Rockets Roster: Starters G- G- Tracy McGrady F- Jim Jackson F- Juan Howard or Mo Taylor C- Yao Ming Bench G- Reese Gaines G/F- Adrian Griffin G- Tyronn Lue F- Bostjan Nachbar G/F- Eric Piatkowski F- Clarence Weatherspoon To most sensible pickups in free agency would be Derek Fisher or Charlie Ward to fill the starting point guard slot, and Mark Blount, Greg Ostertag or Vlade Divac to fill in as backup center. With this type of lineup, the Rockets will definitely be a favorite in the already loaded West.
Expect Brent Barry or Derek Fisher for the MLE, maybe less for Fisher then Brian Skinner or a player like him for the Million Dollar Exception PG- Brent Barry or Derek Fisher SG- Tracy McGrady SF- Jimmy Jackson PF- Juwan Howard C- Yao
I just heard that San Antonio is first option on Brent Barry's wish list so we may end up with Fisher. I think Blount would be a great fit as a backup post but he's likely outta our price range. And again, Vlade would be another nice backup option, but its highly unlikely that he'll come here...
I don't think Vlade would mind taking a pay cut if he gets a legitimate chance to win a title. Other big man possibilities could include Micheal Doleac, Scott Williams or Jake Tsadalidas, simply to give Yao a chance to rest and keep some resemblance of an inside presence during games.
Vlade would be a good fit, seeing as he can only play limited minutes now and he can teach Yao all his "tricks"... Whether he'd be willing to take a pay cut and accept a reduced role is another matter altogether. I don't think Charlie Ward will be useful as anything more than a backup PG. Barry would be nice though.
Well, Charlie Ward ran Van Gundy's system while they were with the Knicks. He's a pass first, shoot second type of guard, which is exactly what Van Gundy is looking for. I think Derek Fisher is a much better fit simply because he is a much better all around defender than Ward. I can't see Brent Barry in a Rockets uniform simply because he wouldn't fit in as a point, and would probably have to come off the bench at the 2. If Reese Gaines would finally be healthy enough to play, his size and defensive skills would work perfectly for the Rockets as starting point. That's just my opinion from the way he performed at Louisville.
