[ESPN] Rockets not trading Dwight, planning all-out Durant pursuit this summer

Put him on ignore. He is not a fan at all. Every post I've seen from him before I put him on Ignore and every post and thread I've see after that when people quote him are all negative. A piece of **** is more positive than him.

 

I didnt say its worse, I said its equal, the Rockets, Thunder and Wizards with Durant would all be at the same level, except there is incentive to staying in OKC(money) and incentive to go to the Wiz(home).

Then you go one to talk about last year, trying to not live in the moment but instead take accomplishment from last season while dismissing this season.

Last season doesn't matter, its the 2015-16 season, we are 51 games into the season and we are 1 game over .500* we are on our way to having our worst season since 2009-10 when Brooks was the best player on the Rockets.

You can go ahead and tell me how great Harden is and how Howard is still good, but the truth is even with a completely healthy Harden, a healthier Howard then last season and a relatively healthier roster then last season, we are still having a terrible season

I'm not drinking to Homer coolaidz, sorry. IMO Houston has very little chance at Durant and to think otherwise is "foolish".

Harden, Howard are not much if any better then Westbrook and Ibaka. That doesn't even matter though because a roster is 13 players deep and the current Thunder roster without Durant for most of the season, with WB and Ibaka missing 20 games, still was a better team then we are on pace to be.

 

Westbrook could always come along and join KD and Harden the very next year.

Here's a fact that can't be disputed: the last time Durant, Westbrook, and Harden were teammates... they made it to the NBA Finals.

 

Ibaka is also a free agent the same year as Westbrook FWIW

 

It looks pretty clear that OKC is about to be blown up and IMO that's why Durant is likely moving on.

 

Don't underestimate Sam Presti. He's one of the best. They'll make a run this year and figure a way forward. They're not simply going to fold up.

 

I don't look at it as underestimating Presti, he can only play the cards he's dealt. His cheapskate owner is why he got completely and savagely taken to the woodshed on the Harden deal.....but players remember things like that. Who wants to stay playing in the middle of nowhere Oklahoma for a cheapskate owner that will sabotage team success to save a bit of money?

I'm pretty sure Durant thinks about how things might have been different if Bennett had been willing to pay a bit of luxury for Harden to stay. Durant likely has a ring by now in fact. Since Bennett was a cheapskate, Durant is going to head into his 10th season in the league next year without ever having won a championship and James Harden is the guy that could have helped get him one.

IMO that's part of the reason I see Durant leaving OKC even if it isn't to come to Houston. He wants to win and OKC's owner intentionally hurt the product on the court for money considerations. How can you forgive that?

Also Westbrook is gone the year after that, Durant staying in OKC is basically wasting the rest of his prime with no hope of ever competing for a championship.

 

I'm not saying Presti can magically retain KD and RW. I'm saying when Presti knows they're leaving he'll flip that roster and quickly rebuild another quality unit. Presti knows how to draft. And he knows how to trade.

 

He would be top dog in Houston, but with Warriors, Curry is still the top dog on that team.

 

You know why? Because OKC outside of Ibaka, Durant, and Westbrook are not very good.

Durant and Westbrook have to carry that team to bring them to where they are.

You are trying to beat the Warriors and Spurs, as constructed they are not doing that.

If the Rockets keep Howard and Durant along with the supporting cast the Rockets will have it already is a better team than the Thunder. The reason the Thunder are so good right now is because they have two MVP caliber players on the same team. If Durant comes to Houston he'll also be joining another MVP caliber player.

As for the Wizards, who said Durant wanted to come back home that bad? To waste the last years of his prime on a team that needs to built to win? Wall and Beal are borderline all-star players, outside of them are guys that solid role players.

Lakers haven't proved they can build around anything and the Knicks haven't either. The Knicks have basically been a superstar graveyard where foolish stars chasing fame go to fade away and become after thoughts like Amare and Starbury and now Melo.

