With Paul, it's not JUST that he's skilled in the mid range. It's that he KNOWS WHEN to take the shots. He uses the midrange to stop runs, stifle the opponents momentum and maintain existing leads. The way he uses the midrange in today's modern game... it's almost a DEFENSIVE tool. As crazy as that sounds.
its not crazy its a genius! actually divison of basketball on defense and offense is only provisional...and is virtually false....practically there is only one game of basketball...this is more holistic approach and its in congruence with the traditional wisdom that ' the best defense is good offense'
https://arizonasports.com/story/2454442/phoenix-suns-mercury-debut-new-high-tech-practice-facility/ Yep...even the suns Spurs...bucks...pistons...it ain't just the nets and clippers upgrading " “We do not have a proper training facility with what you need today to be competitive,” Fertitta said. “We only have a one-court practice facility. When there’s a concert or another event going on, they can’t use the other (arena) court. So, you’re down to this one tight court that you can’t even stand next to the wall. It’s bad. “I’ve already been to other facilities and have seen they have better facilities." -November 24, 2017 Tilman Feritta Even if its from his own mouth, you won't believe it.https://rocketswire.usatoday.com/20...tta-tells-final-hours-of-paul-westbrook-deal/
Yeah but would we be a different team right now? In 2019-2020 season (after we lost to GS in 7) if Harden was willing to give it a one more go with Paul and not force trade for WB, what kind of Rockets would we have seen? I know hindsight is 20-20 but there's something to be said about persistence. When you got a great thing but fail, sometimes just try again. That was the season GS finally went down.... damn still stings
Harden wanted him gone for WB. Keeping Cp3 was never an option. Plus if you saw him he kinda lost the gas in the tank by the time Finals arrived, and thats on a loaded PHX squad. The Rox just relied on Harden's greatness and we basically had nobody good outside Capela, Harden and Cp3. I really doubt anything would have changed. Maybe they would enter the playoffs as a higher seed but it still wont be enough to get the W imo esp with Dumbtoni as the coach.
They would still be legit title contenders for the last 2 years. simple as that. It's a damn shame the rockets have the worst owner in the league but he's suffering the consequences for his dumb decisions since hes become owner. He will continue to do so
I hear ya, don't forget who bragged about the trade in the open and pushing it through saying "my basketball ops got weak"... but yea think of it...Giannis in his mvp year as a no 1 seed lost 1-4 in the semis, with him Choking from the line...even this year they were down 0-2 and a possession away from 0-3 while they were sending giannis to the line like shaq. They stuck it through with their guys, kept investing in the team even though there was no 'guarantee'' and the risk paid off, they got a historic championship. They still will be paying a 34/35 year old holiday and Middleton 35 million or so with these contracts and gave up first round picks, even traded for just a rental of pj tucker of which so much here said was trash bc they read a box score, but you get the title, you don't have leverage and you gotta pay up. Even cavs overpaid Love, tristan, JR just for that leverage and they took a shot that was by no means guaranteed against a 73-9 team...magic happened....you just have to take a shot when you have great players Its like if dirk fans when he choked in his mvp year, choked in his no 1 seed year, they kept sticking with the guy...he bought one home. Its an odd thing to see here after one game from the finals people were screaming this team is not worth the tax because we can't "guarantee" a finals...as if that has ever been done, longevity in this day in age in the nba is harder than ever to run it back..whats odd is when the team fans route for the owner and for him to be financially prudent over taking another shot with an elite star...frankly every superstar from jordan, kobe, harden would demand out if their organization is making their job more challenging in a hard enough league
" I was in Europe, and so I was six or seven hours ahead of them. So I’m talking at 2, 3, 4 in the morning. And we just decided to do it. They ran different statistics by me. Ferntits: My basketball ops [operations] got maybe a little weak at the end, and I just said, ‘We’re doing this. We are going to make the change. We’re going to go after it and roll the dice. We’re going to find that 5 percent.’" Even when the guy goes on and brags publicly, can't handle it That said, I guess bucks fans are laughing that they stuck with giannis after he choked as an mvp, 1 seed in the semis last year...or that he was almost down 0-3 to the nets this year while being deliberately fouled like shaq, but you never know, magic can happen in the playoffs. Leonard's legacy would be different, it was only a bounce that changed it. Thats the nature of the playoffs. But bucks still spent like 300 million on two 30 year olds, traded for pj for on year rental with no "guarantee" of a finals, but they took a shot while their boy was elite and trusted him and he came through. Dirk also embarassingly lost in the 1st round as a 1 seed, mvp...the mavs stuck it through, they kept sticking with tehir boy, he made history. Jordan lost for 7 straight years, had a harden like reputation of being a stat stuffer who can't win a ring...He even demanded trade and help, it worked out ok Kobe also, demanded a trade or help....I guess hes soft to? Phx ironically Literally paid for what we all said wasn't worth our owners money. They signed trevor ariza, traded him taht season as we could've tried to do vs having virtually no optiosn but the minimum, they got kelly oubre....then they took oubre and Rubio to get Chris Paul(another guy our owner leaked was the worst contract hes seen-who does that)....they had no guarantee of the finals, but they competed and in the playoffs anything happens-buzzer beaters, injuries- they took a shot and don't regret the new culture of getting to the finals. I'm not sure I've heard bucks fans scream Marc LArsy...don't invest in the tax, don't pay for upgrades, don't pay for pj...you cant gurantee a finals! Didn't hear anyone in phx say Pauls age doesnt guarantee anything...Sarver, save your money my man!...nah this is about winning, and if its not then you can goto college or a cheaper league fi you're looking for a budget league bc the money in the nba(Especially with the new tv deal) its only getting bigger and bigger with more player empowerment.
