After missing out on Howard, Rockets to fight for playoffs [NBA.com]

Good post

 

Terrible post, actually. John Wall, Bradley Beal, MKG, Cousins, and Monroe are on those teams and were received through tanking the season. We, on the other hand, have zero players with superstar potential and this will go on as long as Morey continues sabotaging the Rockets.

 

Exactly. Even if we don’t get lucky enough to land the big prize at the very top of the draft, we could have the opportunity to draft a DeMarcus Cousins over a Patrick Patterson…A Jonas Valaniuncas over a Marcus Morris…I like what we’ve started building here, but I would be even more excited if we can add one more guy with All-Star potential. Even from a trade perspective, a higher draft pick opens up more possibilities for Morey. Would Seattle have traded Ray Allen to Boston if they had the 14th pick instead of the 5th? Probably not!

It’s going to be marvelous if we stink next year.

 

That would be fantastic as long as Toronto still sucks.

 

Wrong. I think at least 2 of the rookies have the potential to be superstars.(DMo, Lamb). At least three will reach all-star status(DMo, Lamb, Jones), but all 4 could be all-stars.

 

And.... which of those teams are in a better position to win a championship than the Rockets???

Also, Bradley Beal... come on. I think the guy has a terrific future in the NBA, but he's done nothing yet to proclaim that he's any better than anyone the Rockets have on their roster right now. Same with MKG.

 

ITT: People with zero expectations for our rookies

 

Couple of things to remember:

1) If the Rockets are going to tank, Daryl Morey and the front office aren't dumb enough to announce it to the paying public that the team's intention is to tank. That would be an incredibly ill-advised business move for a team that is set to host the 2013 All-Star Game.

2) This years team is not going to win many games. We have a plethora of young inexperienced talent and a coach whose coaching/front office resume is more than questionable. I like the young talent that we have and I do believe that some of the players have star potential, but I think it's a bit naive to expect a team that has been completely overhauled by young players/rookies to compete for a playoff spot.

3) A more realistic projection is to have a team that is built for the long haul (ready to make some noise in the playoffs in 2-3 seasons and possibly a title after 5). The team is moving in the right direction now by completely blowing up the team and freeing up the necessary cap space to go after top flight talent. The last thing the team wants is Atlanta Hawks/Memphis Grizzlies situation where you have a good team that will NEVER be able to compete for a title. Some people will argue that the Hawks and Grizzlies are at least better than the Rockets right now (which is true), but just wait a couple of seasons and the fan base is going to get sick of the same merry-go-round and calling for Morey's head. People have to remember that there isn't a point in spending money for the sake of spending money. The team should be spending money on players that will be able to help the team compete for a title in maybe 4-5 years. The Rockets are simply to far behind the likes of Heat, Lakers, and OKC to even THINK about competing for a title in the near future.

4) I, myself am Taiwanese-American, and I can tell you straight up that the Jeremy Lin move is more of a business move than it is a basketball move. If you aren't projected to win many games, you might as well sell more tickets. It's simple business. For a team that has been suffering from lagging ticket sales/attendance, Jeremy Lin is the perfect player to acquire for a team that won't be competing in the near future, because at-worst he sells out the arena, and at-best he sells out the arena my being a rather productive player. It is a win-win situation for the Houston Rockets. For Jeremy Lin? I'm not so sure. I like Jeremy Lin as a player, but I highly doubt he is the long-term solution to the Rocket's issues. If he was the long-term solution, than you could possibly argue that the Rockets would have been willing to invest more than 3 years on Jeremy Lin. Thus, the Rockets are still waiting on their "big catch" and are in prime position to do so with the moves that they have made thus far.

Overall, I very much like the direction the team is headed in and it should be a fun group to watch this coming season. Hope to see some of yall at the games this season.

 

You don't need to say your Taiwanese American, don't see why that is relevant. Anyway I found your post intriguing and wanted to respond.

I agree with 1)

2 & 3) I agree. I have the rockets at winning 35 games. At the same time, if the Rockets end up competing for an 8th seed I wouldn't be completely shocked, crazier things have happened.

