offseason!

[mightybosstone]

Honestly guys,

I think we need to package Scola, T-Will, and this years 1st rounder to Raptors if they end up with the #5 pick in the draft. The guy we need to draft is Enes Kanter. He's 6'11 with a 7'4 wingspan and is the most polished center to enter the league since Yao. Some experts have even said as of now he's more advanced than Yao was at this stage (19 years old). He could provide an excellent frontcourt with Patterson for years to come! Also I would try and pry away Thaddeus Young from the 76ers to be our starting SF. We all love Bud, BUT he simply can't handle any player at the 3 on defense! Young is the 6th man for the 76ers and he's 6'8, athletic, plays above-average defense, and can put up good #s overall if he were given more playing time. What do yall think?

I really like the idea of trading up to get Enes Kanter, but I think you give up way too much in that package you offered. How about both of their first round picks this year and Terrence Williams or Chase Budinger for the No. 5 pick?

[mightybosstone]

wilson chandler fits the bill perfectly, his a SF that can defend and block shots, he can also score.

I love Wilson Chandler. He's the perfect two-way player they need at SF. The problem is that he'll be a restricted free agent and I just don't see how they'll be able to pry him away from Denver.

[Snakeyestx]

I don't think we have the cap space or are willing to trade off and gut the team to pick up a huge name like a Dwight Howard, and it's probably better that we didn't anyway. The team is pretty compotent as it is, but we're just missing a dominating presence in the paint. Scola's a bit of an artist with the scoop and the tango, but he's also 30+ and finally showing us his knees are susceptible to damage. A shocker to me would be to trade him, but then again, I wouldn't be suprised either.

JJ Hickson of the Cav's is dominant and one of the highest scorers on the team there. His rookie contract expires this season. It seems to make sense to have him fill up the PF position for us and probably acquire him rather inexpensively compared to a big name. Turn HIM into a big name. Give him a place where he could thrive and grow with Lowry and Martin and Patterson (moved to the SF), along with Bud and Lee. Have Scola rotate with Hayes in the middle, or by some miracle, have the broken panda back up and running next season (doubt they're gonna trade him off).

I'd love to see a trade of a few picks, T-Will (give him some other place to get court time, he's unused here), maybe Jordan Hill, Miller, and DeMarre Carrol (most of the people Adelman rarely use that could be utilized elsewhere) to other teams to make cap space to pick up JJ.

[sep11ie]

I don't think we have the cap space or are willing to trade off and gut the team to pick up a huge name like a Dwight Howard, and it's probably better that we didn't anyway. The team is pretty compotent as it is, but we're just missing a dominating presence in the paint. Scola's a bit of an artist with the scoop and the tango, but he's also 30+ and finally showing us his knees are susceptible to damage. A shocker to me would be to trade him, but then again, I wouldn't be suprised either.

JJ Hickson of the Cav's is dominant and one of the highest scorers on the team there. His rookie contract expires this season. It seems to make sense to have him fill up the PF position for us and probably acquire him rather inexpensively compared to a big name. Turn HIM into a big name. Give him a place where he could thrive and grow with Lowry and Martin and Patterson (moved to the SF), along with Bud and Lee. Have Scola rotate with Hayes in the middle, or by some miracle, have the broken panda back up and running next season (doubt they're gonna trade him off).

I'd love to see a trade of a few picks, T-Will (give him some other place to get court time, he's unused here), maybe Jordan Hill, Miller, and DeMarre Carrol (most of the people Adelman rarely use that could be utilized elsewhere) to other teams to make cap space to pick up JJ.

Patterson can't play the 3 and he for sure can't start at the 3. He'd foul out in the 2nd period.
Cleveland LOVES Hickson.
Can't say T-Will won't get any playing time next year, we don't even know who will bw coaching us. If we get a coach that likes his style/potential he could be used heavily.

[Htownballa1622]

With that being said.

Who do yall think coaches this team next year? Rick or someone else?
And if he doesn't come back how will someone like k mart be in a different offense that's not this princeton offense that plays to his strengths?

[Snakeyestx]

Now this is strictly fantasy coaching aquisitions here if Rick doesn't come back... I think at this point no one can really say who'd be next in line.

* Mario Elie has put in 6 years as an assistant in Sacramento.... maybe he can get a head coaching gig here... Scottie Brooks has one!

* Jerry Sloan makes a come back?

* Patrick Ewing leaves Orlando's A/C position?

* John Keuster doesn't seem long for Detroit.

* R.J. Adelman .. Rick's son right? He's one of our A/C's ... imagine that!

