For a team that got killed in the FIRST ROUND to an aging Lakers team without their two best players to have basically punted an offseason to "run it back" with a roster that is even older, with less picks to deal, and contracts that could be tricky to move, I don't know how anyone IN JULY could say that this was a successful post season off-season. Now... Stone could be proven right if sitting on his hands actually was the right play, but on its face logic would tell you that this team wasn't a team that should do nothing.... nothing besides moving draft picks for cash savings for your owner, and drafting ONE second round prospect who, while he looks like he can play the game of basketball at a lower level, has no physical or skill level attributes that would make you believe he will be anything more than a bench player at best. TBH though - Ranking GM offseasons in July makes no sense though at all IMO. Who fcking knows what the season will bring, and we really aren't even done with the offseason yet. James Harden was traded to the Rockets during the UT - OU game in the fall. Right now though, this offseason sends all kinds of signals to the fans that the front office is nothing but delusional.
I like a balanced team... like Pistons championship or even the NYK this year to a lesser degree... but folks r all about anointing someone as the 'franchise player' or 'giving someone the keys to the team' or whatever.... thats the stuff that turns guys into prima donnas imo... Flaws are ok... aint none of us perfect... we just gotta learn to lean into guys abilities and mitigate their shortcomings... I didnt like the Harden years... i dont like a heliocentric offense with all our eggs in one basket... lol
I don't care about "franchise player" tags as much as I care about having a basketball team that has someone who can break down the defense in a pick and roll to get to the rim, and pass out for easier shots. The Rockets are essentially like playing football without a quarterback. You don't always have to have someone back in the pocket throwing bombs with Brett Favre (circa Green Bay) but you at least need a Kurt Warner or a Trent Dilfer to facilitate the offense. What the Rockets were doing last season, and what they are likely to do again this season would be like the 90's Cowboys just hiking the ball to Emmitt Smith on every play. Different sport, maybe bad analogy, but I just do not understand the delusion of the front office. And even if you believe that Reed is that guy (I personally don't even though he had some good games... SHOOTING... not facilitating really) they didn't even really put him in a position to develop into that kind of player... and you are asking WAAAYYYY too much of Reed anyways if you do that since you were also expecting to win games. The Rockets don't need a SUPERSTAR, but they need someone who can do what needs to be done in modern day NBA basketball... which is create in the pick and roll (or iso if good enough), get to the rim, and break down the defense to get good shots. NBA defenses are too good to do whatever the hell is the Rockets were doing last year which made their offense unwatchable because getting shots was so flippin hard for them without that.
And if you think FVV at his age, and recent injury will be able to step right in and do this I also think you are delusional. At best he'll be able to do sort of what Kidd did at a later age for those Dallas teams... which will help for sure, but not the end all be all.
i think i agree... but that analogy kinda went off track imo... Everybody wants a Kurt Warner - an MVP 3,000 yard passer running the greatest show on turf... but if u have a balanced team, even a midlevel qb (Dilfer, McMahon, McNair) can get u to the promised land... Thats why not having FVV last year was so devastating imo... he's no superstar - but he keeps things under control and distributes adequately... We got Alpi for the low post - and Adams as the defending big... KD should be a perimeter assassin at this point... maybe a couple drives just so they cant fly out on him - but very few... Baris 3 ball is coming along and gets u some boards... and can hit a midrange.... Amen is the wildcard that gets behind the d... cuts and finishes at the rim... with great d Reed has the long ball... but can hopefully develop pg skills... We just need someone to protect the ball (low turnovers), get it to the other guys at their spots, and hit the occasional midi to keep the d honest... I dont think we're in a bad spot... we just needed someone managing the game for us... everything was so disjointed last year wo that floor general...
