[ESPN] Sources: Aldridge to start free agency with Lakers, Rockets

That's three people bro

 

lol, those are 3 names that he just named...

ibaka, adams, morrow, p.jones (playing well before his injury), mcgary had some moments. waiters sucks...but still...that's a team that can win it all.

 

Harden, Howard, Ariza, Beverley, D-Mo, Brewer, Smith(?). That's also a team that could win a championship. We have flaws, sure. So does OKC. So does San Antonio. So does just about every other team. We also have some pieces that we can use in trades in order to fix some of these flaws as well. The offseason isn't over yet. And Morey usually pulls off a trade at the deadline that improves our team some as well.

We have a good team now. By the time the playoffs start next year our team will probably look different and (hopefully) even better

 

We still need another point guard not named Beverley.

A Mo Williams would've done wonders for us in the playoffs this past year.

 

They have one of the worst benches in the league and are not close to contending.

 

Augustine
Morrow
Singler
McGrady
Adams

really? they are solid

 

Five days in July: Inside the free-agent courtship of LaMarcus Aldridge

 

didn't want to be Houston's Bosh... fair enough

 

Good luck with that...He's not going to be the face of the Spurs, until he leads them to a title and plays a larger role than any of the big 4 that remain.

 

^makes me think we have a great shot at KD

we know how to pitch

 

We do, for the most part...i just wish they'd lay off the "commitment to winning championships" stuff...lots of teams are committed and we haven't been that succesful in that area, especially recently.

 

I think the point is that the Rockets aren't going to let other things unrelated to basketball get in the way of building a contender. That IS a problem with several teams around the league.

 

we've certainly had practice (wonder if Bosh thinks of us when he fires up our ipad?).

Morey's holy grail is the 3 star model & we do have enough 'ball' left to add a third.

 

It'll be the big sell for anyone trying to poach KD from OKC who proved with the Harden trade that they aren't committed to winning a championship.

 

When Tim Duncan retires LA will be the face of the Spurs since Leonard does not care about that stuff. Leonard will be the real face of the Spurs though.

I just don't understand it though. Harden, Dwight and Aldridge. How can he not see the dominance in that? Same with Bosh. Front office even gives them great presentations.. What is going on here?

 

I love inside scoop articles like that.

- The Lakers are beyond hilarious and beyond delusional

- Not mad that Aldridge turned us down, and you can't argue with choosing San Antonio, but if he wanted to be the face of the franchise, he'll never get that in San Antonio. He's probably already behind Kawhi Leonard in that regard.

- I'm not sure how much these pitches even matter. Seems like these guys know exactly who they want going into it, and the pitches are really just a matter of confirming those initial beliefs as well as the media exposure. When we got Dwight, the Rockets were always reported as a heavy favorite. Same with LMA and San Antonio, Carmelo and the Knicks, etc. Doesn't seem like these pitches ever change guys minds, especially the ones who are already considered long shots to begin with.

 

Right?

Since 1995-96:
8 years they missed the playoffs
8 first round exits
2 Conference Semifinals appearances
2 Conference Finals appearances

Meanwhile SA, Miami & LA are here throwing out their rings on the table and are "committed to winning".

 

Or the FACT that they never expected Harden's career to turn out quite like this. Sometimes all it takes is one blunder...and OKC is still paying for it 4 years later.

 

True, but we've also had 4 stars in the last 15 years and 2 were acquired with pre-existing health issues and one developed issues here. How committed you are doesn't matter, with that kind of luck.

 

Remember that being the "face of the franchise" is about more than on-court impact, though. Is Leonard the best player on the Spurs? Perhaps. But he's a virtual non-entity off the court. Quiet, doesn't do a lot of endorsements, didn't come from a major college program, doesn't have a high Q score. Really, other than his height, he could pretty much walk anywhere in a place like NYC or LA and most folks wouldn't recognize him. Harden, on the other hand... is quite recognizable, to say the least. Around the world, Houston is James Harden's team. There's not nearly the same link with Leonard and the Spurs.