<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"><font size=""3"">After draft day dealings, Rockets ready to take on West</font> Shane Battier knows just how you feel.He doesn't blame you. He takes no offense. He also is not worried that he will win over the fans that booed their way out of Toyota Center on Wednesday. "It's completely understandable for fans," Battier said Thursday, a day after the Rockets agreed to send Stromile Swift and the rights to No. 8 draft pick Rudy Gay to the Memphis Grizzlies for Battier. "The nice, shiny-red fire engine looks better than the old, shabby teddy bear that's been around the block a few times. But I'm going to do everything I can to earn the city of Houston's respect, to earn Rockets fans' respect. "It's going to end up a pretty good deal." While Rockets fans who replaced the shock with anger were largely speaking about Gay's potential rather than Battier's value, there were others — from coach Hubie Brown to future teammate Tracy McGrady — who were eager to rave about the Rockets' acquisition. Measuring the deal itself likely will be difficult until Gay taps his potential — or fails to. The choice itself, however, was not between Gay and Battier. Even without the trade, the Rockets were never going to take Gay. They tried to trade up for Brandon Roy, chosen sixth, missed Randy Foye, who was selected seventh, by one spot and preferred Thabo Sefolosha, picked 13th, and Ronnie Brewer, selected 14th. Instead, the Rockets went with Battier, the sixth pick of the 2001 draft. Battier's ability to play three positions could be especially beneficial to the Rockets, especially his ability to play power forward. They have lacked 3-point shooting between McGrady and Yao Ming, a skill that would bring big men away from the lane where they have cut off penetration and double-teamed Yao. With so many teams down-sizing at the position, the Rockets had only traditional power forwards. "When they told me that's the deal we made, I was so happy," McGrady said. "Shane is a solid player and the type of player we need, a player that can inspire the team with hustle plays, a defensive presence. He's smart and can shoot outside. But I really like that when we match up with Phoenix or Dallas, we can match up with Shane at the four. "From what I'm hearing, people are (angry). They don't understand; we're trying to win now. We don't want a guy that will take three years to develop. We're trying to win this season. I think Rudy's going to be a pretty good player. But what we need right now, this season, is Shane Battier. This is definitely a good trade." Battier's agent, Lon Babby, said that out-of-town fans will rarely appreciate his client because they won't see him on television highlights, and he rarely produces eye-catching numbers. He has averaged 10.5 points and 4.8 rebounds in his five-year career. Last season, he made 48.8 percent of his shots, 39.4 percent of his 3-pointers. But Babby insisted that fans of his team, who are in the building and see how games are won, will see a player who makes "the key stop, the critical pass, the big shot." "Every coach he has had loved him, and he has had some pretty incredible coaches," Babby said. "He just knows the game." Though Battier is signed through 2010, agents often speak as if practicing for a eulogy. Brown, however, who no longer works for the Grizzlies, having retired from coaching to return to broadcasting for ABC, said Battier was a key to Memphis' turnaround. "He's everything you want a player to be," Brown said. "He's totally coachable. He's a winner. He does all the intangibles that don't appear in the box score. He can make big plays under pressure at the end of the game, whether it's taking a charge, blocking a shot, making a steal or making a 3-point shot from the corner. "He has a high basketball IQ. We could never have turned it around in Memphis ... without him. There are certain people that can have limitations but overcome them with hard work and intelligence. The bottom line is they're winners because they can perform under maximum pressure. That's what this kid's all about." Battier could not say all that about himself, but beyond fitting in easily with McGrady and Yao, he seemed certain about what he could bring. "I think I'm a guy that plays well with great players, and that's what the Rockets have in Tracy and Yao," Battier said. "My entire career has been about being a good basketball player, making good basketball plays. "I don't get caught up in positions or stats or numbers. I'm about doing what needs to be done." If damage control was needed Thursday, by next season what the Rockets will need most is to make all those kind words ring true. </div> http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/4014253.html Ok looks like Tmac and others like the deal.. This article changed my mind now. I think that Battier will be a good fit. Guys look.. We need immediate help now. So we cant wait for a rookie for 3 years to develop his game. Rudy Gay wasn't worth it. Yeah he fits out needs, but he wont be immediate help. He will take atleast 3 years to develop, and we need help now, so i think that getting Battier will give us immediate help, which is why i like the deal. If you guys want the rockets to get past first round, then u better be happy, because this deal will help us get past the first round. We really needhelp now, so Battier is the guy that will give us help now, not Rudy Gay because he will help us in 3 years, which is what we dont need. So trading for Battier was good. Rockets are gona be good next year because they are getting the help for next season instead of waiting 3 years.
