Neither JA or Prince sat out the season for Cavs but Cavs still ended up bottom of East and picking top 3. And Cavs supposedly had more talented roster than Rockets. Why and what are not understanding here?
Allen is having the best year of his career. That's what is increasing his value. Plus he locked up and not going into RFA. It's not the same situation. I think LeVert being healthy for the first time in a long time has increased his value. So you knew if Oladipo returned to pre injury form we wouldn't get much for him? Or are you saying you knew that he couldn't return to all star form? And if you are saying that, how did you know that?
LeVert played 35 games for the Pacers last year so he most definitely would have contributed. If these two guys are great and valuable they should be capable of leading a team to 6 more wins. And 6 wins is all it would have taken to cost us our pick. Either these guys are good and valuable or they aren't.
So is it a solid draft or a good young core because there is a huge difference? Yeah I can tell you like the situation so far because you are bending over backwards to explain away what the detractors are pointing out. Your entire thesis was blown since The Cav's got JA and still picked 3rd and got Mobley. I love Alpi and I like Christopher, I am becoming very skeptical of Green ever being a franchise type guy, I would not build on any of these guys , so far they have shown to maybe be pieces of a contender.
I don't understand what that means. What does that mean? Packaging JA and LeVert? No you cannot. if you sit Allen in a contract year when he is healthy he is going to get the NBPA involved. And if that doesn't work you can likely kiss him goodbye because he's never going to want to play for your team.
But we are talking about JA, LeVert, and Prince. Guys that actually filled pretty big needs for the Rockets last year. And the Rockets had more experienced players than the Cavs. Why would the Rockets not be better with them?
I am saying he was not all that even pre injury and the fact that Stone thought he was worth franchise money is the thing that scares me the most. He would have never been an allstar in the west, and he was never a franchise type guy. I know that by watching him since he was drafted and how he could never sustain high level play.
I'm not bending over backwards. I am just going through the scenarios. Nothing was definitive. I am not even saying the Rockets got the best the value they could have because I don't think they did. I think they chose a direction and it worked out well for them. Could keeping Allen and LeVert have worked out just as well or better? Sure. But it also could have worked out worse. The Rockets could have won more games and lost their pick. I am completely fine with the Rockets choosing the route that gave them the best lottery odds.
Dipo is going into year 3 and still not fully recovered and may never regain his best asset, his athleticism. The season Stone traded for Dipo, there were already whispers around NBA circles that Dipo was done. He had been a shadow of himself after returning from a gruesome leg injury. If you followed NBA news more closely you'd have known this. Dipo has played fewer than 35 games the past 3 seasons.
I follow NBA news and I know what Dipo's situation was. It was a gamble but he wasn't playing terrible basketball for Indy prior to the trade. I don't mind the gamble if the cost is losing out on what the Pacers got for LeVert. I like swinging for big moves sometimes.
The rockets could have also done the very same thing and gotten more assets. The Cav's still got the #3 pick, yet you keep ignoring that?
I can defend the Oladipo trade in a vacuum, I really can. Instead of a full rebuild, they were hoping for a retooling and saw Dipo as a better player than LeVert. Even if it didn't work out, I get the logic. Here's what I don't understand, though: If you're hoping to retool rather than rebuild, WHY trade Allen? Like, either keep both, trade both for draft capital to go for the full rebuild, or keep Allen and trade for Dipo to go for a retooling. The one scenario that DOESN'T make sense is trading Allen for draft capital and trading LeVert for Dipo -- it's like they didn't want to commit to the retooling or rebuild. Trying to split the baby usually doesn't work out well in the NBA.
LeVert would have contributed jack squat. He is not a winning player even when he was with Nets. You obviously have no clue about these NBA players, before looking at stats and records watch them play first. You are arguing just to argue without any real context. You've even admitted that keeping JA and LeVert would have given Rockets more valuable assets but then go back to original conclusion that Stone made a deal that YOU are comfortable with. YOU go ahead and be comfortable with a poorer return. Most people would not volunteer to being recipient of the sharp end of the stick.
How am I ignoring that? You quote me saying keeping Allen and LeVert could have worked out better for the Rockets.
You are wrong. Dipo was not playing good basketball, at all. Just admit you didn't know and stop this nonsense.
So why keep arguing then, you've already admitted what is obvious to everyone and their mother. Stone fvcked up that trade by not retaining the best assets. And you ARE ignoring the critical point, Cavs kept JA and Prince and played BOTH yet still ended up at bottom of the East and picking in top 3. Wake up man.
I know exactly what kind of player LeVert is. We aren't talking about him turning the Rockets into a contender. We are talking about him and Allen making the Rockets 6 wins better. A Rockets team that was filled with injury and inexperience. It was a possible outcome for a team like the Rockets. I'm not saying it would for sure happen but the Rockets probably would have been a better team with JA, LeVert, and Prince. How much better? Who knows. I didn't want that risk. I wanted us to be bad and get what we could for Allen and LeVert. So yes I am fine with the trade and the way things worked out.
I said he wasn't terrible for the Pacers at the time of the trade. Calm down and read what I am saying.
What big moves are you swinging at with Dipo? And the thing I just realized if Oladipo did not go down and played about his average we would have not gotten a high draft pick yet you keep saying that's why this trade was better. So the Oladipo trade was better how? It's obvious we traded for Oladipo with no plan on taking which is a fireable offense in itself, if we had that plan JA and Levert were the better move and just keep them. So it was a shitshow any way you look at it. And then you talk about JA getting the bag when they offered the bag to Oladipo who was the lesser player and more of a gamble considering all of his injuries. The more I talk about it, I realize how ****ed we would have been if Stone's original plan worked. Building a team around Oladipo.
