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[ClutchFans] Podcast: On the D-Mo Trade and Houston’s uncertain future

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by Clutch, Feb 19, 2016.

  1. Clutch

    Clutch Administrator
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    2 people like this.
  2. FTW Rockets FTW

    FTW Rockets FTW Contributing Member

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    First again!

    Thanks Clutch! Been waiting for a podcast for long. Seems like it's been quite a while since you've put out on of these.
     
  3. Firebomb525

    Firebomb525 Member

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    Much appreciated Clutch, thank you. Hope to hear more from ya.

    First Like on FB too!
     
  4. Voice of Aus

    Voice of Aus Contributing Member

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    I'm scared listening to this
     
  5. FTW Rockets FTW

    FTW Rockets FTW Contributing Member

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    LOL, fail :grin:
     
  6. agslai

    agslai Contributing Member

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    Can someone do a recap? I cannot listen at the work place.

    Thanks.
     
  7. larsv8

    larsv8 Contributing Member

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    Clutch likes the trade, but was surprised by it.
     
  8. Haymitch

    Haymitch Custom Title
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    Bima disrespects the value of Chukwudiebere Maduabum.

    Good podcast though. Thanks, guys.
     
  9. FTW Rockets FTW

    FTW Rockets FTW Contributing Member

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    Good listen but Bima seemed sleepy and tired. How early in the morning was this?
     
  10. BimaThug

    BimaThug Resident Capologist
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    That's how I normally talk! I've just got a very boring voice. :p
     
  11. J.R.

    J.R. Member

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    Clutch's thoughts(only):

    We expected a lot at the deadline to happen. It was disappointing like most deadlines. I thought D-Mo was the one who would not get traded.

    ...

    Thornton, personally I felt a lot of fans overvalued Thornton. Had some great games, quick release but he was shooting under 34% from 3pt. Extremely streaky and always an issue defensively. More of a throw in. It was tough to give up D-Mo. I'm excited about the pick. D-Mo was a fan favorite. He gave this team something they didn't have. He gave them a different look. What we saw last year, we didn't see this year. He seemed to get it when Dwight was out last year. It's a loss. The Rockets were in a position to cheat this. If they knew his back situation and weren't going to bring him back at a high dollar cost, getting a high first round pick is a good move. This season, you aren't winning a title this year. They made a good move. It's tough to lose D-Mo when I was so anxious to see them move Jones or someone else. I didn't think it would be D-Mo.

    ...

    Maybe we'll get to see Harrell finally, which is my wish. It's been frustrating to watch effort issues. ... The deal is similar to the Asik trade. You traded something now for a 'wild card'. Unfortunately, in the past, the Rockets acquire these picks(McGrady deal comes to mind), Pelicans were a lottery team. They make the playoffs the one year the Rockets have their pick and back to the lottery this year. You hope Detroit doesn't take off. Detroit has a mixed-bag schedule. 3:1 Rockets fans don't like the move. He is a fan favorite. Fans are frustrated with this type of approach. I like it. Getting a first gets them back in the game in the summer. People look at it as they did this with Asik and only got Dekker and they aren't seeing that return.

    ...

    I love the draft. It's a passion of mine. Anytime the Rockets don't have a pick frustrates me. There is talent to be had and it's generally cheap. It's valuable. You just have to make the right pick. There are guys they can add. Melo Trimble from Maryland, his stock has risen. Buddy Hield. Depends on where they are and where things shuffle out. Having a chip in the game of the draft will be important, especially if you knew he wouldn't be back because you control that. I like the move. It's frustrating to lose D-Mo but long term, it was smart. What's frustrating is that was the only move. I've been frustrated with the team in general. There have been problems on the court. They got issues on the court not changed at all.

    ...

    Morey is getting criticism from fans. There were LT implications. I don't know how many times Les has been saved by Daryl moves to get under the LT.

    ...

    What they didn't do: we know Howard was being shopped. We both had reservations whether that would actually happen. They didn't move Ty Lawson either. That surprised me.

    ...

    In Dwight's case, I know it was being reported that no one wanted Dwight. I believe Daryl was asking a lot. If you needed to move him, Boston would have been crazy not to do Lee & lesser picks(Dallas' 1st & additional pick). I think Daryl had a high value on him. Lawson, I don't know. Something is wrong with Lawson. His numbers & career have fallen off a cliff. I don't know if it's fit anymore. He's not effective. Something's wrong. Other teams are seeing that. Didn't he lose a lot of money, making that non-guaranteed in the 2nd year. It raises the question for the direction the rest of this season. There's talk of poor chemistry. I haven't been able to put a finger on that. People say it's Dwight & Harden. On the court, they haven't meshed like we hoped they would. I thought Dwight would be the perfect fit. Now everyone says he's a bad fit. They haven't meshed like we thought. Harden was one of the best PnR finishers in the game. Same with Dwight. They haven't clicked on the court like I thought. It's been my turn, your turn. They did get to the WCF. This year, something at their core is not right.

    ...

