[Chronicle - Brian T Smith] Durant courtship in Rockets' future

I think Dwight would take a paycut for the team. If we make it to the WCF/ Finals, and Durant shows an interest, I think he'd do it.

Whats his other option? Go play with Dallas to fight for an 8th seed?

 

Yadda, yadda, Durant courtship in everyone's future.

If I was Durant, I would say privately to Morey, "Don't even talk to me unless you plan on having a new coach by the time I get there. I'd like to win something."

Since no one would pass up the chance to court Durant, that sort of demand, perhaps whispered into his ear by his friend James Harden, would solve a major problem with the Rockets.

 

lol this fantasy

Players love McHale.

 

Lol Durant who has played with Brooks and now a college coach isnt going to have a problem with McHale

 

He could sign a max one-year deal with the Rockets if he feels he's still got enough in the tank to prove that after next year, he can cash in on the massive cap increase. However, I don't see him doing that. I see him signing a 5-year deal in the neighborhood of $120m or so with the Rockets.

However, I do see Durant signing the one-year deal with OKC. It just makes too much sense. He'd be aligning his free agency with the big jump in salary as well as lining up his plans with Westbrook and Ibaka. They could all come to a decision about their futures together.

 

Howard already turned down millions to here.

 

1) Rox just went to WCF last year and had the 2nd best record without Dwight and 2 starters.
2) Players love Mchale. Machale has rings and way more credibility than random internet posters taking potshots at him.

 

False narrative building here.....what you would do and what you want for the team vs what Durant would do and want are very different things given what we know so far.

 

I think in his mind Houston is surrounded by beautiful mountains with cool rivers filled with trout. There are no mosquitoes and the temperature rarely hits 90 degrees. Houston has a wonderful fashion industry and people like Carmelo's monster err I mean wife are dying to come here. The Rockets had one job to get Melo and how could they possibly not convince him not to come to the Paradise known as Houston. Rockets fail, again!

 

Yeah except that the players around the league want to play for McHale.

Other than that fact, your plan is fool proof....... as you prove.

 

I still don't feel Durant would be interested in coming here. He seems very focused on his team right now. At the very least, he's stoked to be playing. But hey, Lebron leaving Miami was a surprise so you never know.

If he is interested in leaving, Morey sure did a good job making us attractive. James Harden and Lawson are his friends. The supporting cast is young and talented. There are no bad contracts hindering us from improving. If Durant is the young, hot supermodel that can choose any guy she wants, then the rockets are the good-looking, fit, confident guy with a good job. We ain't broke-ass losers like the Nets.

 

Because Howard told Morey to get rid of McHale when we courted him. Players love McHale. Get over it.

 

Don't know if Durant winds up with the Rockets next yr or not, but I feel pretty confident that he's going to leave OKC. Reason why is I think Westbrook bolts when he's a FA, and there's no reason for KD to stick around without him.

 

Much like the NBA's 29 other teams, the Houston Rockets want Durant, according to the Houston Chronicle's Brian T. Smith. The difference between them and many others: They might actually get him.

General manager Daryl Morey has never been one to shy away from superstar pursuits, and he will be especially dangerous this summer, given all the ways in which he can make room for the 2013-14 MVP.

Dwight Howard can opt to explore free agency. Terrence Jones and Donatas Motiejunas will be restricted free agents. Ty Lawson's 2016-17 salary isn't guaranteed. The modestly priced deals of Patrick Beverley, Corey Brewer and K.J. McDaniels can be easily unloaded.

The means to create max space is there, and Morey is just the risk-taking, superstar-obsessed GM to exploit it.



Pros

James Harden: Durant's former teammate and an MVP runner-up with the vision of a point guard, the scoring conscience of Westbrook and the beard of a lumberjack living in isolation.
Stretch 4: As a team heavily dependent on three-point shooting, the Rockets would undoubtedly trot out Durant at power forward, where he is even more of a matchup nightmare, something the Thunder have only done occasionally (less than 25 percent of the time) in years past.
Stretch 5s: Jones and Motiejunas, should they stick around, have more offensive range than Steven Adams and Enes Kanter.
Not-a-Stretch 5: Howard cannot chuck trees, and his post-ups are what the Rugrats cast would call "yucky-yucky." But he remains devastating within pick-and-rolls and can still be the lifeblood of a good defense.
Morey Never Settles: Good luck trying to stop Morey from ever significantly improving the roster.
Instant Title Contention


Cons

Second Fiddle: Will Harden abdicate his throne in Houston for Durant or expect his former running mate to play sidekick?
Frontcourt Blues: Jones and Motiejunas don't have the cleanest bills of health and could leave in restricted free agency, Clint Capela is a question mark and Howard is increasingly fragile as he approaches 30.
Big Two: Howard's superstar window won't be open much longer, and neither Trevor Ariza nor Lawson qualifies as the finishing touch of a Big Three.


Threat Level

Favorite

It's not just that Durant knows Harden. It's that he knows the Rockets are addicted to contending.

"They got some guys; they missed out on a few guys, but they still have a really, really good team," Durant said of the Rockets, per Smith. "And they built it around James. Their front office and ownership, I'm sure, had him in mind whenever they made moves. They [turned] into a contender."

Where the Thunder either blush at the luxury tax or invest $70 million in Kanter, the Rockets are always in play for that next-superstar score. Their rolling flexibility is unparalleled, and while the threat of constant turnover looms large, it's more than worth the cost of admission to the free-agent meetings they consistently land.

 

Durant is a legit 6'11 in the NBA or taller. He taller than his 6'10+ listed teammates and it is awkward.

 

What?

He just played on a torn MCL in the playoffs. He's clearly shown that he will sacrifice to win a title. He took less guaranteed money here than from LA, in which it was already unprecedented that a marquee FA leaves LA. He did it to WIN.

Your claim is absurd.

 

How did it dampened your excitement? It literally sounds like KD is talking **** about OKC front office and jealous of what Morey has done for James in just 3 years.

If anything I take KD comments to be giving credit and respecting everything the rockets organization had done for Harden while his team let him walk cause of a couple million dollars and hasn't done **** except give kanter a max

 

This is the quote I was referring to:

"They're trying to get a lot of guys here surrounding James," Durant said. "They got some guys, they missed out on a few guys, but they still have a really, really good team. And they built it around James. Their front office and ownership, I'm sure, had him in mind whenever they made moves. They (turned) into a contender."

Durant really emphasizes the fact that the Rockets are James' team. I'm not sure that Durant would be willing to be the final piece of James' team.

That is what dampened my excitement a tad.

But overall, Durant's words are encouraging. He seems to (rightfully) hold the Rockets' front office in high esteem, which bodes well to our eventual pursuit of him this offseason. I was just pointing out that it'll take a bit of convincing to get Durant to move to a team built around someone else.

 

My homie is a homie of KD... Take it for what it's worth... KD is comin to the H.

 

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