What are you basing this on? Ariza was an excellent glue guy in LA, and in Washington. You surround him with talent that demands a lot of attention on offense, and he becomes a great player to have offensively. Defensively, he's miles ahead of CP. Seems like a pretty good glue guy to me - a lot of Houston fans just remember him being the #1 or #2 option and he clearly isn't capable of that, but neither is CP
That's the possible downside, but that reality is better than the idea that this team will be worse, which is what many people are freaking out about. Free agency stung and was a huge letdown, but acting like there's a deadline this month to apply for contender status is just premature ejockularity.
The last time Ariza played with the best shooting guard in the NBA, and the best big man what happened? Phil Jackson was the coach, ya ya ya, but let's see how this plays out. If we don't get Kevin Durant next year, or something weird goes wrong and one of our guys was wanting to leave that's different. The HEAT didn't win a title in year 1, and year 3 was the best. They almost lost all, but one Finals. They only won 2 championships. They had LEBRON JAMES. Would the Heat have paired DWade and LBJ, and offered Chandler Parsons 15 mil...?!! Would most any GM, even with HOWARD, AND JAMES HARDEN. The answer is quite simple. Mark Cuban needed something and that something is now I guess a rivalry. He didn't snag some special superstar. They did in a larger sense what we tried to do to Ariza his first go around. Ariza helped win a team a CHIP, and Parsons helped win what a few games and couldn't hit a lay up. Does everyone that loves him remember this BS about him not being able to finish on a consistent basis. Chandler helped win a couple first round playoff games. Clogged the middle on a great year for Dwight as a wing man, and was a great player. Like Carl Landry he is easily replaceable. Unlike Dragic, and Lowry as we found out, and will see. Chance at KD>OVERPAYING a 3rd tier "superstar" Also, I wasn't even big on bring Bosh here just saying. I think he would have totally changed the team though, and we would have been better. I think the loss of Chandler won't dramatically affect the team.
It's not the starters that should worry us, it's the bench. The Rockets are trying to add depth without killing their cap flexibility. Easier said than done.
Can't realistically get worse than a first round loss. I just hope Terrence Jones learns what defense is.
You could have the exact same team every year in the playoffs and their performance wouldn't be identical. Harden plays like he did in that series in the future and we might as well blow it up and rebuild because we aren't winning ****. The team as is (last year minus Lin and Asik, plus Canaan/Daniels/Johnson, plus random budget signings) is good enough to get to the semis/WCF.
We didn't get Bosh, Melo, and LBJ. What honestly makes anyone think we will get Durant? Howard and Harden are 1st and second scoring options. The Rockets are their team. If Durant wants to come here it will most likely be via sign and trade. I guarantee Parsons would have been part of that package. If anything Parsons could have been used as a trading chip and not just let walk away for nothing.
not until we find a good replacement PG for Lin and another big to replace Asik. I doubt Dorsey is gonna cut it. If either or both of those happen then we will be back at 4th in the West.
Harden and Durant are good friends, Durant currently plays in OKC (i.e. the lowest tier of NBA cities), he went to college in Texas, and he's never played with a real center before. If I were asked "of Bosh, Melo, LBJ, and Durant which would be most likely to sign as a FA in Houston" i'd answer Durant and it wouldn't be close. He's not a huge city prestige w**** like Carmelo, he's in ring seeking mode unlike Bosh, and he doesn't have extreme legacy concerns to think about like Lebron.
It's not Ariza I am worried about, it's our bench. Bench lost quality players and depth. Thus far, we have signed Adrien, Smith, and Dorsey. IMO, that's not getting better. At best, that is staying par for course
His over scrutinized turnover didn't even cost us the lead let alone the game. But lets not let facts get in the way of a good hate mob.
I agree with all that you are saying, but feel that if Durant came, he is the only one in the L that could play with both of these guys. Especially bc the rumors of him and James Harden being very close together, and also him wanting help down low. If we had matched Parsons bc we made him a RFA we tied our hands for a bit. He was being offered a lot. If we got Bosh I kind of see the point in matching bc then there is 2 assets with large contracts to throw around. 1 of the 2 would be movable, or both. With just Parsons and the "trade-kicker" of 15% and, (did he have to approve trades not sure), but also the fact that it was player option and not team option; without Bosh playing for us, is a useless over appreciated/valued asset. Was he paid to much? I believe so. Going back to appreciation and the increase of his value as an asset did not match up with 15 mil. either, as basically it would be like over paying for a car and then driving it off the lot. You overpaid first, and now it's worth far less in a trade, and in anything involving moving, or keeping the contract itself. If you keep the contract, and he takes the player option when it came time would be the only time it would be semi-nice asset bc a large sum of money would be coming off the books. The depreciation finally kicks in. While the contract could have been used for your said sign n trade, or another. The player appreciated in a year that we thought would be a better year bc the salary cap. Instead Mark Cuban wanted to try and play Chess, and he moved the wrong piece. Watch! Morey is thinking 2 steps ahead, and this was written by Clutch; I believe that, "A warning was given that Bosh may take the money to stay in Miami."
What? Game 4: HOU 104-POR 102-->turnover-->HOU 104-POR 105 (18 seconds remain) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vh_wLpQjh6k Game 3: HOU 110-POR 107-->unnecessary layup attempt-->HOU 110-POR 110 (41 seconds remain) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86xr7kUxRtQ
I am sure OKC said the same thing about Harden. It is a good thing they were wrong. We are definitely not the same team as last year. Adding Ariza was great but losing Parsons for nothing when we could have retained him is just flat out stupid. Okc at least got Kevin Martin and Jeremy Lamb. We got flat out nothing. Parsons also flat out looked great as a 3rd option and definitely brought something new to the table after every season. He wasn't just a 3 and D that sat and waited for the shot. He could make it happen. He was also only 24 or so. He isn't close to being done improving. We are no way close to the same team as last year. We have no bench and we definitely look worse than last year the moment. Doc Rocket warned us of greed and that this could happen. 2 steps ahead is great but when does the two steps happen? In two seasons when Dwight is ready to bail. If we regress Dwight will ask to leave. He is not one to hold his displeasure back.
Really? So he will gladly play third wheel in Houston? Houston didn't even make it out of the first round last season with two Stars. Melo stayed in NY because of his wife. The guy wants a ring just like any other guy but what the wife says usually is what goes. If we are to get Durant it will be by sign and trade. OKC is not stupid. Who do we give them?
I love Horry but he's wrong on this. We lost Parsons, Lin and Asik and so far Ariza is the only decent replacement.