I have no real reason to bump this thread except..... Is Stone sitting on his stash of 1st round picks and we're just going with what we have? Because that would make for a really, really, really disappointing season. Who knows what could shake free but that combination of (a) star who is available for trade who (b) wants to be in Houston isn't really there. Not now, anyway. Maybe KD's presence on a team (not necessarily our own) will be a plus for players with hope of chasing a championship. Tilman Fertitta as US Ambassador to Italy went to Sicily and a local American travel agent based there (I was there in the Navy: awesome!) scored an interview with him. If it had been my interview, I would have snuck in at the end (after the Italy-US relations stuff), "As a Houstonian, forgive me, but what the hell is going on with the Rockets? I mean, running it back? Give me some hope." (And then I would have been bombarded with cliches and bromides.)
I think the perception is that the entire direction of the organization did a 180 to focus almost exclusively on gritty defense-first veterans basically the minute Ime Udoka was hired as head coach, when before it had been focused on bringing in young players with potential. It's probably true that you can't blame Udoka for everything when it comes to these roster decisions. I'll bet there was a directive from the Fertittas to be competitive now and this is how the whole front office and coaching staff decided to do it. But you can't deny that Udoka's fingerprints are all over the kinds of players we're signing. You didn't see us going after, say, Collin Sexton.
Defense will not win championships. Not with the way NBA is going. They want to see high-scoring games and is quick to call a foul. If the Rockets want to make a gritty league, it starts with the league deciding on that direction, not with the Rockets building a full roster like that. Watching the Rockets in the playoffs, this has been one of the most frustrating things to see. It's not hard to see if you play hard defense, the refs will be looking to call some fouls. It's extremely hard to take out aggression out of your body language when playing good defense. And no ref today wants to be on the court with that nonsense. Learn to get an open shot created, then have a dependable 3-pt shooter at that shooting position with time enough to take the shot. The offense is substantially more important in this era than defense.
Ime had been a HC for one year before coming here and had won nothing…he hasn’t even been to the 2nd round since his arrival and both of our playoff appearances have been embarrassing Ime having his fingerprints all over anything is nothing more than an indictment on Stone Stone offered Oladipo an extension…the guy is just an idiot
I’m still holding out hope for a Durant trade. Maybe if Miami misses out on Lebron, they will go all in on Durant. Wiggins, Jokic, and their 29 pick would do it for me. We will still be overloaded with wings, but Wiggins would be Tari insurance or even our starting SF. Both have very tradeable contracts at the deadline. Every time Durant takes the court for us, it is a risk to destroy his trade value. Getting Durant’s hog ball ass off the team will greatly enhance the development minutes for Amen, Reed, Sengun, and Jabari. We should be looking at the 28/29 season as the start of our new competitive window.
“It’ll be interesting to see just how much influence and/or impact third-year guard Reed Sheppard has moving forward, with VanVleet returning, the addition of Smart and, to a very small degree, rookie Bruce Thornton’s impressive Vegas production.” ___________ “Stone has made it clear that improvement from Houston’s young core is arguably the determining factor of the organization’s success. “None of us will know until we get to camp and the season, but our team is dependent upon them.” Our team is dependent upon 33-year old Fred VanVleet, 38 year old Kevin Durant, 33-year old Steven Adams & newly acquired 33-year old Marcus Smart *age at start of next year’s playoffs Because you don’t call their injuries “bad luck” when/if they get hurt Because you don’t punt away the season when they get hurt, if you really believe in your “young core”. “Is it just not our year?” Because if you’re “young core” is really worth a damn, they should be able to beat Rui Hachimura, Luke Kennard, Marcus Smart, DeAndre Ayton & Bronny James. Because you don’t talk the way you do about Fred VanVleet. Spoiler We wouldn’t have made the Durant trade if we knew Fred would get hurt.” “Is it just not our year?” … let’s punt the season/deadline away because Fred. Rockets view Fred in the LeBron tier. Irreplaceable. "Transformative." "They can't replace Fred in terms of his play.” “They viewed Fred as their best player.” “Fred is a crutch for all of us.” If one of them gets hurt again, is it just not our year again? Gonna punt away another season?
