Rockets Trade Juwan Howard To Minny For Mike James

[3PK]

I can see the logic in the move for the Timberwolves. Mike James complained in his short time here. He underachieved. He had a long contract. We need big men. We need veterans.

Makes sense to me.

I disagree i don't think big men is the problem the t-wolves, they have Griffin, Kevin Garnett and Mark Blount as well as Howard now IMO they used to have: two big men that can play pretty good on one end of the court then KG a Complete all-star at both ends. Although maybe they will be okay without James but Howard won't be around for long now so maybe it wasn't the right move, i don't really know, I guess the way Foye and Davis performs in this season could be the difference

mike james seems to have a better role player mentality than alston, and also is a better defender. also i don't think he demands the ball in his hands as often. if he plays his role, i think it is a good repickup from houston. He is a solid pg, kind of like fisher. What houston really needs though is a tough, stocky, energy, gritty pf. I think they should try to steal evans.

I agree and with the James part completely i think it wasn't that bad of a pickup, makes a bit of sense with me. Although now i think they should use maybe their 26th draft pick to either draft a PF/C or trade it away for a young PF/C with good potential

[Riot]

I disagree i don't think big men is the problem the t-wolves,

It is one of our many problems. Besides Garnett we have no consistent big man.

they have Griffin, Kevin Garnett and Mark Blount as well as Howard now IMO they used to have:

Mark Blount is decent but he does nothing defensively or on the boards. He can't catch a ball in traffic to save his life. Craig Smith is limited but solid. Mark Madsen is all heart and nothing else. Eddie Griffin isn't on the team anymore.

two big men that can play pretty good on one end of the court then KG a Complete all-star at both ends.

They have Kevin Garnett and a bunch of nobodies. Mark Blount shouldn't be a starter in this league (atleast on a contender). His only asset is his jumper (which is awesome) but he can't defend, he can't rebound, he can't catch and he's pretty stupid. Eddie Griffin won't be on the team next year. Mark Madsen simply can't play. Craig Smith is solid but a little overrated. Juwan Howard isn't going to light the Western Conference on fire this year but he's going to be another solid big man to add to this pitiful core the Wolves have.

Although maybe they will be okay without James but Howard won't be around for long now so maybe it wasn't the right move,

It was the RIGHT move. Garnett has been saying for months that he wants more veteran players (specificially big men) on the team. Not only that but Juwan Howard and Kevin Garnett are friends. It's obviously a move Garnett would endorse. We won't miss Mike James. We'll welcome Juwan Howard. He won't be the best player to put on a Timberwolves uniform but he'll be solid and he'll do the veteran things this team needs. He should help Craig Smith out a lot.

i don't really know, I guess the way Foye and Davis performs in this season could be the difference

I don't expect Ricky Davis to be back next year.

Trust me...the Timberwolves have a ton of holes. We are weak on the perimeter but we are also awful in the post. Besides Garnett we have nobody who can rebound. Howard won't excatly fix that but hey it's a start. McHale insists he has more on the way so we'll see what he does. I just think this move was a good financial move and roster move. It's not often that the Wolves do both of those in the same deal. It's unique for them.

[Clutch]

from what i remember of james, he was/is a shoot-first PG (a mediocre one at best) and will often force a badshot rather than defer to TMac/Yao; not all the time but often enough to lose games; big picture - his extra few points or steals per game minus howard's rebounds doesn't do squat to get HOU past that first round

not sure why MIN agreed w/that trade either; only thing i can think of is that maybe KG's packed his stuff and definitely wants out so they are prepping for a HUGE blow in a KG-less future; hard to say; i just remember as soon as MIN was mathematically eliminated last year? KG hung it up for the season; his game dropped off, he was demoralized, i don't even think he played the last few games; can't really blame him

[3PK]

3PK wrote:
I disagree i don't think big men is the problem the t-wolves,


It is one of our many problems. Besides Garnett we have no consistent big man.

Quote:
they have Griffin, Kevin Garnett and Mark Blount as well as Howard now IMO they used to have:


Mark Blount is decent but he does nothing defensively or on the boards. He can't catch a ball in traffic to save his life. Craig Smith is limited but solid. Mark Madsen is all heart and nothing else. Eddie Griffin isn't on the team anymore.

Quote:
two big men that can play pretty good on one end of the court then KG a Complete all-star at both ends.


They have Kevin Garnett and a bunch of nobodies. Mark Blount shouldn't be a starter in this league (atleast on a contender). His only asset is his jumper (which is awesome) but he can't defend, he can't rebound, he can't catch and he's pretty stupid. Eddie Griffin won't be on the team next year. Mark Madsen simply can't play. Craig Smith is solid but a little overrated. Juwan Howard isn't going to light the Western Conference on fire this year but he's going to be another solid big man to add to this pitiful core the Wolves have.

Quote:
Although maybe they will be okay without James but Howard won't be around for long now so maybe it wasn't the right move,


It was the RIGHT move. Garnett has been saying for months that he wants more veteran players (specificially big men) on the team. Not only that but Juwan Howard and Kevin Garnett are friends. It's obviously a move Garnett would endorse. We won't miss Mike James. We'll welcome Juwan Howard. He won't be the best player to put on a Timberwolves uniform but he'll be solid and he'll do the veteran things this team needs. He should help Craig Smith out a lot.

