Like most people, I like the POSSIBILITY of DA coming to Houston. If you remember, last year at the trading deadline he was inches away of becoming a Rocket and that's not by accident. I realize that he's had injuries, but so did Sura before he became a Rocket, so the point is almost every veteran over 30 has had injury problems at some point. Anytime you take a player you are taking a risk no matter what the case. I believe that a player as talented as DA should be worth the risk because of his proven scoring ability (13.1pts career, last year was his only year under double digits) and his defense. Not to mention his experience in the playoffs. He shot 38% last year from 3pt last year which is pretty decent. I think it's important to realize that being overly critical of veteran guys with proven talent (DA, Finley, Swift, Stoudamire, Allan Houston)and "symphathetic" towards young guys who haven't really done anything is very naive. What the Rockets are looking for is a veteran to plug in at SG/SF that can provide decent 3pt shooting, speed, athletism, experience and defense. In that case, Derek Anderson, Micheal Finley are a perfect fit. I think that MOST people will agree that it's much safer getting a proven guy that knows how to win, rather than a young guy who had ONE good season. Even though the deal hasn't gone through, I would HOPE that we could snatch up a savvy veteran like DA, and a lightnin quick guard like Stoudamire (who Tmac vouched for) that the Rocket could really use. Thank you
I've always been a big fan of Derek Anderson because of his clutch play, but I definitely do not like this deal. Essentially, this would be a sign-and-trade as Stoudamire's a free agent, and the only thing this means is he would have a long and big contract. Would we want to pay a lot for an undersized veteran? Derek Anderson is a great option at shooting guard, but the injuries are a big factor and his contract is just a wreck. Anderson has also never struck me as a lockdown defender and his injuries have taken away a lot of his explosiveness. We'd be giving away a lot in contracts expiring in 2006 which would mean that we would be handicapped in the free agent market next summer. Weatherspoon has a bad contract but he is essentially a 12th man and every team has someone like him who is just waiting out a contract. As for the whole Demarr Johnson vs Anderson argument, I'd take Johnson because he's younger and gives you instant offense. His defensive game is suspect but he has the potential to be a good sixth man backing up the two and three. Anderson brings good experience but he isn't likely to play 70 games and there isn't much room for improvement due to his already being past his peak.
honestly i dont know about you guys but i dont wesley to leave, sure those others players are good, but its not about stats and what not, its about fitting the right peices to the puzzle that can make this team a championship team. last season, we had a great team that needed some speed, thats what everyone said, and we still ran every night the whole season, we neede da power foward and we still held our ground even when juwann is out. so mem my opinion is that wesley even thouhg statwise or hightlight wise one of the better players, he did his thang and got us that much farther.
imo i dont see this deal happening...it would be good for portland to get rid of some unwanted ppl and good for houston and also relatively low risk...wesley wasnt that good anyway...but i still doubt the trade will happen somehow...last time i checked stoudamire was going to the grizzlies...nice try though
