1. Regardless of how this offseason pans out, we will have a clear direction of where we are headed. If DM gets Howard/Bynum, we will have a legitimate star on our team. If we don't get either one of them, there is still the possibility that Asik and Lin will sign. The former can serve as a defensive anchor and the latter could develop into an All-Star. Best case scenario is, we end up with Lin, Howard, Donuts, and Asik and somehow figure out how to keep Parsons and keep White and Lamb. Worst case scenario, Chicago and NY both match and we are left we a lineup of Donuts, White, Jones, Kmart, Parsons, and Lamb, with White and Lamb sharing PG duties and hope they either tank for a high pick or one of them develops into a star. Even if we sign Howard and he bolts after the season ends, we can still gain assets back via SnT. KG netted Timberwolves Al Jefferson. Howard would at least net us some young talent or high draft picks via SnT if he does decide to leave. Either way, this is better than another year of spinning our wheels in the mud for another crap lottery pick. 2. We have promising young talent. Donuts is a big with a fairly good looking post game and sweet stroke extending into downtown. He also seems (as well as per scouts) to bring it to each game and basketball gods know we waited long enough for him to come over. Royce White is a legitimate point forward with an NBA ready body. He has a solid post game and defenders have to respect that mid range jumper. Jones IMHO would have been a top 10 pick despite being a "tweener" if he did not play with Davis. Draft Express has his best case listed as Martin, but I really disagree. I am thinking more along the lines of Ray Allen. Either way, with the talent coming in from our draft picks and Donuts, I like our chances of developing some or all into something meaningful at the very least. 3. PG situation not as hopeless as it seems. Sure things look a bit bad at the PG position after Lowry was traded (DM seems excited about the pick, so I will go with it for now) and Dragic bolted back to the Suns now that Nash left to chase a ring in Hollywood. Ideally, NYK does not match Lin and we have a set idea of who mans point come this season. If not, we can try to resign AB, because I KNOW no one will offer him his $10 mil. Hell I will even take Lin/AB since we know what AB brings to the table and I am sure at this point in his career, he has learned his place. If all as fails, I wonder if we can still bring over Llull who would be much more inclined given the mercurial status at PG. There are a few more reasons, but I am too tired to think more about it currently. Either way, I am excited for the season to start and see what our new players (current and from future trades) will do. Anyone that says otherwise is free to their own opinions, but they won't change my mind and can get the hell off the wagon!
I kinda agree. For the first time in QUITE A WHILE, I've actually surprisingly grown "attached" to some players. And its the DRAFT PICKS and YOUNG PROSPECTS along with the new DIRECTION. Not the plug-in vets. I love my Rockets teams and will always defend the players, not bash them. Though really I never developed any kind of attachment to players like Lowry, Battier, even Carl Landry. I have a CF social group on Patrick Patterson, and I'm not that even attached to him! -- Its all because now there is DIRECTION and a sign of FUTURE hope, faint or real. Its different when you know Patrick Patterson is "consolation" from another year's approach of being competively generic, compared to an actual true REBUILDING effort. I actually respect the Rockets approach to not tanking and wanting to compete, even the "mediocrity treadmill". But I'm surprised at how much I'm supporting all this crazy movement now lol. -- For people not around during the Francis/Mobley years, this is sorta how it was then. Yeah we know NOW it didnt turn out grand, so the support THEN doesnt seem to make sense. But then there was that bit of future promise to "grow" with. We didnt always see Moochie Norris as "Moochie", saw him more as today's Scott Machado and Ish Smith.
I'm content at the thought of actually having a direction. Atleast we know the path that we will take. A young team with bright future who is looking to add a star, but if it doesnt, it has a collection of young picks that will get it over the hump.
I am loving this ride as well, but just one question about your #1 point: doesn't the new CBA reduce the effectiveness of S&T for the teams of unrestricted free agents? We can no longer sign them for the extra year and then trade them so they are more likely to just walk if there's a team they'd rather go to with the cap room available. Of course, Brooklyn and LA probably won't, but Dallas should.
A new record for activity on CF? The Yao draft news was huge. But my guess would be this last two weeks or so has seen more.
Agreed. We are either going to get the home run star, or do a youth movement. Either way we are unlikely to be a borderline playoff/lottery team. Rebuild from scratch or reload with a superstar, either is a decent direction to take.
From BSPN: Players coming off their rookie scale contracts can extend for four additional seasons, although the team can designate one player who is eligible for five seasons at the maximum salary. A team can have only one designated player on its roster at any time. All other veterans can extend for four total seasons, which includes the seasons remaining on their current contract. The extension in an extend-and-trade contract is limited to three total seasons, which includes the seasons remaining on the current contract. My understanding is we can still sign someone to 5 years, but only ONE veteran.
For some reason I'm thinking this team has potential to be similar to the Pistons. I could seem Lamb being similar to Rip Hamilton, D-Mo I could see him being similar to Rasheed, and Parsons will be like Prince. You add on some nice picks/maybe get lucky and get top 3 in the next few years and our rebuild could be nice.
loving this off season because it's making the wait for NFL go by that much faster! However, I don't know if I'm going to be able to handle dwight and lin chatter for an extra week.
You and me both man! Except last night... I was at Buffalo Wild Wings - Sugar Land, watching WWE Money in the Bank PPV. :grin:
I am being more entertained by the clutchfan exagerated responses. It quite clear that the Rockets won't be competing for any title soon. And the level of interest is off the charts. I like it....
I am different and dont want to watch us get slaughtered e, no need to bother going to any games this season
Ok, so far we are looking at the following roster to start the season unless a trade for Dwight or Bynum does happen: - Asik - Dragic - Jones - Lamb - Lin - Martin - Morris - Motiejunas - Parsons - Patterson - White - Either Fortson, Smith, or Simpson depending on who we cut Regardless of how we roll in the season, this is a young defensive team with a ton of defensive prowess, minus Martin of course. So far it seems we have a great slashing shooter in Lamb, an increasingly more impressive point forward in White, and Jones has been a beast as well. Donuts is what we have known for a while, a quasi-soft bigman with decent post game and a sweet stroke. Parsons should hopefully carry his game over and improve it this year since that is what he has always seem to do; improve somewhere each year. If Morris can perform well and 2Pat gets his groove back now that he has recovered from injuries, I am really looking forward to see how this team plays!
