This is Udoka and Stone after their 5 minute meeting to discuss the state of the Rockets going into 2027.
what could have been Donovan Clingan Jalen Johnson Scotty Barnes Jalen Williams Amen Thompson Bench: Walker Kessler Brice Sensabaugh
Well not too many guys are franchise players. That I understand. Obviously you are rolling the dice but I just don't think Stone is a good gm and won't ever be one. My biggest concern is we can't win with him overseeing things. That's hindsight but there were certainly concerns about Jalen Green. They burned their bridges with Mobley and I understand his dad was a handful but that's just poor management. Well then who are you giving a max contract to?
"Why didn't you get a point guard at the deadline? WTF is wrong with you?" "Look, I'm not gonna trade for a point guard just to trade for a point guard....Uh.....Uh....." "Why did this team always collapse in the fourth quarter? Do you have no offensive scheme at all? Are you going to admit you need an offensive coordinator?" "We don't need an offensive coordinator.....Uh.....Uh....."
That would be the emotional poster position. FVV was never a savior. Using hyperbole to describe someone who just is a competent floor general and can defend is an emotional thing.... especially after watching an entire season without him. It's so weird how posters treat FVV.... Ah... using cause and effect this time. Aside from appeasing cry baby fans, there's no real, tangible benefit in being honest and forthright in this type of end of season presser. I think you are smart enough to know, away from the anonymous keyboard venting, that they won't hesitate to make big changes.
they are lying and projecting that he is a future Steve Nash so they can try to trick a team into trading for him. I was incredibly high on Reed in the draft and would have picked him there too. I was wrong. He's too small. Maybe he can make me wrong a second time and actually be an NBA caliber rotational player.
What makes you think this FO isn’t hesitant to make big changes? The Durant trade? Stone has been hesitant his entire career. I’m pretty sure Ime was more about the Durant trade than Stone.
Because what you see as "hesitancy" is just Stone maneuvering the contracts and caps to remain flexible for a big move(s) or moderate/minor moves. We do not have a true franchise player so why would Stone try and lock in this current iteration? Do you think we are going to be mentioned alongside the big names that are available or may come available? If so, what makes you think Stone has been so hesitant?
I like you as a poster. We agree on most things. I will just say this -- if you don't think that Stone is a top 10 GM, then why keep him? Would you be happy with the Rockets being the 10th best team?
Im just reiterating a slightly exaggerated point Stone and Ime made. "We didn't play well because Fred went down and he's our point guard" is basically what they said. They also said "we will do better from internal growth and running it back". They also said "we laugh at the KD twitter stuff anyway lets all move on from it". It isnt an emotional analysis of what they said....its just what they said lol. But it seems we are both on the same page in believing that the press conference was a lot of fluff talk and they need to keep trade values high.
That's pretty much what I expected to hear and it's worst case scenario. Run it back expecting a 39 year old KD to continue to defy father time, FVV and Adams another year older both coming off of injuries and DFS is still the savior of this team. They sound delusional. I have been one of the few who isn't highly critical of Stone but .... fk it, Fire Stone and Ime too. Stone won't find a way into this draft and he'll probably mortgage the future for some star to pair with KD on his last leg.
What makes a top 10 GM? Is it purely team success? I don't agree with that as there's lots of context. I'm not saying Stone deserves to see the rebuild to the bitter end, I personally don't see anything that Stone has done to warrant being let go so far. I don't think he's done a great job but bringing in a new GM isn't going to make Tilman spend more on staff for scouting and development. It won't make Tilman eat Ime's contract or make Ime get a new offensive assistant. I've agreed with the thesis of young core development + vets to create a base of competency. Unfortunately, the young core just didn't elevate their playmaking and the vets were injured, fall off a cliff, or overtaxed. I personally think not getting a PG/playmaker to plug that hole gave us insight into the young core (good and bad) and was the right move. Ayo will be a UFA in the offseason regardless of picks Wolves gave up. Fortunately, we still have the means to pivot many directions because Stone set us up to keep our assets and we don't have truly bad or long contracts (DFS is only guaranteed for the upcoming season). I think how Stone handles the offseason will ultimately decide it. We need to figure out the next move.
I am just going to say it. First, I know for a fact that when the Rockets drafted Reed Sheppard, they internally believed that he could play point guard in the NBA. Which makes perfect sense, because you don't take a 6'3" shooting guard for a future 6th man that high in a draft. Second, the more that I watch Udoka coach, and listen to him, the more it is obvious that he just doesn't have respect for data or numbers. He just makes **** up. I don't fault Udoka for having a hard time getting this Frankenstein roster to play together. Some of the pieces don't fit well together. However --- using Reed Sheppard on offense is really not hard. He isn't great at breaking guys down from a dead stop. He is very good at coming off screens, cutting and pulling up. He can also do the give and go well. It just feels like the level of actual deep basketball knowledge with the Rockets decision makers is less than the best teams.
What makes a top 10 GM? I may have misunderstood, but I thought you were saying he wasn't a top 10 GM. I think it is somewhat subjective. Most people agree on a clear cut 5 or so in some order, then it becomes less clear. I don't think we have a terrible contract --- but we do have several underwater contracts, but none that are crippling. I agree with this. I don't think Stone or Udoka are terrible.... I just think that Stone isn't great either.
For the faction that wants Amen as the PG and for those of us who believe Reed should be the PG and Amen should get back to his defensive ways and take 9 shots to score his 18pts, Ime basically said: "hahahaha, I'm throwing both of them under an 18 wheeler. FVV the point god!" Definitely missed FVV. The entire offense was catered around him. We couldn't even run the most basic timeless action that everyone runs. But Fred got injured 5 months prior to the trading deadline. Unforgivable that they didn't add help.
He already is an NBA caliber rotation player at this point. As far as what his upside is -- hard to say for sure, but I do know that he is not being used properly. He needs to play with other guys that can move the ball with motion, can utilize good screens and get out in transition. Those are things that Udoka doesn't do or even seem to care about. I expect that Reed will benefit playing with FVV next year as long as he still gets 30 minutes a game.... Reed did not play next to a real guard this entire season.
And now they apparently think FVV, who was showing significant signs of decline before he got hurt, is going to come back and play at an all-star level? We'll be lucky if Fred can still be a passable bench guard at his age and coming off of major surgery and a long recovery. Realistically, and I hate to admit it because I originally wanted Amen to play point guard... this team still does not have a guy we can rely on to be a starting caliber point guard next season, barring some moves. Reed isn't good enough on defense and the consistency isn't there yet offensively (hopefully it will get there at some point). Amen functions better as a secondary playmaker, except in transition/early in the shot clock where he can definitely do some damage. Fred could very well be washed, either full-blown cooked and out of the league in a year or two, or if we're lucky, just somewhat diminished to the point of no longer being a good starter. We should have made a trade at the deadline because I think it was fairly obvious even then we are going to need another backcourt player going into next season.
