Let's play along, the worst case scenario if we don't give him an extension now. Let say, KPJ has a break out season, scoring 20 ppg, dishing out 7 apg, while shooting 38% from 3. Then some team offers him 120M for 4 years guaranteed and the Rockets decide not to match. What do we lose? A very good starting PG. Is our rebuilding a failure? Not a bit. We still have Green, Sengun, and Smith, and likely a high pick next year. We still have some high potential role players in Christopher, Eason, and Washington. We still own a truck load of picks/swaps from the dysfunctional Nets. Having a good KPJ is nice. But without him doesn't set us back much. I'd say the only horrifying thing to happen is that KPJ turns out to be a generational top 5 players and we lose him for nothing. But chances for that scenario are close to zero.
the reason there is so much negativity on social media is that people want broadcast themselves to the world more than being decent, and people think you have to put someone down to be relevant.
The worst case scenario is that he has a breakout season, he's offered a massive offer sheet that isn't matched, and the team being cheap pisses off Jalen Green and Jabari Smith leading them to start planning their exit as soon as possible. Players don't like it when franchises are cheap and they allow their best players to leave. If KPJ really breaks out, and you let him go, you set the rebuild back several years. You go from potentially contending in a few years, to basically needing to tank for a few more years and hope you can find what you just lost. Now that's just a worst case. The most likely scenario is that KPJ has a very good season, he gets a very good offer sheet and the Rockets match at a much higher rate than they could have paid him if they had just made him a decent offer this offseason. It won't have too much of an effect, it'll just mean less cap space than they could have had if they handled things better. The only "end of the world" scenario is if he REALLY breaks out AND they don't match but I don't think that's terribly likely, either part of it. We're really probably talking about the Rockets costing themselves an extra 5 mil or so by waiting. Not great, not the end of the world.
I suspect he will get a very good offer sheet even if has a good season, statistically. I don't see him playing pg on any other team. His good season will be less meaningful to other teams. Other teams will be cautious because he plays for a losing team and has past issues, attitude problems. It looks a little bit like the Wood situation, some folks were thinking Wood is worth a lottery pick, or more than 1 first round pick, that he has potential to be all star. We saw his value when he was traded. He will get a good offer, if he shows character, becomes a true leader, wins games on top of good stats but the chances for that is very low.
It’s a good point you make. Maybe to get things re-focused, who would you say are 5 PG’s who started more than 50 games who are worse than KPJ? Perhaps the scope of players better than him is too large, so maybe we can see who we would rather not have, over who we would like to have.
Mmmmmmm. The petty and snark is DELICIOUS. KPJ Flame War 2022 is going to be epic even for this place. It will make the Jalen Bust Clique and the Banchero Bus/Chets Children/Jabari Junkies royal rumble look like kindergarten origami. Season cant start soon enough! Hmmm. "If KPJ had half the vision of Sengun he would be worth the max" and Scooters supporters are crazy right? Its hyperbole season! I can dig it!
In the case of Dave saying Scooter could be out of the league after this year I can see where there was a disconnect. How about when Dave out of the blue just tweets that KPJ had no chance of getting #4 like he wore in high school, college, first year NBA? Completely even missing when KPJ came out himself saying that #3 was a clean slate for him. To me it just seems like stirring the pot for clicks honestly. Not sure what productive outcome is to be expected. Then you'll have the clingers who will cosign to anything and the pearl clutchers who want to be offended over anything. Its our new society in a nutshell where it has finally invaded the sanctuary of sport. There is no middle ground. Choose a side and kill your brother.
Off the top of my head, I'd for sure take KPJ over Westbrook, Beverley, Brunson, Suggs, Graham, and Smart. That should be fairly non-controversial.
Brunson is the only one I might make an argument for. Westbrook is a phenomenal talent. I think some of his problem might be with finding the right fit. The other, of course, is his salary. Teams don’t want him because of his salary more than his ability. But I’m definitely in the camp of not wanting him.
KPJ will get in the 16-20 mill a year range. I don’t know why ppl keep throwing 8-12. This guy is better than most young players that just got paid.
Brunson is the closest to where there could be an arguement but given that the scoring numbers are similar, KPJ's passing is better, KPJ's defense is better, and the context of Brunson riding Luka's coattails while KPJ was having to carry a team full of scrubs as the only competent ball handler for most of the season, I give KPJ the nod. As to Westbrook, his contact has nothing to do with why I wouldn't want him. He's the equivalent of basketball AIDS. He's a phenomenal athlete, but it's the old "million dollar body, two cent brain" scenario.... and his athleticism is starting to dip which was always the only thing good about him.
Why do Red Rowdies Twitter accounts continue to be posted as evidence KPJ deserves a big contract? It's absurd.
LOL. U Funny Bro. Was more of how great Sengun's vision is. Not a slight to KPJ. I'm in the extend him camp for the right amount and hope he continues to improve both on and off the court. But, he will never have anywhere near the same vision as Sengun, a 19 yr old kid out there with eyes in the back of his head making plays that only a handful of players in the entire league could make. But keep on posting the same chart over and over and over again. U B U.
