Harry Callahan
09-03-2007, 09:43 AM
First of all, I will admit that the Scola trade did not excite me that much. Rockets posters have started to show up in these forums in large measure because of this trade.
I'm sorry the Spurs missed out on a good backup power forward who would have played 15 to 20 minutes per game in SA. The prospect of backing up future HOFer and BPFOAT Tim Duncan was (I think) not acceptable to Luis who would have been a 30 year old career backup by the time his NBA rookie contract would have expired. Don't discount the long term dollars potentially lost due to a lack of playing time in SA. LS can only play the PF position due to his 6'8" (not 6'9" BTW) height and 250 lb weight. He will struggle defensively staying out of foul trouble (much like Yao Ming) due to his lack of quickness and what appears to be a tendency to play zone D on his other teams (at least the Argie Nat Team). At least coach Adelman is not interested in playing winning defense, unlike JVG.
Back to my initial point, the old Inspector is going to provide a little history lesson for all those Rockets posters since they think they have pulled off the greatest trade in history this summer. Please review the following transactions:
Draft Picks (1st round 1st Picks)
1968 - Elvin Hayes. Played three years for SD/Hou franchise. ROTY in 1968 .Traded for an over the hill Jack Marin in 1971. EH Went on to become an NBA Hall of Famer and one of the 50 greatest players with the Washington Bullets (won a title with Bullets in 1978 and went to the finals in 1979). Sent back to Rockets in 1981 as a over the hill performer. NICE!
1976 - John Lucas - Terrific player (ROTY in 1977 I think) but only played three years in Houston. Sent to Golden State in 1979 when Hou signed a washed up locker room cancer named Rick Barry. NICE!
1983 - Ralph Sampson - Never lived up to the hype and was a huge disappointment. Played on the 1983 team (along with Elvin Hayes) that tanked games to get 1st pick in the 1984 draft. Thanks for that one Rockets, the Spurs would not have had a chance to draft either David Robinson or Tim Duncan without the draft lottery.
1984 - Akeem - No doubt a terrific player and a winner who worked out great for Houston. I still have to note that the Rockets are still one of only two NBA teams to pass on the opportunity to draft some guy named Michael Jordan in the 1984 draft.
2002 - Yao Ming. A good (not great) player who is unable to stay healthy or out of foul trouble.
Not exactly shining track record there and lots of wasted potential with those five #1 #1s. Now, let's move on.
Other #1 draft choices:
1983 - Rodney McCray (3) . Remember him. Good not great player who became a journeyman.
1997 - Roderick Rhodes. Who?
1998 - Micheal Dickerson (12) Bryce Drew (14) Misad Turckan (16) Strike One, Strike Two, Strike three and you're out. NICE!
2000 - Joel Pyrzbilla (9). Traded on draft day for Jason Collier (15) and a future #1 in 2001 (see below). Traded a servicable player for someone who is now deceased (that means dead, for the Mavie fans) and draft pick used in the disasterous 2001 draft (see below).
2001 - Richard Jefferson (13) Jason Collins (18) and Brandon Armstrong (24). All three players were traded for the fifth pick in the draft made by the New Jersey Nets. The 5th pick in the draft? A guy named Eddie Griffin :devil . For the second year in a row, the Rockets took a guy who is now deceased. A cute little side note - the 28th pick in 2001. Tony Parker. Don't the Rockets still need a point guard. Could have had one. REALLY NICE!
Let's look at trades, shall we?
Moses Malone - (1982) Unwilling to pay the best center in basketball (in his prime at that time), the Rockets traded MM to Philadelphia. Philly won the NBA Title the first year Moses was with the Sixers.
Vernon Maxwell - (1990) Hey, with all this info, I had to throw a bone to the Rocket fans. SA sold VM to Houston for $50,000. Never mind the fact he was a coked out guy who was an embarrassment to the Rockets and the NBA. He was baller who did help Hou win a title in 1994. CONGRATS - GOOD TRADE!
Charles Barkley (1996) - Traded a young Sam Cassell and Robert Horry (among others) for a few years of the declining and expanding Chuckster. NICE!
Scotty Pippen (1998) - Remember him? Wow! Hou did a sign and trade for Pippen - a $67MM contract he rode out until 2004. He lasted a year in HOU and was traded to Portland for various mediocre pieces like Walt Williams and Mark Bryant (I think). NICE!
Is it any wonder the Rockets have not won a playoff series in a decade. Good times MAY be on the way for Houston, but with Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady being cornerstone players with their respective injury histories, future long term success such as seriously contending for an NBA championship year after year is not a given. By all means Rocket folks celebrate the Scola trade, but let's not get ahead of ourselves, shall we? A little history lesson should teach us that.