Quote:
i don't really know, I guess the way Foye and Davis performs in this season could be the difference


I don't expect Ricky Davis to be back next year.

Trust me...the Timberwolves have a ton of holes. We are weak on the perimeter but we are also awful in the post. Besides Garnett we have nobody who can rebound. Howard won't excatly fix that but hey it's a start. McHale insists he has more on the way so we'll see what he does. I just think this move was a good financial move and roster move. It's not often that the Wolves do both of those in the same deal. It's unique for them.

Realising that Eddie Griffin won't be back changes everything almost as well as my new perception of Mark Blount but seriously what is the point of getting rid of a "okay" PG when now you have one good guard in Foye (if davis doesn't return) and one great forward in Kevin Garnett and then an average Tall in Howard. I just don't see this as a trade which had to be done. I think this just creates more problems not really a benifit for either team, but if you ensure me it will help i guess the only way to prove that is compare at the end of this upcoming season compared to the one which has just been

[Its_asdf]

mike james seems to have a better role player mentality than alston, and also is a better defender. also i don't think he demands the ball in his hands as often. if he plays his role, i think it is a good repickup from houston. He is a solid pg, kind of like fisher. What houston really needs though is a tough, stocky, energy, gritty pf. I think they should try to steal evans.

Are you kidding? Mike James has an ego the size of Jupiter.


Also forgot to add, Juwan Howard is a power foward is he not? He won't be too effective if hes going to be playing behind Garnett and he's also got Craig Smith as competition.

[Riot]

Well asdf, small ball is back in the NBA so it wouldn't be surprising to see some line-ups with Garnett and Howard both out there at the same time.

not sure why MIN agreed w/that trade either; only thing i can think of is that maybe KG's packed his stuff and definitely wants out so they are prepping for a HUGE blow in a KG-less future; hard to say; i just remember as soon as MIN was mathematically eliminated last year? KG hung it up for the season; his game dropped off, he was demoralized, i don't even think he played the last few games; can't really blame him

I don't think this means Garnett will be traded. Did you read anything I wrote? Garnett and James didn't get along. Garnett and Juwan Howard have been friends for 8-9 years now. Garnett has been asking for more veteran big men to help him out. If anything, this trade makes him want to stay in Minnesota more.

[magius]

mike james seems to have a better role player mentality than alston, and also is a better defender. also i don't think he demands the ball in his hands as often. if he plays his role, i think it is a good repickup from houston. He is a solid pg, kind of like fisher. What houston really needs though is a tough, stocky, energy, gritty pf. I think they should try to steal evans.

Are you kidding? Mike James has an ego the size of Jupiter.


Also forgot to add, Juwan Howard is a power foward is he not? He won't be too effective if hes going to be playing behind Garnett and he's also got Craig Smith as competition.

i never said james was a great role player, only that he is a better role player than alston. also i am disregarding toronto, because his toronto season is not worth regarding.

[1CenT]

mike james seems to have a better role player mentality than alston, and also is a better defender. also i don't think he demands the ball in his hands as often. if he plays his role, i think it is a good repickup from houston. He is a solid pg, kind of like fisher. What houston really needs though is a tough, stocky, energy, gritty pf. I think they should try to steal evans.

Are you kidding? Mike James has an ego the size of Jupiter.


Also forgot to add, Juwan Howard is a power foward is he not? He won't be too effective if hes going to be playing behind Garnett and he's also got Craig Smith as competition.

i never said james was a great role player, only that he is a better role player than alston. also i am disregarding toronto, because his toronto season is not worth regarding.

I believe James, Sura and Jon Barry were awsome trio for the Rockets a few years back... James and Barry were hittng shots, Sura was tough , awsome defender and could create and control the tempo...

Rafer i think is a decent PG.. Better as a backup, but nevertheless, i think he can get it done if Houston had better shooters, like James...

I think this will make Houston better, assuming they get some cheap big man.. Reggie Evans would be AMAZING...

Pj Brown a few years back would be amazing for the Rockets...

[el badman]

Reggie Evans would be AMAZING...

Don't they already have the same type of player in Chuck Hayes?

[[Q]]

Reggie Evans would be AMAZING...

Don't they already have the same type of player in Chuck Hayes?

Hayes is more skilled than Evans. they're both good rebounders, but hayes looks like he knows what he's doing out there and evans looks like a wild animal. plus hayes is a little better at putting the ball in the hoop.

[BigKaboom2]

Wow, this thread is enormous for such a mundane trade!

Juwan Howard averaged 10 and 6 last year for the Rockets. It's a no-brainer to move Mike James (who I despise) since he's only averaging .4 points more than Howard and handed out only 3.6 assists. Just because Juwan Howard isn't an exciting player at all doesn't mean Minnesota is foolish for trading for him.

I'm not sure why the Rockets would do this, on the other hand. I would rather have Alston, Head, Lucas, or Spanoulis starting over Mike James - and now they've got too many guards. I imagine they'll pick up a good power forward in the draft to back up Hayes, or else trade for someone.

[kevC]

I would rather have Alston, Head, Lucas, or Spanoulis starting over Mike James

HAHAHAHHAHAHHA.

[Sauru]

my god this topic got alot of action, i thought it would die off fast. anyway never been a fan of james myself i rather have howard