are a lot of good point guards right now, but we're noticing that because the game favors talent at that position. Good centers are becoming more rare, which is all the more reason to exploit your talent at that position if you are lucky enough to have it. Scorers are just, everywhere, and easy to find. So it's interesting that Miami needs a PG and C right now.

The Heat won't be short on scoring, so I'd move Wade to the 1 and find a cheap SG who can hit threes when his defender leaves him to help on a bigger star. PG is too important of a position to leave it for someone getting the league minimum when you have a max-level guard on your roster.

Stephen: Cade,
Paul’s not joining the Heat next yr. He’s still got a yr left on his contract before his option yr. Miami will have nowhere near enough to trade for him.
And if he opts out in 2012,Miami will still only have whatever the MLE-type deal the new CBA will have.(Somehow don’t see him turning down $18mil to take $6mil/yr for a few yrs.)    

If Bosh/Wade/Lebron are willing to take less then certainly CP3 will.

@ Rahat

I think we should start a trade rumor for Steve Nash or Deron Williams. Lets start with Nash and the Suns. First the Suns need to rebuild after letting Amare go to the Knicks. What about a Aaron Brooks Scola or Hill and Jeffries or Battie with a combination of our Knicks picks, they are going to be a lottery team. The Suns give us Nash and Lopez, and some other player to make the salary match.

The Jazz- I know they will never give up D-Will but I can dream right?- Actually I hate the Jazz so I am not even going to try and think of a trade scenario with them.

Chris Paul- How worried am I that Paul is going to end up in Miami just like Lebron and Bosh did? I mean they made a pact and they all stuck to it! Even if that meant leaving 30 Million dollars ( Dr. Evils voice from Austin Powers) there is no way the heat wont land CP3 as well. Pat Riley sucks.

Ok Rahat, I need some help man. I would love to read an article about what trades options the Rockets will be looking at before the trade deadline. What teams? What players? Who we really need? What position to we address first? Who is more likely to leave the team via trade?

-Love the articles, keep up the good work.

Go Rockets

Should never try posting from work. Rush to post and make some "turribal" spelling errors. Sorry.

Re the Knicks.
Randolph is one of those all-world talent guys that hasn't gotten it yet. If he does,watch out. The question is whether he will. On one hand,pretty immature(could be because he's young) and has been known to love the clubs(uh-oh).But he tries,plays help D,when into it really competes and can take over stretches of games-just doesn't do it very often. Throw in he and Nelson did not get along at all. For the Knicks,they get a yr to see what he's got.And he can play some C against back-up Cs and PFs masquerading as Cs.

Unnoticed is NY is starting to get guys who play D. Turaif is basicaly an energy D guy who blocks shots at a ferocious rate,rebounds and as long as he's limited to @20 minutes,a very effective player.(Of course D'Antoni will play him 30-35 minutes.)Randolph will compete on D. Azuibuke is a defensive specialist w/a 3pt shot.
Gallinari asked to guard the other team's best,Douglas is not a bad defender and Walker,Chandler will occassionaly try.

The Knicks desperately need a PG/playmaker.
If it was me,I'd throw $6mil at Lowry,the rest at Anthony Morrow. Fallback w/Livingston,maybe Childress.
Do wonder if they get desperate enough to call McGrady.

Some quick thoughts.
Regular season success as they will be able to run away from tired teams. Good teams will pack the paint and attack the rim and take their chances.
But Playoffs-hmmm.
No outside shooting from regular starters so teams will pack the paint. Which moves either Wade to PG or LeBron to PF.Interior w/Bosh and LeBRon,questionable to say the least on D.

Team right now that could pose a huge PlayOff problem is Chicago,esp if Bulls can find a wing scorer.
Boozer will beat up Bosh,Noah anchors D w/hard fouls(and LeBron has shown if you hit him hard often enough he'll start settling),Rose destroys Heat PGs moving Wade over to cover him and Wade,LeBron have had little succes against Thibodeau defenses.
I'll even predict a healthy Bulls knock off the Heat in Second Rd.

I love reading all the negative reviews of Lebron's debacle last night.

