Barkley - Chris Paul kicking Houston's butt would be the greatest thing I've seen in a long time

https://basketball.realgm.com/nba/draft/future_drafts/detailed

OKC has “lots” of incoming picks but I put it in quotes because many of them are swaps - which they would only do of course if it nets them a higher position - and they all have some sort of protection. Some of the Houston swaps are 1-10 protected. The picks conveyed are 1-4 protected. Sure that means the Rockets would have to seriously suck in 2025 or whatever and get a bit lucky in the draft lottery but there is at least some protection.

then, additionally as you can see they are weighted fairly far into the future. The picks from the rockets and clippers are 2024 and 2026. The rockets ones are 1-4 protected. The clippers are not protected.

from rockets perspective it’s far away but does kind of suck as who knows by then. No way in 2026 James Harden is still the man. That’s just too far out. He’ll be 36... which is one year older than Lebron this year. He could still be good but who knows.

from OKC perspective is more interesting. CP3 has a great revival year. They have this offseason to take advantage of that. He’s definitely not going to have a year this solid again (imo... factoring in age and injury history) and still has two enormous salary years left. Can they trade him for fair value? If they do, is that fair value that makes them solid playoff contenders? I really like SGA and actually really enjoy watching OKC play. But Gallinari is a FA (rumors he’s eyeing Miami I think), and the rest of the squad - solid role guys (Schroeder, Adams) but you take away CP3 and Gallinari and it’s a lotto team again. Replace them with lesser players and absent SGA taking the next step to all star level / #1 level (which is possible... SGA is the best thing they have going not the draft picks imo) it’s still a fringe playoff team at best. If they go the let’s get back more young players and draft picks approach it gives them quite the war chest but perhaps delays SGAs progression and after 2 years in the playoffs how long will he like being a lotto team?

fortunately for them Presti is a DM quality GM imo. He’ll find some way to fleece some team like the Knicks in trading them CP3 and turn the collection of draft picks into another all star or two (if three more mvps that would make him the draft god lol).

In meantime rockets just need to win one ring and it’s a great trade for them!

 

Actually is defeating the clippers, lakers and bucks would be the greatest thing ever.

and actually this bubble benefits Russ a lot. I think he sometimes especially at the end of games he lets his emotions get to him. But without a crowd I bet he will be more focused less distractions or people getting into him.

Harden will just hoop and he always plays great on pick up ball. Also less distractions for him. Neutral zone so he can shine and enjoy the game. That goes for everyone but some people do need the crowd. We never really have a good crowd and they usually come late anyway and or leave early as well.

 

So that means we have home court advantage all the way.

Everything happens for a reason. Crappy crowd was a way to prepare us to take the championship this year.

 

Yep, home crowd clearly voodoo doctored Ariza into missing 8 or 9 treys.

 

We already have home court advantage

 

Morey should have signed Ryno back. No more TC shooting problem for him.

 

The good ole days. That game 6 was a classic. It made game 7 in Houston easier to close out.

 

In the regular season, when OKC welcomed back Russ. Think us Rockets fans felt kind of bad when the rest of the team couldn't give Russ the win. Team should have played harder.

OKC doing well this year surprised folks no doubt. But if they meet the Rockets in the playoffs and eliminate us, national media or not, it'll look real bad for us.

 

Saw a twitter thread today asking where people rank CP3 among the all time great PGs.

made me think of this thread because the Barkley comment seems to echo a tone about CP3 that has changed in the last few years. Which is let’s just forget the fact the dude never led his team out of the second round of the playoffs.

I get he’s a freaking amazing PG historically. I actually really like him, rank him highly and don’t value rings as much as most cause I recognize it’s a team sport.

but John Stockton made the playoffs every year, never missed a game, made the finals twice (once on a series clinching shot - ouch) and is the nbas all time assist and steals leader. Steve Nash has two MVPs and made multiple WCF trips on otherwise meh teams on systems completely revolving around him. Russ is an mvp that averaged a triple double for three straight years.

