I'm always happy when the team wins. I would never root against the Rockets. I'm also not anti- Tilman. I don't love him but I understand that he cannot afford to spend like the Lakers could afford. He just doesn't have the income and the team lost a ton of value this offseason. In the past he spoke like he would spend, it was never truthful. That is a fact. The Rockets had / have a small window to really compete and have yet to go all in. I don't know if you quite understand my point. It's not about the players. It's about flexibility. We are a trade away from being a championship caliber team and we don't have a trade to make. I think the team as is can win a series in the playoffs maybe even two but there is no way they can compete for the championship as constructed despite having the best player in the NBA. We traded away picks to avoid luxury tax. We didn't sign players who could have been flipped. Ariza was traded for Austin Rivers and Oubre. Rivers has been great here but if Oubre was here, we would be completely set in my mind. I honestly wish you would stop replying to stuff I say.
Let’s see how deep in the rabbit hole we can go. what happens if I complain about you complaining about their complaining? Because you complaining about their complaining accomplishes absolutely nothing in my eyes. And is a mute point. Pathetic really, commenting on someone commenting on a team’s message board about someone discussing that they don’t like the direction the team is going and feel they are wasting top player of all time’s prime but not giving him the tools he needs to win it all. Sorry if that person doesn’t follow the team in such a positive glowing light as you do.
I wish he'd learn how to put the ball down before he drives to the basket. I've never seen someone travel so much on a pump fake and drive.
Has Oubre rocked your world or something? He doesn’t always perform. When did imagination of a player outweigh actual performance? Morey is doing fine. We’re a better team than last year. One player doesn’t magically make us undefeated. We’re fine as is. Health > bullshit Tilman jokkes or 1 player of middle level quality.
Cool and in three years when and if Harden hasn’t won it all I’ll send him your sentiments to make him feel better.
I'm going to stop replying to you after this post because there is no value in having a discussion with a brick wall. I haven't made a joke about Tilman in this thread. You have a narrative stuck in your head. I stated multiple facts. Transactions that actually happened. Statements that were actually made. It's possible Tilman spends at some point, he hasn't yet. You seem to have an affinity for the man, maybe he's your relative? Oubre is an example, but yes. A defensive Wing who can play the 3/4 and even the 5 situationally is what we are missing. Theoretically adding him to the core would be just what we need. I think we are that close to being a serious contender. Adding Covington, Adding Winslow, Adding Jonathan Isaac. Any of those moves would give us depth to really throw different stuff at teams in a seven game series. Instead, to add a player of this caliber we would have to trade Capela or PJ Tucker now which will not make us better. Oubre is averaging 18/6 this season and plays great versatile defense. That's all I've got.
According to reports, the Rockets attempted to sign the following guys from your list. Either role and slightly less money (Tilman) caused them to go elsewhere Carter, Nwaba, Matthews, Vonleh, Bell, Hollis-Jefferson
No, he cuts corners and has since day one. He came into a situation where he had the second best team in the league, if not the best. He then let Ariza go, did not spend the full MLE and did everything possible to avoid the luxury tax and the team suffered on the court as a result. He was told this would happen by management and did it anyway. Paying the luxury tax when you are bad is foolish........ not playing it when you have the best player in the world and a team capable of winning a title is double as foolish. He deserves all the scorn he gets and more. Okay? They won 65 games and were an injury away from defeating a dynasty. Yeah........ the Rockets had the Bird rights to Ariza, they could have signed him. They had the MLE that they largely did not use last year. They had an opportunity to take back MORE expiring salary in the Westbrook trade to use at this deadline for trade matching purposes. There have been lots of opportunities and Tillman has passed on them repeatedly. Yeah and if my aunt had balls she would be my uncle. He DID make decisions that hampered our ability to win the title and that is the issue. Yeah.... you are objectively wrong, there were multiple opportunities for the Rockets to make moves and Tillman has said no. He has no interest unless it is a star player. Do the Rockets beat the Warriors last year with Trevor Ariza, JaMychal Green and Garrett Templeton added going into the playoffs? There is a good chance. Would the Rockets look good right now with JaMychal Green on this team and the salaries to trade for Marcus Morris? You tell me........ how would the Rockets look had they not sent draft picks out to move Anderson? How would the Rockets look with Anderson's expiring available for trade? Tillman has screwed the Rockets front office since day one.
The Rockets pursued a number of those guys actually and would have been able to sign them if ownership had not balked at paying them slightly more than the minimum. This was AFTER the owner gave indication to the front office that he would spend money.
I'm sorry but all the criticism of Tillman is completely justified based on his track record. Let's see what happens at the deadline, if we magically end up under the tax line with more excuses then he is hopeless.
No one is saying Morey is to blame. The owner has tied the front office's hands and it isn't really even debatable. Also, one good player is the difference between losing to the Warriors last year and quite possibly winning the title. FWIW we are likely talking about several players as well. For example, how much better would this Rockets team with JaMychal Green at the 4/5? Tucker would play less minutes and be less fatigued. The Rockets would have a competent defender and player able to play taller and bigger players. Green shoots 3's well, he can also play some 5. That makes the offense better in certain match ups. That also lets the Rockets go with Tucker at the 4 and Green at the 5 at times. Green also lets the Rockets have another very good rebounder on the floor when Capela sits. What about Garret Temple? He is a plus defender that can easily guard 1-3 and even in some match ups switch onto a 4. He runs the floor well and hits 3's well enough to not hurt spacing. Both of those guys fill the two needs the Rockets have and the owner drug his feet approving the deal until it was too late. There are many other examples as well. The Bucks and Lakers and Clippers will not beat the Rockets because their stars are so much better. They will beat the Rockets because they have better role players. The Clippers owner did specifically what Tillman refused to do.
Man, not bringing Ariza back hurts even more knowing that he was able to get the Suns Oubre AND Austin Rivers via trade.
He travels at the top of the key at least once a game when he receives a pass and should shoot a wide open 3. He should be practicing nothing but shooting.
@Nook with a series of posts reminiscent of the end of the Godfather....but I zero in on this. When Rockets didn't re-sign Ariza I knew it was an awful sign. He was either going to be a contributor, or salary fodder to throw in a deal with picks to make an upgrade. Letting him walk for nothing was painful.