Its not that this season is by any means Howard's fault. He is still a defensive and rebounding monster, he has been solid this season and I fully expect him to be a beast in the playoffs. The thing is, it doesn't look like we are anywhere near competing, and Howard is too old for this roster unless we flip things around quickly. Howard can't wait another 2 years for the Rockets to get their **** together. Rockets shouldn't keep Howard if we know we won't be contending right away either. There is so much wrong with this team, it needs a big retooling and we shouldn't have any core players over 27 if we plan on retooling for a couple of seasons so we can truly compete for a ring in Hardens prime. So I say wait till the deadline, if we turn it around keep Howard and focus on improving in other area's, if we keep falling and playing like **** then trade Howard for quality young players, picks and expirings.
Why you want to trade Howard, when you already know Harden cannot lead you anywhere when it counts? The Rockets' problem is a strategic one. If you keep Harden, then you'll end up with other 4 average offensive players, because no good player is willing to scarify their game for the sake of Harden's ball dominating ISO. Can they win with that kind of team? If they change the style, use more options on offensive, will Harden still be a factor? We pretty much know that you cannot win with Harden & 4 average players, but no one knows if Harden still can be a factor when the ball is taken away from his hands. It's a gamble, not sure if the Rockets is willing to bet it.
Dwight's defensive value is no longer worth enough to be sacrificing your offense for it, he's reached the point where his ambition no longer matches his ability and the team suffers for it. What team has its best and one of the league's best offensive players sacrifice his game to try and placate a below average offensive player? That's what we're doing right now, and then we're blaming him for it. That was the problem in LA for Dwight, and it wasn't just Kobe, maybe we should have taken more notice when cyber told us that Pau Gasol thinks Dwight is dumb. And where has this idea that Harden can't play with other good offensive players come from? The only above average offensive player Houston has had in his 3.3 years here was Parsons, who thrived, and that offense was top 5.
I think the idea is to end up with another star. Not right away but to gain the assets from the trade to get another star.
Name the ten best players under thirty. From that list, which could realistically be had for Harden? Not as many as you think, not now.
Didn't one NBA trade picks for a head coach.... Why can't we be front runners and trade Harden for a smart GM who is on his way out?
Harden for Butler could work for both teams. Bulls get a personality that is more compatible with the coach and Rose. Rockets get defense and a leader.
No thank you.... I was just in Chicago for some time and caught a bulls game. His teamates don't even like him and he publicly calls out his coach. Jimmy Butler is no leader. His personality is weirder than Hardens. The grass is not greener on the other side were was all this trade Harden talk last year or the year before? Cmon now.... This season has not gone how we hoped but we have a very flawed roster that is not as talented as we all thought coming into the year. The rockets would be stupid to trade a 26 year old superstar who was a top 3 player in the NBA just 6 months ago. Guys that put up 28/7/6 are not easy to find. He needs to fix his game and learn to move more offball but he also needs another great player to team up with that can really get him easy looks and take some burden off him. Dwight is a great player but he cannot create for anyone but himslef and he has a hard enough time doing that. Curry has klay and green Durant has Westbrook Lebron has Irving and love Cp3 has blake Griffin Kawie leonard has LMA, Duncan and Parker James doesn't have another certified Allstar/superstar player and hasn't had one next to him his whole tenure in Houston. The closest thing he had was Parsons and with him the rockets posted a top 5 offense in the NBA. It's not about you guys thinking he can coexist with other stars which is not true it's that we currently don't have any player that can really be trusted to do anything on a consistent level. Ty was supposed to help but he's been just okay as of late. It's Hard to find stars Morey has one and another player in Dwight that can be very valuable if you give Harden that second guy. Imagine harden and dwight with blake Griffin or Paul George? That team would be a powerhouse and you can't say I'm wrong. We just don't have the talent to really be a contender right now. Last year was special because Harden played at a crazy level that only lebron really consistently plays at yearly and even he's had a lot more help than harden over the past 6 years. Wade couldn't even make the playoffs with no other star next to him in the east a few times and posted a lot of 40+ win season before lebron go there to south beach same with kobe before Pau. Unfortunally for us it seems Harden is going through that right now.
