Rockets have a PG. Why do we keep pretending they don't have a point guard? And why do we believe Harden will give up the reigns (for more than when he's out of the game or a possession or three)? Ty Lawson sucks because of Ty Lawson. He also sucks because of Harden & the coaching staff. "Oh here, we're just gonna slot you into the Patrick Beverley/Jeremy Lin role." Conley isn't coming here.
So if we're doing that, we trade Harden right? No reason to have him play out the rest of his contract on a garbage team before walking in FA right?
I'm fine with that. You've got this offseason to put a title team around Harden. If you can't do it then you are wasting time. I might hold onto him until I can get the best possible deal, but I would absolutely be all for trading him.
I would be shocked if at least one of Sergio Llull or Gentile are NOT added to the Rockets next Summer. For free agency signings they will be bargains in comparison to NBA free agents. The Rockets own their rights and will not trade them to other teams just for those teams to sign them to bigger deals, and the raise in cap just a little makes it a no brainer to come to the NBA for much more than they'd make in Europe (as the Euroleague market will likely stay the same). It makes alot of sense for this to be a GREAT Summer for signing players over from Europe to larger contracts than they'd get over there (or normally as first year players) but much lower than other NBA free agents who have leverage over teams with supply & demand. While Llull and Gentile aren't Conley & Horford, they are likely really good rotation players at least that can be added for value contracts in comparison to what other teams will pay for equal talent in an NBA player. .......... For instance... Llull's salary over in Europe is 2.5 million Euros which is like 2.78 million dollars a season. If the Rockets get Llull to come over for let's say 6 or 7 million a year and he's got a key role on the team, If Llull turns out to be even a halfway decent rotation guard, that's a great value signing. Gentile I believe from what I see is making less than a million Euros a year. If the Rockets offer him the full MLE you think he'd turn down??
Rockets have a PG, a SG, a SF, a PF and a C, many of them in fact. No one is pretending we don't. What we don't have is talent. Because he has never had a problem sharing the ball in the past, on many different teams? Harden dominates the ball out of necessity, not greed. No, Lawson doesn't suck because of Harden and the coaching staff. Ty Lawson just sucks this year. That's it. There are no if and's or buts. Don't know what happened, but he makes poor decisions and can't hit a shot. You have no idea where Conley is going, no body does, except Conley. LAC, OKC, CLE, SAS, and GSW all have PGs, so he ain't going there. Outside of that, where else would he go? Dallas nope, they just aren't good. Chicago? Maybe, but they already have 20 million invested in Rose.
Time is quickly running out. Tied for 6th as longest tenured General Manager. Ahead of him: 1. Pat Riley 2. Donnie Nelson 2. R.C. Buford 4. Danny Ainge 4. Ernie Grunfeld 6. Daryl Morey 6. Sam Presti 6. Chris Wallace 9 seasons, 5 playoff appearances, 3 first round exits For all the "good" he has built, not a lot of [playoff] success. A lot of regular season wins but not much playoff success. Isn't that BeaneBall/Moneyball? Good in the regular season but asked why can't Beane & the A's win in the postseason? http://theweek.com/articles/458933/why-doesnt-moneyball-work-playoffs http://espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=betweenthenumbers/billybeane/060405 Why doesn't Moreyball/Rockets ball win in the playoffs? Spoiler
Listen to the Woj vertical. Woj said that Conley is almost certainly coming back to Memphis because apparently he and Gasol are really...BFF. They have made a deal or something and are too loyal to each other.
Bradley Beal and Durant should be the targets. WASH might tear everything down if they crap the second half of the season. I think WASH will blink when Beal gets offered the max considering the injury history.
Yeah, I really feel the Rockets will make another run at Llull this summer. And Gentile is apparently progressing nicely.
Yeah its the perfect Summer to good Eurostash prospects. You have the leverage to get them highly overpaid compared to where they were in Europe but on a value NBA contact... and if they actually do well in the NBA its like winning the lottery.
Beal is good but he has the minute limitation for the rest of his carreer. It's too risky because stress fractures in the same area repeatedly at such a young age can be carreer ending. Also no way Washington lets him go so it doesn't matter anyway.
I hope we don't stupidly fight for the 8th seed to get roasted by golden state and lose our draft pick to Denver.
I'd much rather have this abortion of a season over a bit sooner and get to keep the first round pick. This team needs to be blown up.
Few would admit this with modern NBA fans, but its 100% better typically for teams to make the playoffs than to miss them to tank and get a pick.. especially one in the late lottery. You have your situations like the Spurs/Duncan year, and the GSW/Barnes year etc. but overall making the playoffs is a good thing for your franchise as a whole, and usually it brings in fans that don't follow the sport really at all until the playoffs. Those people, while we give them a hard time as fare-weather fans, are important to bringing in new fans to the team, and overall city support and the economics of the team. The Rockets aren't doing anything crazy with mortgaging their future to make the playoffs. Also with Morey's track record in drafting, securing two second rounders might end up being more productive than one 14th pick if that player isn't a stud. If the Rockets gave up let's say Harrell, Dekker, and 2 first rounders this trade deadline to get someone like Channing Frye, and Jeff Green I would say that I disagree with the direction of trying to make the playoffs in this situation. But instead they gave up a highly inefficient shooter who didn't really shoot that well, and a really good young prospect who was likely gone in free agency, and likely wouldn't be healthy enough to help the team anyways this year. ........ And Im not entirely sure the Rockets will be an easy out in the 8th slot for the Warriors. Actually I would bet that the Rockets (if they start playing even a little bit better) will be that team that NOBODY wants to see in the first round because of the wacky way they play. -The Warriors wont admit it, but the Rockets actually gave them a good test in those first couple games in the series and almost beat them. -The Spurs have always had problems with the Rockets. We all know the Clippers don't want to see the Rockets again because of last year (even though they might hope for redemption). -OKC probably hates the idea of Beverley coming anywhere near Westbrook's knees in the first round. The Rockets surely won't be favored in any of these series', but I can guarantee you that all of those teams sure as hell would hope that the Jazz or Portland would be there in the first round to play them instead of the Rockets.... especially if this team picks it up even just a little bit.
