Spoiled children: Wake up.....and appreciate what we've had/have.

I agree about the defense. It's a product of the wing players being too damn small. House is inconsistent and Benny Mac is small. Our best defender is PJ and he's old, limited offensively and so unathletic that he can't finish in the paint. We need bigger, longer and athletic wings who can defend, finish and make and open shot. The roster is flawed big time and the coaching doesn't help. Going small (with PJ at Center) vs elite NBA teams is going to get you beat with the current roster they have. MDA can't seem to figure that out. Morey has ALOT of work to do at the deadline.

 

We are not right there. We are not contenders.

We were, but not now.

DD

 

#Woke.

 

I'll always appreciate and remember the 17-18 team. Our superstar played both ends of the floor with energy. There were no stat padders. They all bought in and played as a collective unit and enjoyed one another. We had numerous leaders in CP, Trev and Nene.

Good times.

 

That team really should have won a ring. Closed window and all that.

 

Not my point. I said we beat some of these top teams and that means something especially big wins against clippers and nuggets. Translating into this team can win against top contenders. But not even my main point that few on this board has brought up. Morey is the problem. Nothing to show for except 2 conf finals. No draft picks except for capela. Analytics leading to a style of play unbearable to watch and includes jacking up 3s most notably against warriors in 2018. A team curiously built with 2 stars and bulk of players that aren’t skilled and athletic enough . Perhaps fans should look deeper into the issue here instead of blaming players or coaching. In my opinion it’s the executive leadership most notably morey that has built this team with a flawed approach.

 

I appreciate teams who give consistent effort.

This Rockets team does not do that.

 

This team isn’t a true contender. One of the many middle of the pack teams that’s a playoff team but won’t win it. They’re not in that elite tier

 

Ok, Tilman.

 

agreed (as my sig indicates)

 

I've already accepted that our window is closed. At least this era was more successful than the last.

The only question now is how do we rebuild for the next to be even more successful. I really think instead of throwing away 4 more first rounders, we should be looking to trade our players while their value is still relatively high, I mean, only if they don't want to be part of the rebuild.

People think rebuild = tank but I think with the lottery reform, not necessarily. OKC was able to acquire enough assets to rebuild without purposely tanking and it's the same with Memphis. It just depends on if we have a front office capable of doing that.

It's hard to say what Morey's mindset is right now under new ownership but judging by recent events, I have to think he's already one foot out the door, there are plenty of other teams in the East who would hire Morey without even thinking twice.

 

i woke up and came to the conclusion that we are not a contender...
we had a good dream two years ago tho.

 

Tilman is that you ?

Yeah , they had a great team that just couldn't get past one of the best teams ever assembled in the league .... I actually enjoyed those years , even tho they didn't win the ultimate prize.

What I haven't enjoyed is the time since Ferntits took over , lied to our faces about doing everything possible to bring a championship to the city while he was pinching pennies to duck the tax line every year.

We all know the list of assets they've thrown away in staying under the tax line .... Enough assets to field a starting 5 that would make the playoffs in the East.

Rather , we're stuck with 9 guys on the roster who make the minimum .... no way to improve via trade and few draft assets remaining and no contracts worth a damn in trade.

This is the year they should have gone all in , no more GSW standing in their way .... It was there for the taking and Ferntits has shredded any chance this franchise had at finally bringing a championship home.

 

With all due respect,

What we have is a generational talent who stubbornly eschews a more diverse game in favor of his best moves. Not necessarily bad, but sometimes inconsistent.
We have another generational talent who thinks he can score from anywhere, but really can't.
We have a coach who fails to understand sustainable rotations and cannot adjust in the playoffs.
We have an owner who has taken every opportunity to save money and hope for a bargain ring because it benefits his bottom line.
We have a young center who shows flashes of being a third star, followed by games where he looks like lost.
We have a starting wing who has been a giant zero for a month.
We have an aging starting PF who is being crushed into the ground by a coach who refuses to trust his bench.
We have at least one great player on the bench who has shown he can play but can't get minutes over an aging vent.
We have pretty pitiable bench depth because our owner won't open his pocketbook to create flexibility.
We have a window that is about to slam shut on us.

If people are frustrated that our franchise has not gotten it done despite multiple legitimate superstar duos, then they have every right to be. They aren't spoiled. They expect success. Expecting "pretty good" isn't a great motto. There are things I see and hope for as I watch this team. A little more diversity on offense. A little better defense. More consistency. Less predictability. I haven't seen it. I hope I'm wrong.

 

Because of all those things, you could also be confident that a 20 point lead would stay a double digit lead and a W.

For one fleeting season, that was bliss.

 

Et tu Brute?

Season not even halfway mark. If nothing changes after buyouts then we can throw in the towel.

Maybe.

Harden + Westbrook gives Rockets more than a punchers chance.

I still believe.

 

We were waiting for the Warriors to fall apart and when they finally do we were not prepared. Expectations should be high when you have the highest payroll in the league and the oldest team in the league. It is hard to expect people to be patient when you have the oldest team in the NBA. There is no team in the NBA that has had more seasons to try to surround their superstar with the right players. Harden has been on the Rockets longer than any other superstar has been on their current team, period. You are pretty much out of bullets, and stuck. Having that level of continuity with a superstar is rare in today's NBA, and the Rockets have blown it.

 

Very well said. Morey has been pretty good but he’s yet to do anything to push this team over the top, and this lineup and coaching hire was done well before Tillman‘s arrival. Having Tillman as an owner doesn’t make it easier, that’s for sure, but the way this team is constructed, and the coaching makes it hard to get really excited.

I honestly think this team can put themselves in better position, but that would involve trading away a few good players. No way this current lineup is a contender, and no way the Rockets go anywhere with this coach.

I also agree with a previous poster that suggested rebuilding the team while our superstars have a good value. I’m not suggesting we trade Harden right now but the outlook doesn’t look good considering our top two players absorb so much of the team salary. However, if they exit the playoffs quickly this year I’d rather part ways with our superstars and load up on draft picks while we can get top value in return. Things seem to have worked out pretty good for OKC and the Clippers, no?. Both gave up their superstars and ended up with multiple draft picks to go along with some pretty good players. No reason Houston can’t do the same. I mean, we could get some pretty amazing deals if we traded Harden and Westbrook. The risk of waiting is that these players might get injured or start to decline with age.