| Grading The Deal: Rudy Gay And Stromile Swift For Shane Battier Authored by Johnny Wu - July 19, 2006 - 12:00 pm
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Following a disappointing season, which saw the Houston Rockets miss the playoffs after a very promising 04-05 campaign, the need was definitely there for a role player who can play defense and add a 3rd scoring option to go along with T-Mac and Yao. Shane Batter is what foots the bill, what the Rockets get is Memphis fan favorite who can play defense with the best of them and adds a three point scoring touch, both areas that Houston struggled with last season.
In return, Jerry West's Grizzlies receive one of the top prospects the draft, which many argue has the highest offensive ceiling in the entire draft. The jury is still out on whether this trade will work out for both teams, although it is clear that many of the Houston faithful felt Caroll Dawson gave up on a player who was to take this team to the next level, and would complement Yao and T-Mac well.
The Memphis Grizzlies receive Rudy Gay and Stromille Swift
Outlook:
Memphis receives former AP Second Team All-American and a National Freshmen of the year player in Rudy Gay. Jerry West could do no wrong in this deal, after last year's dismal playoff performance, Memphis desperately needed a up and coming star who could alleviate some of the offensive load and pressure away from current superstar PF Pau Gasol.
One scout has gone and record and said that Gay can either become Julius Irving or Tim Thomas, meaning he is a player with load of offensive potential. Although none can really question Rudy's talent or abilities, some have questioned whether he has the inner fire to compete at the NBA level. This upcoming season Rudy must come prepared and ready to work for his position to prove all his doubters wrong, it remains to be seen whether Gay's work ethic is as soft as many say. This was the sole reason why Gay slipped so far down the draft, who was once touted as a consensus top 5 pick in this year's draft.
Gay's lack of effort and non-challant attitude in many of his college games left much to be desired, however he posses valid superstar game breaking potential which is just too much to pass up. Gay has freakish athletic ability, who can score with the best of them, he showed a lot of promise in his first 2 years at UConn. There is no reason he could not continue that success in Memphis.
The breaker is, in order for Rudy to find success at the NBA level he must be committed to hard work, practice and buying into Mike Fratello's structured system, or else he might be on thin ice in Memphis.
Throughout this draft, Jerry West was convinced to add more athleticism and toughness to his lineup and with Gay(8) and Villanova point guard Kyle Lowry at (24) mission accomplished. With Kyle Lowry Memphis gets a all-business point guard that they can go to war with . He is a floor general who adds toughness and grit which was lacking during last years playoffs. I see him thriving under Mike Fratello's system and being a important piece of the bench next season.
There's not much to say about the addition of Stromile Swift. He adds defense and athleticism help back to the team, just don't count on him to score or rebound. Taking back his bloated contract is definitely a blow, although if he can improve after a dismal season under JVG's system he will be a welcomed addition back to this team. Another question mark is that Swift has gone on record and said he was not pleased about returning to Memphis, stay tuned to how this part of the deal to turns out.
Long-term Ramifications:
Jerry West gave up a former fan favorite, defensive stopper, and a locker room leader. Shane Battier will definitely be missed, and would not easily be replaced. It will be a interesting off-season for the Grizzlies, they desperately need to add another veteran point guard to alleviate the loss of Bobby Jackson to free agency. If Damon Stoudamire stays healthy and continues his strong play from last year, this team will have a chance.
If Jerry West can work the same magic from the draft and bring in a young guard and a veteran banger to rebound and play defense, this team is in top-notch shape to go deeper into playoffs. With the possible loss of Lorenzen Wright, something needs to be done to help Pau Gasol rebound and grind out the minutes when he is on the bench. Although there FA market looks bare this year, another big like Elson will definitely help. If Gay can live up his superstar potential and put up decent numbers this team will definitely take the next step to making a deeper playoff run and make Jerry West look like a genius. If he turns out to be a lackluster un-inspired star who fails to adjust to Mike Fratello's system it is back to the drawing board for Jerry West.
Houston Receive Shane Battier:
Outlook:
Houston gets a player who will complement well with Tracy Mcgrady and Yao Ming, and can also hit the occasional three when called upon. Everyone you talk to there is almost not a single bad comment said about Shane Battier, he is a consummate team player, who hustles on defense every play, and will do anything to win. Shane is a proven winner and leader in College with Coach K and can add a veteran presence to this team. He is well coached, and liked by his teammates, and I see no reason why he will not fit in like a charm here in Houston.
Finally, the Stro Show is leaving town, he did not fit into JVG's system from the get go, his cap space can be put to better use somewhere else. However, Houston loses a lot of athleticism at the PF position with this trade, and there defense here looks slimmer than ever before. What I dislike about this trade has nothing to do with Shane, it's what was given to acquire him. Many Houston fans were outraged including myself, when Gay was traded. The problem with Houston last season is that they lacked athleticism and scoring outside of T-Mac and Yao (refer to Houston's record without Yao and TMAC), giving up someone with such offensive flair and ridicules athletic ability was hard to take. Unless Houston has the plans to add the pieces to win now, I do understand this trade one bit. Houston got older, smaller, and less athletic.
Furthermore, there is still no answer at the power forward position, unless the plan is to have Chuck Hayes and the aging Juwan Howard be the long term option (I hope not). There is no one on this team who can play defense and bang with opposing PF's Houston must find answers to these problems and do some serious soul searching, or else it will be another long season. This trade has left many wondering what direction this Houston team is taking, leaving many in a state of disarray in the Lone-Star State.
Long-Term Ramifications:
With the possibility of veteran point guard Mike James signing with Houston becoming less and less likely with each passing day, I have to question myself, can a squad of Yao, T-Mac, Hayes, Battier be effective next season. I am glad that the Rockets refrained from overpaying Mike James, he exploded in a contract year (on a team who could not score) and a 6/25 million dollar contract is way too expensive for someone who is 32 years old and heading out of his prime. He will only take shots away from Yao and T-Mac and the last thing we needed is a under-sized 2 guard who thinks he's the second coming of Ray Allen. What pans out from the FA market remains to be seen, from what's happened already Houston has not done a good job to address its needs which is to get younger and more athletic to complement their superstar tandem.
In order for Houston to have success this year, they need to stay healthy, we all saw the disaster known as Mcgrady's back last season, another campaign with its star the sidelines spells trouble. Yao has become a bonafide superstar and really come into his own this year, my hope is that Houston can surround him with players that would take some of the rebounding and defensive load of him, which would allow him to be far more effective.
Hopefully Shane will find a good home here in Houston, he will be missed in Memphis, and should fit in quite nicely under JVG's defensive minded system. The overall outlook is bright due the good fortune of having two players who can carry the team year in and year out. More needs to be done to take this team to the next level (see. Rudy Gay). Gay legitimately was going to provide this team with a 3rd scoring option along with Luther Head, losing him definitely sucks big time, it is something that JVG and Co. will regret for a long time. |
