Of course our young guys are leaving the arena mid-game, throwing soup and liking handjob videos when the vet on the team treats his job like a hobby.
When the Milwaukee Bucks was in Houston. That is when Eric Gordon should've been traded to the Bucks. Eric Should've been coming off the Bench. Eric now refusing to play. Young guys will remember this and Lowers their Respect of Stephen Silas even more. James Harden Culture, refusing to play, getting fat on purpose, skipping practice to club in Las Vegas. Daryl Morey created this mess. It still is happening.
What? Dude is getting paid very well to play a game. Tired of players whining or half-assing it because they don't get their way. He can retire if he doesn't like his situation.
I would be careful about fan perceptions of things they see when they attend games live. That being said I wouldn’t be surprised but there could be multiple ways to view it based on what you know about the relationship and understanding between EG and Silas. It could very well been the case where Silas told EG before the game that he wanted to play the young guys later in the game if it made sense and told EG to tell him yes or no when I call him back in if he’s okay with it. it’s the nuances we don’t really know about from a fan perspective. I’m sure there are many times Clutch has held back on stirring the rumor pot based on what he sees as a fan/journalist/etc. because he wants to confirm it with an team member first to make sure what he saw with contextually accurate. That being said… yea EG should not be on this team. Stone botched the trade deadline last year and EG has a right to be pissed.
i'd agree if we knew the situation. we don't know if Stone has been telling Gordon they are trying to find him a home ASAP behind closed doors. We've obviously been openly shopping him for the past 3-4 years. That alone really irks players to have their name plastered around and I can imagine the anxiety of not knowing where you are literally going to live for the next X years.
Honestly you can "roll your sleeves up" as much as you like, but most people if they come within a hair of an NBA title and then spend the next few years tanking is total chaos on your psychological (and thus chemical) condition. Yes I'm sure he can figure out a way to motivate himself to play hard like some hardworking person you used to know, but IS IT REALLY WORTH IT? In a league with 0 dignity and if "business is business" as the owners often tell the players, then right now is the best time for Gordon to risk himself least and give the minimum legally demanded by his contract. I wish it was different or he was the rare player type that doesn't feel that way, but it is what it is. Stupid to play him. Should have John Walled him and should have traded him if we were ever offered a first round pick. You can pick up useful vets that are more flexible and motivated for the vet minimum if that's what you need, it's not like were trying to win. Anyway, it's encouraging to know these kids won almost half of their last dozen games with just one veteran in the rotation who doesn't care much.
Ok, that's fair and I appreciate your response. I'm less sensitive because of my background (25 years military) to celebrities' issues, but understand they are human and have problems that are complicated by their career choices. My family moved to 12 different locations and a total of 17 moves (on/off-base) in my 25 years. My oldest 2 children attended 3 different high schools, my 3rd child 2 and my last son got the benefit of only one school system for his last 7 years (I had retired from mil and went into private sector). I only share the above because I made a career choice. It did impact my family and anxiety issues are something my wife and my children still deal with today. So I can empathize with the perspective you laid out in your post. Merry Christmas!
TL;DR: bunch of words, a lot of nothing • Contenders around the league are trying to gauge Houston’s internal temperature. It’s common practice for teams to express their early roster needs during this time and outline their objectives, especially given the NBA’s parity to date. The Western Conference is a prime example, with the second-placed New Orleans Pelicans and 13th-placed Oklahoma City Thunder separated by just six and a half games. The Athletic understands contenders and playoff hopefuls alike have called the Rockets and are making two types of proposals — moving a draft pick for a wing player or getting unwanted money off their books. Again, league history tells us most trades won’t happen until February. Still, rival teams tend to drop in, gather intel and keep tabs. • To the surprise of no one, the most asked about player on the Rockets roster from contenders is veteran wing Eric Gordon. Since the departure of James Harden and Russell Westbrook in 2020, along with Houston’s other veterans during their contending years, Gordon’s continued presence has been met with a mixture of emotions. The Rockets have turned down offers for Gordon at every possible juncture — the draft, offseason and trade deadline — but a resolution to this saga may finally be had this season. Team and league sources tell The Athletic the Rockets are more inclined to moving the 33-year-old than at any point over the past two seasons. • The Rockets have come close to moving Gordon a few times in the past, but there are a few layers to this sudden paradigm shift. From an age perspective, Gordon is clearly on a different timeline than the rest of the roster. He’s averaging a career-low 11.8 points per game but is still considered a serviceable two-way option — shooting 35 percent from 3 on five attempts per game and Houston are 2.5 points better defensively when Gordon is on the floor, per Cleaning the Glass. He’s also on the last year of guaranteed money, making nearly $20 million this year and has a team option for the 2023-24 season. • “This might finally be the year for EG,” said one Eastern Conference scout. “His contract is essentially expiring with next season being non-guaranteed and he’s on a big number. Houston can use that to take on some bad money and get an asset from some teams, but other teams still have real interest in him because he can help a contender. He’s a shot creator who can play on and off the ball. Good shooter who can handle it and pass enough. Going into a winning situation should rejuvenate him some too. He’s a pro and a team guy.” • While he’s long been admired by the front office and coaching staff, Gordon has made no secret of his desire to return to winning, contending ways and he’s made his preference for a move to a contender known during the offseason, but he’s since remained professional and patient. As stated earlier, Houston is more open to moving Gordon now than before but remains steadfast in their internal valuation of him. The Rockets have more interest in acquiring a young player or a future first-round pick for his services than a late first in next year’s draft. If Houston can get that offer, team sources said they would move Gordon now and not wait until the February deadline. Already armed with their own first-round selection and Milwaukee’s in next year’s draft, there’s not a strong urge to add three more young players to a roster already stocked to the brim with them.
Not to much of a fan of the proposed 3 team trade with the Suns and Bucks. I already know that every game I'm going to keep getting Gary's son confused with Grays.
I've heard this one from sources before - like last year and it turned out that offer would result in "too many 22 draft picks" and then the Rockets turned around and dumped Wood for a 22 pick a few months later.
The offers are probably like Duncan Robinson, Evan Fournier and other long term bad deals plus a heavily conditional 1st. Rockets are trash and will thus be treated as a dumping ground for bad contracts, and Gordon's value is as much for his nonguaranteed money as for any productivity on the court
this is my biggest concern. We’ve been pretty lucky, but every game he plays for us we are taking a risk. But it’s easier if u just reside yourself to believing that we aren’t getting anything for EG.
Eric Gordon, Daishen Nix and Gerry Mathews to Sacramento Richaun Holmes, Davion Mitchell and Alex Len to Houston Houston outlook: they take on a shitty contract for a recent lottery pick. This is all about taking a flyer on Mitchell, who can compete for the starting PG spot. Sacramento outlook: they are trying to win now and get a solid 2 way vet presence for the bench. They also shed a terrible contract at the expense of a player that has seemingly fell out of favor since last year.
The money works and the roster spots work .... What do you do with Len afterwards? Keep him on the roster or cut?? What about Holmes, does he have any value at all around the league? That contract has a player option in 2024/25. $12m per is kinda expensive for a guy getting 8 minutes a game. We already have a logjam at the 5 spot with Sengun, Fernando & Garuba all deserving minutes and Boban eating up a roster spot at the position too. I almost think you'd have to route Holmes elsewhere, even if it returned a similar contract.