There's 5... you guys come up with a few ... I know mine aren't all feasible, but who's is right now?

[rhino17]

Sorry. But I'm not buying the "you need a superstar to succeed in this league" argument. If you look at guys considered to be "superstars" in the league, you'd have to consider Lebron, Kobe, Wade, Dwight, Rose, Paul, D-Will, Dirk, Melo, Durant, Griffin and possible Amare.

What about the Spurs and the Celtics? Because when I look at their roster, I don't see a superstar among them anymore. Look at teams like Denver, Portland, Atlanta and Philadelphia. Not one superstar on any of their rosters, while New York's duo has struggled mightily since forming at the deadline.

Essentially, I think you need at least a couple of all-star caliber players, a legit inside-outside game, a group of guys who have played together a long time and know their roles and you need to be able to play lockdown defense to contend in this league. Given what we've seen at the end of this season, if this team can get longer and better defensively, I think it's worth keeping together one more year to see how it works out.

Regardless of whether or no you buy it, its a fact, the Pistons are the only team in the past 20 years who won a championship without one and they had 4 all-stars on their team, the rockets have zero

Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Portland are nothing more than low end playoff teams who will not compete for anything in the near future

As for the Spurs and Celtics, both those team have aging guys who were once superstars, that definitely counts for something, especially if you have as many of them together as those 2 teams have

and again, even if you discount that, they all have 3 or more all-star calibur players, the Rockets still have NONE

* Mario Elie has put in 6 years as an assistant in Sacramento.... maybe he can get a head coaching gig here... Scottie Brooks has one!

* Jerry Sloan makes a come back?

A rockets fan suggesting Jerry Sloan? Is that a joke?

If Adelman decides to leave, the job should go to Elston Turner or Mario Elie

[sep11ie]

Terrence Jones is who we have in the mock draft.

[Htownballa1622]

Terrence Jones is who we have in the mock draft.

I saw that too.He could be a guy for our sf position.

Also saw a guy with our 38th pick named keith benson. 6'11 guy outta oakland.
I hope we draft well and do something with guys not playing. (carrol,hill, miller) and maybe we package the orlando first(from phoenix) with someone for an upgrade at sf, c or to move up somehow.

[sep11ie]

TJones and TWill are very similar players. Outgrew the PG position, incosistant shot, plays good D, PG court vision, don't really see the point here.

[mightybosstone]

Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Portland are nothing more than low end playoff teams who will not compete for anything in the near future

If Portland plays Dallas in the first round, I would put money on the Blazers. They split the season series and Portland is as talented as any team in the league. If not for injuries, I think they could have been a top 4 seed and it wouldn't surprise me if they weren't contending next year.

As for the Spurs and Celtics, both those team have aging guys who were once superstars, that definitely counts for something, especially if you have as many of them together as those 2 teams have. and again, even if you discount that, they all have 3 or more all-star calibur players, the Rockets still have NONE

Kevin Martin and Luis Scola may have not had any all star appearances, but I think they're certainly all star caliber players. If they were playing in the East and not the West, which is stacked with 2s and 4s, I think they would have been all stars this season.

And I honestly believe Kyle Lowry has the capability to be one of the 5-10 best point guards in the league. Since the all star game, he's average 17, 7 and 5 and he's 6th among point guards in TO/AST ratio. If he could keep that up over the course of an entire season, those are certainly all star caliber numbers for a PG.

[Snakeyestx]

A rockets fan suggesting Jerry Sloan? Is that a joke?

Actually no. I know why you'd ask this though. But think about it this way :

Adelman uses the Princeton offense, which is dependent on highlly affluent rotation passing, and mismatch-finding, and concerns of how Martin would react to a different style has been raised.

Sloan used a Flex Offense, which in theory works in a similar fashion but requires that all 5 men on the court have to be able to have fluid roles rather than defined ones (technically not much different than what we're doing now).

Lowry's used to being a pickpocketer in the paint and grabbing boards, Martin is no stranger to taking it to the hole. When he's not in a cold spell with a bunk knee, Miller can shoot the 3-ball. Lee can work the SG or the SF if asked to. Bud plays SF but can shoot the 3-ball.

In essence, a flex offense would be a pretty simple transition from the Princeton and would also utilize our speed on the floor with cuts and back-cuts.

Not that it's going to happen, but this possibility had some reasoning behind it.

[EDUTEXANS]

I rather adelman over sloan although he is a great coach

[rhino17]

If Sloan was ever hired, I would be done with this team forever

that being said, he will never be hired

[NBA-GMaster]

How about coach John Callipari?? JVG or Larry Brown(we really need a defense)??