The Rockets have 30+ mil worth of expiring contracts next year. They could make a Porzingis like trade for a team blowing it up for cap space next year. Or they could wait and have room for a max free agent in two years. The final plan is Harden, CP3, Capella, a max-worthy all-star and minimum contract fillers / ring chasers. Unless they get lucky and deal for an all-star at the deadline, don't look for them to make a deal with a player that has more than a year remaining on their contract. This is why they did not resign Ariza and Luc. The goal is a third all-star. Look for lateral moves with players on short contracts or salary dumps. A big splash is doubtful. And of course they will be a destination on the buy-out market.
I hope Morey wouldn't waste an entire year of Harden in his prime and CP3 with his age for a hypothetical. They proved last year they don't need a 3rd star. Great defense and rebounding and the correct roll players are what we need.
they do need another star. cp3 isnt one anymore if you havent noticed, and cant be relied on to be healthy when it matters most anyway. what team do you think is going to give us a star for our expirings ? i dont see any team trying to help morey and the rockets. i can only see the rockets overpaying for a borderline star on a terrible contract.
Your type has been posting here for years. When Morey makes the inevitable splash that he is known for, you guys always disappear. Have fun while you are here! (It won’t be long!)
Exactly —the “3 star or bust” crew. The rockets were a historically good team last yr because of role players and cp/harden stepping up. A couple of yrs ago it was Melo, despite the posters like myself talking about how bad of a fit he was despite the “but but 3rd star” bull crap
what splash ? what has he surrounded james with since he has been here who was really worth a damn other than cp3, who is quickly declining ?
d12 was nowhere near the player he used to be. he didnt even make all star team i believe....and im sorry, but that WCF was the fluke of all flukes. corey brewer and josh smith hitting a bunch of 3s in that game 6 ? cmon now. they have failed him thus far. james deserves better man.
... that's this season wasted, and most likely majority of next season. Also, more gambling. I think there's a greater chance there won't be any all-star on the trading block by that time, and even if there are, lots of teams will be chasing...
the same people yelling for 'another star' are the same people who then wanna b**** and raise hell bc the roster is filled out with minimum contracts - to offset those fat star contracts...
Howard was an all-star his first year here and made the all-NBA second team. He was undoubtedly our best player against the Blazers in the playoffs that year. He also had the lowest D-Rating against the Clippers on the team and had the second highest O-Rtng. Missing all those 3s in game 7 was also the fluke of all flukes. Luck has a funny way of balancing itself out.
i agree... still it wouldve been nice to have another star to lean on after cp3 was injured. there was nothing impressive to me about d12 stint with the rockets. the team still wasnt title contenders.
We're ****ed salary wise until 22-23 season... basically Harden (34) will start to decline by then if his body didn't already break down from carrying this team year after year. That KP trade only happened because KP wanted out and threatened their FO he'll refuse to show up if they don't trade him. Which disgruntled superstar will be forcing their way out next year? I don't see any star who we can trade for, especially since we don't have young assets like Dallas did so our assets are our late picks. Just looked through all the potential RFA/UFA Star level players in 2020 summer like KP is this year. Draymond Green (already declining heavily) Anthony Davis (cant get him now, dont see how we can get him next year if he isn't traded already) Ben Simmons (RFA, will almost definitely be kept by the 76ers) DeRozan (the most overrated "all-star" in the league and cant shoot 3s) Kyle Lowry (already past his prime, will just be another guy Harden has to carry) So basically a KP like trade isn't happening for another star level player.
Moving goalposts. That team was the 2nd seed in the west while being the most injured team in the NBA. You said that Morey never put a player "worth a damn" around James Harden, when even before CP3's arrival, he paired him up with a 3-time DPOY who made the all-star and all-NBA team during his duration here, and would have made the all-star team twice if he didn't miss so many games his second year (came up clutch in the playoffs tho). Morey has put two (maybe 3 if you're high on Capela) All-NBA caliber players around Harden during his stint. If not for freakishly bad luck we would be the defending champions.
im not moving goalposts... d12 did not make the rockets title contenders. the warriors embarrassed them every year, and they would not have beat cleveland either. i love cp3, but he just isnt that guy anymore. i cant see him carrying this team when james is off the way he did at times last year. i just want to see james playing with a legit star. i want to see him hold up that trophy. its such a longshot/unrealistic as this team is constructed
I feel you, but there was NOTHING Morey could have done about CP3 going down last year, or the refs, or missing open 3s. He's done the best he could to build around James, and 9 times out of 10 we win the title last year. I think some people on this board need to accept that last year was it, everything built up to it, and James Harden will N E V E R win a title in Houston, and it's not anybody's fault (except the refs).
So your solution is to just give up after James has gotten BETTER from last year? That's absurd...why even watch at that point?
Nah fam, keep going all in as long as Harden is here, I just think that the league office will not allow Houston to ever win a title over their Golden-Skinned Warriors. I'm just in it for the drama and the highlights.