Report: Houston Rockets have been searching market for ‘franchise centerpiece-worthy player

So why doesn't he stop fouling, so he can play longer?

 

No, Pippen was a mental midget in the playoffs and disappeared numerous times.... he missed games, he definitely passed up shots, he had the ball stripped a number of times. He was viewed as a choker and if you look at his career numbers in the Finals they are pretty bad.... he shoot very poorly in a large sample size.... 25% from 3 ...... 42% from the field and like 72% from the line.

Ben Simmons has had problems but he has still been productive in the playoffs.

It is like this........ Green and the Rockets other young players are on rookie deals, the Rockets need to maximize their salary cap space while their core is on rookie deals. I think Ben Simmons is a better player than who the Rockets would get in free agency or a similar trade. It isn't as simple as "Simmons doesn't deserve the max", its like a puzzle.

No, If the Rockets get Simmons it is with the idea of winning a title...... you get him for his exceptional defense, his playmaking and rebounding and you off set some of his limitations on offense by having a strong cast of scorers and shooters around him.

 

Jalen Brown is better than Ben Simmons and would be highly coveted. He plays both offense and defense; but he isn't really available.

Ill take Ben Simmons over Collins, Sabonis and Turner (assuming Turner gets the money he expects). Sabonis needs the ball to be effective and is a negative on defense. Collins is a good player but he isn't elite.

Brandon Ingram is interesting, but he doesn't defend either.

 

What would Zion realistically even cost? I'd much rather take a chance on him than Simmons because if Zion doesn't work out then at least you are tanking anyways.

Just depends on what picks we are giving up. Ideally we could flip Wood+Gordo for picks to add in the ZIon package. We could then throw in a Brooklyn Pick and boom thats 3 FR to offer NOLA + KJ Martin + another player (hopefully not Sengun)

 

What’s cost of gastric bypass?

 

Ehh shooting is easier and easier to find actually and you don't need 4 knock down shooters around him.... you really need someone else on the perimeter that is a scorer and a couple of solid shooters around him. There are a number of teams he could fit on as a 3-4 option on offense..... the issue is how much he makes limits what teams he can go to because teams typically are paying their own players a lot..... he needs to go to a team that has younger players that are productive.

Put Simmons on Boston with Tatum and Brown and they are elite.... two other scorers and shooters.... Simmons can play-make, pass, rebound and defend and play inside in some line ups. Simmons plays hard defensively and as a passer.... he just isn't a good shooter and mentally weak at it.

 

Good luck ever winning a playoff series with Green, Zion and Sengun on the floor all "defending"....... thats three really bad defenders.

 

Pippen missed games because he had migranes and he never was afraid to take a big shot, its amazing that you are actually trying to compare Simmons to Pippen in the playoffs, Harden was concidered a choker as well what's your point?

It's nowhere near comparable, you are cherry-picking different events and ignoring how Simmons has crapped the bed in every playoff before the incident.

So how do you offset his mental weaknesses and how he still wants to be the guy. If wanted to be Draymmond 2.0 I would have no issue with him, but he wants to be Magic or Lebron.

Philly has been trying to do exactly as you said, and how did that work out?

Why would you want to pay a guy who even you said is mentally weak max money and then supermax money?

I am still wanting to hear what overboard thing his coach said to justify his behavior.

 

With Zion I'm less concerned about any specific aspect of his game as much as I am that he's headed for diabetes and getting loaded into the back of trucks with a crane to move him from place to place.

 

Yup,
Murray really made it, he is the person once let the whole league believe 'a franchise centerpiece' could be easily grabbed away from others lol

Now, he is trying to do it in another way around, i.e. finding a stupid GM who is willing to believe an immature, mentally weak, lack of 3ball player could be THE franchise centerpiece.

Mm-mm…this time, not only will the GM bail murray out (the problematic aussie + Harris contract), but also to give away tons of assets.

 

If the Rockets could get a deal for Zion, it was still be contingent on him passing their physical. They would also be able to actually interview him to see if his mental attitude is correct for this team. They could fail his physical just from the overweight perspective if they thought he would not embrace working on his weaknesses. He is a special talent when healthy and I would certainly kick the tires. I would pretty much give the any 3 frp’s not including 2022 plus one or two of our young pieces not named Green or Sengun. I’m a big proponent of KPJ, but if that’s what it took to get Zion, I wouldn’t hesitate.

