<div class="quote_poster">Quoting drunkenbarden:</div><div class="quote_post">Shane Battier is a solid player good defender,can shoot the ball well he can help our team alot.</div> In what ways? He really won't be our third scoring option averaging 10 ppg. Yea he is a good defender, but he wont help our team as much as gay would have. how does battier fit our teams needs? i think gay was perfect for the rockets because he has exactly what we need and that is athelticism.
More lopseided and what the hell we passed on alexander johnson and Guillermo Diaz in the second round
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting playmaker15:</div><div class="quote_post">Houston needs to score points, sure Shane plays D but he doesn't score as much as Gay can. I don't like the move especially not that they have up Swift as well.</div>What are you judging your statements on? Gay has never played in the NBA, and maxed out at 15 ppg in college. If you want to compare that to Battier's 20 ppg his last year at Duke, then I don't see where you're coming from.
I sure do hope it's not that, bad, it's turning out to be one of the worst days of my summer. On the good side, it was a safe trade, Gay might not have been much good anyway, and we dumped Stromile Swift's contract, we have cap room to sign someone else. I REALLY hate this trade, to be frank with you. I've had a fan who said he'd give a testicle to reverse it, I gotta give props to that young fan. Shane Battier is 29, doesn't score, doesn't rebound, is not athletic, works hard and does the little things in the game to help you win though. I was a big fan of Stromile Swift, and to be honest with you, I still am, I think we should have started him at PF from the beginning. Hope Rudy Gay becomes a bust like Marcus Fitzer, hope Stro struggles in Memphis. Hope Shane Battier will help our team a lot. You know, now I feel if we can at least have a healthy Tracy McGrady and a healthy Yao back by training camp, that will be a blessing. I feel much better already. No one can stop T-Mac and Yao, yeah, that's the spirit! Let's go Rockets! Clutch City, it's H-Town baby!
OK Difference being Gay has athleticism that will help us he can fly he can dunk he can get all the garbage baskets for us and hit all his open shots nothing less then what battier will do. Sure Battier is a solid defender but he has averaged 10points or less his entire career and has not been the shut down Defender you all lthink he is why do you think they went out and got eddie jones. Also Gay would have been able to guard the 2 for mcgrady jus like battier could have done. The rockets only lost in this trade. Gay scores within the flow of the game he doesn't have sets or anything and still puts up 15pts for UCONN now Battier had sets for himself in duke and duke university inflates their own players stats with their system. Houston sucks!!!
So basically we traded Swift and 8th pick for Battier? So battier worth swift + moving up 16 spots in draft? I dont think so! Rudy Gay is not gonna be sorry. We are going to regret this trade! i was so happy when rockets had rudy gay, but i had a feeling this draft was going to turn out like the texans! man what the hell is wrong with houston in drafts? shane battier is like 27-29 and is old. why are we getting older? rudy gay was a young guy who could've given us athelticism and the needs that fit us.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting tinyballer:</div><div class="quote_post">Umm wut do u mean move up 16 spots we didn't get their first round draft pick.</div> i thought we got memphis' 24th. so i was saying memphis moved up 16 spots and got swift for battier.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting tinyballer:</div><div class="quote_post">OK Difference being Gay has athleticism that will help us he can fly he can dunk he can get all the garbage baskets for us and hit all his open shots nothing less then what battier will do. Sure Battier is a solid defender but he has averaged 10points or less his entire career and has not been the shut down Defender you all lthink he is why do you think they went out and got eddie jones. Also Gay would have been able to guard the 2 for mcgrady jus like battier could have done. The rockets only lost in this trade. Gay scores within the flow of the game he doesn't have sets or anything and still puts up 15pts for UCONN now Battier had sets for himself in duke and duke university inflates their own players stats with their system. Houston sucks!!!</div> The difference is that Gay doesn't have the IQ Battier does, he doesn't have the work ethic, and he doesn't have the intangibles. Also, stop saying that Battier has averaged ten points or less his entire career. That's just not true. It's not a matter of opinion either; it's a fact. Battier was a 20+ ppg scorer at Duke and averaged 14 ppg his rookie year. The only reason his scoring average declined after his first season on the Grizzlies was because coach Brown started to experiment with a ten man rotation, reducing everyone on the team's playing time and touches, even Pau Gasol's. That's not to say Battier's not a reliable offensive option. He's proven he can be a 15-20 point scorer if he needs to. Don't compare Gay to Battier; it's just a joke. If you want to win, and most importantly, if you want to win now, you don't accomplish that through players like Rudy Gay; you accomplish that through players like Shane Battier. And yes, Battier is that caliber of a defender. The stats back that up, the game tape back that up, and the fact that Houston was willing to give up so much young talent backs that up. The reason the Grizzlies got Eddie Jones had nothing to do with Battier anyway. It had everything to do with getting rid of team cancers Jason Williams and James Posey while picking up a veteran with a really expensive and expiring contract. Any other misconceptions I can clear up while I'm here?