Tmac wanted Emeka Okafor instead of Dwight Howard because he was more NBA ready. Did Orlando give a rats ass? No. They are a franchise that is looking to win and try to look for future success. T-Mac was injured half of this season...No one should care what he wants or likes. He shouldn't change your opinion. He is being A LITTLE to selfish here and just looking for his ring. Im all for winning now, but T-Mac's opinion isn't going to change the fact that I know we could have gotten more with what we gave up. Jerry West is a sly sly man. He knew he could sell JVG (or the Rockets) Battier for just about anyone on the team not named Yao or T-Mac. Just because he is a JVG type player doesn't mean he is the best option for the team. Just look at Ryan Bowen, or J Ho
Well according to what he says win NOW well they'd better win within the next two years or else this trade is going to be one of the all time busts unless we do get someone like gerald green in this deal.
I'd hate to rag on my idol here, but if they lose and tmac retires then all blame goes on him. With battier he has that third option. I just want to get this straight. The Rudy Gay advocates aren't mad that we lost Rudy Gay, we are mad that we didn't get more for Rudy gay.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Umair15:</div><div class="quote_post">http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/4014253.html Ok looks like Tmac and others like the deal.. This article changed my mind now. I think that Battier will be a good fit. Guys look.. We need immediate help now. So we cant wait for a rookie for 3 years to develop his game. Rudy Gay wasn't worth it. Yeah he fits out needs, but he wont be immediate help. He will take atleast 3 years to develop, and we need help now, so i think that getting Battier will give us immediate help, which is why i like the deal. If you guys want the rockets to get past first round, then u better be happy, because this deal will help us get past the first round. We really needhelp now, so Battier is the guy that will give us help now, not Rudy Gay because he will help us in 3 years, which is what we dont need. So trading for Battier was good. Rockets are gona be good next year because they are getting the help for next season instead of waiting 3 years.</div> Yes he MIGHT take 3 years to develop, but woudlnt u wait 3 years for chemistry reasons? Like Gay and Battier are both new to the Rockets they lack chemistry. In 3 years, according to you, Gay will be developed, he would have good chemistry with Yao and T-Mac and we will have the best trio in the NBA!
I totally agree with Tmac, this draft was weak, so chances are Gay will be a role player at best......Battier is a proven defender, shooter, smart player, and winner.
it's great that tmac supports the trade... but then again he was one of the biggest supporters of the stromile swift signing last year.
It seems this trade might be stopped... If a player is traded to another team, that player has 3 days to report to that team or the trade is recinded. If the player's new team trades him, then the trade still counts. This gives us 72 hours AFTER july 12 for stromile to not report. West has said that he has bigger plans for Swift meaning anohter trade, but I don't see which team would want him.
I personally like this deal. It gives you someone that can produce right away and gives you a great three ball shooter, something you guys severlely lacked last year. He also bolsters your perimeter defense immediately, giving you somoene to guard the Kobe's and LeBron's of the league, that way TMac doesn't have to and keeps him a little fresher on offense. Rudy Gay on the other hand, won't produce now. Not only that, he's not even a sure thing. If he's a bust here in a couple years, the Rockets look like a genius for not only trading him, but ridding themselves of the cancer known as Stromile Swift. On the other hand, they get a proven player who will produce now in Shane Battier.
I think this is a good deal for now, given the fact that we traded a complete deadweight in Swift for arguably the best defender in the league. Not only that, but Battier can also knock down the three pointer consistently and he's got Ryan Bowen's hustle as well. Personally, I don't know how much more we could have gotten for Rudy Gay. If teams really wanted him, why would they pick other players ahead of him in the draft? I mean, it seems like Gay was hyped up a lot (smokescreen perhaps?) on potential. It also seems very likely that he could be a bust, since its reported that he doesn't really have the killer instinct that many players have to succeed in the league. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">T-Mac was injured half of this season...No one should care what he wants or likes. He shouldn't change your opinion. He is being A LITTLE to selfish here and just looking for his ring.</div> Wait, so you wouldn't like a championship? <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Jerry West is a sly sly man. He knew he could sell JVG (or the Rockets) Battier for just about anyone on the team not named Yao or T-Mac. Just because he is a JVG type player doesn't mean he is the best option for the team. Just look at Ryan Bowen, or J Ho</div> Juwan Howard is the opposite of a Van Gundy player. His defense is mediocre to slightly above average (probably due to his coaching). In addition, he doesn't really have a consistent jumper and really needs to take a lot of shots to score. If he was more efficient, the team would be in a lot better shape since he would be hitting all those open shots that Yao is giving him.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Moo2K4:</div><div class="quote_post">I personally like this deal. It gives you someone that can produce right away and gives you a great three ball shooter, something you guys severlely lacked last year. He also bolsters your perimeter defense immediately, giving you somoene to guard the Kobe's and LeBron's of the league, that way TMac doesn't have to and keeps him a little fresher on offense. Rudy Gay on the other hand, won't produce now. Not only that, he's not even a sure thing. If he's a bust here in a couple years, the Rockets look like a genius for not only trading him, but ridding themselves of the cancer known as Stromile Swift. On the other hand, they get a proven player who will produce now in Shane Battier.</div> I think you mean try to guard the kobe's and Lebron's. LOL, jk.