 

Zion's career is over before it even began. Even after he fixes his weight, he has so many biomechanical issues that are going to continue to cause injury issues for the explosive player that he is.

 

I'm a hard pass on Zion no matter what. I don't see a player that will age well even if he manages to avoid the buffet line enough to stay under 400 pounds.

 

Again........ Scottie Pippen played poorly in a large sample size in the NBA Finals and it was widely known at the time that Pippen was a choker, that it was Jordan that had to come through. I laid the numbers out for you... and there were specific incidents, for example when Pippen was in the playoffs with the Rockets where he was considered an absolute choker in the playoffs. Pippen sat out the end of an elimination game in the ECF for god sakes. Also his "migraines" were also roundly questioned at the time. Pippen was not someone you wanted taking shots with the game on the line, that was MJ and he covered for a lot of flaws Scottie had on the offensive side of the ball in half sets at the end of games.

Simmons has been efficient in the playoffs, and actually played well until half sets in the 4th quarters of games.... which isn't a surprise because he is a bad shooter and lacks confidence.

What did his coach say so bad? In a playoff series he said that he didn't know if they could win a title with Simmons...... that is epically stupid. He then doubled down saying speaking to Simmons is like talking to people that believe Trump won the election. That isn't how a 60 year old authority figure should have handled the situation.

 

Well big difference is Cade is not available while Ben is. You don't get many young top 30 players available like this.

Also Ben isn't THE answer. He's a piece to the puzzle and if you have a talent like that (top 3 defender, rebounder, dribbler/passer, size/length) available for assets that aren't part of our future you take it.

Watch this vid, imagine being this good and natural in your first game as PF. Also, take note, how talented and smart this dude is. We have nobody on the roster who plays at such a high level and so effortlessly. Not saying he's Harden but he was our last player who made it look "easy" as they say.

 

but the problem is, we don't have Tatum and Brown, and they are both really polished scorers that can space the floor. We have Green right now as one of the young pieces and he seems to be a shaky shooter that relies on going to the rim and spacing.

Let's say if we draft Jaden Ivey this year, he is also shaky shooter that relies on going to the hoop. I don't really want to make draft decisions based on fit with Simmons.

 

Why do we need to maximize the cap while they are on rookie deals and how does getting Simmons maximize the cap?

What puzzle are you completing, a playoff team puzzle or a championship team puzzle?

What is Simmons going to do differently in Houston than in Philly, they were also doing the same things you want to happen in Houston.

So how do you address the real issue his mental weakness, why do you think that will change, and why are you comfortable paying that kind of money hoping it does?

He is not a young player anymore, and he has a history of this stuff going back to college, so what will change?

My biggest issue is you act like it's easy to do the things you advocate to maximize Simmons, the 76er's have tried to do the same while having a guy who we will probably never be able to replicate in Embid.

IMO Simmons has shown who he is and thinking he is gonna change is fools gold, if he was 12 to 15 million a yea guy I could be talked into to it but at max and then looking for supermax hell to the no.

It's his entitled attitude and history that is the real turnoff, you could not count on him not flaking off and who knows what would happen late in the playoffs, I have no idea why anyone would be comfortable investing and counting on him.

 

If Simmons wasn’t a max player for the next 4 years, I might have a different opinion of adding him. In 2 years, however, we will be rid of Wall, Gordan, and probably Wood by 2024. In all probability we will have 2 more top 10 picks under our belt. 2024 is when we should be looking for 2 all-star players to add. Adding a non-shooting, mental case to the roster at a max contract could put us in the mediocrity hamster wheel for a decade.

 

He's not a mental case. That narrative is bullcrap. His big mouth coach dogged in publicly after a painful defeat. That's a big no-no, you keep that **** in the locker room.

So mental case, no way. Immature and butt hurt, yea but these new players are divas. All of 'em but that's just the way the league is now so got to deal with it. Philly coaches and management blew it and somebody is going to get a damn good player.

 

Simmons is not a top 30 player he showed that his last playoffs and he does not want to be a piece to puzzle he wants to be the guy which is the entire issue that people keep ignoring.

If I show the video of him passing up a layup in crunchtime because he does not want to get fouled what does that mean to you?

Its amazing the huge blindspots people have concerning Simmons.

So now we want to pay a guy max money because he makes it looks easy?

He does not make shooting look easy.