Re: Francis trade, redux

[Alex Wang <awang@mit.edu>]

Peter,

A lot of good comments on this trade. Looking at the salaries involved,
it seems like Houston is giving up long term contracts while accepting
contract expiring next summer. My guess is that Houston is going to give
one more run at the title and, if they don't encounter much success, go 
into rebuilding mode around Francis. 

It does seem like Vancouver didn't get as much as it could have had it
pulled the trigger during draft night, if you believe the rumors from
back then. I personally think the deal depends on Harrington, who did a
pretty good job for the Rockets when he was called upon to start. If he
can give Vancouver the low-post presence that they've been coveting, it
could turn out well for them, especially in the short term. I think their
short term goal is just to not be one of the three worst teams in the 
league, so it might help that they are not pinning their future on another
college age kid.

I also wonder how Francis will fit into Houston's system, which right now
doesn't seem to take advantage of his talents (or Pippen's). Will they 
actually change their offense now that Barkley can't back into the post?

I'm glad that the Celtics are playing in the East. The playoff teams in
the West seem pretty scary. 

Alex

> >Houston would get the rights to Francis, Tony Massenberg, Lee Mayberry,
> >Michael Smith, Rodrick Rhodes and Makhtar Ndiaye. Vancouver would
> >get Othella Harrington, Michael Dickerson, Brent Price, Antoine Carr, 
> >Houston's number one pick in 2000 and cash in a deal that would be one 
> >of the largest in league history. The trade will be announced Friday 
> >after it is approved by the league. 
> 
> My comments on this are similar to the Detroit trade, but I think Vancouver
> comes out a little better on this deal. Dickerson had better numbers than
> Brickhouse last year, and I'm sure Houston hates to lose him, but he's
> actually a very similar player to Cuttino Mobley. Othella Harrington is
> probably the next-best player in this deal, less of a gamble than Vaught, and
> will provide similar rebounding to Michael Smith but more scoring. The
> Carr-for-Massenburg part seems tilted in Houston's favor -- Couver will miss
> Tony's 6 boards a game, and unless they're going to keep the ancient Carr
> around for "good locker-room presence" he'll probably be waived. Brent Price
> had better numbers than Mayberry, but isn't really a pure point, so this 
> piece actually helps both teams - the Grizzlies get somebody else to try to 
> fill the hole at 2, and the Rockets get a guy who can give you decent spot 
> minutes.
> 
> Still and all, it's hard to believe the Grizzlies couldn't have gotten more
> for the #2 pick in the draft than Michael Dickerson and Othella Harrington.
> Sure, Houston's pick helps, but we're talking a likely late first rounder. I
> have a hard time seeing Vancouver going anywhere but back to the lottery; 
> they waited far too long to move him. Meanwhile, if Scottie decides to shut 
> up and play and Barkley and Hakeem are healthy, the Rockets have added a 
> potentially electrifying piece.
>