I think the Heat will win 60 games if the Big Three remain healthy (a big if), but they don't seem to match up the well against the Lakers and Orlando (teams with punishing inside games) and the lack of bench depth will hurt. Outside Lebron, the defense will be average, depending on what stiff they get to play center.

The Knicks look like a mess to me. No point guard and no defense. Turiaf is indeed a good hustle player, but exactly where does he play. Do you have him and A'mare on the court at the same time. Randolph is a great shooter and will score, but his rep is a selfish, no defense kind of guy--is that right?

The Knicks will only be a little better then they were this year, Amare and D Lee are almost identical players, but i rate D Lee higher just because Amare will go down hill without steve nash throwing him pin point passes all season long. Although i think they did well with The S&T for Lee, Randolph and Turiaf will be good role players.

Oh, but you know Morey is like a king vulture waiting to grab all the best carrion when the dust settles after such a massacre. Gotta love this guy.

Shocking news. LeBron will definitely reap what he sows before it is all over. After last night there is now one sentence that includes the words "basketball greats" and Players such as: Jordan, Kobe, Hakeem, Bird, Magic, Duncan, Robinson, Malone (K), and so far even Yao, Wade and Pierce, and many others in the past, that LeBron will not be included in. A more suitable sentence for him will now include Barkley and Shaq.

It will be interesting to see what kind of talent this move pulls in for MIA, guys will be swarming from all over willing to take a pay cut for this opportunity. That being said, granted that they will end up having effective role players instead of nobodies, I see this team getting 55-60 wins (it's still the east). The east's top teams next year should be Bulls, Magic, Celtics, Heat, Hawks, assuming that the Cavs and Raps are now lottery bound, that leaves 3 spots open for anyone. If Amare gets his wish and lures one or two big names, I can see the Knicks coming in between 6 and 8, although with a losing record. Then you have the Bobcats and Bucks probably somewhere down there. A complete reshuffling of the conference doesn't really bode well for our Knix Pix IMO.

Patrick - good post. You forgot Gary payton and Karl Malone.

wow -- lebron, wade, and bosh all on the same team. 3 of the top 10 players in the league right now and all three still in their prime. it's going to be tough for the other 29 teams in the league.

and now they not only have a huge target on their backs (bigger than even the 2-time defending champs), but i think they are now the most hated team in the league. cleveland hates them because lebron left. toronto hates them because of bosh. and i'm sure new york and chicago hate them as well because of all the flirting and teasing.

another thought -- a lot of people are saying they can't win with those 3 + 9 minimum level players. the thing is, i'm pretty sure there will be a line of veterans who want an "easy" ring going to their doorstep. some names that come to mind: shaq, tracy mcgrady, allen iverson. plus they have the rookies they just drafted. plus they can get some of the better d-league players.

they could still have a starting lineup of:

PG - allen iverson
SG - dwayne wade
SF - lebron james
PF - chris bosh
C - shaq
6th man - tracy mcgrady
plus 6 rookies, d-league players, minimum level vets

that's not too bad. they'd still be a top 5 team in the league. and the following year they'd have their mid-level exemption to pick up a decent player plus another draft pick. same with the years following.

assuming no injuries, they'll only continue to get stronger each year. i'm guessing they're a top 5 team this year, top 3 the year after, and the favorite every year after for the next 3-4 years.

i wonder how the rest of the league will respond? what moves can you make to beat this team? the only ones i think have a real chance to compete long term are chicago (rose, deng, boozer, noah) and the thunder.

aiya.

on the flip side, new york majorly struck out in free agency. they got amare but lost david lee (basically a wash). so the good news is the picks the rockets got from new york are looking pretty good.

Kade,
Sorry for mis-spelling.

Cade,
Paul's not joining the Heat next yr. He's still got a yr left on his contract before his option yr. Miami will have nowhere near enough to trade for him.
And if he opts out in 2012,Miami will still only have whatever the MLE-type deal the new CBA will have.(Somehow don't see him turning down $18mil to take $6mil/yr for a few yrs.)

Stephen: Have to think Orlando,Hou,Portland are ringing NO
GM’s phone off the hook.Prob roster fill includes Big Z,Jason Williams,Carlos Arroyo.    