The Bulls have and always will be a cheap team and are led by a dude who is one major injury away from retiring and another dude that probably will retire in a season or two. Durant and Butler really going to be able to beat the Warriors? Beat even the Cavs?

Honestly his best choices at winning are in this order.

1.) GSW
2a) Houston
2b) OKC

It will really come down to how much Durant thinks Westbrook will stay around and how much he believes he win with Harden.

 

yep, you get it. If they win and he goes to a 2x Back to back champion team, he'd be ridiculed forever. That might be unprecedented - a top 5 player in the league joining the most dominant team in the league.

But if they lose, it certainly opens a window for him to be "the missing piece".

 

He could try and force a trade to the Clippers. Durant for Griffin more or less isn't fair for Durant normally... But is then Durant is a FA hinting at leaving and it's not like there is another Durant out there that is fair value in return.

There's some other squads that I think you can argue are as compelling (or really close right now) as the Rockets.

Harden/Howard base isn't super compelling to me as a player. It isn't cohesive and doesn't appear to be on the verge of dominant. Not anymore. If Dirant wants to come to Houston it's because of his friendship with Harden and a belief in Morey.

Rockets would be moronic to be putting even 10% of their eggs in that basket.

Besides which, the Rockets need a MUCH better PF in the worst way.

 

The Clippers are MUCH less compelling than the Rockets. Sure OKC would love to trade Durant for Griffin in order to get something back, but there's no reason for Durant to want to do that.

 

I disagree, firstly Ibaka is apart of OKC's supporting cast, he along with Kanter, Adams, Robertson, Morrow, Payne, Augustin, Singler create a decent supporting cast.

Secondly, if the Rockets where to clear the space to sign Durant we wouldn't have neatly the same roster. I don't believe that the Rockets with Durant> OKC with Durant unless we make some moves to revamp our roster.

Thirdly I view Wall as a superstar, definitely not a borderline allstar.

 

him and harden on the same team is very similar to Bron and Wade teaming up except this time they have a elite defender that can demand a double team at times and they both have wayyyyyyyy better shooting .

 

Agree to disagree. The Clippers are a better team this year - even without Griffin or especially without him - and were more or less equivalent last year ... Choke job notwithstanding.

Any hesitancy to join the Clippers is about CP3s leadership resulting in so much playoff failure and how he runs/rules that team.

 

All the Rockets would have to do to clear the space for Durant would be to move on from Lawson and maybe move Brewer or Ariza.....do you really think that kills the Rockets?

As to you hyping the Thunder, without Durant, we've already seen that they are a less than .500 team....we saw that just last season actually so I don't get how you have forgotten that already.

OKC is mediocre at best without Durant and even if Durant stays 2 of the top 3 players there will be gone within 2 seasons. He'd be throwing the rest of his prime away to stick around on that sinking ship very much like Howard would have been doing with LA.

 

I can't see Durant going to G.S. if they are in the finals. Great players don't join great teams to win a ring. There has to be some challenge.

Taking a good team to great makes sense. Taking a great team to....where? He'd lock himself as a maga-roleplayer ala Ray Allen if he goes to G.S.

Comes to Houston he gets to be with his best friend and try to dethrone the Warriors. I just have to think that is more appealing from a legacy standpoint.

 

Sorry I was confused about the salary, the Rockets would be able to keep the same roster, save Lawson, Brewer, KJ and Jones + possibly Thornton/Smith(FA) or Terry (FA+retirement)

Still I don't view Rockets with Durant as better then OKC with Durant.

The Rockets this year, which is decently healthy, is barely a .500 team, last year OKC had 45 win record with Durant, WB, Ibaka all missing a lot of games. We can agree to disagree on this one.

 

Decently healthy? We've been missing our starting PF damn near all season long and the Rockets have been without Dwight for 12 games already. They've been without Bev for 11 already. That's 3 starters that have all missed more than 10 games. Hell they've had something like 25 different starting lineups due to injuries, how is that "decently healthy"?

If the Rockets had actually been "decently healthy" then their record is a lot better than it is right now.