    With Utah's loss, Rockets have bumped back up to 8th, which is a death sentence. Still 27 games left. They have to get to 6th for any 'upset' shot. Spurs would be extremely tough at 7. To face OKC or Memphis or LAC, you at least have a shot. That's gotta be the goal at this point. Utah, Portland, Dallas, if the Rockets get things going a little bit, their D has been atrocious, they gotta get that corrected. They have a lot of work to do and not a lot of hope, chemistry wise. ... Summer of 2016, it's gonna be a big one. Morey said Houston is a top five destination and can offer two max deals. A lot of teams will be able to say the same thing.

    ...

    It's gonna be interesting. If Howard is gone, which most of us tend to think, then suddenly you go from win now to OK, Harden is 26, we gotta get guys around that age or build for Harden. You have a couple of years left with him. You'll have a different look of this team completely if Howard leaves. Wouldn't be surprised if Beverley or Ariza are moved. I don't think it'll be plug & play and go with the status quo. Durant, I have zero hopes. I don't fault the Rockets for making an attempt. They have to go for the best but it'll be tough this summer. When you are 1 of 5 teams with max cap space, they have an edge. When you're 1 of 20 with cap space, it'll be hard to differentiate yourself and this team, coming off a struggling year. This is very interesting to see what they do in the final 27 games. Can something change Dwight's mind? Can something about this team change in general? I think we're headed for a new coach and gutted roster this summer.

    ...

    What they do from here will determine what they do in the summer. I was disappointed they didn't make more moves. I do think we'll see some change. We could see Howard & Lawson gone, I would expect Jones not back, Capela/Harrell may be ready to step up but we may see a different Rockets team. They went with what they had success with the previous year and it backfired on them and unless things change drastically, I think they'll make significant changes in the offseason.

    ...

    I expect Houston will make the playoffs but if not, will keep their pick.

    ...
     
    2 people like this.
  12. tinman

    tinman Contributing Member
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  13. DaDakota

    DaDakota If you want to know, just ask!

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    Excited about a pick - hoooray.....another maybe....

    Good job on the podcast guys - I am feeling our org is circling the drain in an endless cycle of maybes.

    And your take about Joel Anthony to get under the cap is a little misleadin - it was DMo and Thornton to get there.....we got weaker as a team - Les deserves every bit of criticism he gets - he says he wants to win but never backs it up - bottom line Les.

    DD
     
    #13 DaDakota, Feb 19, 2016
    Last edited: Feb 19, 2016
  14. justtxyank

    justtxyank Contributing Member

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    What's so frustrating is that everyone here who kills Morey usually some combination of "treats players like assets" "no continuity" etc. and then he does this, runs with the team that got them there, and boom, blows up in his face.

    I was one of the guys in the offseason saying we could not run with the same team. I was shocked when Morey brought back Brewer and absolutely floored that he didn't move the chairs around to bring in shooters.

    You look back at posts and you'll see me arguing that it made no sense to bring Brewer back and that we needed to pursue shooters and a veteran PF like Scola. It is incredibly disappointing to me that Morey stuck to the same team as last year. For the first time he fell for fan idea instead of working to upgrade, trades be damned.
     
  15. topfive

    topfive CF OG

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    <BR>
    Regarding Lawson losing millions by waiving the guarantee on his contract for next year, it's even worse that it seems. That year was for $13M, but from what I've heard (sorry, can't remember the source), the reason Lawson was willing to agree to that with the Rockets was because Morey promised him under the table that the team would absolutely NOT pick up their option on next year. Why would Lawson agree to that? Because it would essentially guarantee him free agency in the coveted Summer of '16 Free Agent Sweepstakes. With his performance for the Nuggets, I'm sure Lawson saw himself signing this summer with some team for $15-$20M/year for four years, maybe more. That makes it even more baffling that he hasn't tried harder to make an impact on this team. It really seems that he's just expecting teams to overlook this season entirely and give him a FA contract based on what he'd done before he got here. Strange.

    That being said, I think Lawson just never bought into whatever it is that this team is trying to do on the court. Maybe he saw the ugly fractured nature of our two-headed Harden/Howard beast, or maybe just didn't really find a way to fit his game in. Possibly the whole rehab thing has taken a huge psychic toll on him. Whatever the reason, it seems like he gave up on this season pretty early. It's one of the odder episodes I've witnessed in the NBA in recent years, because Lawson had everything to gain by having a great, or even merely solid, season -- and everything to lose by having his worst year ever. No telling what he'll sign for this summer when all-CBA-hell breaks loose, but it certainly will be half what it could have been.
    <BR><BR>
     
    #15 topfive, Feb 19, 2016
    Last edited: Feb 19, 2016
    1 person likes this.
  16. jordnnnn

    jordnnnn Member

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    a rational non whiny, non over reactionary take.

    Refreshing.
     
  17. daywalker02

    daywalker02 Member

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    Thank you very much, sir.

    We will get through this.
     
  18. cdrive

    cdrive Contributing Member

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    A great listen. Thanks.

    And a Corey Brewer-ish player for $15 mil/year sounds terrifying.
     
  19. daywalker02

    daywalker02 Member

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    Not really surprised because Donatas had some value.
     
  20. Dopamine

    Dopamine Member

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    Sooo... Dark times are ahead?
     

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