After seeing the Knicks take the ring I am adjusting my thoughts on this Rockets team. Knicks picked up Brunson in 2022 and that turned out to be a great gamble setting up their franchise (much like how Harden did that for Houston). Two years later they traded Randle for KAT and then picked up Bridges for several 1st round picks (something that may well hurt in the future but got a ring out of it). There's a big chance that the dynasty era of the NBA is all but over and you need to win it when you can get it. The Rockets have that guy in KD that can be their weapon of choice whenever they need it and should continue to be a Rocket. What they seriously need to do now is explore a Sengun trade. He's our Randle right now, effective enough but can do much better cohesively with someone else. Jabari is another we can explore a trade for, but he's an interesting one. I don't want to keep him as a KD clone for the future because he will never get there, but he can spell out KD more often during games allowing him to get plenty of rest. I feel the Rockets don't lose a ton when he's on the floor but he's better suited off the bench right now and I don't see that happening. Imagine Jabari starting at Center though? Amen is the guy you have on your team when you want to win a ring. Guy is tough-nosed, doesn't hog the ball and plays defense like crazy. If we have a shot a Giannis for Sengun and some picks (Okay with Eason and DFS being involved) then we should do it but only if this team is willing to invest in some straight up shooters. FVV can control the flow but is not that dead-eye sniper at the guard position we need. Reed is the closest thing we have but he needs to stay off the bench (as no way I want FVV and Reed to be in the starting lineup together, we'd get killed). Jabari, KD, Giannis would be an interesting front court and feel Jabari can be that guy who can make a huge difference if he can learn to play down low more and not on the wing. Amen and FVV to round out the starting 5 could be our best chance at fast start games. Capela and Adams off the bench mix-matching minutes when needed when we need true centers in the game can be beneficial if we have dead-eye shooters surrounding them. Reed can be one but we need two more to plug in. If the Rockets can manage a Giannis trade and 2 point-blank shooters then we have ourself a team that can compete with anyone next year.
I think a lot of folks will hate to admit it, but Giannis is probably the best shot to win a championship for the next couple of seasons in the current CBA era (and previous). The back end of the Giannis extension will most likely suck. I agree with Sam Vaccine in that Miami and Houston make the most sense from a fit and asset perspective. I have a hard time seeing any other teams offering a more blue chip headliner like Sengun, who is also on a pretty reasonable contract, while still being competitive after trading for Giannis. If we can get Giannis for Sengun and unload some bad contracts (DFS and Capel) while keeping many of our picks then that's a pretty big coup asset wise.
That’s a super big if. If it is Sengun and Trash for Giannis it might be worth the gamble, but it won’t be. Giannis’ extension is also a huge concern. Tying yourself to an albatross contract is the downfall of many a young man.
Lot of super big ifs all around for the way we pivot. Just not a lot of teams that can still be contender after trading for Giannis and offer a nice blue chip headliner. We may end up having more negotiating power. Bucks don't have their picks so they have no incentive to tank. They will most likely try to create a window to at least be competitive and keep fans in the seats. Bucks could potentially trot out: FVV Rollins Kuzma Sengun Turner AJ Green KPJ Prince Porter Helps them with the cap and the Bucks can upgrade with a lot of expiring contracts and some new picks for this season and beyond.
This biggest mistake we could make as the trade is larger than one season. The resigning of an aged superstar is crippling for an organization. The window is nailed shut and he is a huge cap hit for years. Pathetic to be tied to a payment that should’ve happened year ago. It’s like still paying for your kids wedding and they are already divorced.
Do you want to be good for 5-8 years or do you want to be elite for 2-3 and be in the finals for a chance at a ring? Having T-Mac and then Harden on this team shows how difficult it is to have a team win a ring and being a 45-50 win team year in and year out most likely keeps us out of the Finals regardless. We have the pieces now to make a run as long as we get some artillery to match it up with. I'm for going for it now as long as the organization is smart about it, but also willing to give up some trade value for a 2-3 year championship type run. KD was always the first piece for this team after rebuilding. It's who we bring in next that'll tell where we are headed.
I can understand the frustration, but this team has barely scratched the surface of what it can be. Just because a bunch of young players couldn't find a way to put it all together doesn't mean they're all worthless.They need the right combination to fully succeed and that would mean bringing in new, established blood to make it gel. We are two years into this playoff caliber team and not far away from establishing a base line that could net us 60+ games and a run. If we had been together for 5 years, saw the conf. finals 3 years ago and now can't seem to pass the first round then I may agree, but to scrap now is to make the rebuild completely obsolete with no guarantee of replacing any players with anyone decent enough to win 20 games for the next 3 years.
we are nowhere near going on a run. Let’s be objective. The Knicks have two all-nba players in the prime of their career. We have KD who will be 38 next season and I doubt he stays healthy. The Knicks have the best 2-way non-all-nba player in the league in OG. We have no one remotely resembling that. The Knicks have some of the best role players in the league in Bridges and Hart. We’ve got plenty of role players but not of that caliber. We have no bench. Sengun and Amen are non-shooters. We got embarrassed by the lakers B-team and they are better than us at full strength, along with Minny, SA, OkC, maybe even Denver. This team needs a lot of work to get to that level. KD doesn’t fit our timeline. Sengun and Amen don’t fit together on the court. None of our players can dribble, including the supposed point guard of the future in Reed Shepherd. we cant expect good play from Fred or Steveo coming off major surgery in their 30’s; they may both be washed. We need to be sober about this team. The west continues to get better. We need to keep taking swings on young talent, not chasing aging stars in a futile effort to compete with teams that actually have real franchise players.
idk if Giannis is the right move - but I like your thought process... beats the hell outta "lets blow it up and get a stack of lotto scratchers!"
Lots of other teams will up the asking price for Giannis, and the Rockets may not be able to match it.
I would be on board with trading KD and Reed for a pick, but I think we just work with what we have instead of praying for a top pick. KD is still good, we just need to ensure he is not running the offense.
Yeah. And, since Ime isn't going anywhere...how about a top offensive assistant given title amd power? Player development overhaul too?
Who? Who can offer a decent headliner and not totally gut their team doing so? Edit: Magic are the other main competitor.
Apparently sobriety is only having a doomer position..... All you doomers are so excited about potentially trading into 5th pick, yet you have no idea if that player will even by better than Amen or Sengun.
The aged superstar who was a top 3 MVP candidate last season before getting injured? I swear some of yall don't even watch players like Giannis or Jaylen Brown.
