I would make it known . . .no FRPs above 25th. Not trying to trade him to Golden State or the Suns Rocket River
Actually his DAD knows a hell of a lot more about the NBA and how it works than ANYONE posting in this thread. He knows that careers are short, and that KJM is WASTING away here in Houston in a lousy situation and wants to get his son into one that he can excel. This is 100% smart business and yes it screws our team but it is all business and it is the RIGHT thing to do if you are KMJ. DD
Do you think KJM can excel more than he is already excelling? By excel, do you mean ride the pine? I love KJM, but find it hard to believe that he would be getting more than 20 minutes a game anywhere else in the NBA.
I think he can start some places, yes, and put up decent numbers leading to a much better contract for him which is what he wants. I think he should have been starting all year here in Houston with Tate backing up all the guards and SFs...... DD
Even if not, it's not crazy for him to have a candid conversation with management and state he's worried that his growth will be stifled because there's a log jam at his position. It does the Rockets no good to have an asset like KMJ sit on the bench and play a limited role behind Tate and/or Gordon and splitting time with Josh Christopher. You have too many young players to give enough minutes around. I think it's painfully obvious that one way or another, the Rockets need to consolidate. That's not a bad thing. You have a lot of young talent, you can't play them all. So try to consolidate that talent for a better talent.
Clear indictments of Silas ability to develop young players… Green was going to get it regardless, but to keep JayGup and Sengun with limited minutes for long stretches during the season as well just shows Silas doesn’t get it. the only variable I don’t know which could change this is how involved the FO was in mandating PT.
So the bar now is Magic Johnson??? You realize that Magic was a generational talent right? Paolo is nowhere near Magic Johnson either.
It endlessly frustrated me that KJM wasn't being used and developed as a 35+ minute, minute soak, mainly at SF, but PF too. He doesn't make many mistakes, and he moves the ball well and plays hard. Big fan. Today's news is a disappointment. Hopefully, a wake-up call for Silas/Raf to make some room for him, or consolidate.
Btw guys, even in your own lives, you are likely better than your employer tells you. Bet on yourself, and then kick your own ass to make it work. Thinking about this since yesterday, I'm now leaning more towards: he's a good addition to a package to move up in the draft. Maybe it's best for both parties. 17, 26 and KJ is three young players that can replenish and add great depth for a budding team. New Orleans at #8 comes to mind. I wonder what it's worth to Sacramento to dump Fox before Davion destroys his value in the first few weeks of the season. It's obvious to anyone with a brain who watched the last two months of the season, Davion is the winner they wish Fox was. However, they're the Kings so they will probably play them both, Fox will look bad, then they will trade him at way lower value than right now.
What if Silas promises him 30mins a game next season, will he be happy to stay? After Wood is gone, I think it's possible to make it work.
I think we should still trade Tate before KMJ but if KMJ wants to sacrifice himself he can be packaged with #17 & #23 to move up a few spots Also bet the conversation was more “hey if there is not going to be any minutes for me next season could we look to trade to teams where I’ll get the most minutes”
i've always thought he was better than tate and that tate should be traded to make room. maybe this is what the rockets had in mind too, but now our hand is kinda forced and we'll get low ball offers for kj. i always thought kj was better than wood too. i knew we couldn't pay them all and i'd rather pay kj. he can run that break, rebound, does dirty work, 3 ball has improved. it'll be sad to see him go. i hope the rockets can work it out.
Pelicans already have 14 players on their roster, so they can't really take on 3 more. And they already have some future picks coming their way. They need to be consolidating, too. I'm not sure that the KJM, 17 & 26 is equal value for #8. You'd need to throw a future first in there (and not the MIL 2023).
I don't think anyone should be disappointed that he is hungry. I don't think he is complaining about his role last year and the 20 minutes as much as he is stating he is worried if that is going to continue to be his role or even worse - go in the opposite direction. People don't realize his minutes were actually a bit down compared to his rookie year. So it makes sense that if you cam on to the worst team in the league and got 21 minutes a game and then the next year the team had an even worse record and you got less minutes while about to be drafting another forward and potentially another small forward - you might have concerns about your future role or opportunity. You have Josh Christopher, Tate, Eric Gordon, Banchero, Garuba, and possibly one or two incoming picks. You also have a potential of Green, KPJ, and Nix playing at the same time. So it can be tough for him to get 25 minutes even. I like him. If it were me, I'd have him start at SF, move Tate to a 6th man role, & trade EG, I'd take the 17th and 26th picks and trade them for a Jalen Duren or future picks to be used to get a rim protector. But realistically, it's hard to see a world where you can carve out more than 25 minutes a night for him given you have three guys in Banchero, KPJ, and Green who will eat up a lot of minutes, and then you have that second tier of Tate, JC, Nix, Garuba, Sangun, and himself - 9 guys already - competing for minutes. And that's assuming you trade EG and avoid taking on any more guards/wings in this upcoming draft. The only way he can really increase his minutes if he's just so good you have to play him more minutes, in a way, this is what he is going to face on a competitive team anywhere or he can go to another cellar dweller when he can get his 30+ minutes and be happy. He's doing the Rockets a big favor speaking out now so they can make a better decision knowing what's going to make him happy and what's realistically possible given their situation and goals.
In defense of Silas (I hate to say that) he took on a team that was supposed to have Westbrook, Harden, and Wood. He was hired to lead a team of veterans. Just like Wood was supposed to be on a team playing 3rd fiddle at best. I think Silas may have succeeded coaching the team he was hired to coach. I don't think he is the coach for a team of teenagers and early 20's
