I've been seeing these amazing photoshop pictures of kd in a rockets uniform... I really can picture him playing for houston.. I really hope harden can work his magic and bring him here
As much as I'd love to see KD in a Rockets uniform (and actually playing for us), what actually makes people SERIOUSLY think he'll come to Houston? By all reports it's to play with a team that can seriously challenge and everyone appears to have cap space. So why Houston?
Zero, but Rocket fans love looking at shiny cans as they are kicked down the road, and we get the old....hey we tried ! DD
Well he's currently on a team that is just him and Westbrook with sub-par role players surrounding them and they made it to the WCF, he can either choose one more season of that and then choose that time to leave for someone else because we all know Westbrook is gone as soon as he can.....or he could go to Houston this season with a better surrounding cast and Harden playing alongside him long term. I mean, that's a pretty sweet offer, of course there will be others and I think Boston will be a serious player, but other than Houston and Boston the other options are either not as good or they'd require him to be giving up the notion that he can be the best player on a championship team and would be him riding coat tails. I don't see him thinking of himself being in the Malone to LA part of his career so I count out teams like Golden State and San Antonio.
Apologies as I couldn't tell if there was sarcasm in that? Who are the better role players we have? Bev? Ariza? DMo? Howard? All 4 of them have been involved somewhere along the line in trade rumors, frequently injured or slagged by our own fans as not being good enough. OKC having Westbrook, Adams, Kanter and Ibaka instantly puts them ahead of us. Like I said, I'd love to have KD but I'm not getting my hopes up and am curious why people think he'll sign. I'll jump on the bandwagon if there's a convincing reason (other than he's mates with Harden and Beasley).
Durant would only come to Houston if Morey secured another max FA like Horford, Conley, or Whiteside. So the ideal supporting cast would be Harden, Horford, Ariza, KJ, Capela, Beasley and Bev.
No, no sarcasm. The Thunder outside of Durant and Westbrook are trash that are only hyped up due to playing next to 2 superstars. Clint Capela, KJ McDaniels, Montrezl Harrell, and Trevor Ariza are a better supporting cast than OKC has......and if Durant signed here they'd also be able to add another max FA to the list as well as possibly keeping DMo around. Adams is a no offense big man who only brings tenacious defense which is awesome but they'd dump him in a heartbeat for Clint Capela. Kanter is arguably the worst defensive center in the NBA and one of the most lopsided players at any position. His defense is so bad he's basically unplayable a lot of the time. Ibaka is a guy that brings no offense to speak of and really only blocks on defense. Another guy that is WAY overhyped due to flashy blocks. At one point people thought he was going to develop a reliable 3 point shot, but this year he was down at 32%, if he had that back up around 37% then that might be something, but if we're talking about the Ibaka of last year he was nothing special. Houston having Harden and being able to go after a 3rd max guy instantly puts them over OKC that really just has Westbrook (for only one more season) and the Pips. Now I'm not saying it's for sure going to happen, because other teams can make good pitches for him as well, but Houston is a better option than sticking around in OKC.
Longhorn nation would be ecstatic but I say 40% if he leaves. Harden and Beasley alone make our chances higher but that's all depends on him leaving. Guys it just might happen. But it's not " happening " yet!
Frankly, I don't know what the real difference is between saying that there is a, say, 50% chance and a 25% chance. But personally, I'll go with slim to none.
I actually think its higher than a lot of you here think. A team of harden/KD woukd instantly win 55 games. Add another max or near max guy and they prob contend with SA who I think will take a step back and GS for the best record in the league. We under achieved this year for a lot of reason but there is still some talent on the roster. Most media and fans thought we were a 60 win top 3 team in the west coming into the season. With a new coach who will maximize these guys on offense and get them easier looks which in turn should get the team playing better defense, atleast top 12. I actually think ariza is a good fit next to KD and harden. He can still defend/switch on to almost any player 1-4. He can hit the open 3 at 37-40% and he will see a lot of open looks. That 37% would be better than anyone in the thunders starting lineup outside of KD who shot it at 38% this year. Add Bev whos a 40% three point shooter who also should see a lot of open looks to go with Harden who is typically a 37-38% three point shooter compared to westbrook who shoots it at 28%. Dmo if retained and I got to think he would be if we signed KD because that would mean we're going all in. He can shoot it at 38% which is fantastic for a guy who can play Pf and center. He woukd be our Kanter with more range less rebounding but better defense. Capela and Stevens are the same. I'll give Stevens the nod but capela could easily Be just as good this year seeing as he's entering his 3rd season and that's typically when these bigs take that step. He's already a better shotbblocker and similar on the boards. Assuming we would sign horford if KD came he's also a 35% three point shooter who can also finish down low and hit the mid range jumper on pick and pop situations. Add beasley who can get his own shot anytime off the bench and has a very good mid range jumper. Basically what in saying is that yes Okc has ibaka/kanter/waiters and as a collective who they are prob more talented, but we are talking about fit and the guys we have that woukd most likely still be on the team can all shoot the ball which is something KD has not had in OKC. Surround KD and Harden with shooters and I think we can have GS warriors success. Whatever are chances are who knows but we will get a meeting and oppurtunity to present our plans and how the team will play and for with KD/horford. And im sure they will go more in depth then what im saying but it will look appealing im sure of that. That's all you can really ask for.
