I don't see the Kings, Blazers, or Nuggets getting any better, but getting swept in the first round isn't even a moral victory, since a playoff appearance cost the Rockets their first round pick. It's possible, I suppose, that the Rockets could pull an upset, but they'd need to be 5th seed to avoid the possibility of getting crushed by GS, SA, or OKC, and they are currently four games behind Dallas for the 5th seed. If the playoffs started today, the Rockets would play SA.
There is nothing good about this season. We were supposed to show kd we have our **** together. We won't get a good pick. Worth less players and coaches nothing good. But hey at least there is a next season God willing.
Right! We have a 1st round protected pick @ to 14. Anything over that goes to Denver. I think we need to get a dead eye SF shooter who can slash to the basket and create. But that's just me. There are some good pf's out there as well, but I don't think we have a chance at Simmons.
The pick is lottery protected. So if we miss the playoffs, we keep the pick. If we barely MAKE the playoffs we give up the pick even if its #15. But keep in mind that the Rockets will never be bad enough to compete with the likes of the Lakers, Sixers, etc. for enough ping pong balls to get a top 3 pick. So IMO its best to go ahead, and make the playoffs, get rid of that pick obligation (even though I think its only a 1st rounder for a year or so & then turns into two 2nd rounders), and take the moral victory/slight chance of playoff success. Tanking for the 14th pick is probably not fruitful to the franchise long term. You are going to lose more in damaging the players on the roster by settling for losing.
Playoffs were supposed to be a given. That someone would deign to say that we will still qualify isn't good news at all. They were supposed to be *@(_%#$! contenders.
What's our remaining strength of schedule compared to Utah and Sac? When Utah gets healthy they will be better than us. I'm not sure what Sacramento is about, can't say if they've had a difficult schedule or not.
Good luck with that. Signed, Sixers, Lakers, Nets/Celtics, Pelicans, etc. The Rockets would have to tank pretty hard to compete for a top 5 pick much less a top 3. There is too much talent on this team to not win enough to land somewhere between 10 and 14. They could win the lottery, but your chances are so low its not worth hoping/trying. Best bet is to - -Clear dead weight salary for non-important future players (Brewer, Lawson, and even Ariza should be shopped) -try to acquire a few young cheap players for next year (hence why I think Morey was going after Bogdanovic & maybe Karasev). -Give young players like KJ, Harrell, Dekker (once he comes back), etc. bigger roles & more opportunity to grow -try new things for Harden & Howard to find life with new group of Rockets -Loosen up the team. Teams play better often when the pressure is off and they can just play basketball. This team has so many worries, and issues mentally to deal with. I think its important going into the second half of the season to loosen this team up and just get them back to playing basketball. Find a way to make the game enjoyable for this team again.