CP3 will end up with the Heat sometime next year. Bank on it. They are all friends and want to play together and CP3 just signed with LBJ marketing company.

free agency (thus far) is reminding me a lot of the draft:

- I was somewhat excited and hoping for a big splash

- I was expecting less than I was hoping for

- Ultimately, not exactly an outcome to get excited about

- In the end though, its not really that bad (draft: management was stoked to land PatPat @ 14, thus making me happy & FA: NY, more or less, struck out, thus making me happy)

I am still excited about our immediate and long term future. Im not expecting anything overly amazing soon, but I still love this team, our players, and our assets. Oh yeah, and our GM.

I would love to hear Darryl Morey's thoughts (and smirks?). He's trying to get in on a trade in this circumstance and exploit what's available. I think that's brilliant.

If LeBron won't give up his body for Cleveland I wonder why Miami thinks he will give it up to win a ring for them.

Dan, among other ESPN experts expect this team to do well. I think there's more to winning in this league than just scoring. We shall when the season starts.

They're certainly set up for high expectations, which will make it just that much harder.

Can't wait to see the rest of the Heat's roster fill out. Here's my wishlist for the LeWades:

(1) Rasheed Wallace (no way he misses this)
(2) Shaq
(3) Adam Morrison
(4) Rafer

Predictions: (1) Slow-ish start, Riley's coaching the team by Christmas. (2) LeBron's "I'm not trying any more" face makes it's first appearance March 2012. (3) Wade never, ever quits trying.

Have to think Orlando,Hou,Portland are ringing NO
GM's phone off the hook.

Prob roster fill includes Big Z,Jason Williams,Carlos Arroyo.

Dan, you have no idea what you're talking about. Beasley is gone once all the deals are revealed. I heard Bosh to Miami is a 4-team sign & trade where Beasley ends up in Charlotte. Miami's roster is so depleted, it's going to be Bosh, Wade, James and 9 rookies and no-names.

Can we start a pool when LebRon demands a trade?
I pick Dec 2012.

It's like your girl throwing a party, inviting everybody, to announce that she is dumping you. Disgusting.

Over/under should be 60. Seriously. The Celtics Big 3 won 66 games without a strong supporting cast and all were past there prime. The Lebron-Wade-Bosh combo stands to win 60 games no matter who else is on the roster. Don't forget Beasley was the 2nd pick in a draft and still has loads of potential left to explore despite not being a bad player now. And since the Big 3 are planning on taking less money, that may leave room open for another good free agent or 2 that could still be signed. I also think the future aspect of this is being overlooked. The Heat did not have to mortage their future like the Knicks to arrive at this point. The draft picks in upcoming drafts (although admittedly likely to be very low picks) could all be used to some effect in surrounding the existing big 3 with better and better players.

One last thought; the only way I thought Lebron might be able to get away with rejecting Cleveland tonight would be if he used the special as a platform to basically apologize to Cleveland for leaving and explaining his reasons in a tone befitting an apology. The way he did go about this however is pretty surprising, just leaving Cleveland behind on national television.

heh - my wife just summed this all up better than anyone else I've heard so far. She thinks they all just want to "party in booty town" as she put it.

Welp!...looks like I know which team I'm going to use in NBA2k11...

If it was all about brand, then Houston would be the logical choice. If Yao and Lebron brought an NBA championship to China, Lebrons "brand" would have dwarfed Jordan's by an order of magnitude.

This has nothing to do with winning or brand. It's all about hype.

What's the over / under on Heat wins, with no supporting cast in Miami beyond Wade and Bosh? 48?

CarlHerrera,
Why New York? What does he stand to gain there? If winning wasn't a consideration, and it was more about brand, wouldn't New Jersey be the better choice?

David,
That's my thinking too - all rational thought process flies out the window here. (In some ways that's what makes this whole thing sort of fascinating.) Rational expectations would overwhelmingly point towards S&T or bust for Bosh and Chicago for Lebron. I don't think friendship really would factor too high on the 'rational' totem pole. Yet here we are, hours away from these guys turning down millions, and more logically appealing situations to team up together out of some sentiment borne from comraderie.