...I pose this question. How would waiving Hakeem help the team? The only arguement I can think of is that he may be a distraction and we'd be better off not having him in the locker room bringing the team down. I guess I'm more worried about him helping another team, so wouldn't it be wiser to simply buy out his contact and maintain his rights until the season is over preventing a direct competitor(ie. Lakers) from signing him and utilizing his skills? ------------------ "Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." - Gandhi
IN short, unless you can get dramatically good players (that few teams are going to be willing to offer) who won't tie up salary cap room (which we know is an impossibility, as the monies would have to be within 10-20% of one another for the trade to be approved) for beyond this year (your free agents for out free agent) it's not going to be worth the dead weight the Rockets would receive unless it's for an elite front court player. Waiving Hakeem guarantees the Rockets are a major player for Chris Webber this summer. I think that's worth the wait. ------------------
Keeping on the team then renouncing him at the end of the year also avoids taking on dead weight. I've got a bad feeling that we've been spolied and we're going to be the Bulls of the 2001 offseason.