I'm sorry the Spurs missed out on a good backup power forward who would have played 15 to 20 minutes per game in SA. The prospect of backing up future HOFer and BPFOAT Tim Duncan was (I think) not acceptable to Luis who would have been a 30 year old career backup by the time his NBA rookie contract would have expired. Don't discount the long term dollars potentially lost due to a lack of playing time in SA. LS can only play the PF position due to his 6'8" (not 6'9" BTW) height and 250 lb weight. He will struggle defensively staying out of foul trouble (much like Yao Ming) due to his lack of quickness and what appears to be a tendency to play zone D on his other teams (at least the Argie Nat Team). At least coach Adelman is not interested in playing winning defense, unlike JVG.
Back to my initial point, the old Inspector is going to provide a little history lesson for all those Rockets posters since they think they have pulled off the greatest trade in history this summer. Please review the following transactions:
Draft Picks (1st round 1st Picks)
1968 - Elvin Hayes. Played three years for SD/Hou franchise. ROTY in 1968 .Traded for an over the hill Jack Marin in 1971. EH Went on to become an NBA Hall of Famer and one of the 50 greatest players with the Washington Bullets (won a title with Bullets in 1978 and went to the finals in 1979). Sent back to Rockets in 1981 as a over the hill performer. NICE!
1976 - John Lucas - Terrific player (ROTY in 1977 I think) but only played three years in Houston. Sent to Golden State in 1979 when Hou signed a washed up locker room cancer named Rick Barry. NICE!
1983 - Ralph Sampson - Never lived up to the hype and was a huge disappointment. Played on the 1983 team (along with Elvin Hayes) that tanked games to get 1st pick in the 1984 draft. Thanks for that one Rockets, the Spurs would not have had a chance to draft either David Robinson or Tim Duncan without the draft lottery.
1984 - Akeem - No doubt a terrific player and a winner who worked out great for Houston. I still have to note that the Rockets are still one of only two NBA teams to pass on the opportunity to draft some guy named Michael Jordan in the 1984 draft.
2002 - Yao Ming. A good (not great) player who is unable to stay healthy or out of foul trouble.
Not exactly shining track record there and lots of wasted potential with those five #1 #1s. Now, let's move on.
Other #1 draft choices:
1983 - Rodney McCray (3) . Remember him. Good not great player who became a journeyman.
1997 - Roderick Rhodes. Who?
1998 - Micheal Dickerson (12) Bryce Drew (14) Misad Turckan (16) Strike One, Strike Two, Strike three and you're out. NICE!
2000 - Joel Pyrzbilla (9). Traded on draft day for Jason Collier (15) and a future #1 in 2001 (see below). Traded a servicable player for someone who is now deceased (that means dead, for the Mavie fans) and draft pick used in the disasterous 2001 draft (see below).
2001 - Richard Jefferson (13) Jason Collins (18) and Brandon Armstrong (24). All three players were traded for the fifth pick in the draft made by the New Jersey Nets. The 5th pick in the draft? A guy named Eddie Griffin :devil . For the second year in a row, the Rockets took a guy who is now deceased. A cute little side note - the 28th pick in 2001. Tony Parker. Don't the Rockets still need a point guard. Could have had one. REALLY NICE!
Let's look at trades, shall we?
Moses Malone - (1982) Unwilling to pay the best center in basketball (in his prime at that time), the Rockets traded MM to Philadelphia. Philly won the NBA Title the first year Moses was with the Sixers.
Vernon Maxwell - (1990) Hey, with all this info, I had to throw a bone to the Rocket fans. SA sold VM to Houston for $50,000. Never mind the fact he was a coked out guy who was an embarrassment to the Rockets and the NBA. He was baller who did help Hou win a title in 1994. CONGRATS - GOOD TRADE!
Charles Barkley (1996) - Traded a young Sam Cassell and Robert Horry (among others) for a few years of the declining and expanding Chuckster. NICE!
Scotty Pippen (1998) - Remember him? Wow! Hou did a sign and trade for Pippen - a $67MM contract he rode out until 2004. He lasted a year in HOU and was traded to Portland for various mediocre pieces like Walt Williams and Mark Bryant (I think). NICE!
Is it any wonder the Rockets have not won a playoff series in a decade. Good times MAY be on the way for Houston, but with Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady being cornerstone players with their respective injury histories, future long term success such as seriously contending for an NBA championship year after year is not a given. By all means Rocket folks celebrate the Scola trade, but let's not get ahead of ourselves, shall we? A little history lesson should teach us that.