4) I agree sort of. Yes Lin sells tickets & yes that was a motivating factor towards his contract. But I think you are overblowing that aspect of the situation. He is still getting a salary of an average starting pg in the NBA 8 million dollars/yr. If it was as much of a business move as you are making it out to be they would have paid him a lot more 4 yrs 40 million. I think your also silly if you seriously think that the Rockets would commit 4 years to him. Morey doesn't role like that. Them not giving him a 4 year deal doesn't mean that they don't view him as the long term solution at the guard spot. At the same time, I do get the vibe that the Rockets view him as a guard who will eventually outperform his contract & I wouldn't be surprised if he develops to be the long term solution kind of like Rondo in Boston. I think this is there thought process when they signed Lin. And no I am not saying he will be on the level of Rajon Rondo. At minimum he will put up decent numbers next year, & seeing as how the All Star Games are a popularity contest he will get the fan vote.

 

Edit on 2 & 3) I think the Rockets should always try to make the team as competitive as possible & not take the "wait our turn approach". Anything can happen. Look at the Nuggets. They had Carmelo & they became a playoff team. But more often than not they were a first round exit except for once. Fast forward, Melo leaves and now the Nuggets are a better team & I think they can advance a lot deeper this season. Becoming a championship team is not easy and it is a work in progress & I think the route that the front office is on right now is the best.

 

Dream scenirao get Nerlens Noel this year, and get Jabari Parker the following year.. Chandler Bang will be 26 by then, so he could be part of that trade to potentially move up into the Top 3


either way going for the playoffs with our current team would be suicide

 

The reason I thought that I would clarify that I was Taiwanese-American was to eliminate any sort of bias arguments thrown my way. The reason I stated that the The Jeremy Lin move was more so a business move than a basketball move was simply due to the fact that the Rockets lost depth at the PG position and if the Rockets wanted to stay the course and possibly win more games this year, they could have kept Lowry or resigned Dragic. The Suns are paying Dragic approximately the same amount the Rockets are paying Lin. Why didn't the Rockets just re-sign the slightly more proven incumbent? It's simple. Jeremy Lin will put fans in the seats. Even if the Rockets lose a ton of games, the Rockets will be making money. Dragic doesn't have the same draw as a Jeremy Lin. Again, this is a win-win situation for the Rockets. Even if Lin isn't as productive as the Rockets think he can be, he will sell tickets by drawing on the Asian fan base. Not only that, the Lin signing buys the front office some more time to put together a roster that will be able to put the team in title contention maybe 4-5 years down the line.

Like I said before, I think Jeremy Lin does have some upside and should make for a productive player, but a franchise maker he is not. The Rockets know this and I am willing to bet that if a franchise player (the Roses, LeBrons, Howards, etc) that can not only sell tickets, but also put up superstar numbers comes along, they would be more than willing to part ways with Lin to make room for him. That's not to say that Lin doesn't fit into the Rockets future plans, but the Rockets are in a great position going forward with what they currently have on the roster.

 

Also, I don't think the Jeremy Lin and Rajon Rondo comparison is a good one at all. Rajon Rondo is a point guard in the purest sense of the term. Jeremy Lin is more of a scoring guard that was put in a position to run the point when he was with the Knicks. Even at Harvard, he was asked to put the ball in the basket as opposed to setting his teammates up for buckets. This isn't to say that Jeremy Lin doesn't have point guard skills, but Rajon Rondo is on another level in terms of his point guard abilities (floor spacing, reading defenses, setting up his teammates for easy baskets, ball-handling, etc. --the list is long). The dude is a triple-double threat almost every single night that he is out on the floor. I haven't even gotten to his defensive skills. Rajon Rondo, is a pretty well-rounded player and at 5 years, $55 million -- he's a bargain at that price. Whereas, Rajon Rondo naturally looks for his teammates first, Lin is going to have to make the adjustment from looking to score first to looking to pass first as he as been asked to do time and time again earlier in his career.

 

Cooliobob thanks for the response. My reply is as follows.

I disagree that Dragic is the more proven incumbent, although I seem to be in the minority on this opinion. He like Lin has less than 30 games as a starter (looking just at Houston) and as far as I am concerned if your going to a team that your going to be a starting pg in the NBA making starters $ (average salary for a starting guard) and you haven't started for that long on the same team your both in the same boat. Anyway, Dragic wanted a 4th year player option & more guaranteed money, Morey doesn't just hand those things out. Lowry had a bad attitude so he had to leave. I think we are going to have to agree to disagree in terms of the marketing stuff, I think you are overblowing it. But it is definitely a factor. But once again, if it was more about that & less about the basketball he would have been given a 4 year deal 40 million. He got the average salary of a starting pg in the NBA. I think something you are missing out in your commentary is that Lin fits more into what the Rockets are trying to do, rebuild as he is much younger than Goran & Lowry. McHale said as much during Summer League.

