No option for trade both guys and go complete rebuild? Just asking because that is also a viable option.
I mean...I'd probably keep both and go for the great 2 way player, though that isn't exactly easy, nor do we even know what options are available. A coaching change is what I want the most. Harden's not getting traded. Dwight is...unlikely to be traded? I don't know. Probably depends on where we're at near the trade deadline. I doubt Morey is eager to just blow it up, though.
Would not trade dwight . Make him make the tough decision to resign or go elsewhere after this season. He keeps saying he wants to win a chip so I expect him to leave because the real contending teams will have cap for him. I am looking at Miami for Dwight since they cant resign Whiteside (no birds rights)
You don't blow it up. You don't trade Harden. I don't trade Howard unless I do not intend to resign him. You wait until the season is over and do whatever it takes to get Coach Thibs on board (Thibs will not even negotiate with the Rockets as long as there is a sitting coach). Alexander and Morey need to meet and assurance made concerning job security, roles and what they each think the future holds as far as job duties and expectations. Alexander needs to be honest with Morey as to what he isn't happy about and what he is in agreement with. Let Thibs coach the players under contract and decide which players he can and cannot coach.
Hate him or love him it would be far harder to find another James Harden than it would be to reshuffle the other players in the roster. If the Rockets have faith in Harden then they should keep shuffling the roster until they find the best complimentary pieces that fit Harden's style of play. I don't think he's going to change the way he plays and we need players that can play Harden's type of basketball. We pretty much need 4 Draymond Green's in the starting line up.
I wouldn't trade Harden. We know what he's capable of; we just need to get him back to producing it. I don't think Howard is part of the malaise, but I lean toward trading him anyway because I think his health-and-contract situation is a looming time-bomb. I'd trade him if there's something good to be had, and keep him for now if there isn't. But mostly we need a coach to put in a system in which Harden can succeed and then find the right sort of players to slot in around him to operate the system and maximize his success. So, that's mostly a choice for rotating role players, but really it's a vote for a new coach.
A new coach will have harden doing more than standing at the 3pt line waiting on the ball. I personally want Harden to pattern his game after dwade. He has more athletic ability than wade at this time but he doesnt show it when he plays during games. A simple post fade would expand his game so much compared to his current plan of jumping into defenders looking for the call.
As much as I want to smack Harden for this I don't give a **** attitude. I hold out hope that he will mature and have an aha moment and WANT to actually hold the trophy.
Don't trade Harden. As baffling as his apathy has been, keep him and find the players that complement him. Besides, trading Harden isn't realistic. Les would s*** the bed. Even if his star has regressed this season, The Beard is the only thing selling tickets. Well, and hope. You can always sell hope, even if few are buying right now (lots of empty seats in the Toyota Center, what?). Trading Howard isn't entirely realistic, either.....unLESS his new team intends to keep him long-term. That's a big "if". Right now I'd say Morey's pulled a disappearing act because (a) what can he say? and (b) he's worked the phones and will pull off some deal when he can, but can't talk about it anyway until that time.
There should be no doubt in anybody's mind that Harden wants to win championships. The questions arise when you consider HOW Harden wants to win championships. That, for me, is the issue. I perceive Harden wants to win championships alone, just him and the role players. And I don't like that. It's very difficult to win in today's NBA. There's only one Lebron. So there's only one team that is Lebron and the midgets. And Lebron has only won 2 out of 5 Finals. And even though all those teams were clearly his teams, he did have other great players with him that surpressed their individual games to win with Lebron. James is not Lebron. He shouldn't be trying to win like Lebron has won. He needs to accept other great players on this team so we can finally compete for rings.
I can't tell if this was serious or trolling. You have a immense amount of talent on a team, basically a team that was finals potential last season, and not even halfway through the season you would consider doing a complete rebuild? That's literally just wanting to throw the rockets away and put us into a lottery category.
I agree with Morey's philosophy that building a team with 3 stars will yield a very successful franchise. Unfortunately there is only one true star on this team (Harden). Dwight used to be a star and perhaps is still viewed as one around the league, so he's the big trade asset we can use to get a 2nd legitimate star like DeMarcus Cousins for example.
Trading Dwight is the obvious move here. Even if Dwight claims he wants to stay here or opt in, can you really trust him when you consider his agent? Morey should not risk losing him for nothing. This is not the NFL or MLB where you get draft pick compensation. Get value for him or else risk getting nothing in return. I guess we could do a sign and trade but you're not getting remotely a dollar for dollar trade.
Cousins is a legitimate top 3 center in the league with an incredible offensive skillset, despite playing for one of the most dysfunctional organizations in sports. He's far more compatible with Harden's game than Howard and has even developed a decent 3pt shot.