It was a option. Harden didn't let it be known though. He waited until things were made worse. If Harden was real would have asked Morey for a trade and not Stone. Glad Stone is awesome and he got his shot but this situation could be a hell of a lot worse just from Harden's indecisiveness. Ayton/Booker vs Capela/Harden?....CP3 did more with less and with YOUNGER players. While Harden at best could recruit Ty Lawson and Chucky Brown gtfoh lol
He did it for Harden to try to please him. Because "it's him or me" and "I know what we have to do". There video of Harden literally slapping CP3's hand away.
"Ferntits: My basketball ops [operations] got maybe a little weak at the end, and I just said, ‘We’re doing this. We are going to make the change. We’re going to go after it and roll the dice. We’re going to find that 5 percent.’"" bc you ltierally have an owner, going to the press bragging and declaring that he pushed the trade though and the buck stops with him and he even called his own basketabll ops team weak so they had issues with it, but he just point blank said I forced it and I want to roll the dice. IT doesn't fit the narrative you want, so you just ignore that? You hate the quotes don't you...and its hilarious tilman has so many foot in his mouth moments that jut take a part most things you say bc he brags abotu it
So there are reportst of all sort of things, but literalyl the only quotes we have are direct and very straight this is tilman saying my basketball ops(Morey and the guys Harden said he trusts, the same reprot says while harden wanted the trade that morey could reach to him to give this another run) and you basically just want the other narrative, you want to contradict tilman's own quote that he went o the press about and said his basketball ops team was weak and it was him who still pushed it through...to ...you know find the '5 percent' " I was in Europe, and so I was six or seven hours ahead of them. So I’m talking at 2, 3, 4 in the morning. And we just decided to do it. They ran different statistics by me. Ferntits: My basketball ops [operations] got maybe a little weak at the end, and I just said, ‘We’re doing this. We are going to make the change. We’re going to go after it and roll the dice. We’re going to find that 5 percent.’" And then you have Chris Paul, whose criticized Daryl morey publicly, and if he hated harden he could've said something different but htis is his exact quote, I'm still not sure who to believe when it comes to basketball, Chris Paul or a couple posters on here who run circles to bend over for tilman while deflecting blame on anyone else " Former Houston Rockets guard Chris Paul was on the Knuckleheads podcast with Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson and explained the impact of the Rockets losing Ariza. “People don’t realize, that’s the biggest thing that we missed. That was tough when we lost [Ariza] because he sorta was like the glue. He was that glue for our team.” Almost like cohesion, leadership, defense matter in title teams...nah, they ust need to pick up their bootstraps and do better with a cheaper product and shut up and listen and learn how to step on throats and stuff...tilman's been telling us he'll instill that culture...3 years later we went from 1 seed to literalyl the absolute bottom. Not sure if you pay for tickets, but for those of us who goto games he raised prices on us and lied to us and gave us a terrible wasted year of product. WE're in a good spot now, I hope he changes his ways bc if he doesn't in our 2nd window..Green will leave, as will any star who sees the team watered down and an owner not only making his job harder while the rest of the contenders don't do that, but also publicly lies, defelcts and blames...find another owner who does that? Go for it....its a bad look for our rockets.