Second, nobody knows what he will become nobody. Not many people imagined Nash or Rondo to become franchise cornerstones but guess what they did. At the same time, there are other players who have remarkably underachieved there top draft pick. Some are already viewing John Wall in this light. Time will tell what he becomes or does't become, but as of right now nobody can speak in definitives. Also I think it is for only a handful of players that the Rockets would consider parting ways with him. I think he has job security for the next 3 years, which is why I think Lin chose Houston. This is all moot if he ****s the bed.

You did exactly what I didn't want you to do with the Rondo comparison. I specifically said,"no I am not saying that he will be the next Rondo". I just said that when Rondo was a rookie, there were many people who would have ever guessed that he would become the what he is now. Nash was regularly booed in his younger days, all of that has changed. Like them, I simply meant, that Lin could exceed expectations much like Rondo & Nash did. Or he could not. Nobody knows.

To be nitpicky, I wouldn't put Rose on the same level as Howard & LBJ.

 

Forget the passing, rebounding, and court vision..Rajon Rondo is one hell of an on-ball defender. How many PG's do you see trying to defend LBJ(whether joking or not), or able too strip the ball outta of LBJ's hands to force a jump ball. Rajon Rondo also has an INSANELY high bbiq, and could lead the league in the steals in he wanted too

 

Rondo is remarkable there is no doubt about that. But I remember in his younger days there was still some speculation and hesitation surrounding Rondo. That isn't the case now. That was essentially the point I was trying to make.

 

I should thank you for your response too. I like hearing different perspectives on the matter and I can understand where you are coming from on some of your opinions so no harm done. I don't think there is a right or wrong answer at this point and only time will tell how Jeremy Lin turns out.

As for Rajon Rondo, while I'm not saying I expected Rondo to blow up like he did, Rajon Rondo has never changed the way he played. Rajon Rondo at Kentucky is the same type of player with the same type of mentality then as he is now. For Jeremy Lin, I feel that the adjustment will be much bigger for him. He's more of a scoring guard than he is a point guard.

As for Derrick Rose...he is the definition of a franchise player. I'm not saying he's as great as LeBron James, but you honestly can't name me 5 guys you would rather start your franchise with. The guy was an MVP at the age of 22 (youngest ever) and he is a great marketing tool for both the Bulls and Adidas. He's already taken his team, practically single-handedly, to the conference finals in his 3rd season. He is the epitome of a superstar franchise player and if the Rockets could land a guy like him, I'd be more than satisfied with that pickup.

 

I also like to hear different perspectives as well. Thanks for staying classy, more often than not people overreact & can't have engaging discussions. You are right there is no right answer only time will tell what he becomes. And don't get me wrong he is definitely a work in progress that is for sure. He is far from a perfect player.

I think you are right the transition for Lin is going got be interesting to see. In Harvard he carried the team, passing, scoring, making plays, defending. I think in Houston he will score more because the situation demands it. With NY under the new coach (not Dantoni) he was a lot more of a floor general & less score first. I think under Dantoni he was asked to do a lot more scoring because the situation demanded it. If he had stayed in NY I think he would have developed into a different type of player more of a floor general. In Houston he will be asked to both score & set his teammates up. But he will be doing a lot more scoring because the talent in NY isn't here in Houston. In my opinion, he played in so few games it is really hard to say what type of guard he will develop to be. But something that he does have going for him is that he takes what the defense gives him & makes his decision from there, score or pass.

In regards to Rose. I don't rank him as a top 5 PG in the NBA. I think CP3 Deron Rondo Nash Parker (maybe Russ) are better than him. In terms of guys I would start a franchise with in no particular order, LBJ, Howard, Nash, KD, CP3 Deron Rondo etc I would take all before Rose. Not saying he is not a franchise player & that I would refuse him on my roster.

Question: How do you delineate between a scoring guard & a pure point guard. This is a discussion I have been wanting to have with someone for a while now would like your input.

 

Probably all of them, except the Raptors, are in a better position to win a championship than the Rockets. They all have a player with superstar potential or are smart enough to tank for one. The Rockets fail on both ends.

 

well they probably are still tanking, no one comes out and says it.