I'm kinda glad...Cassell is old and Howard hasn't been playing that bad plus Mike James has a better contract I believe so it doesn't put a strain on us it would have been great to get rid of Howard's contract but then we wouldn't have been able to get rid of Mo because we wouldn't have any PFs left
I am happy that we didn't pull the trigger and got Mike James instead. Otherwise, we would have ended up with another very old and unhealthy player.
I just got to see that, I dont get it he said we were gonna move Juwan Howard for him, we would have had to get a new 4...
I think we might had another deal working which will get us a new 4, and because of that deal didn't come through, we have to pull off the deal with Sam.
Mind-boggling, isn't it? At the start of the year, this would have classified as the most lopsided deal in NBA history (this is, of course, pre-"Webber to the Sixers"). Howard was terrible, had a loooooong contract and Cassell was coming off a monster year. Sam is a fan favorite in Houston and we desperately needed a point guard. Now, Cassell looks like a malcontent, is injured while Howard is playing very well. To me, it's still very tempting, but it no doubt would have created as big of a problem as it fixed. Without Howard, we really don't have anything at the four whatsoever. I still like Juwan as the backup-big, 6th man type next year... with the hope being that we can find a younger, athletic four who can do a lot of the dirty work. But Cassell .... man, that's tough.
Playing a "What if" scenario, does Taylor still get traded? Probably, but maybe not. You also probably try and pull the trigger on the TE+a a #1 for Donyell Marshall. Personally, I think cutting the back 3 years off Howard's contract would've been worth it. This deadline could've turned out much different!
Part of being a champion is acquiring players that aren't scared in the 4th quarter. Sucks to read this, but only because I am a Cassell fan and he has hit big shots before. I like James however. He is probably a better defender anyway. Good trade.
Cassell is the wrong type of guard to pair up with our so-called flowing offense. He rarely pushes the tempo and spends too much time dribbling the ball around. I would have liked his spot-up shooting, especially from mid-range, but he never plays any defense. At this point, I wouldn't want Alien as anything more than a backup PG playing 15-20 mins.
agreed. James is a better fit. And Howard's doing well for us. Cassell hasn't been very good this season. I am happy with James very nice acquisition for Gaines and some 2nd round picks.
As tempting and great as that would look, there is no way that would be better than what we've got now unless we somehow could have swung a deal for another PF. Spoon and Baker at PF is not pretty. We aren't in need of a Cassell type at PG...Sura/James may be the perfect platoon at that position for a good while. The team chemistry is finally coming together...you just don't shake it up by bringing a guy like Sam-I-Am in here.
just think, if that had happened we'd almost have as many people from the 93-94 team as the 03-04 team. very tempting to want to reunite with sam and get rid of the 5 years left on howard's deal, but if we didn't have another pf lined up and had to go with baker, padgett, and spoon at pf, that might be worse than trying to go with strickland/barrett at pg. well, not worse, but equally as bad, and for the rest of the season. i was definitely shocked when aldridge said it.
He might be suffering from the Vince Carter flu. The same sickness Randy Johnson had in Seattle right before he was traded to the Astros. That said, I'm still tickled pink with yesterday's deals we did.
Very tempting...if that was actually on the table, I think we should have done it, considering the length of Howard's contract...even if it had meant finishing the season with Weatherspoon/Padgett/Baker at PF. I would have loved getting ET back, and at the very least it would have helped our cap situation even more.
I love Sam, and would have been tempted to pull the trigger on this deal; however, the way we are playing right now, it would have been too much of a risk. Howard will still have trade value after this season if he continues to play well. No need to break up team chemistry and leave a gaping hole in our front line durring the middle of a playoff run. No, what we did yesterday was a way better alternative. We now have it both ways. We can continue to contend for a top playoff spot, while giving ourselves more flexability for the future.