U know what, I don't have a problem with us getting Shane, but you have to admit we gave up WAYYYY more the he's worth.
Whoever said that Battier is 29 needs to go back to elementary math school. Shane Battier was born on September 9, 1978. That, for those of you who call him "old", makes him 27 and 28 at the start of the season. He's less than a year older than McGrady. How does that exactly make him "old"? I'm loving this trade. This guy is extremely versatile and is a jack of all trades. He is money from the corner, and I'd rather have him shooting an open three than Head, who most of you think is the best shooter we have. Swift was a waste anyways, and the fact that we unloaded his contract made the deal even sweeter. Rudy Gay might be good, sure, but he might also be a bust. The thing about the draft is that there is no sure thing, and that's why a lot of teams trade their picks for veterans. I don't see why getting a bona-fide NBA starter and top 10 defender is a bad deal. This deal makes us pretty much playoff locks. EDIT: I'm really disappointed at the comments some of the Rockets fans have made. The hype surrounding Gay has everyone muffled. Gay hasn't played a game yet; stop crying about how bad the deal is. You don't know how good we have it.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting houston_owns_u:</div><div class="quote_post"> I REALLY hate this trade, to be frank with you. I've had a fan who said he'd give a testicle to reverse it, I gotta give props to that young fan. Shane Battier is 29, doesn't score, doesn't rebound, is not athletic, works hard and does the little things in the game to help you win though. I was a big fan of Stromile Swift, and to be honest with you, I still am, I think we should have started him at PF from the beginning.</div> I like Swift more than Howard, but that's not saying much. Battier is 27, I believe, and he's a decent rebounder for a SF. I think it's probably that he'll have a bigger impact on us winning at least the next couple years than Rudy Gay would have. The trade makes some sense from a short-term perspective. Long-term, it may turn out to not be a great trade. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">You know, now I feel if we can at least have a healthy Tracy McGrady and a healthy Yao back by training camp, that will be a blessing. I feel much better already. No one can stop T-Mac and Yao, yeah, that's the spirit! Let's go Rockets! Clutch City, it's H-Town baby!</div> Battier is premier defensive player at the SF position, and he can fill in at SG and PF at times as well. He's not going to hurt the offense, because he's just so efficient, but if McGrady goes down for an extended period again you can't count on him to become a go-to guy. Battier is like a bigger, stronger Bruce Bowen with slightly better offensive skills. He's a quality NBA player, and the Rockets should be improved with him on the team (certainly he's a big upgrade over the likes of Wesley and Bogans). I'm dissapointed and concerned, like everyone else, but hopefully this thing will work out just fine.
I am one of the old-school basketball types who would take fundamentals over just about anything else. Saying that now, I have to scratch my head at this move by the Rockets. While I am scratching it, im leaning both ways. I can see why we made the trade and think its a good one. On the other hand I think this was a horrible move. Only time will tell whether it was the right move or not. The good about the move: Shane Battier is one of the most solid, fundamental players in the league. He is a defensive workhorse, who Van Gundy will instantly fall in love with. He is a flat out winner - from his days with Duke. No one works harder than Shane either. He thrives under pressure and is a solid offensive player. He is not explosive, he just gets the job done. He is a leader in every since of the word. Back in his Duke days, the team feared him more than Coach K because of how hard he worked and how he demanded everyone to work that hard with him. I can guarentee you nobody will be slacking in practice with Shane around. We also get rid of Stromile. The bad about the move: Rudy Gay has a not so great work ethic from what I hear. That being said, he is Rudy Gay, an athletic freak who has the potential to be a star in this league for many years to come. A solid wing who is as explosive as they come. If Rudy Gay is the real deal - matched up alongside McGrady with Head at the point - OH BABY is what comes to mind. We also had to give up a lot to get rid of Stromile. Overall I am undecided at this point. I love the trade and hate the trade. Only time will tell whether this was the right move or not. I for one am not willing to wait that long though....
