Rockets luxury tax watch 2019: What we are doing and why it matters

how do other stars play against the warriors compared to James? I'm excited to see what Lillard averages against them in the conference finals.

 

I don’t particularly care bc damn near no other team has had the opportunities we’ve had to beat them. We’ve proven that we’re just as good as they are, something no other team has done, but when we needed our best player to step up he disappears. Every single time.

We’d be smoking Portland right now too. Portland shouldn’t be our barometer. Beating GSW should.

 

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/texas-sports-nation/rockets/article/Tilman-Fertitta-determined-to-do-whatever-it-13853558.php

Fertitta strongly pushed back on the notion that he sought deals last season to get the Rockets out of paying a luxury tax, saying he never considered that an option and that he would always authorize spending that improves the roster. The Rockets last season traded their first-round pick in the deal that moved Brandon Knight and brought in Iman Shumpert, then dealt James Ennis III to move under the tax.

“Last year (getting under the luxury tax) was a fluke,” Fertitta said. “We were going to be in the (tax). It was an accident. I’m still trying to figure out how we got under. I was positive we were going to be in it by $11 million. But if I’m in the luxury tax, I expect us to win.

“I just want to win. I’m not going to be in the luxury tax and not be one of the top four or five teams in the NBA.”

In that sense, Fertitta considered the question about paying a tax irrelevant, considering it good business with returns that can exceed costs.

“I’m not going to let a few million dollars (determine decisions),” Fertitta said. “Going to that seventh game, even though it would have been there, we’d probably still make a million and a half because we get part of their gate. If we go to the Western Conference finals, it’s worth $10 to $15 million to us. I’m not worried about the luxury tax. And that’s not just $10 million; it’s the next year’s ticket renewals, the sponsorships, everything. If you are in the luxury tax and you’re winning, you’re going to be a more profitable team.”

 

so no one else is good enough to get close enough to beating the warriors to choke against them. does that mean James is good or na?

 

It means he’s talented enough to get us to the cusp but not mentally strong enough to get us over the goal line. If you want to defend hardens late game performances have at it. Maybe you can attribute it to phantom concussions or rapid, onset fatigue and be satisfied w that.

I’m not. He’s too talented to routinely excuse him for head scratching turnovers, missed ft’s, and total deference bordering on indifference (3 4q shots, 20 second iso’s, 11 shots in an elimination game) in the most critical periods.

Feel like a damn broken record.

 

You have solid points there. He is a great talent. He can get us to the goal line. We need some clutch players to punch it in though. Even our championship rockets needed huge shots from Horry, and Ellie. When 3 guys were draped all over Dream he had some legitimate options to pass to. This team doesn’t have any clutch players like that. Our guys just stand out there and brick 27 threes in a row.

 

you'd rather have a clutch player who isn't good enough to get the team to the goal line. I'd rather have a guy who can take the team to the goal line but isn't a closer. has any 1 superstar been able to do both against the warriors in the Kerr era? no. what you want doesn't exist and you hold James to an impossible standard. if he can't do what no one else has done he's critically flawed? that's illogical.

he is who he is, he's not perfect, and yet he's as good as anyone has been at beating the warriors. you can cite all the stats you want but they don't amount to a compelling argument unless you can show how someone else has outperformed James against the warriors in the playoffs in clutch situations. how's Lillard doing? isn't he one of the most clutch players in the league?

 

Keep all starters and bring one stable average 20 plus score players all star players. It has chances to beat warriors next year.