When did the media start forgetting that CP3s leadership and amazing capabilities has led to jack squat in the playoffs (until he wasn’t the top player on the team)?

the thunder taking out the rockets in the playoffs? That’s about as unlikely as the trailblazers winning it all (Lol Barkley)

 

You would find that these 2 you mentioned Stockton and SNash all had a congenial big partner.

Kidd had Kenyon Martin and Richard Jefferson, ultimately Dirk and shooters.

Chris Paul had David West and injury prone Griffin, DAJ.

If he had Malone or Stoudemire, he would have been to the Finals.

The 2nd, 3rd round roadblock doesn't interest me that much.

Pure PGs have it harder to volume score their way to a deeper playoff result.

And I think his 6'0 size is impeding him, his penetration as well, would have been better with 6'3 or 6'4 in terms of scoring and even better defense.

(If Shai GA can play half the game CP3 plays, he would be dope with his long arms and efficiency.)

 

I ain't upset about Barkley saying this. Probably friends with CP3. Plus, OKC and CP3 ain't gonna beat Houston...and I wouldn't be surprised to see both Harden and even more Westbrook light CP3 up. Especially Westbrook; CP3 can't hang with him. That's the very reason the Rockets made the trade, in fact. So, having Houston dust OKC in the playoffs would be beautiful, and a vindication of the trade they made.

If that happens...any bets on CP3 pulling a hammy trying to run with Westbrook?

 

lol at this post

 

CP isn't winning a title this year, nor next year.

if CP's OKC beats HOU it only appeases the CP/LAC fans. it won't even appease CP, so all of this is just Rockets haterade.

 

He had some good enough squads with LAC to at least make one WCF. Part of the issue is his injuries. The year they blew it against Houston for example... maybe he can come back game 2 instead of 3 and sweep the Rockets or make it a quick series.

But sure, as i noted teammates matter in a team sport. I'm not sure I'd rank Stoudemire much higher than Blake, but obviously Karl Malone was a step above.

But that's how it goes sometimes. It's not fair... but then the other side of the coin is someone like Harden, or Westbrook. They will constantly get dogged for not winning the ring. Heck, there's probably lots of folks out there that think CP3 is a better player historically than Harden at the moment.

Point being, at some point, media randomly decided to kind of give CP3 a bit of a pass on his inability to not just win a ring, to not just make the Finals, but to even make the conference finals. Obviously he'll go down as one of the better players to never win a ring (assuming he doesn't), but even on that list, he seems like he'll be unique as one of the players whose played the fewest amount of playoff games (in a single season run, or overall). Right now he's at 102 playoff games, never playing more than 15 in a single year.

Obviously no TMac in that regard (max 7 games in a playoffs) - TMac takes the cake there - but it's not impressive.

 

Griffin was arguably better overall, Stoudamire just fit extremely well with an elite PG, and ran extremely fast.

A knock on CP was IMO his pace, he obviously changed it up, however, it's still pretty slow on average.

He didn't mind but I think it would have benefitted his teammates.

 

I'd argue that his injury history was his biggest down fall. He almost always missed some crucial playoffs games. He had a good team in LA. But Griffin was also injury prone.

That's also why I have been saying that acquiring CP was a huge gamble, not so much about his fit with Harden (which many people was focused on) but his injury history. Rockets fans keep saying the hammy thing as if it was bad luck. To me it was not really unexpected.

 

Paul got dogged a lot before he left the Clippers for the playoff failures and untimely injuries. The reason you didn’t hear about it with the Rockets is because the media’s favorite game is to **** on Harden. The heat was off. He has no expectations with OKC so its just not talked about. Late playoff injuries has been his downfall. He’d be a champion right now if his hamstring stayed together.

He retires a top 5 pg of all time. A ring doesn’t move his needle one way or the other. He’s clearly a championship level player. I’d probably take him over Stockton and Nash but behind Oscar and Magic. Somewhere in there.

 

Agreed about injury history.

One minor gripe is that role players and Harden should have shouldered more responsibility in crunch time.

It breaks your heart watching old man CP3 fighting in clutch time against the Warriors, making it happen and risking injury.

Team won 1 or 2 games because of him in that series.

 

I'd take CP over Nash, but not Stockton. A ring would put CP over Stockton, so it feels like it moves the needle to me.