Ok at the very least Rudy Gay will average 10/5 in the league. What good is shane battier's iq if he sucks in playoffs aveeragine 6 points. He sucks in the playoffs. His defence not as good as you think it is because if it was they would have not gotten eddie jones to help out. Rudy gay at the very least will do more then what Shane battier has done in his entire career.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Voodoo Child:</div><div class="quote_post">The difference is that Gay doesn't have the IQ Battier does, he doesn't have the work ethic, and he doesn't have the intangibles. Also, stop saying that Battier has averaged ten points or less his entire career. That's just not true. It's not a matter of opinion either; it's a fact. Battier was a 20+ ppg scorer at Duke and averaged 14 ppg his rookie year. The only reason his scoring average declined after his first season on the Grizzlies was because coach Brown started to experiment with a ten man rotation, reducing everyone on the team's playing time and touches, even Pau Gasol's. That's not to say Battier's not a reliable offensive option. He's proven he can be a 15-20 point scorer if he needs to. Don't compare Gay to Battier; it's just a joke. If you want to win, and most importantly, if you want to win now, you don't accomplish that through players like Rudy Gay; you accomplish that through players like Shane Battier. And yes, Battier is that caliber of a defender. The stats back that up, the game tape back that up, and the fact that Houston was willing to give up so much young talent backs that up. The reason the Grizzlies got Eddie Jones had nothing to do with Battier anyway. It had everything to do with getting rid of team cancers Jason Williams and James Posey while picking up a veteran with a really expensive and expiring contract. Any other misconceptions I can clear up while I'm here?</div>Thank you, VC. You must be pissed about losing Battier. As for the Rockets, I don't think you guys have enough confidence in them. If they were rebuilding, then I'd agree with you all. But you guys have Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady on your roster already. Surrounded by the right veterans, that's a recipe for a championship. I think it would be dumb to waste away years of TMac and Yao's primes trying to develop young talent. Go after that title while you have the chance.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Voodoo Child:</div><div class="quote_post"> Don't compare Gay to Battier; it's just a joke. If you want to win, and most importantly, if you want to win now, you don't accomplish that through players like Rudy Gay; you accomplish that through players like Shane Battier. </div> I'm on the fence with this trade, but I hope you're right. The Rockets could either end up looking really dumb with this trade, or really smart. It's certainly not popular at all with Rockets fans.
Ok the only good thing i see about this draft is that we just dumped stro's contract. and we finally have some money to get a good free-agent. now i dont even care about this trade, unless rudy gay turns out to be a lebron james type of player. then i will cry! but i dont care about this deal. hopefully battier helps us and will be our third scoring option averagin atleast 15 ppg. If we get past the first round next year, im happy with the trade. If Rudy Gay turns out to be real good, them im mad!
Rudy gay would have given us what we needed in defence and jump shot and driving ability and + look at the uconn players CV3 and all some said to have attitude problems all turned out great in the pros because calhoon prepares them all for the nba. Battier has shown nothing besides hustle that beats out rudy gay and hustle as we all see in ryan bowen does not win championships.
People need to stop comparing Battier's college stats to Gay's college stats. The folks on ESPN were even saying that it would not be a fair assessmnet of his abilities because he was only a sophmore. If you wanted to make a comparison, you must take a look at their stats from the same time in their respective college years. Upperclassmans generally recieve more touches in college basketball. Battier averaged that 20 points in his senior year, not his sophmore year. Also, I never put too much emphasis on college stats. I always hear that when Kurt Thomas was in college he lead the nation in scoring and rebounding. He is not in the top 10 in either category now that he is in the NBA. This will be as lopsided as the T-Mac trade. It will not have as negative an impact on us since we still will have Yao and T-Mac, but it will be as lopsided. Also, can someone tell me how we save money enough money on this trade to sign a quality free agent. Yes we got rid of Stro's $5.4, but we will have to pay Battier's $5.393. That is a savings of $7,000. I guess we won't have to pay for a first round rookie, but that money we save will not be enough to sign a player as good as Gay. We just traded for the Magic's 44 pick, Lior Eliahu, someone who will likely stay overseas for the next two seasons.