David Thorpe is on the trade Dwight bandwagon(although James is the problem) _______________________________ Lowe: You are on the trade Dwight bandwagon. I don't know what Howard's trade value is on an expiring contract going on 30. If I give up something good, what do I get? His bird rights for a contract on the back end of his career? Team has to want to win now and is confident they could re-sign Dwight. I have a very short list that makes any sense at all. Is this a throw in the towel move? Thorpe: I haven't thought about where. You would know in advance with his agent (covertly). You can feel good. The conversation can be: What would he be looking for? If the answer is what I have to offer and what you want, we can feel good. Why would he leave? The reason I think he needs to be traded(that's too strong a term): if they're to salvage anything from this year, I know his value if he doesn't re-sign. It's nothing. He's having a great year. He was unbelievable the other night in LA. He's matured some. He'll always be what I'll call clownish but so was Shaq and he was good. He won't be KG. He'll be laughy, goofy and silly. I watched not too long ago, it was like 15 consecutive possessions, he ran 90% speed up and down the floor, played his butt off on defense, never came close to seeing the ball on offense, never said a word. Just competed & did his job. Not a whole lot of guys do that. He has not upside but potential to help some teams and Houston can get something back and Capela will be tremendous. He was easily not just the steal but one of the best players in the draft that year. It's his time. We know Harden is in control of that team. I thought they had a great chance to win the West beause of their roster and I thought Harden grew up. I was wrong. He's still the same guy. He is in control. He's why Kevin McHale is not there. I don't think anyone else but him said this isn't our guy. He carried the day as most superstars do. Bickerstaff may be good one day but that's not today or this year. I don't think he's coming back unless they get hot and they aren't getting hot with the disconnect between Harden & Howard, which won't get smoothed over when they're losing one game in three or two games in three. They're not going on long win streaks. They won't get along when you're losing. They might as well do it now. It's also a shot to Harden. Look at we just did for you. We got to see something now from you beyond production. You have to share the ball more. You have to care about getting back on defense. You have to care about doing something on defense or your legacy will be like World B. Free. You gotta say it to him, not just do it. Lowe: I don't understand. We're 40 games in. How do they not get back on defense? Every game. No one gets back. They mope on loose balls. Get your ass back on defense. Dallas is the classic we'll get him & keep him but they have no money. Miami is the other classic team. They can't trade picks right now at all. They could put together Whiteside, Dragic & McRoberts and say we'll loose Whiteside in FA. Houston gets a PG for Harden. The way Lowry, who Houston has pursued in FA, the way he has taken co-PG duties and let DeRozan be co-PG, you see why Houston thought he'd be a great fit with Harden. Dragic I'm not sure shoots it well enough or does enough off the ball to be that PG for the Rockets. The other is New Orleans. They'll be desperate to do something. I don't know if they'll give up a pick. Maybe Anderson, who Daryl has always liked, and Holiday? Other than that, I'm empty. Thorpe: I also thought Charlotte & Atlanta. Horford playing C drags him down. His connection to ATL. There's some fields to plow in that area. But they have to come to terms, are we really willing to pull the trigger? Goran would be amazing off the bench. Start Beverley and let Dragic run the 2nd unit. To take Whiteside in FA, that'll be a scary thing. It'd be nice to have him a few months first before re-signing him. First you have to recognize something has to be done. The roster on paper is too good. Unless you change coaches? At the ASB, Sacramento brought in Karl. Houston's in a better situation than Sacramento was a year ago. If they could convince Tom or even Scotty Brooks, maybe a different voice would help but the players really loved McHale and it didn't work for him. Getting back on D, it's easy to be all in when the playoffs start. Last year if you remember, Houston was on the ropes against LA and galvanized up and a Harden freak show. He was spectacular. No one was touching the ball and no one cared. They raced back on defense, hustled and had a great postseason run. That's not happening in November. When you watch this guy dribble 11 times before he shoots and constantly not pass to open people because maybe he can get a crease and if not, maybe he'll pass or try to get another crease, and then he might throw it to you, they're like screw that. You can see it on the court. Everyone's watching. They're like I'm done with this. It's so obvious when you watch them play. You can't play that way all season the way you can in the postseason when you're competing for a ring and legacy. Lowe: Cousins, Harden, Davis would be no-brainers [for the all-star game] but their teams suck and it's hard to determine how much of that suckage is because of issues they bring. Miami-Houston, I did digging on that, I don't think either side is interested. Back to this, the things you hear about Cousins the human being that I can't share on air because I don't have them on the record to share on the air, they're so bad and his behavior on the court is so bad that I really thought about not putting him & Harden on the team. I don't know how to place value on that. Tell me about Cousins.
God bless you, David Thorpe. But is anyone saying to Harden what he needs to hear? Or are they so afraid that the star Houston took so long to acquire will take offense and go live (in 2018) where he has easier access to Khloe's booty? Time to quit enabling this dude. But I'm afraid it's going to take a tough coach. And we're not getting a tough coach this season.
