If we had brought back everyone would we have made the finals this year?

Could ferntits afford the 100m tax hit over 2-3 seasons?

Can you imagine him sweating during covid swearing at Murray for "forcing" him to overpay these half season bums?

 

thread should be about keeping cp3 instead of WB. but theres a whole bunch questions we will never know what happened to push for that trade.

might have to wait till morey retires and read his book.

 

Idk about number 1 seed but agreed we'd have been in the hunt as one of the top teams in the West if we'd kept CP3 and Clint assuming we'd traded some of the draft capital we wasted on Russ to otherwise help improve the roster.

But we'd have still been at the mercy of CP3's health in the playoffs and if we'd had the version of CP3 on the trajectory he looked headed for before changing his diet and training we'd have been play-in tourney-ish caliber.

 

Uhm no! Westbrook is like Barkley all stats no glory.

 

In hindsight keeping Paul would have been a better move, but no one can predict what would have happened had he stayed along with another year under D'Antoni. Paul couldn't stay healthy, and while he benefitted mightily from the bubble season hiatus, he would still be tasked to do more than what's on his plate with Phoenix.

One of Morey's biggest criticisms was his inability to "stand pat" -- he always had to tinker with the roster, whether that was a directive from ownership or not. I don't think Utah's roster would look the same if Morey was in charge. Consider that Mitchell/Gobert "failed" to do much in the playoffs last few years, yet they decided they had no other choice but to overpay for Gobert.

That patience worked out this season for Utah, though it doesn't guarantee that they'll win the title which is what really matters. I can't see the core of the roster being the same under Morey.

Morey and the Rockets were built to beat Golden State, and when that failed they had to try something else, which seems to be based off appeasing Harden at all costs.

Many blame Fertitta for "blowing up" the roster, but I would say it was also about never being able to say no to Harden and his fickleness.

Perhaps if Houston had the resolve to be patient and run it back after another failure in 2019 then the team may have been in a better spot in 2020, though that's also no guarantee. If they didn't win in 2020 with the same core, I can't see how there would still be any more patience to run it back yet again in 2021 with an "aging" roster that couldn't get over the hump during -- and after -- the Golden State dynasty.

It sure seems that, had the 2018/2019 core been in place in 2021, that team would be a top contender with no Golden State and a depleted Lakers team in the way. At the same time it would be naive to seriously think that the same roster would be intact, under D'Antoni, and without major injuries to Capela, Paul or Harden to derail yet another shot at an increasingly small window.

 

If Harden had not pushed/ requested/query/suggested/wondered/acquiesced to a Westbrook for CP3 trade, IMO they would be championship contenders if not favorites.

Last years Lakers would still have been the bubble champion, but this year is wide open. CP3, Harden, Gordon, tucker and Capella or Covington is definitely as good as Luka's Mavs, Jokic's injured Nuggets and the unreliable Clippers.

In short, Harden didn't know "what we needed to do" after the 2019 flameout. Had he and the team stood pat, the Rockets would have had a great chance at contending for the title this year. Of course Harden has an even greater? chance to do so now with the Nets... so maybe he did know. Ultimately the loser in Harden and the Rockets moving on from CP3 is Rockets fans.

 

I'm convinced Harden, CP3, and Capela win the championship last year and probably this year.

 

If we had kept CP3 and if Harden could have been patient with the process then I think we would have ended up winning the title either last year or this year.

Golden State finally falling off the face of the NBA throne definitely would have helped to open those doors. As you could see, the West is wide open and the Lakers don’t seem to be the powerhouse they thought they would be.

 

Rockets would never win with Westbrook. Most success with playing with Beard is being able to spot up shoot and Westbrook couldn't do that.

I think with CP3, the rockets could have contend. But that would depend if Harden would be able to get along with Cp3 (which ultimately couldn't work). It's been long documented that Beard and CP3 couldn't get along in the long run which led James wanting Cp3 out and Westrbook in. Doesn't matter what coach or owner that worked with James, Beard got whatever he wanted including being traded.

 

Injuries and suspect chemistry, camaraderie.

Harden would still have pouted, that didn't change.

Jeff Green has been injured for the Nets FYI.

The problem wasn't getting all these people back but to add a third Allstar without losing the other 2.

I meant veteran Allstar and not relatively young Wood.

 

Probably have said this 100 times, manage your assets correctly and could be rolling with

Paul
Harden
Covington
Wood
Capela

That is absolutely a championship contender.

 

And the Rockets kept jacking threes and made a new stadium with all the bricks at Toyota center and dumb coach D’Antoni didn’t make any adjustments like if a house was on fire and he just let it burn

 

Nope. Any team with Harden and Capela would f-up the Jazz.

 

What if?

If only.

Questions and statements of losers.

 

Thank you. This whole thread is assuming Harden had a completely different mind - the Rockets didn’t have the choice of keeping him.

 

In that article it said he was mad at different points in his career, when Chris Paul was here as well.
(The one that came out saying he was late to meetings and was partying in strip clubs in different cities.)

Westbrooks was brought in to keep him happy but it didn't satisfy him.

The strip club was his go to move to blow off steam but mostly when he had something on his mind.

I think peeps already forgot about it.

 

At the end of the day Harden was his own worst enemy

 

Yes. Every chip in the last decade has been won by either Curry, LeBron or Kawhi.

The first two are out and Kawhi is on the brink. Championships are won by having one of the top 3 maybe 4 players in the league.

With the aforementioned guys out it’s Hardens year. He would have won it with the Rockets and now he will with the Nets.

 

Harden-Wood combo would have shredded OKC.

Even with injured Russ, 6'5 Harden, 6'10 Wood, 6'7 Covington, 6'8 Green, 6'5 PJ would have pushed Lebron-AD Lakers to their breaking point.

Adding a 20-10 player to last year's team would have been a game changer.

Wood is a long 6'10 rim protector, elite finisher and 40% 3ball shooter. These were critical missing elements from last year's team.